New downtown parking plan announced

NEW parking arrangements are to be instituted in downtown Port-of-Spain. The arrangements have increased the parking time by an hour, making it legal to park on certain streets from 10 am to 4 pm. In addition, parking will now be allowed on several other streets during the same time. The new arrangement will take effect shortly, once the necessary regulations are published in the Gazette. The announcement was made yesterday at a joint press conference hosted by the Minister of Works and Transport, Franklyn Khan, the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) and Port-of-Spain Mayor, Murchison Brown, at the Ministry’s Richmond Street offices.

President of DOMA Gregory Aboud noted that the issue of parking was crucial to any activity, and having experienced difficulty getting parking spaces downtown, the organisation approached the Ministry with its ideas for new parking arrangements. He said the proposal was to extend parking from the initial 10 am to 4.30 pm, but the Ministry agreed to extend the hours by only an hour, after their own investigations. The streets on which parking will be allowed are Queen Street between George Street and Chacon Street; Prince Street between George Street and Henry Street; George Street between Prince Street and Independence Square North; Henry Street between Park Street and Independence Square North; Charlotte Street between Park Street and Independence Square North and Chacon Street between Queen Street and Independence Square North. Parking will be allowed between the hours of 10 am to 4 pm on alternative sides of the above streets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Minister Khan stressed that parking will not be allowed on Albion Street, Gordon Street between St Vincent and Dundonald Streets; on the Southern side of Park Street between Victoria Square West and Victoria Square East, and Sackville Street between Edward and St Vincent Streets. The Minister said the measures would be short-term and if it created congestion, then it would be reviewed. Mayor Brown sanctioned the parking plan and expressed optimism that it would be a success, moreso because of the removal of street vendors. He reiterated that street vending would no longer be tolerated in downtown in the indiscriminate way it was being done, not even for the busy Christmas season. He further assured that for Christmas, certain things would be put in place to ensure a free flow of traffic in the city, together with security plans.