Water taxis and Berbice Bridge can co-exist

…BBCI and Govt must renegotiate win-win formula – PSC

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) is calling on Government and the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) to

From Monday, September 21 Berbicians will be able to access the water taxis promised to them

negotiate new terms to establish a win/win formula for the operation of the Berbice Bridge saying that a ferry verses a bridge is a non issue and supports the Berbice River Bridge over a ferry. Chairman of the PSC Major General (Ret’d) Norman McLean says the PSC in supporting the Berbice Bridge against a ferry service, says that a ferry on the Berbice River will be a non-competitor to the Berbice Bridge. McLean who at the time making an address at the opening of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair on Friday evening at Albion, said while Government wishes to reduce the bridge toll and the BBCI says this will result in an extension of the repayment period, new terms need to be looked at. “The BBCI claim of 50 years seems far-fetched and unreasonable. The PSC wishes to advise that the Government and BBCI negotiate new terms. It may mean no subsidy will have to be paid – good for the Government. The toll reduction will be good for the People,” McLean said. McLean said Guyana as a whole was very successful in attracting a long list of investors. “All the Major Banks, Life Insurance Companies, most Pension Funds, NIS, New GPC and T Geddes Grant with NIS being a preferred shareholder with many ordinary shareholders. This is a most impressive list of investors in this important utility project to bridge the two sides of this important river and provide a pathway and conduit to Suriname.” He noted that the Demerara Harbour Bridge is now about 40 years old and is still standing. “It is not as good as the Berbice Bridge, and we can have confidence that it will last. The problem seems to have been compounded by where the bridge was located but I cannot now change that and I can only hope that the criteria used for the locations were an important factor on where it was located.” According to Mclean, who is also the President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), the PSC supports the Water Taxi Service. Following the May 11 Regional and General Elections Government moved to unilaterally reduce the Berbice Bridge toll and a deadline was set for its implementation at September 1. “But it seems that there were many outstanding issues which were not resolved and the deadline was passed.  As this is a private/public partnership, the BBCI wanted to consult its shareholders. The Private Sector Commission, as a concerned entity invited the BBCI to a meeting on September 8, 2015 to seek to resolve the impasse.  The discussion was fruitful and we found that there were a large number of Banks and Pension Funds that had invested millions into this venture, a venture which benefited the people of Guyana and particularly those in Berbice.” He noted that the bridge was constructed and opened in December 2008 and the utility seems to be a good one and is maintained and operated in a most efficient manner. “We have seen this at the Demerara Harbour Bridge where that bridge is 40 years old and there have been Water Taxi Services from Vreed-en-Hoop to Stabroek, at Berbice this can be implemented. This can be implemented from two locations at Rosignol and Blairmont to New Amsterdam. In my years of service in Berbice, I have used the Blairmont Launch to get to New Amsterdam in the absence of the ferry.  I would, however, wish to address the issue of safety.  This is critical for our children to get to school and must be addressed.”