Dear Editor,
I have never seen such massive traffic jams in so many sections of the city before, and it’s not Christmas yet. The volume of traffic seems to fill the streets of Georgetown when Parliament is in session or when there is the ceremonial parade in front of the Magistrate‘s Court.
The latter was in session on the first day in October and it caused pandemonium in several streets of leaving commuters stranded or stuck in minibuses and private vehicles for as long as half an hour (in my case).
I was in Croal Street heading for the ‘park’ when the traffic became extremely slow and stopped intermittently just before Camp Street.
Some passengers disembarked and walked to their destinations. Being saddled with a heavy bag, not realizing how serious the traffic jam was, and wanting to reach a friend at nine o’clock at Fogarty’s Store, I took a chance and remained in the bus. It crawled into Camp Street and turned south past Brickdam.
Both Croal and Brickdam were blocked and the police presence was evident. We headed west into Hadfield Street and we were all ejected prematurely at the junction of the Avenue of the Republic. During this time of travel we were bombarded by traffic on all sides, and tempers flared occasionally. I witnessed some of the most dexterous driving, some of the most reckless driving, some of the most inconsiderate driving, and some of the most careless driving.
In the end I walked to Fogarty’s with my heavy load, passing a police parade outside the court, which was the cause of the road blocks and the massive traffic jam in several streets of the unsightly, litter-strewn capital city of Guyana.
I wondered as I trudged along, ‘when will the authorities get it right?’ Some time ago I suggested that Parliament be removed mainly for two reasons – the traffic situation and the unsightly mess. Now we must consider the Magistrate’s Court.
Yours faithfully,
Hilmon Henry
