Smart City Solutions (SCS) has begun to install parking meters around the city and the company will today demonstrate how it works.
Stabroek News observed that meters have been placed on Water and Robb streets, in the vicinity of the Fogarty’s building, on Hincks Street and on Regent Street, in front of City Hall. The demonstration today will be done on the one outside of City Hall. The meters were reportedly installed during the course of Monday night by workers from the company.
Stabroek News has learnt that the meters are likely to become operational during the month of January.
Over the past two months, the company had started demarcating the areas where the meters would be placed, and had installed supporting infrastructure. Signs were mounted on steel pipes indicating the times when they would be operational.
The company has delineated spaces to install an estimated 400 parking meters within the central business district of Georgetown. The George-town City Council will be collecting 20% of the gross income annually after the meters become operational.
The project is divided into two phases; with the first phase expected to see the installation of 157 meters to cover 3,237 spaces, while in the second phase, expected to be implemented in the first three months of 2017, an estimated additional 163 meters will be installed to cover another 4,000 spaces.
The meters would be operational from Monday to Saturday, from 7 am to 7 pm.
The rate for the parking meters is $50 for 15 minutes and minutes will be sold via prepaid cards. It was stated that there will be no refund if a person spends less than the time purchased.
SCS was contracted by the Mayor and City Council to install parking meters around the city to aid in reducing traffic congestion, and as a means of generating revenue for the city council.
Controversy arose when the signing of the parking meter contract was made public. Critics had said that secrecy surrounded the deal and that it had not been publicly tendered. Concerns were also raised about the cost to citizens. Initially, it was announced that the rate per hour would have been $500.
Subsequent to the widespread criticism, President David Granger ordered that the contract to be reviewed. A review done by the Ministry of Finance severely criticised the initial contract, saying that procurement rules might have been transgressed, while a review by the Attorney General’s Chambers also pointed out that the terms highly favoured the contractor.
The reviews, however, did not find the contract to be illegal, and the central government only recommended that the city renegotiate the contract after seeking the advice of an accountant.
In October, a majority of city councillors voted to approve amendments to the contract, including a lower toll, as well as the reduction of the length of the contract from 49 years to 20 years.
At the statutory meeting of December 13, councillors voted in favour of the bylaws which will govern the specifics of parking within the city’s boundaries, inclusive of metered parking. The bylaws were drafted after the city’s administration and National Parking Systems/ SCS had signed a contract for the parking meters.
