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The growth in the number of roadside vendors
Dear Editor,
I would like to offer appreciation to a letter written by Deodarie Putulall titled “Itinerant bread vendor on East Bank poses traffic hazard. SN 2/11/2018. Such a letter has been a long time coming. I have personally experienced exactly what the letter writer experienced as a consequence of this bread vendor.
Sadly, the bread vendor is not the only business that has popped up along our roadway, further impeding an already congested roadway. I highlight another area where numerous vendors have sprung up almost overnight and completely rendered the recently completed double lane East Bank road virtually useless. This area is around the Diamond Road Junction, from just south of DDL to the Diamond road junction and now expanded into the Diamond access road.
Firstly, there is the Diamond car park between, DDL and Guyoil, where free for all is the norm among the jostling taxi drivers who park however they please while soliciting passengers. For tired drivers and their families heading home after a hard day, this is but the start of the ‘gauntlet’ that needs to be run.
Immediately after the Diamond Car Park, there is the intersection to Diamond public hospital where signs are clearly installed prohibiting U turns. Yet such turns are done with impunity and scant regard to other road users.
After this intersection, there is a stretch of road up to the Diamond junction where an array of stalls has been put up selling from provisions to fruits to dog food. Just a few months ago, there was one stall. Now there are many and the number keeps growing. At this point, traffic slows to a virtual crawl.
Where are the authorities? Why is this vending situation allowed to expand with impunity? Why is the Diamond car park allowed to be so lawless?
We frustrated road users have to inquire why so much money was expended to build a double lane road only for one lane to be usable during rush hour traffic?
The authorities have to take much of the blame for this ever expanding road side vending. They should have been proactive from the moment they observed stalls being erected and clamp down on it. Now, it is big business and certainly, there will be a big hue and cry and negative publicity if they decide to rein it in.
But it must be reined in. If not, one day, there may be road rage or some tragic accident. The longer they take to deal with this problem, the bigger the issue will become.
With the upcoming LGE, the prospective leaders should be made to answer about plans they have in place to deal with this problem.
M. Abraham
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