The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is putting together plans to crack down on drivers who park illegally at bus stops and at the Fishing Village Market in Honiara.

“We have been doing awareness programs through the media and our traffic officers with other stakeholders have been conducting awareness at the Fishing Village Market on the illegal parking at these locations but it seem no one is listening. This illegal parking continues to cause traffic congestion in the centre of Honiara and in the Kukum area,” says Assistant Commissioner National Capital and Crime Prevention, Simpson Pogeava.

ACP Pogeava explains: “Once these plans are completed Traffic Officers, officers of the Crime Prevention Department and other frontline officers from police in Honiara city will be deployed on an operation that will include further awareness but if there are no positive outcomes then police will take further action including arrests and seeking quick disposal of the cases through the Courts.”

“We are therefore putting on notice the bus drivers who use the Honiara Central Market bus stop and the other bus stop near the Honiara Magistrates’ Court, as well as members of the public who park illegally on the road at the Fishing Village Market to follow the law or you will face the consequences,” says ACP Pogeava.

He adds: “For the bus drivers, you are only allowed to drop and pick up passengers at the appropriate locations at the Central Market and the Honiara City Council bus stop. You are not allowed to park while you wait for passengers or even worse, park and get out of your bus. If there are no passengers, you must move out of the bus bay and continue onto the next bus stop.”

For the Fishing Village Market, drivers are urged to park on the eastern end of the market towards the Ministry of Fisheries or at the nearby Kukum SDA Church car park on the Vura road.

“Let us all work together to stop the traffic congestion that continues to affect road users and businesses in our capital city. Police will do its part but we cannot do it alone. We need the cooperation of bus and other drivers to play their part,” ACP Pogeava emphasises.

Source: Police Media