Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves outlined some of the preliminary initiatives that have been put forward for discussion, while responding, in Parliament on Thursday 12th July, to a question posed by Opposition Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown, St Clair Leacock.
Leacock requested that the government side state what initiatives were in place to assist parking in Kingstown.
Prefacing his response with reference to the fact that the problem was not unique to St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Prime Minister said, “I think we all recognize that city parking is a major challenge in urban areas in both developed and developing countries globally,” Gonsalves said.
According to Gonsalves, over the last 20 years there has been a rapid increase in the number of vehicles imported and therefore, parking in a concentrated area such as Kingstown with a finite space has not escaped government’s attention.
“The issue is the number of vehicles and the limited space in which to park them, so careful consideration as to how this issue in the city can be addressed, and in a country that is expecting exponential growth in its development and one that is impacted by the increase in the importation of vehicles – this is a matter that is occupying our attention,” he said.
According to Gonsalves, a document was commissioned by the Kingstown Town Board (KTB) in April 2022 to examine aspects of parking in Kingstown, and a local consultant was engaged to assist the KTB with reviewing the situation and making recommendations accordingly, to include to advise on streets that could be designated for time limit paid parking for the general public conducting business, to ensure equity in parking on the streets of Kingstown, and to determine measures that ought to be in place for business entities in Kingstown.
The recommendations were also expected to including a parking policy in the transport policy and action plan to develop parking standards for Kingstown; improve the legislative framework on parking in the city inclusive of fees and fines; and consideration for the number of vehicles entering Kingstown.
These and the other recommendations are expected to be canvased in a national consultation on parking in the city, which the newly appointed Minister of Urban Development, Senator Benarva Browne, is expected to lead.
