SPANISH TOWN, St. Catherine:
IN A bid to reduce traffic congestion and provide more parking spaces in Spanish Town, the St. Catherine Parish Council says it will be intensifying its drive to acquire additional land and upgrade existing parking lots.
Speaking at the first sitting of the council for the new year last week, Dr. Raymoth Notice, Mayor of Spanish Town, said there was an urgent need for additional parking lots to meet the demand from increased traffic in the town.
"Spanish Town has outgrown its infrastructure," the Mayor said. "Streets are congested, not only with vendors, but there are persons who are parking in areas where they should not."
Many business places are located in the area surrounding the market, but there is inadequate parking spaces there, the Mayor said.
Dr. Notice said the council had identified lands located adjacent to Market Street and Hanover Street for the development of a car park.
He said upgrading work is to be carried out also on the existing car park on Wellington Street, for it to accommodate more vehicles.
A new taxi stand and car park are to be constructed at Redemption Ground on Oxford Road, on lands owned by the St. Catherine Parish Council and which had been earmarked for the construction of an arcade.
"Very soon, we will not be allowing any taxis to park on the streets in the vicinity of Wellington and Cumberland roads," Mayor Notice said. "They will have to go to the designated area."
He said that council lands on King Street may be transformed into a temporary car park until plans were finalised for the construction of a new parish council building on the site. He said the parish council was negotiating with private land owners to lease unoccupied lands for car parks.
Mayor Notice said there were plans for the development of the town's recreational parks. He said the projects were in the planning stages but the implementation cost had not yet been determined. He said he would be working with the business community and other groups to bring all the projects to life.
"We must understand that when things are working smoothly it will benefit all concerned," Mayor Notice said.
