EDITORIAL
In this country over the last few years the entire stretch of the ABC Highway seems to have become a flea market, where more and more persons are setting up shop and selling all manner of items on the shoulders and even islands. However, this proliferation of vendors on the highway has serious implications for traffic safety and needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
Now we are making it clear that while we understand these persons’ necessity to earn a living, and we support their efforts to do so, it is a dangerous practice they are engaging in. Years now, persons have been selling seasonal fruits such as mangoes, ackees and dunks at the four points of the J. T. C. Ramsay Roundabout, better known as the Bussa Roundabout, there has been someone selling corn in the Warrens area and a few selling coconuts at various points. Then over the last few years the number of coconut vendors increased exponentially and along with them came persons, selling bread, eggs, then watermelons and even cooked food; will clothes be next?
But certainly what has taken the cake, so to speak, is the number of vehicles being deposited on the highway with for sale signs on them, as well as the price, year and model. It seems anywhere there is an open space on the highway, persons are looking to come, park a car and wait for the calls. Instances of this can be seen at the Norman A. Niles and Garfield Sobers Roundabouts, just to name a few.
In each of these scenarios of persons plying their trade, we are guaranteed to see motorists also pulling over on the shoulders, or blocking traffic where they are set up on the islands, in order get hold of what they are selling. In some cases, lazy drivers or those who just cannot be bothered to drive around to the side of the highway where these persons are set up, have even been seen parking on one side and running across, in some cases, four lanes of traffic to get to the person. In what reality does that make sense?
Clearly the Ministry of Public Works and Transport needs to address this issue urgently, before we see a serious accident or worse yet, fatality occur. We well remember over five years ago the Ministry highlighted that the shoulders of the highway were for road users in emergency situations, and as such warned persons that selling on the highway was dangerous and urged them to desist. But, rather than seeing the practice reined in, we have seen more players come on stream. Around that time, it was also announced that given the high interest shown in vending on the highway, a proposal was put to Cabinet, and they agreed, to establish approved vending facilities off the ABC Highway. Places were even identified – Wildey/Rendezvous; the Old Haggatt Hall Road and Graeme Hall East and there was to be a pilot programme set up as well.
Now what has become of that plan? Is it still on the cards and if so, how soon does the Ministry intend to follow through? We certainly hope that the authorities can answer these questions and shed some light on the matter. Certainly such an initiative would help to ensure that those who seek to be gainfully employed, using vending as the vehicle by which they do so, can continue along that path. It also ensures that the vendors and their customers are also both safe and away from the fast moving vehicles that traverse the 80 kilometres per hour highway.