Ocho Rios vendors to be relocated from some streets to restore public order

By Kimone Witter    

 

Vendors in Ocho Rios, St. Ann have reportedly expressed a willingness to work with the municipal corporation to return order to some streets.

 

Sydney Stewart, Chairman of the St. Ann Municipal Corporation, says at least four meetings have been held with vendors concerning plans to declare Newlin Street, DaCosta Drive and Turtle River Road, which leads to the Cruise Shipping pier, no vending areas.

 

Mr. Stewart says the town of Ocho Rios is congested with vendors, many of whom sell in front of businesses, inconveniencing customers. 

 

"There are some people who are selling a cooked meal. When we look at the location at CIBC, where some of these vendors are operating jerk chicken, all type of things, we are saying to them, why do you have to do this in the peak hour because it is preventing people from going about their business," he lamented. 

 

He said the vendors especially will have to be relocated to the Ocho Rios market and other vending zones. 

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Ransford Davidson, President of the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce, said the municipal corporation has its support to clean-up Ocho Rios. 

 

"One of the things that needs to be addressed is to reorganise the market space until we are able to take care of that $1 billion investment in terms of a long term approach. We will have to look at reorganising the space and getting some of those persons off the street, creating adequate space closer to the market in an organised fashion so that things can be a little bit more orderly and more appealing in the town," he noted.

 

Similar changes are coming to other townships in St. Ann.