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"It has been brought to the Committee's attention that a number of
vehicles are on the island without the necessary permission granted by the
Committee," was a statement issued in an Ambergris Caye Traffic Control
Committee document reaching The San Pedro Sun
office last week. The letter addressed to the Minister of Transportation Maxwell
Samuels was, according to Chairman for the Committee, Tirso Galvez, released to
the media through the hands of someone else without his knowledge or consent. He
stated that an investigation into this matter continues.
Whether released by permission or not, it is no surprise to many residents that
vehicles enter the island illegally. In support of the Ambergris Caye Traffic
Control Committee though, it must be noted that they make every attempt to do
the job assigned to them in accordance with the Government of Belize Statutory
Instrument No.125 of 1996. Monthly reports of the Traffic Committees' meetings
appear in The San Pedro Sun including who is
and who is not granted permission to import vehicles onto the island. Notices
are given as to the standards of importation as well in these reports, one of
the most "transparent" issued by either local or central government. It would
appear from further comments in the letter, however, that some individuals,
private and governmental, believe they are above the law or immune to these
regulations made to govern the amount of vehicles allowed. The letter also included valid reasons for the traffic
committees' appeal by stating the following facts: "Presently, there are 965
vehicles on the island including golf carts, scooters, motorcycles, 4-wheelers,
taxis, private motor vehicles and tractors. The Committee had agreed that only
one motor vehicle per month would be approved, which means twelve motor vehicles
annually apart from the several golf carts approved monthly. San Pedro is a
small island, the streets are narrow and there must be a cut-off point for the
importation of motor vehicles if we want it to remain as a tourist attraction.
Tourism is one of Belize's largest income-generating
resources." The letter ended with an appeal that any
request for vehicle import made by the area representative be directed to the
Minister of Transport, to avoid "any conflict with the decision-making of the
Committee." In Tuesday's conversation with Chief
Executive Officer Victor Gonzalez of the Ministry of Transport, he acknowledged
receipt of the aforementioned letter and stated that he and Minister Samuels had
studied it for content. On behalf of the ministry, the CEO assured a response
would be issued regarding this situation in the next week or so.
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