Courtesy of: The Morning News
Last December began with the illumination of the downtown mainstreet, which was made accessible to the general public. And, just before Christmas one of the four streetcars to traverse through the downtown area was inaugurated in front of a rather jubilant crowd of onlookers.
The president of the merchants association (MAMBO), Audrey Croes, was especially ecstatic about the inauguration of this first streetcar, she referred to the occasion as the accomplishment of the government’s vision. Croes is one of those who believed in the project for the main street despite the many criticisms from so many others. According to Audrey Croes, “the heart of the mainstreet is beating again.”
The new street car ran from the Schelpstraat next to the Museum up to in front of Penha for the inauguration ceremony. It then traversed to almost the end of the mainstreet with a 20 minute stop to let those on board off for some quick shopping. This demonstrated the importance of the streetcar for businesses at the end of the mainstreet.
The president of MAMBO reminded employees working in the mainstreet to park their vehicle on the outskirts of the city center and to begin making use of the streetcar to get to their jobs. This way they would leave the closer parking areas for those coming to shop in the city center. Croes is convinced that the stores will again begin to make money and that will compensate for the lost revenue of the past year during the construction phase of the project. She ended her very positive remarks with much praise for the government’s vision and welcomed all to unite together for a better future of the mainstreet and for Aruba.
