Authorities move to relocate roadside vendors

Authorities have begun removing vendors from roadsides across the island as part of efforts to regularise the vending zone programme, Barbados TODAY has learned.

According to the officials, police have been instructed to clear vendors from busy highways. The initiative, which began last month during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, is expected to continue over the coming months.

On June 28, three days before Barbados hosted the World Cup finals, vendors operating along the Adams section of the ABC highway were ordered by police to cease operations and vacate the area.

Some vendors expressed confusion and sought clarification. They confirmed relocating to a new site but said they were experiencing a significant drop in sales.

Alistair Alexander, president of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors, and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN), confirmed that the vendors were not being targeted specifically. He backed the removals as part of the vending zone programme’s rollout which would lead to the relocation of other vendors along the highways.

Jonathan Bridjlall, known as Watermelon Man, told Barbados TODAY: “The Wednesday before the [World Cup] finals we got moved. The police did not give us a reason, they just told us to pack up our things and move, that they were given orders for us to move.”

Bridjlall, who operates near the Edwy Talma Roundabout with four other vendors, said they had relocated to an open lot along Vallery, Christ Church, off the highway and north of the Deighton Griffth Secondary Secondary School. However, they remain uncertain about the ownership of the new location and whether they have official permission to operate there.

The vendors report a significant decline in sales since the move. Bridjlall stated: “Sales have been going tremendously slow because nobody really knows we are up here. When I was at the side of the road I could get about
1 500 pounds of melon sold but yesterday, for example, I only got about 500 pounds sold;  and I consider that to be a good day since I have been out here. So things have dropped off by about 40 per cent.

“A lot of customers have been calling and asking where we are and why the police moved us but we have no answers; so it’s confusing. I think the police should have explained themselves better so we could get a better understanding of what is going on.”

Barbados TODAY also understands that another vendor who sells eggs near the Henry Forde Roundabout at Newton was also moved as well as vendors operating along Graeme Hall Road that links the Errol Barrow Roundabout to the Top Rock Roundabout.

Peter Jeffrey, another small farmer displaced by the initiative, called for more information about the relocation. He suggested improvements to the new selling spot, including bush clearance, improved parking, and ground preparation to prevent muddy conditions.

Jeffrey, who sold fruit and vegetables along the highway for four years, added that the new selling spot along Vallery had potential as long as it was made official that the vendors could operate there.

“As it is right now we are here and we believe this is the spot for us but we don’t know if there will be any changes,” he said. “We tried going back on the highway too but we were moved again. We are satisfied with selling here. We would like some of the bush to get cleared some more to make the area safe and allow for more parking. We would [like] some marl placed on the ground so out here won’t be mucky when it’s wet.  We would keep the area clean and tidy and we want the assurance that the police won’t trouble us any more.

“We feel very proud to be feeding Barbadians and we want to keep doing that,” he added, pointing out that the area could be transformed into an official selling site, similar to the vending zone established in Newton.

Alexander confirmed that BARVEN opposes highway vending, except for coconut water and jelly sales. He said: “BARVEN has a stance that highway vending is dangerous, we have never supported highway vending. We support coconut vending but not highway vending.”

He added that the association is in discussions with the government regarding the relocations and assured vendors that official vending zones would be established at various locations across the island.

Alexander said: “BARVEN is meeting with government to discuss the issue (the move). We expect a meeting soon; the hurricane put off that meeting and we are waiting for another date. It has always been BARVEN’s plan to have vendors set up off the highway and it is part of the vending zone policy the government has. So this move is part of that policy. These vendors were moved and others will be moved as well as the policy takes shape.”

The vending zone programme has already seen the relocation of coconut vendors in Newton to a large tented area earlier this year. A prototype vending zone has also been established off Highway 2A at Redman’s Village in St Thomas.

The initiative is backed by the National Vending Act, passed in Parliament in December 2021. The legislation addresses the regulation of vending in Barbados, the protection of vendors’ rights, and related matters.

As the programme continues to unfold, the affected vendors await further clarity from the authorities on their future operating locations and conditions.

(sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb)