Give vendors help

 

It is being suggested that the site of the old Fairchild Street Market could be repurposed to accommodate the over 100 vendors who have been given notice to move from the River Terminal, at Nursery Drive to facilitate the second phase of the Constitution River Terminal Re-development Project.
 
The idea was put forward by Interim Chairman of the Association of Public Transport Operators (APTO), Morris Lee during a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate. Lee contended that while he is pleased with and welcomes the efforts being made to rehabilitate the area in and around that Terminal, he is cognisant of the impact the construction of the proposed passenger concourse for the Terminal will have on the vendors and strongly believes that the best solution is to put them on the other side of the Constitution River. 
 
At the end of last month, vendors in the area were each served with notice indicating the need to move and since the requirement came to light, it has been the topic of discussions on the call-in programmes and in political circles. However, Lee is adamant that the matter is not and should not be made a political one. He made the point while noting that the River Terminal – which is the catchment area as it relates to transportation for the entire south-eastern part of the island, catering to more than 50 per cent of the 600 public service vehicles (PSV) on the road – is long overdue for an overhaul.
 
“We are for the first time in 40 plus years seeing an attempt being made to restructure what we refer to as the River Bus Terminal. Obviously it has drawn political attention and I consider that to be unfortunate, because I do not think that the construction of a terminal is a political issue… This issue is greater than vendors or PSVs, this issue really strikes at the heart of the travelling public that keeps the country going on a daily basis,” he said.
Lee added, “I want to appeal to the powers that be to ensure that they manage the transition to minimise the fallout. The suggestion that I would put on the table is for the Government to work with the vendors and the operators. They should make a small investment in the area of Fairchild Street that is known as the Fairchild Street market.”
 
The APTO Chairman said that while the structure currently on that site is “very dilapidated”, he believes that if Government was to make a “minor investment” in that area and move all the vending activity from the River Terminal to that area, it would allow the contractors to properly lay out the proposed terminal and the inconvenience and fallout on the vendors would be minimised. 
 
“If you picture contractors working between PSVs and vendors scuffling for space, eventually out there would look like Haiti after Matthew,” he suggested. 
 
As such, he is hoping that the Ministry of Transport and Works and the wider Government give consideration to his idea, and ensure that as they seek to improve the area the vendors are not disadvantaged.
 

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