It is customary to see signs erected at parking lots that say, “Park at your own risk,” the intended purpose being to remove liability from the property owner in the case of theft or vehicular damage. Soon we may find that we need “drive at your own risk” signs with the current state of our activity on the island’s streets.
One area in particular is the indiscriminate parking that is evident all over the island almost suggesting that it is ok to park anywhere, anytime and anyhow.
While this remains a constant frustration for most, hardly anything has been done to dissuade people from this prevalent practice, a practice that has proven to be dangerous at times and causes traffic delays.
A short trek around Castries and its environs is enough to paint a very realistic picture of how bad the problem has become. La Panse, Mon Du Don and Rock Hall are perfect examples of absolute nightmare drives for the average motorists. Then there are those who are bold enough to pull-up in Grand Riviere to purchase breakfast during the morning rush hour or the vehicle that is parked partially on the Millenium Highway or those near mechanic shops that are not motorable. The list is endless.
In places like the United States, which we always like to refer to, there are regulation in some areas that state that parking from 6am to 6pm is strictly prohibited in an effort, in some cases, to aid traffic flow. Residents do not enjoy the luxury of parking on their doorstep during those hours.
The do-as-you-wish environment as it relates to motorists and parking is as a result of poor policing on that front. This attention lapse spirals into other problem areas, an unfortunate scenario particularly because it is avoidable. The poor parking problem contributes to traffic delays which in turn contributes to overall national productivity. At times it is just simply dangerous, at a time when we have even the country’s Prime Minister begging for calm on the roads.
This issue obviously cannot be fixed with a snap of the finger however we need to start somewhere and that somewhere may very well be a more visible, active police presence. The perpetrators of poor parking are seemingly emboldened because of poor police presence and consequently zero repercussions.
A few months ago, there were efforts afoot to remove derelict vehicles from roadway across the island. That was a welcomed start but that seemed to have fallen flat.
It is often said that human beings generally repeat what they are allowed to get away with, which seems to be the truest statement that one can make in this situation.
There are other sayings that can also be applied in this situation but the one that should resonate most, even while it seems far removed from the issue of poor parking, is the one that aptly deals with lost productivity on a national level.
“Time is money”