-serial offenders with derelict vehicles to be charged
The Ministry of Public Works has procured 400 wheel clamps which will be handed over to the Guyana Police Force as part of a major enforcement drive targeting overloaded trucks, illegally parked heavy-duty vehicles and the dumping of derelict vehicles along the country’s roadways.
The announcement was made yesterday by Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill during a Facebook live broadcast in which he also outlined the scope of an ongoing drainage and desilting programme in Georgetown, announced temporary weight restrictions for the Parika-Supenaam ferry service and appealed to citizens to assist the ministry in monitoring public works projects.
Edghill said the wheel clamps have already arrived in Guyana and will be used together with the police to enforce existing road traffic regulations.
“I’m happy to announce that the government’s procurement of 400 clamps has been completed. Those clamps are now in the country, and they will be handed over to the Guyana Police Force,” he said.
He warned that operators of overloaded trucks and vehicles parked illegally on roads and road shoulders would face stricter enforcement.
“Trucks who are carrying more than the 15 tons per axle, in keeping with the regulations that have been made, you’ll be clamped and detained, and we will be moving to charges,” he said.
He added that trailers and heavy-duty equipment parked on public roads and shoulders, creating hazards for motorists, would also be targeted.
“You won’t be able to get back those vehicles because we will clamp them, we will press charges, and where we need to remove, we will remove them,” he said.
According to the minister, owners will also be required to reimburse the government for the cost of removing and storing the vehicles before they are released.
“In keeping with the roads Act, you will only be able to get it back when you pay every dollar what it costs us to move it, to transport it, and when you honour your obligation to the state, then you will get it back,” he said.
Derelict vehicle crackdown
Edghill said the ministry has become increasingly frustrated by repeated violations despite several enforcement exercises carried out jointly with the Guyana Police Force.
He disclosed that about 50 persons have already been charged in relation to derelict vehicles, while another 150 have been warned and voluntarily removed vehicles or other encumbrances from public road reserves.
“So far, 50 persons have been charged and placed before the courts. One hundred and fifty, thereabout, have been warned and they have voluntarily removed the encumbrances,” he said.
The minister warned that the ministry would no longer tolerate repeat offenders.
“We are moving now to charges. We are stepping up charges,” he declared.
He cited the area along the railway embankment behind Sheriff Street, stretching from David Street to Middleton Street, as an example.
According to Edghill, the ministry has cleared the location four times, including one operation during which he personally supervised the removal of abandoned trucks.
“It is disrespectful and downright obnoxious, having done that four times, to go in that thoroughfare again and to see derelict vehicles being dumped there,” he said.
He also revealed that one operator paid $4.2 million to recover trucks removed during a previous exercise but subsequently continued storing vehicles in the same location.
“If a man pays $4.2 million and then goes ahead to continue it, it means that the fines that he has to pay… didn’t really bother him. So we’re going to remove it, and we’re going to also press charges,” he said.
Edghill stressed that all persons parking large lorries, trailers and heavy-duty equipment on main access roads and highways are being placed on notice.
“Parking of large lorries and trucks and heavy-duty equipment is not allowed. Encumbering the shoulders of these roads are not allowed, and we will be taking strong action,” he said.
Drainage works
The minister also sought to address complaints from Georgetown residents regarding the quality of drainage works currently being undertaken throughout the city.
He said the Ministry of Public Works has awarded close to 1,000 contracts covering drainage, desilting, clearing of parapets, cleaning of culverts and the removal of accumulated waste.
Edghill said many residents have complained that some contractors appear to be undertaking only superficial work.
“I want to educate the entire public what these contractors are going to be paid to do and make it very clear if they don’t do it they will not be paid because we are stepping up monitoring and we want to ensure value for money,” he said.
He explained that contractors are required to remove all silt, slush, vegetation and debris from drains, whether manually or using excavators, and must also clean bridges, culverts and alleyways.
“These contracts are not for people just to come and weed the road edge, dip a couple buckets of slush and move on. This is not going to be a fast and nasty operation,” he said.
He added that the contracts require all material removed from drains to be loaded into trucks and transported to authorised disposal sites.
“It can’t be taking it out the drain and putting it on the shoulder. The contract stipulates it must be carted away, trucked away and dumped,” he said.
The minister noted that contractors are also required to clear road shoulders of excess sand, vegetation, encroachments and accumulated garbage, saying these often prevent water from flowing into roadside drains.
He explained that in some cases contractors would have to temporarily block drains with sandbags while desilting is carried out and use specialised methods to clean beneath bridges to restore proper drainage.
According to Edghill, each contractor has employed between five and seven workers, resulting in approximately 7,000 persons being engaged in the programme.
He said the ministry expects Georgetown to see significant improvements over the coming weeks.
“Within another couple of weeks, Georgetown should look different and should we have rain, what we saw earlier in the year should not occur,” he said.
Residents dissatisfied with the quality of work are being encouraged to contact the ministry’s hotline at 624-2964 and share the location so engineers can inspect the works.
Billboards and ferry restrictions
Edghill also announced that the ministry will intensify enforcement against unauthorized billboards, banners and posters erected along highways and major roads.
He said while organisers are free to advertise events, many signs remain in place long after activities have ended.
“The activities are gone, completed. The billboards remain there. The place looks awful. The aesthetics of the city is being compromised,” he said.
The minister appealed to citizens to report unauthorised signs through the ministry’s hotline.
He also announced a temporary reduction in the allowable weight for trucks using the Parika-Supenaam ferry service.
The weight limit has been reduced from 20 tonnes to 18 tonnes while improvement works continue at the Parika and Supenaam stellings, including modifications to accommodate the new ferry MV Konawaruk.
Edghill said the restriction is intended to protect temporary infrastructure until permanent works are completed.
“We don’t want a situation where anyone is in trouble because something breaks or people’s lives are put in jeopardy,” he said.
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