Whether you ride, drive or walk, those who live in the city have come to appreciate the strip from the Sand- lighters Promenade right up to the Fisheries Department. Boasting attractions like the MCC, the Princess entertainment complex, the BTL Park, and a host of nightclubs and restaurants, this small stretch of road has become a magnetic, almost electric point of convergence, particularly for the city's weekend warriors. But change is coming to the city strip, and those who choose to cruise the lovely thoroughfare to see and be seen, will have to change up this weekend. That's the order of the City Council, which will deploy traffic wardens to the strip on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Traffic officers will police an area between Calle al Mar up to the Fisheries Department to enforce a new rule: traffic will only be permitted to go one way during congested weekend hours. It's a pain in the neck if you love to cruise both ways, but Citco calls it alleviatory measures for congestion that plagues the area.
Darell Carter, Deputy Mayor
Yesterday at the Council's mandated end of month meeting, we unanimously agreed to create what is called the Princess Strip. In terms of improving the traffic conditions over the weekend in front of the MCC, the Princess and the BTL Park, right up to the Mohegan Club. What we have concluded is that, looking at it, and from the expertise of our Traffic Department and those involved in planning and zoning, that in order to create an ease, we can afford one-way, and we are proposing this one-way effectively this weekend. We are starting with it Fridays 6:00 p.m. until Monday morning 6:00 a.m. The traffic will only be able to flow this way right up to Fisheries one-way. If you want to come back into the loop, you will have to access Baymen Avenue and then you will be able to enter 9th Street or you will able to come back up Calle al Mar and then re-enter back into the loop. Parking has now come on-board on the sidewalk of the MCC Gardens. It is also on the outside of the side-walk in front of the Princess, which allows, barely allows for two decent vehicles to come through. As a matter of fact, the traffic is backed up for a while and allowing just one side of the traffic to come in while that side passes then another side exits. But then it continues to come in, it continues to flow. So, you got to ask yourself the question whether or not you are going to deal with that situation or you are going to allow it to just continue. I think we are having a pro-active approach to it. And we are asking the residents to allow us time to see how it works. If it doesn't work then we are prepared to come back and say it doesn't work. But if it works, we intend to stick with it.
Alfonso Noble
Now Mr. Carter, by doing this are you all addressing the problem? The problem obviously is parking. Are you addressing the problem of parking when converting it into a one-way?
Darell Carter
We have already met with Mr. Dunchief who is the CEO of the Princess. We have come up with proposals that have been drawn and geared towards the Princess affording approximately 75 more additional parking should they remove their fence from where it is and bring it inside their vicinity. They have sent this up to their headquarters. We are strongly believing that it will work, that they will go along with that, so parking will improve as we go along in terms of the strip. The BTL park also, will be moved, that portion that you see will be moved to allow for parallel parking along that section in the very near future.
And if the conversion of that portion of Princess Margaret into a one-way is not enough of a bother to drivers, effective August 12th, traffic will not be able to make its way across Albert Street into Regent when exiting Orange Street. Instead, traffic will be routed onto Albert Street, around the Battlefield Park and into Regent Street.