–in bid to ease traffic congestion along East Bank corridor

IN a bid to mitigate the perennial build-up of traffic on the East Bank corridor, the government has teamed up with a local private firm to erect a few high definition (HD) light-emitting diode (LED) screens at strategic points along the way.

The devices, four in all, were erected in the vicinity of the overhead walkways at Houston and Diamond, on the East Bank Demerara, and the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB), and officially commissioned on Saturday.

According to former journalist, Leonard Gildarie, Managing Director of Pixels Guyana Inc., the company with which the Ministry of Public Works has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the idea is to allow persons to see, in real-time, what the traffic situation is like before they leave home, either on their cell-phones or other electronic devices.
Another consideration for investing in the “just under G$100M” initiative, Gildarie said, is not only to add to the aesthetics of a fast developing Guyana, but to also provide the public with important information such as the Demerara Harbour Bridge updates, Public Service Announcements (PSAs), and advertisements.

And while the screens, which measure 18’ X 10’ and have the capacity to stream 4k quality data, did not come equipped to do so live, that was soon remedied by a team put together by Pixel just days before the commissioning, with the aid of eight cameras, for now, and 50 more before the end of the year.

Speaking at the commissioning on Saturday, Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar lauded the initiative as being the kind of “entrepreneurial spirit that can be replicated in Guyana”, saying that if persons can see the traffic situation from the privacy of their phones, or up on the screens, they would be in a better position to deal with it accordingly.

Seizing the opportunity to commend the young businessman for making such a wise investment, Minister Indar told Gildarie that this is just the beginning, as plans are afoot to develop more highways countrywide, so he will be in business for a very long time.

Also joining the minister in commending the initiative was Ryan Alexander, Vice-Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), saying that the organisation is particularly delighted to know that it is being undertaken by a Guyanese at a time when the accent is on local content.