San Pedro Issues Moratorium on Unauthorized Golf Cart Importation
If you thought Belize City was overpopulated with vehicles, well the country’s number one tourist attraction is not far behind. That is why the San Pedro Town Council’s Traffic Department has issued a moratorium on the unauthorized importation of more golf carts, primarily where they are to be used for rentals. Today, Area Representative for Belize Rural South, Andre Perez explained that San Pedro has also had to ban ten-wheeler trucks and other types of vehicles because of the traffic overload.
Andre Perez
Andre Perez, Area Representative, Belize Rural South
“There is a ban on anymore importation of golf carts – rentals. As I speak to you there are several containers on hold because the bringing in of golf carts by these golf cart dealers (they) are doing it unscrupulously. You can play around with the VIN number and they can do things, so I’m acutely aware of this. It is a rampant corruption that was occurring from way back and it has not been easy to go over it. But as I speak to you right now, that has stopped; we have gotten the Ministry of Transport involved in this now. For example, the traffic committee is now no longer working with the Council but rather is under the Ministry of Transport. What that does is that legislation is passed that says no one can bring in golf carts illegally. You need to have a golf cart import permit authorized by the traffic committee for you to bring in. The shipping companies know that they can no longer bring in a vehicle without any kind of paper. One time they would just bring it in. Now that has stopped. Secondly right now we are going to get to the golf cart companies and get a whole list of their vehicles that they have and setting in a moratorium for golf cart rentals because this is one of the bigger problems that we’re having – the proliferation of many golf cart rentals and they are having illegal replacing. They’re saying we’re replacing and they bring in another one so they know that we’re coming after them. We’ve
sent letters to them.”
Reporter
Is there a ban though on the bigger vehicles?
Andre Perez
Yes, private vehicles, yes, for example, you have to really justify it. If you’re living up north and you’re a family, we look at it on a case-by-case scenario, but there is a moratorium on all golf carts and even the big trucks as well – the ten-wheelers, no more of those, they’re too big; they take up a lot of space.”
Perez says there is also a plan to create additional parking spaces in the Saca Chispas area.
