Dear Communications and Works Minister Mark Vanterpool:
I am writing you as a citizen who is very much concerned about the present vehicular parking situation in Road Town.
We all have seen how the parking situation has gotten worse and worse over the years, yet this matter is not taken seriously. One major solution would be to ban or control the size and number of vehicles imported into the territory. However, that is not my topic of concern at this time.
At this time I want to address two areas of major concern. The first is the section of Main Street between Russell Hill Road and Customs Road. The second is the section of road from the roundabout north to the House of Assembly; then east to the Road Town Police Station and on to the James Walter Francis Drive; then west back to the roundabout.
First area
Let me deal with the easiest first, as it is a problem that only requires an executive order. Between the Adina Donovan Home for the Elderly and the Methodist Cemetery there are three separate traffic flows, with one section creating a major problem on a daily basis. Between Russell Hill Road and the Adina Donovan Home, the road is one-way, as it is between Customs Road and the Methodist Cemetery. However, the section between Customs Road and Russell Hill Road is the only two-way section of Main Street, yet parking is permitted by your ministry. I am aware that the police have been trying to get this matter resolved for years but to no avail. I had several discussions with the former police commissioner, so I know this to be a fact. I have spoken to you about this on more than one occasion: Your last response was that you and a committee looked at it.
Only a few people in this territory are aware that it is the ministry that is responsible for traffic flow and parking and not the police. The ministry may request input from the police, but it is not obligated to accept or use any or all of it. The minister, not the Police Department, makes the final decision on where parking is permitted or prohibited. If I am wrong, please let me know. On behalf of the motorists and pedestrians who have to navigate this section of Main Street on a daily basis, I am once again requesting that you take immediate action to have this situation corrected. There is no justifiable reason for parking to be permitted in this area.
Second area
For the other area that I mentioned, I will now offer my solution. I have spoken to many elected leaders over the years about that area and I always got the same response: “There is a master plan.” However, as yet I have not seen any progress, so I have decided to put my concerns to you.
In the area I described above, we have the High Court, the House of Assembly, the cineplex, the police station, the Althea Scatliffe Primary School, the A. O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, the Multi-purpose Sports Complex, the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall, and the Festival Village Grounds. In this area, there is always a demand for parking, traffic is a problem, and police are unable to issue parking tickets.
I would like to see the present Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall replaced with a more practical building of about three floors. However, my concern at this time is parking.
Between the 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum and the present hall, a three- or four-storey parking garage could be built to accommodate at least 100 vehicles. If government is unable to finance such a project at this time, government could partner with a private (local) builder. In partnering with such a builder, government can either lease the land for a period of time or collect a percentage of the revenue until that builder has recovered his or her investment and made a profit. The building will eventually belong to government and will continue to earn revenue.
This building could be designed in such a way that when the new hall is completed it can be connected by covered walkways to allow for more comfortable exit and entry.
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