April 19, 2006 – With Carnival activities gearing up, changes to parking and traffic patterns will be in effect for the next couple of weeks. Some changes are in effect already: Fort Christian parking lot closed Saturday to allow food vendors to start building their booths and will remain closed until May 6, to allow vendors to dismantle them.
In a three-page release, the V.I. Police Department laid out the following additional instructions.
During activities at Lionel Roberts Stadium, traffic will be restricted to a loop pattern starting at the intersection of Polyberg, where westbound traffic will be allowed only to turn left at the signal light. From there, traffic will flow right onto Kongens Gade (Education Street), then right again onto Hospital Gade.
On Wednesday, April 26 during Cultural Fair Day — also known as Food Fair — streets to the north and south of Emancipation Garden, where the fair is held, will be closed to traffic.
The next day, Thursday, April 27, Veterans Drive will be closed to traffic from 4 a.m. until noon while J'ouvert is in progress.
On parade days — Friday and Saturday, April 28 and 29 — no parking will be allowed anywhere on the parade route, which is Kronprindsens Gade, Main Street, Hospital Gade and Berge Gade from 4 a.m. until the parades are over.
The VIPD wants the public to know they will be towing and charging fees for the release of vehicles that are parked inappropriately – $95 for towing and $25 for the ticket — and that is if the VIPD's vehicle is the one doing the towing. The release doesn't say what the towing charge will be if done by one of the department's subcontractors.
What's inappropriate?
– parking anywhere in the fort lot (known as Carnival Village for this one week).
– parking on sidewalks near the Legislature, Emancipation Garden Station Post Office or Main street.
– parking less than 10 feet from a corner.
– parking less than 10 feet from a fire hydrant.
– parking in front of the Criminal Justice Complex on Hospital Gade.
– parking more than 12 inches from a curb.
– parking where it interferes with the free flow of traffic.
– parking in taxi stands or handicapped parking (without a sticker).
– parking on Main Street from Monday, April 24 to Sunday, April 30 between 6 p.m. and midnight.
– parking in excess of the time posted in timed parking zones.
– obstructing pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
Other no-no's that the police are asking people to refrain from include: driving under the influence, drag racing and speeding.
If, despite your best intentions, you still get towed, you will need to go to the Richard Callwood Command (Zone A) and see the front desk officer on duty who will assist you in contacting whoever towed your vehicle – so the release says.
On the upside, Public Works Commissioner George Phillips has announced that work on the culvert in front of the Criminal Justice Complex on the waterfront — which has had motorists in a tizzy for the last few weeks with detours and traffic jams — will be suspended during the height of the Carnival festivities.
Veterans Drive between the complex and the Lover's Lane intersection will re-open to two-way traffic starting Friday, April 21.
In a press release, Phillips said the two-way traffic will remain until "the carnival festivities have ended."
However, the rest of the detours put in place due to the culvert construction on Veterans Drive will remain in place, according to the release.
Also, according to Phillips, work on the Kanal Gade culvert project "is ahead of schedule" and nearing completion. He said the construction company, BCCS, has "managed to remove and replace 100 percent of the culvert system across both lanes at the project site." All that remains is to complete the final asphalting and restore the stone wall and sidewalk adjacent to the harbor.
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