Dear Editor,

I read in the paper that the mayor of Falmouth is introducing a pay-as-you-park system in Falmouth. While I commend the mayor’s initiative I also would like to say that he is going about it the wrong way.

With the Finland-made ship, Oasis of the Seas, coming to Falmouth, the town is going to need more than just a paid-parking system. It is important that the mayor knows that the ship can carry up to 6,000 people, which is about half the population of Falmouth.

The mayor needs to introduce zone parking in and around Falmouth square. Zone 1 could be a radius of 500 metres from the town centre; zone 2 should be 800 metres from the centre and zone 3 1,200 metres from the centre. The cost of parking in zone 1 should be like $120/h; zone 2, $100/h; and zone 3, $50/h.

It is not fair to charge people $50 at the far end of Cornwall Street and the same for cars parked in the square. Nowhere in Europe does it work like that. The whole idea of paid parking is to keep cars out of the town centre; not to make money. Breathing fresh air and shopping without fearing for one’s life are things the mayor must promote. Citizens of Jamaica deserve that, and the passengers on the ship are going to want that also.

The mayor might want to travel a little more to gather ideas for the town so that locals and visitors alike can be fed and entertained. I would encourage him to emulate good ideas about what tourists are looking for in the countries he is visiting and combine them with what the locals in Jamaica would like to see in their town. His next move would be to build a promenade, even if it is a kilometre long, along the harbour. All the cities I know with promenades are doing good business.

Having a view of where the Atlantic Ocean and River Tejo in Portugal meet is going to cost you. People are willing to pay for a sea view and a piece of dry banana cake. That is what all the business places on the promenade are charging you for. Watching the Martha Brae River meeting the Caribbean Sea is worth paying for.

A promenade is a must in any town or city where the sea is beating against the town or the city’s wall. For example, I had lunch with my wife and young son on the promenade of Belem, Portugal and paid an arm and a leg for three sandwiches, a beer, a Coke, a small bottle of water, an espresso and a shot of port wine. What is this? I asked when the bill came. My wife said, “Do you expect to see the River Tejo meeting the Atlantic Ocean, see the Ponte 25 De Abril Bridge going over River Tejo and the Belem Tower for free?”

Hero Scott

Lisbon, Portugal

cloggyseba@hotmail.com