Sand truck drivers who ply their trade at Ruimveldt and along Mandela Avenue will soon be temporarily located to Providence after companies in the area complained of the sand affecting their businesses.
During a brief engagement with the drivers yesterday at Providence, East Bank Demerara, Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works, Deodat Indar, informed the drivers of the complaints made by the businesses. Subsequently, an agreement was reached between the drivers and the ministers to have them relocate to the empty parking lot at the entrance of Red Road at Providence.
“We have a real issue where the businesses in the vicinity of where you ply your trade are being affected. As a matter of fact, the people have sand in their paint and they have other businesses that are complaining… we are looking at a possible relocation… with the relocation that we agree on, we are prepared to announce and tell everybody where the sand trucks would be,” Edghill said yesterday.
In a brief comment to the media, the minister explained his ministry’s plan concerning works for the preparation of the parking lot which he said will begin as early as Monday. “We are taking the truck drivers off of the main highway… they have to ply their trade so those who are waiting to sell sand to customers have been parking in the vicinity of where we just finished the new four-lane Mandela where it connects with the four-lane going to the East Bank…we are moving them to a location where customers could be able to come and get them where they’ll be comfortable and they will not be a traffic hazard, they will not be an inconvenience to businesses…this open space that is used as a parking lot for the stadium, we will do some preparation work and they’ll be able to start here.”
Meanwhile, according to Indar, talks with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Charles Ramson Jr have already been completed and a permanent solution will be found when large international events such as the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) are expected to be hosted here.
He notified the drivers that the location will only be temporary until the ministry acquires a piece of land to properly and permanently host the sand truck drivers.
Meanwhile, Edghill also noted that in order for preparatory works to begin, vendors who have established stalls and caravans along the East Bank highway are expected to move since notices were given to them last year.
“The entrance of this road (while pointing to Red Road), Mocha and Bagotstown must be cleared of the encumbrances, these are main connectors, we have to widen these roads, all of the people you see vending and selling here have already been served notices and they had until the first week in January to move… because we intend to start doing improvements… somewhere along the line we have to be able to restore order if these trucks are to be getting in here.”
The Public Works minister noted that the government is in support of Guyanese small businesses, however, the sudden and illegal erecting of stalls and caravans along the busy roadways will not be supported.
Additionally, following his engagement with the truck drivers, the ministers then went over to the taxi drivers who ply their trade at the entrance of the Red Road parking lot to inform of their plans. He assured them that their trade will not be interrupted since they will also have a space in the parking lot, away from the truck drivers but however, it will require neat and organized parking in order to facilitate both parties.
