BARVEN feels left out of vending zones plans

President of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) Alister Alexander is calling on the Government to share details of its proposed vending zones, saying the body has been left in the dark about the plans.

He said on Thursday that BARVEN had no idea how the plan would be executed, although the idea for such zones was BARVEN’s “brainchild”.

Speaking during a press conference at BARVEN’s outdoor market on the Mighty Grynner Highway, Alexander said the association was aware that construction of the National Vending Facility at Redman’s Village, St Thomas had started. However, he said, it had not received any official notification about how vendors would be facilitated on-site when work was completed.

“In our document Progressive Solutions for Vending, we call such places vending villages, they call them vending zones. What we have found with the Government is that communication is erratic – to say there is no communication would not be true.

“The project has begun, we knew it was beginning, but the actual start… we were not invited to. We are not going to be killing anybody for it but we are not pleased and we know much better can be done,” Alexander said.

The establishment of vending zones is provided for under the National Vending Act, 2021 that was passed in Parliament last December. The legislation addresses the regulation of vending in Barbados, the protection of the rights of vendors and related matters.

Though saying that highways have historically served as a key spot for many small vendors to ply their trade, Alexander agreed that would have to come to an end at some stage.

However, he said adequate alternatives should be provided.

“Our position is very clear in BARVEN that while we find these places to be unsafe and not the best place to vend, and we will never say you have a right to vend on the highway, what we are saying is that people have to live.

“Government, I believe, as long as they have the resources will be pushing to build those facilities and bring [vendors] off the highway,” Alexander said. (SB)