THE Ministry of Public Works and Communication is taking a proactive approach to relocate minibus and car parks along the Avenue of the Republic to ensure efficient and proper management of public transport and roads in that section of Georgetown.

Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn last Saturday met with Georgetown’s Mayor Hamilton Green and members of the City Council along with representatives of the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department and the Ministry of Public Works and Communication at his office when they discussed relocation of the minibus and car parks between Croal and Robb Streets (routes 41, 44 and 63).

Minister Benn and Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Kellawan Lall held a meeting on Friday with City Hall officials and the issue was raised.

Benn said fundamentally the discussions started since last November along with site visits for relocation of minibus parks around the general area of the Stabroek Market.

The overarching purpose for engaging in this exercise is to implement congestion mitigation measures at the intersections. It is also necessary because of a court order issued to the joint defendants, the Town Clerk, The Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General.

The order sought the ‘disestablishment and removal of the said minibus and car parks.’

“We have been working on the issue of making the minibus and other parking locations more efficient. This would be a short-term intervention over the next month or so to get properly organized,” Benn said.

Subsequently, medium and long-term arrangements will be considered and interventions will be taken to make public transportation in Georgetown safer and more efficient.

Benn indicated that what is important right now is to implement a westward shift of the minibus and hire car parks from the Avenue of the Republic to a location in the Stabroek area.

This, he said, will free up and allow for clearer flow of traffic along the Avenue of Republic and would make the area safer. It will however, involve utilizing the parking spaces in front of Stabroek Market more efficiently and ultimately the sand trucks around that area would also be relocated. Other minibus parking areas will be relocated to accommodate this westward shift.

Green said the integrity of the Council’s intention is to ensure that the concept of garnering revenue remains unaffected.

However, he apologised on behalf of the Council for their miscommunication as they were not informed that members of the Council, during the stakeholders’ meeting with the Ministers, had agreed that the area in front of Stabroek Market would be appropriate considering that revenue was paid to occupy it.

Over the next two days there would be final meetings with the stakeholders which would include the route operators and their associations, to confirm the relocation.

Benn said that the system will be organised in such a way that there will be a first in, first out method of operation and that through the route association operators will be required to make some payments.