Dear Editor,
ON vacation for the past two weeks from New York, I had occasion to drive through the Stabroek Market area and America Street after a long time to do business.
The place seems to have gotten worst since I left a few years ago. It seemed as though it has become a war zone where our future was on collision course with our past, with congestion caused by an errant City Constabulary seeming to overcome the increasing demand for more road space by the daily surge of pedestrians, commercial vehicles and public transportation buses.
In spite of all the letters I read online on the situation, nothing seems to have been done, or maybe the constabulary has become constipated with the unflappable attitudes of the vendors.
True to form, one offending vendor makes this point as they park their wares 24/7 on the absolute corner of the northern side of America and Water Streets, a living, abhorrent and complete nuisance drivers of large vehicles and pedestrians alike, as this vendor along with the many others continue to thumb their noses at the law.
Any vehicle parked on any corner in the manner shown in the attached picture is liable for a $5,000 fine. How much money does this vendor owe in fines? Has this vendor paid off these fines in bribes to the constabulary? They seem to have made this spot their transported or titled property.
What is worse is that any driver jamming any of the encumbrances of the vendors is likely to get tied up in a showdown and be liable for property damage which should not have been there in the first place.
Could the relevant authorities kindly see about clearing the America and Water Streets corner permanently and also rein in vendors who bully their way onto the roads, making it more difficult and next to impossible for the free passage of vehicles and pedestrians, and for me also for the remaining two weeks of my vacation.
Stiffer fines of $50,000 to $100,000 are needed to combat these errant and abusive vendors. The sooner the better, come Christmas.
Sincerely,
Paul Bonner.