The Castries Constituency Council (CCC) met on Wednesday with William Peter Boulevard, Castries vendors, to address overcrowding.
“There have been a few complaints of overcrowding with the vendors,” CCC Operations Manager Nicky Calderon explained.
He disclosed that some ideas came out of Wednesday’s meeting with the vendors.
The CCC official said that, hopefully, the ideas could undergo implementation.
The meeting with the Boulevard vendors came ahead of the busy Christmas season.
” Christmas, we’ll be extending to them, that is the Constitution Park, where persons can extend from the Boulevard into that area and hopefully next year we can implement some new ideas,” Calderon stated.
But he said there was a need to first discuss the ideas with Castries Mayor Geraldine Landor-Gabriel and the CCC.
Business owners in front of whose premises vendors have set up shop have complained about the practice.
Pedestrians have also complained that in some areas, they have to walk on the road because vendors encroach on sidewalks.
The CCC has said that it wants to assist vending on the William Peter Boulevard with due regard for safety while considering the interests of various stakeholders.
Headline photo: Flashback to December 2022 when Castries Mayor Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel and a CCC team visited vendors on the William Peter Boulevard.
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Finally. Tired of having to walk on the road because of the cluster of people and booths!
On that street by old Marketing Board. This is a very busy stretch of road with Babonneau, La Clery , Monchy , Bisee buses using that small street. Pedestrians are forced to walk along the road because the vendors have taken up the entire sidewalk under the CDC building. When a vehicle hits and kills someone there would the vendors be held to account or CCC or NHC. Too much madness in this country. This is a circus masquerading as a country.
@ james it good and it right cause when francis was trying to tell people there must be law and order and people must do things right they say he hating on their little hustle. When he tried to move the fish vendors from where they are by the water front round about now people want to complain about space for them to walk on the sidewalk
Castries is supposed to be a “CITY” and not a slum; as it has now become!! The CCC is partly to blame, as well as politics. These people show no regard for ethics, for aesthetids, and what a city should look and feel like. Honestly, i DETEST going into Castries, when I have to do a dance between vendors and vehicles.
Mayor Francis tried his best, and did achieve a few “missions” e.g., vendors blocking schools, where should an emergency occur, they would be hindered by vendor stalls.
A city should be clean, safe and free from encumbering obstacles for easy movements of pedestrians and vehicles. “Hustling Areas” for vendors should be placed at strategic and safe spaces: along the waterfront should be ideal, with proper and insightful design and planning, it can be done. (Jeremie Street – From the old customs buildings all along to the vendors arcade)
@James … your comment is about, what i refer to as: “A killer eyesore!”
ma malay November 3, 2023 At 8:44 am
I certainly agree with you. They make everything political. Even the residents in the city were supportive of the efforts of Peterson Francis. Don’t know why the authorities continue to pander to the disorderly minority. This place needs someone with a firm hand to get it back on track. Yes everybody will be pissed but the alternative is worse than what currently obtains. The problem is everyone benefits in some way from the lawlessness and disorder failing to see the bigger picture: lawlessness begets lawlessness. Only a matter of time before this place devolves into utter chaos. If any country is in need of a strongman dictator, it is this one.
“Castries is supposed to be a “CITY” and not a slum; ”
Castries is a shitty.
When you have people in power telling Vendors “No body will mess with you all” and vendors saying to ccc officials and city police, “I vote for a certain minister so no one can ask me to move”, all you will get in a country where politicians tell people whatever their need to hear to secure votes, is lawlessness. The city is already so small, not to mention during the tourist season the addition of foot traffic in the area, makes it even more difficult to walk the sidewalk. One temporary solution would be where the old block x was, spread a nice base of gravel to help with drainage and relocate the vendors there until a more permanent solution can be implemented. Once you decide what should go there permanently, the gravel can still be repurposed for construction else where.
I watched a video of the William Peter Boulevard with much disgust. Between the overcrowding and transactions with vendors and customers along with the pot holes on the sidewalk and the streets – it looks just like LAGOS market in Africa.
