Someone in Maxwell Coast Road, Christ Church, has made his or her feelings crystal clear regarding the staff of Sandals Royal parking in the road there.
Attached to two utility poles across from the luxury resort are signs reading: “Stop parking in the RH road. Sincerely, Maxwell residents.”
Some residents told the Daily Nation they did not know who placed the signs, but they mostly agreed with them, as they have struggled with indiscriminate parking for far too long.
One man said he was forced to create a stir the day he came home and found himself unable to park on his property.
“When they (Sandals) have functions, out here is a mess because the staff aren’t allowed to use the Sandals parking, as I’m told it is reserved for patrons. One night, I couldn’t park in front of my house because my gap was full of cars, so I blocked their parking lot with my car. The police came and everything, but I was told I was right,” he said.
He added that he wholeheartedly agreed with the signs and wished there were more, pointing out the numerous no-parking and private property signs, as well as the cones he and his neighbours were forced to place along their gap.
“Sandals has to find a solution, or there will be a bigger issue,” he warned.
Another neighbour expressed frustration at the long struggle he has had with people parking in front of his house and blocking him from accessing or leaving his driveway.
“Sandals puts cones to stop people from parking in front of the hotel entrance, but when we put cones for a similar reason, it’s a problem. The staff even move the cones and park still. I have had to go to security and ‘get on bad’ more than once. One time, someone broke the gas line trying to park and I had to pay to get it repaired. It’s ridiculous!” he lamented.
Neighbours said the problem was greater than just access to their homes, as the number of cars parked on the road during events at Sandals turned it into a single lane, resulting in many an altercation between stubborn drivers travelling in opposite directions. It also proved an obstacle for the Sanitation Service Authority.
“I’ve called Sandals already because sometimes the garbage truck can’t get to us. If that happens, we either have to take our garbage out to the truck once we’re home or wait until the next collection.
“Another thing is emergency vehicles. If there is a fire or other emergency, and out here blocked up, then they can’t get in,” said a frustrated woman.
Another resident declared: “They came and found us here, but now act as if we are inconveniencing them.”
There is another, smaller parking area, owned by the nearby Maxwell Del Mar Hotel. Residents said it was usually nearly empty, but Sandals staff did not use it.
When contacted, a staff member of Maxwell Del Mar, who like the residents requested anonymity, declined to speak about Sandals and would only say they made sure to inform their guests to utilise their car park.
“We advise them not to park in the road and to use our car park. The police have started giving out parking tickets along here because it causes serious congestion. I do not know who called the police, but I welcome them,” he said.
However, not everyone supported the signs on the poles. One woman said while she agreed with the message in general, she did not like the wording. She also said they did not seem to be working anyway as people were still parking on the road, sometimes directly beneath the signs.
When reached last night for a response, management of Sandals asked for the queries to be sent via email for it to discuss the matter. (CA)
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