Lower parking rates coming – ministry

-protest movement to take legal action

Talks have begun between the city and SCS for “far less onerous” parking meter rates, according to the Ministry of the Presidency but that concession yesterday may be too late to stave off legal action amid mounting anger over the project and another protest is set for today outside City Hall at midday.

News of the likely lower tolls were relayed in the ministry statement last night after President David Granger convened a meeting with Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green and Town Clerk Royston King. The meeting followed a two-week boycott of metered parking that left usually congested streets devoid of vehicles. The dissent against the meters also spawned a group named Movement Against Parking Meters (MA PM) which mobilised hundreds of protesters last Friday outside City Hall and which is now planning legal action.

Last night, the ministry statement said that Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan and Attorney General, Basil Williams were also present at the meeting.

The Head of State, the release said, made it clear that the Government is not inclined to usurp the authority of the elected Council. “However, it took heed of the concerns of citizens, so much so, that the issue dominated Cabinet’s deliberations on Tuesday. Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that with dialogue, a mutually acceptable outcome can be achieved”, the release said.

“No one in the Cabinet is opposed to the need for congestion to be eased and for order in the City. We agree that the project could be helpful for raising revenue for the Municipality but only to the extent that it is not harmful to the public good,” President Granger said during the meeting.

According to the press release, Bulkan said that Central Government is merely encouraging the municipality to engage in further dialogue so that consensus can be reached to the satisfaction of all stakeholders.

He added that he is pleased that the City Council has already started discussions with the contractor, Smart City Solutions (SCS) , who were very receptive and willing to consider changes to the tariffs to make it less burdensome.

“At the end of the day the new rates that are settled would be far less onerous… When the dust is settled, persons would begin to see and appreciate the benefits that will arise from a measure such as this. Change always comes with some degree of resistance and opposition but change is part of life and one of the things that results in underdevelopment is a state of inertia and indolence,” the Minister stated.

Meanwhile, Mayor Chase-Green, who has been accused by the protesters of exhibiting arrogance and inflexibility, informed in the statement that the Council is willing to go back to the negotiation table and to have further consultations with stakeholders.

“What we have to look at now is the cries of the people, who are working and have to park for eight to twelve hours. I want them to know that we’ve heard you and we will go back to the table. We will invite you to come in and we will discuss the way forward,” the Mayor said.

She said that in addition to restoring order in the City, this project was aimed at garnering much needed revenue to pilot the kind of transformation that everyone wants to see.

Scrapped

At a press conference yesterday at the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Waterloo Street, MA PM said that along with several other concerned groups they may soon move to the court to have the parking meter contract between the city and SCS scrapped.

Attorney Nadia Sagar explained that while the MA PM would not be a party to the court actions being prepared by other private entities, she is aware of plans to undertake legal action against the M&CC, as well as, SCS, to scrap the parking meter contract.

“Legal action is going to be taken. Things don’t happen overnight. There are several entities that are pursuing action through different attorneys,” she said.

She could not however, specifically say when court papers would be filed, but noted that the Municipal and District Councils Act provides for by-laws to be submitted to the Minister for approval, and at least fourteen days before a request for approval, a notice of intention should be published.

“We are not aware that any of that has been done, so there is no evidence that the procedure required to make these by-laws legally enforceable were ever adhered to,” Sagar said.

Though the possibility of government intervention to have the M&CC and SCS reduce the current parking fee, may soon materialise, MA PM says it will continue to boycott the system, as the issues extend beyond the exorbitant parking fees.

“The MA PM believes that this boycott of the metered spaces by the citizens is their spontaneous reaction to a number of issues in connection with the implementation of the parking meter system that appear to be wrong,” the group said in a statement.

Other areas of concerns include the fact that both the feasibility and socioeconomic impact studies were not undertaken prior to the implementation of the project, the procurement regulations of both the Government of Guyana and the M&CC have been breached, and the requisite due diligence was not performed.

Reference was also made to a review by the Ministry of Finance which found that the original contract had contained sufficient grounds for it to be revoked, subject to legal implications. The review cited the need for a feasibility study, which includes analyses of demand, socioeconomic cost-benefits and risks, as well as technological options, to be carried out.

It was noted however, that while the body supports the implementation of a parking system in the city, it is their view that the current parking meter arrangement was illegally done; a claim which they believe is substantiated by the aforementioned highlighted issues.

Regarding the operational aspect of the implementation of the metered parking system, MA PM highlighted numerous issues that confront the consumer, a testament to what they say is the “inexperience and general disorganization” of those implementing the parking meter system.

These include an inadequate public relations campaign carried out by SCS, and the discourteous, often belligerent manner in which the SCS operatives go about enforcing the system.

“We have noted that persons have been booted even though valid tickets have been displayed. We have noted that even though VAT has been reduced to 14%, SCS still applies this at the old rate of 16%,” one MA PM member highlighted.

Also, MA PM is disgruntled with what appears to be a growing tendency of the indiscriminate clamping/booting of vehicles by SCS representatives who are being paid on commission.

Komal Ramnauth,

another member of the MAPM, implored motorists to continue to boycott the parking system, “We are advocating that instead of the City breaking the contract, starve the green monsters and if you don’t support it, SCS will have to pull out on their own because they will not be able to financially upkeep themselves. Whatever the terms are, whatever the penalty is, if the City doesn’t break the contract, then they will not have to pay.”

The parking meters project has attracted controversy for months now but the battle against it only kicked into high gear when vehicle owners began boycotting it in large numbers leaving streets in the central business district deserted. The project has been flayed over a lack of transparency, an absence of competitive bidding and provisions within the contract. Meters are expected to be rolled out in a larger phase two which would significantly constrict the current number of places where cars can be parked without having to pay.