Usually they are chased off High Street, San Fernando but vendors got free reign to peddle their goods without police harassment yesterday— Christmas Eve.
Faced with poor sales over the Christmas period, San Fernando mayor Junia Regrello agreed to grant permission to the vendors by blocking off vehicular access from Penintence Street to Mon Chagrin Street between 9 am to 5 pm. The vendors set up tents on either side of High Street and sold a wide array of toys, haberdashery and electronics.
Catering for last minute shoppers, the prices were “low to go.”
Speaking to the T&T Guardian while touring the streets, Regrello said,” I am very impressed and encouraged by this exercise. This initiative is kind of unique for San Fernando because there are several stakeholders involved here- you have the actual businesspersons who are paying taxes to the city and contributing to the economy of the city so we have to cater for them.
You also have to look at the last minute shoppers, people who got salaries late and more importantly, the situation or plight of those who are not employed and who have been vending for years,” he added
Regrello said the decision to move the vendors from the pavements to the streets meant they were not going to impede the flow of pedestrians or the entrances to the various stores.
“People can go into the stores freely. The street is blocked from Penitence Street to Mon Chagrin Street. It’s a trial and the possibility exists that we could probably go a little further up,” Regrello added.
He said the tents which the city provided to the vendors was “aesthetically pleasing.”
“What would have happened is that when there is bad weather or rain, they would go rushing out with tarpaulins and that don’t look professional,” Regrello said. He commended Senior Supt Zamsheed Mohammed and Ag Supt Gafoorfopr providing excellent security for shoppers.
“There is almost a station at the end of the street, one in the middle and manned by police officers and members of the Task Force, Air Guard and police and branch of the Gasparillo Police Station,” Regrello said.
He noted that store owners got a 48- hour advance notice so that they could put their orders in place, adding that the blockade wa s not enforced until 9am.
Regrello said jobs were scarce and this was a move to help people who were trying to earn an honest living.
Several of the vendors interviewed said they were thankful for the chance to sell during the peak Christmas period. However, they said pedestrian mall should have been initiated earlier. See Page A17