Cricket fans are being warned: park on the sidewalk and expect a ticket!
With thousands of patrons descending on Kensington Oval for Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches, police have stepped up enforcement against motorists parking illegally on sidewalks, footpaths and along major thoroughfares near the ‘Mecca’.
Traffic officers were seen placing tickets on vehicles parked on sidewalks along Fontabelle last Saturday and again on Wednesday night.
A mobile patrol officer, pointing to three offending vehicles on Wednesday night, said tickets were being issued because the vehicles were obstructing pedestrian footpaths.
Station Sergeant Robert Smith, in charge of the Traffic Department of the Barbados Police Service, told the Weekend Nation yesterday the law was clear.
“Regulation 31(10)(b) of the Road Traffic Regulations, 1984, states that no driver shall drive, ride, carry along or leave any vehicle upon any footpath,” he said.
Smith stressed that parking on sidewalks was not permitted, even during major events such as CPL matches. “Parking on the footpath on both sides of the road can narrow the road and impede access by emergency vehicles.”
The crackdown left some motorists upset, arguing that they had nowhere else to park.
For pedestrians, the problem was more than an inconvenience. One woman said parking congestion had forced her into the roadway.
“I left Kensington Oval and half of my journey up to Chefette was me walking in the road . . . . Cars were just parked randomly and you were fighting for space with the moving vehicles,” she lamented.
One man said he feared it would take someone being struck before the problem was addressed.
“It will only take one person to be hit by a car for them to stop the nonsense of parking on the sidewalks,” he said.
Some patrons avoided the problem altogether by leaving their vehicles at home. They said they used taxis, while others made use of a shuttle service they cosigned for the event.
Smith suggested a park-and-ride system could ease the pressure around the Oval.
“People do not like carpooling. Everyone wants to drive their own vehicle and there is no general shuttle service in place for the event to transport patrons from designated areas. Given the limited parking in the area, there should be a park-and-ride service,” he said.
The station sergeant said police were not attending CPL matches simply to ticket motorists, but to keep traffic and pedestrians moving safely.
“We do not go to these events to ticket people. We go to ensure that persons who park elsewhere and walk to the event do not have to walk in the road and into the path of motor traffic, which could result in an accident. Motorists must understand that if they park on sidewalks and force pedestrians into the road, they will receive a ticket because they are putting other people at risk,” Smith declared.
He said paid parking was generally available at Kensington Mall and Cricket Legends, as well as a small car park further along the road.
“There are also some grassy areas along the Mighty Grynner Highway, on the left when travelling north, where motorists park off the highway.”
His advice to patrons attending CPL matches and other events: “Use a park-and-ride service wherever possible. Do not park on footpaths, because doing so may force pedestrians into the road, where they must compete with moving traffic and face unnecessary danger.”
Barbados Tridents home matches were on September 5 versus Trinbago Knight Riders; September 6 against St Lucia Kings; September 10 versus St Kitts and Nevis Patriots; September 12 against Jamaica Kingsmen; September 13 versus Guyana Amazon Warriors and the eliminator match on Wednesday night against Jamaica Kingsmen.
Last night Guyana took on Antigua in Qualifier No. 1, with Qualifier No. 2 scheduled for tonight. The finals is set for Sunday.
On September 4 last year, traffic cops also placed tickets on vehicles parked on the sidewalks from Holborn Circle just outside the Oval, and along the Mighty Grynner Highway. Hundreds of vehicles were parked on both sides of the road as patrons took in the first CPL match on home soil with the Barbados Royals losing to the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Back then, Senior Superintendent Adrian Broomes of the Traffic Division said officers issued tickets for vehicles found obstructing sidewalks and congesting major thoroughfares around the Oval. (NS)
