By Latrishka Thomas
The prevalence of reserved markings on roads around Antigua and Barbuda has prompted the question of whether or not that is permitted and, according to Sean King – Coordinating Supervisor of the Road Marking Division at the Antigua and Barbuda Transport Board (ABTB) – no one is allowed to own a private parking spot along any of the twin-island’s roads.
“The Transport Board or the Police [have] the right to mark on the road, but a private individual does not have the right to mark anything at all on the road, to refresh or anything at all. I have researched the law books, the laws of Antigua and Barbuda and there is no provision for persons owning a spot on the streets. Thus, Transport Board does not put down nor do we maintain reserved markings,” King revealed.
In fact, he said, unless special provisions are authorized by the Commissioner of Police, it is illegal for anyone to do so.
“The Traffic Commissioner, the Commissioner of Police, has made special provisions where he has allocated spots for persons on the road. But from our vantage point, we do not mark reserved markings, because from our perspective they are illegal markings,” King said.
However, King told OBSERVER media that the law does provide for shared loading or unloading docks.
“The law provides for loading areas and unloading areas and they are normally accompanied by a sign which states the duration that you are allowed to load and off-load your goods from your vehicle. The loading area in itself is not a parking area. It’s just an area for you to come, off-load your goods or load your goods and move on,” he added.
Meanwhile, King said that penalties for creating personal reserved markings on a road are enforced by the police.