The Castries Constituencies Council has erected parking meters in strategic locations in Castries, which they say will help address the prevalence of illegal parking. Since the erection of the meters, however, citizens have expressed their confusion and criticism of the move. It is believed by some that the parking meters will not be effective in reducing illegal parking and Saint Lucians will not be open to the idea. Castries Mayor, Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, on the other hand, is positive that the new devices will cause Castries to remain the center for commerce and industry.
“We really have seen the need for improvements in the parking situations in Castries. A lot of persons who come into the city get parking tickets - it makes [Castries] an uncomfortable place for persons,” the Mayor noted. She says the difficulty in parking has resulted in a loss in business in the capital. “We’ve seen in the past there’s a movement of businesses out of Castries into Gros Islet for that matter. Whilst we’re happy that Gros Islet is also developing, we have to take cognisance of the fact that we want Castries to remain a busy and thriving economic place of business.”
The meters, however, are not yet operational. The Mayor estimates that it will take a further five months before the meters become operational. The CCC will embark on a training and education campaign to sensitise workers and the general public on how the meters should be used. Lendor-Gabriel says the strategic location of the meters will aid in allaying the tragic congestion found in recent times.
“If you look around Derek Walcott Square, you’d recognise that’s paid parking. There are also a number of areas in Castries where paid parking exists. For example, in the vicinity of the old Customs Building, et cetera. What we are attempting to do is regularise the paid parking system, make it more affordable for the average person to be able to meet the paid parking, and importantly ensure that we deal with the congestion in Castries.”
Once operational, she says, the meters will enable citizens to not only purchase parking tickets, but boarding passes for public transportation and tickets for washrooms as well.