ILLEGALLY parked cars in Port of Spain will be wrecked once again from May 29, mayor Chinua Alleyne has warned.
Illegal parking is said to have affected taxi drivers and emergency vehicles, which could be a greater problem in the upcoming rainy season.
The mayor did a first quarterly inspection parade of city police on Knox Street from 9 am on May 28, before the monthly statutory council meeting at City Hall.
Afterwards, the Port of Spain city police did two simulations.
The first showed how the police plan to go about towing an illegally parked vehicle, either when the driver is nearby or when he or she is not.
Before towing away a vehicle, a police officer should use due diligence and check for the person near where the car is parked. If the owner does not claim the car, it will be towed.
However, if someone comes forward, a fixed-penalty ticket will be issued.
The second simulation aimed to show how prepared the tactical unit is to respond to crime.
Talking about the simulations after the meeting, the mayor said, "The city police are ready, willing and able to play their role in the crime-fighting effort in the city.
“We continue to work very closely with all national security agencies, the TT Police Service (TTPS)...to ensure we have a safe city.”
The mayor said a training exercise took place earlier this week with the TTPS Traffic Branch at which 50 officers were lectured and reminded of their responsibilities under the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.
During the statutory meeting he explained why he and the council members decided to restart wrecking. He said they had consulted city residents and members of the business sector.
Alleyne particularly identified taxi drivers, saying they have been "clamouring" for the resumption of towing activities, as they said their stands have practically turned into parking lots and this has affected them doing their jobs. It has also affected the public's ability to access public transport.
The mayor said Hart Street is supposed to have six lanes, two lanes on each side for taxi drivers/stands and two lanes for flowing traffic. However, illegally parked cars have limited the street to one lane of flowing traffic.
He identified specific areas of focus for wrecking: parking on street corners, on pedestrian crossings, in front of fire hydrants, in front of people's gateways, at bus stops and at any other no-parking road signs or markings.
He said resuming wrecking was necessary as the city prepared for the rainy season.
“It is to ensure our main roadways into and out of the city remain as free as possible for the travelling public to get into and to leave the city."
He said emergency vehicles, in particular ambulances and fire tenders, must also be able to travel through the city in the event of an emergency.
Alleyne reminded the public that illegal parking carries a $1,000 fine and three demerit points. He also said it will cost $500 to retrieve a towed car, and every additional day it is impounded will cost $200.
Asked about parki
