KSAC clamps down on illegal parking

KINGSTON — The Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) has announced new measures to address illegal parking in sections of the Corporate Area, as it moves to restore order to the city's streets.

“The assault that we are going to take on illegal parking in the corporate area over the next couple of months must bring us some results because what presently exist can no longer continue,” said Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Senator Desmond McKenzie, at a press conference held on May 2 in his Chambers downtown Kingston.

He informed that all “no parking areas” have been remarked and signs are clearly visible to the motoring public. Persons caught parking in these areas will have their vehicles towed.  

The KSAC will also be taking a tough stance on disabled parking as the system is being abused, Mayor McKenzie said.

“We understand that there is a scheme operating here in downtown Kingston where a particular operator, who I understand is physically challenged, rents his disabled parking sticker to motorist on a daily basis. That information has been passed on to the police and we are going to be dealing with that matter,” he said.

He informed that persons (whether disabled or not), who park within a designated disabled parking area, without a parking sticker on the vehicle, will have their vehicles towed by the traffic wardens.   

“That is one fee we don’t wave… so that $10,500 fee charged for persons parked in a disabled parking area is not up for discussion,” Councillor McKenzie said.

The KSAC’s towing operation takes place from Monday to Saturday between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and all wreckers operating on behalf of the KSAC will bear the Corporation’s logo.

Mayor McKenzie informed that traffic wardens are not allowed to release vehicles once they are mounted on the tow truck and traffic wardens, wrecker drivers or the backup men are not allowed to collect money from the public. He noted that already, one traffic warden is before the court on corruption charges for this practice.

Persons, who fail to retrieve their vehicles by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, will have to wait until Monday morning, when the pound reopens.  “But …for every 24 hours that a vehicle spends in the pound it incurs a fine, $200 for cars and $300 for trucks and pickups,” Mayor McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, residential communities surrounding the New Kingston business area will also be declared no parking zones and over the next four weeks, the KSAC will be putting in ‘No Parking’ signs within these areas.

Mayor McKenzie said for some time, residents have been complaining about the improper use of the area for parking by motorist. “The residents in these areas are living in fear because of the nature of parking that takes place in these areas where even people’s driveway are blocked with parking,” he said.

Deputy Commandant of the Island Special Constabulary Force (ISCF), James Golding, is encouraging the motoring public to follow the rules of the law.

“We want the citizens to be mindful that we cannot advance as a people in disorder and so we just want to encourage them to abide by the rules and we are fully onboard with this venture by the KSAC,” Deputy Commandant Golding said.

By LATONYA LINTON, JIS Reporter