Hefty Fines For Persons Who Park Heavy-Duty Vehicles In Residential Areas

The St. Catherine Municipal Corporation will be moving to impose fines of $250,000 on persons who park heavy-duty vehicles and equipment in residential communities.

According to Mayor of Spanish Town, Councillor Norman Scott, the Corporation, at its recent monthly meeting, passed a Resolution to give legal effect to the drive of clearing communities of the equipment, which he said, damages roadways and poses security risks for residents.

“We have seen significant deterioration of infrastructure inside residential communities, caused mainly by heavy equipment using these thoroughfares. They are not permitted to do so,” the Mayor emphasised in an interview with JIS News.

He said all heavy-duty vehicles are governed by a special permit, which stipulates the routes that they are to use, and if they enter residential communities, their purpose must be to “deliver items”.

“What we see happening is that persons live in a community, they drive a tractor trailer, and stock them with tonnes of cement… you have containers and big dumper trucks parked in the communities, and the Corporation is going to establish proper truck stops for them,” Mr. Scott outlined.

“Where persons can park their equipment, we are moving quickly to deal with that, but right now, we have to deal with the equipment parked in residential communities,” he said, adding that the practice is a sore issue for persons who invest in owning homes in the areas, and they must be protected.

The Mayor informed that the Resolution has been incorporated into the by-laws of the Corporation, and other Corporations have been asked to make similar moves to stop the illegal parking across the island, underscoring that the Island Traffic Authority (ITA), and Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), will be called on to ensure that the drive is effective.

He pointed out that in the past when the Local Authority sent out notices advising owners of the equipment to desist from parking them in the communities, these warnings were ignored, because the Corporation was “handicapped” in obtaining the type of vehicles to remove them.

“So, we have to find another way to deal with them,” Mr. Scott explained.