Most Lucians do not adhere to rules and regulations and it is VERY evident in how they conduct themselves. It is really a crying shame – wow
Mayor Francis was the closest person to bringing back a little order. What we have been witnessing before him and after is mob rule. You want to set up a tray blocking entrance to an official business? No problem, just remember to vote for me.
It will take a serious lawsuit after a pedestrian is killed for CCC to change its losing ways. In the meantime it’s all fun and games.
CcC just there making decisions based on political promises…..are the plans stemming from those vendors meetings by Calderon and Major aligned to the bigger picture for Castries. What is this government’s vision for Castries? Stop doing things in ti boutique style and do it big. Gosh!!!!
Half of their tent is on the sidewalk and the other half on the road making it difficult for vehicular traffic and pedestrians who are both forced to use what little road is left. Vendors should be allocated a spot…. everyone want to be in the Boulevard but it’s making the place untidy and unappealing…and seriously they all sell the same garbage anyways.
The authorities have allowed this to go on for too long. Just like it takes time to get fat it would take time to lose all the weight. No magic fix for this. It would take a sustained long term effort to get it right.
Well in truth and in fact vendors has taken the entire sidewalks in most parts of Castries. Jeremie Street is a real ghetto rum place. From 5 am until young women, some with children and all kinds rum zombies gather there on a daily basis. This is very very unhealthy. People inhaling all kinds of drugs and so on. Its really a shame for tourist to see our sweet St.lucia capital and its people in such a sick mess.
A country can only thrive if there is order. If this is the state of our Capital how do you expect anything good to come from this place. The biggest laugh I get. CCC puts up “NO VENDING” signs in certain spots. People open their trays right under these signs spitting in the face of the authorities. The police pass and do nada. The people desiring order and law in this place need to start speaking up. The only voices heard are the disorderly. Something needs to give.
Three MAJOR ISSUES to be solved in St Lucia – which unfortunately falls squarely on the shoulders of lax authorities (politics, police and planners):
> CRIME
> NOISE POLLUTION
> CASTRIES “CITY” REFORM.
If this man is allowed to run for and succeed in the next elections, there’s only one person to blame and that is PjP. This one man has brought the name of St. Lucia down to the gutters where he belongs. He is power hungry and will stop at nothing, so he thinks, till he becomes P.M. of a future ruined Country (God forbid) called St. Lucia. What is holding this place from being a clone of Haiti? you just wait wont be long. Lord have mercy
Castries is a horrible slum,remove the passport office and other necessities and see who will go there? the place deh like it deserves the port royal treatment and sink to the bottom to make some coral reef…needs a great purge.
I remember when Peterson was trying to bring some regularity to vending around the city, every Thursday night “Peterson didn’t care about the poor” and nobody will touch my vendors, now long at that. Same person started complaining about vending on sidewalks and the dangers of this practice. You see, the thing about these politicians is that they use anything and everything to get into power regardless of whether said thing is good for the country, they will twist it to fit a narrative that would allow them to regain power. #DespicableBunch All of them disgust me. Flambeau and Labour! Dividing people and preying on our ignorance
I don’t believe the CCC understands the legal peril that it’s placing upon itself. By facilitating the dangerous practice of vendors setting up unsafely on the sidewalks, it is liable for any and all injuries. It has knowingly encouraged a practice that is inherently dangerous to the public. I am willing to wager dollars vs tamarind seeds, that the CCC will payout a massive sum in the future…if the practice continues.
Downtown Castries is an eyesore and the future doesn’t look encouraging. I am not sure what happened to the pride the older government employees showed in their work. The sharp metal plates posing as sidewalks, rotten tarpaulin, jutting rusted metal etc is nothing to be proud about.
The CCC has been doing a good job so far by keeping the city clean among other things, vending is important because it generate some funds in the coffer. What needs to be establish granting the people the tents and charge the same thing or price, one tent can be shared if one cannot pay the cost. If the CCC is providing security money must make somewhere to pay them and to facilitate proper display. Make the vending part unique as it give some level of control rather than making it look ghetto. Everyone want to make a living and it comes by any means. The CCC have tents to loan to ministries why not do the same for daily vending?
Where there is envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and evil practice,and for our own hurt and downfall !!
Listen and obey,and not be arrogance, like your forefathers, which none of them is living today !!!!!