POS Mayor: Report indiscriminate wrecking

Port of Spain Mayor Joel Martinez says there is indiscriminate wrecking in the capital city and has asked citizens who believe they were unfairly wrecked to write to the city corporation.

"I know we have a problem and I want to tackle it head on."

He was speaking on Tuesday at the weekly Port of Spain Rotary Club luncheon head at Goodwill Industries, Port of Spain. He said people have written to him privately on the issue and he had investigated the cases and asked the city to reimburse them.

He recalled one case where someone was parked outside La Cantina Pizzeria, Victoria Avenue on a Sunday at 7pm and was wrecked.

"The city dead. They come into the city to have a pizza with their family and get wrecked. That was ridiculous. It so ridiculous it was absurd."

Martinez said he has been speaking to the municipal police about wrecking and he has offered the traffic management division of the Transport Ministry to pay for the paint to paint the road indicating where people can park. He encouraged people to write to the corporation and also report it via social media.

Businessman Jeremy Matouk asked if Martinez could do anything about the illegal towing activity of the police.

"Who are supposed to look for the driver of a car before they tow the car. Everybody in Trinidad is under the impression that these guys are working on commission. Does the Mayor's office have any power over that activity?"

President of the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association Gregory Aboud described the wrecking as "a maddening, unspeakable assault on the interests of the public." He said there was a similarity between Downtown Port of Spain and Ariapita Avenue regarding wrecking which was the number of for rent and for sale signs.