Friday, March 29, 2024

Golf cart rentals using up public parking areas

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The already congested Barrier Reef Drive, in the heart of San Pedro Town, is getting worse with the addition of golf cart rentals relocating to the busy street. Residents are unhappy with the rental companies that are using the public parking area to keep their golf cart fleet. They believe that public parking areas should not be overwhelmed by these businesses, and instead keep their rental fleet in their garages from where the vehicles can be delivered to their clients. The local authorities from The San Pedro Town Council have not commented on the issue, even though they held a meeting with golf cart rental companies in 2017 to address traffic-related issues.
In that meeting, held on February 8, 2017, ‘traffic violations of parking/overloading’ was a major topic of discussion. This refers to what is taking place on Barrier Reef Drive, where some rental companies are breaking this regulation by occupying public parking spaces with their fleet. At the 2017 meeting, the SPTC stated that they planned to work along with the island’s police formation to enforce new rules on this matter and that any violators would be penalized. But according to concerned residents, the recent violations clearly show that there has been no enforcement or penalties implied. Island residents call on the SPTC, particularly the traffic department, which has not weighed in on the issue, to look seriously at these issues that affect the public in general. “The public parking areas should be reserved for the island residents, and no one business should take it over because it belongs to all of us,” one upset resident told The San Pedro Sun.
A golf cart rental owner, who asked not to be identified, stated that he is against the practice of using the public parking areas for their rentals. “I have my garage south of town where I keep my golf carts. I do have one golf cart here in front of my place most of the times, but no more than that,” he said. “If I get a request for maybe two or three golf carts, I call my employees, and they deliver the carts. But I do not keep them here on front street. Traffic is already so crazy and finding a parking space is becoming a bigger issue, so we need to do business in a way that it will not cause any inconvenience to anyone.”
Mayor Daniel Guerrero has said in the past that no more golf carts will be allowed to be imported to the island and that the only replacement vehicles will be allowed. To date, attempts to gain comment from authorities from the San Pedro Town Council regarding this issue have been unsuccessful.

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