Insufficient traffic and poor road conditions on the Suriname side have caused the management of the Canawaima Ferry Company, operating between Guyana and Suriname, to reverse an earlier decision to operate two round trips per day.

A twice-daily ferry service between Moleson Creek, Springlands, Corentyne and South Drain in Suriname had recently been advertised in light of the staging of Carifesta in that country and the likelihood of steady traffic.

But a press release from Public Relations Consultant in the Ministry of Public Works, Ajay Baksh said the management of the ferry in both countries had decided that with immediate effect the departure times for crossings would be changed and reduced to one round trip per day.

The new schedule will see the merging of two trips into one to allow commuters adequate time to cover the poor Suriname road during daylight hours.

The new crossing times will now be midday from South Drain and 1 pm daily from the Moleson Creek side.

According to the release this is only a temporary measure with the crossing times reverting to the old schedule of 10 am and 11 am as soon as the road conditions improve.

The road to the ferry terminal on the Suriname side has for sometime been of particular concern and had at one time caused a curtailing of the ferry service when parts were deemed impassable.

However, the roadway benefited from some improvements recently as a result of the impending Carifesta celebrations.

Contacted yesterday Baksh said that the new schedule would not affect any of the organised tours to Carifesta as the management on both sides would be monitoring the situation in the event of a traffic build up.