There will be no parking along the East Bank Demerara Public Road between the Demerara Harbour Bridge, Peter’s Hall and the National Stadium, Providence during the upcoming Cricket Carnival billed for September 18 to October 02.
This forms part of the traffic plan by the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force for the major event here. Importantly, persons living between the Harbour Bridge and Stadium will not be affected.
Already, tickets for most of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches in Guyana have been sold out and it is anticipated that there will be major traffic congestion on the days of the matches.
But Traffic Chief Superintendent Dennis Stephens has assured the public that the Traffic Department is ready to ensure there is a free flow of traffic.
“For the Cricket Carnival, of course, it is a mega event and the Traffic Department is prepared to handle those situations on the days of the events,” the Traffic Chief said during a ‘Police and You’ programme this week.
There are seven matches scheduled to be played in Guyana and Superintendent Stephens said the Traffic Department will ensure patrons arrive safely
“We would have implemented many new traffic posture to be able to address this situation for example persons proceeding to the venue on the dates, we advise that they use the eastern side of the eastern carriageway that is on the East Bank of Demerara, persons who are proceeding beyond the stadium they can proceed on the western side of the eastern carriageway,” the Traffic Chief explained.
There will be paid parking along the Providence Access Road commonly called ‘Red Road’. During the cricket season, Red Road will only facilitate traffic proceeding east.
Once the matches are complete, patrons are being urged to proceed further east and use the Windsor Estate Access Road to head to Georgetown on the Eccles to Mandela four-lane highway.
The Traffic Chief is also urging persons to carpool to help lessen the traffic congestion.
He highlighted that aside from traffic ranks, traffic signs and cones will be erected along the road to help persons navigate their way to the matches and beyond the stadium.
The Traffic Department has also taken into consideration the large number of persons proceeding to the West Bank and West Coast of Demerara.
“Depending on the time, we would have a third lane and the third lane would include the eastern side of the western carriageway for persons proceeding towards the Demerara Bridge and beyond.”
The Cricket Carnival is expected to be a major boost to cricket development and tourism here.
So major sporting events being held at this stadium is going to cause parking problems in the immediate vicinity now and in the future. Begs the question as to why adequate parking facilities were not incorporated in the designing of the stadium in the first place to accommodate vehicles?. Or are people trying to park on the verges for a fast getaway at the end of an event?