Dear Editor,
There is a shop named RED SHOP at the head of a main street which connects Georgetown with communities on the lower East Coast of Demerara and Greater Georgetown. This street is a busy thoroughfare providing access to Sophia on the southern side, Cummings Lodge on the northern side and also as an alternative route for traffic coming from the East Coast of Demerara. This shop is nestled at the junction of four roads and a bridge and is almost always a hive of busy traffic and harried commuters.
Implausibly the authorities of Georgetown have granted a permit to the above named shop to operate a bar smack in the middle of this hustle and bustle traffic location.
It is a daily burden to drive in this location but understandable when considering the various areas that this road services. However, it is in the evening and especially at weekends when the true lawlessness of this location is exposed right under the gaze of the relevant authorities, our police, who have a police station and forensic lab within a stone’s throw of either side of this shop.
As soon as night falls this busy four-way road junction becomes a bustling bar and liming spot. Patrons converge upon this location and tables and chairs are set along the road way. No one seems to pay heed to the obvious fact that setting up these tables not only impedes the traffic using these roads but also endangers the customers patronizing the bar.
As the night gets older and alcohol relaxes the mind there is dancing and socializing. The customers become so emboldened that they undertake their activities in the middle of the road, paying no heed to the persons who have to use the road. Any driver who dares to protest the obvious infringement of our road laws are met with insolent stares and verbal threats.
To further compound matters is that some of the patrons park their vehicles in any manner along the road obstructing traffic.
The music emanating from the bar is deafening and goes into the wee hours of the morning.
Editor, the amount of laws that are being broken on a daily basis by this bar are long. Yet it has been allowed to operate unimpeded and without any intervention from the police who are nearby and must certainly be aware of the hazards that this shop presents to road users.
The authorities are urged to look into the operation of this bar and ensure that it complies with the laws of our country. Please do not wait until an unfortunate accident/incident occurs to take the necessary action. We all need to abide by the laws. The law abiding citizens should not be held to ransom by an irresponsible few who cannot see the importance or relevance of the laws of our country.
Special words of condemnation have to be made against the officer in charge of the Sophia Police Station who must be fully aware of the daily transgressions of this bar yet has done nothing to curb this blatant disregard to our country’s laws.
It is still hoped that common sense prevails and the authorities do the right thing and restrict the operation of this bar so that neither road users nor the bar’s patrons come into an unfortunate accident/incident.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address supplied)