VENDORS who ply their wares on Beckford Street in downtown Kingston have been warned to comply with the rules set by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) or risk being moved from the street.

Mayor of Kingston Andrew Swaby has expressed disappointment that some vendors along this busy street are not complying with the rules put in place to ensure order in the shopping district.

“I am impressed with Heywood Street [vendors, but] I am not impressed with [those on] Beckford Street. We have had countless consultations on this matter and we have agreed to certain standards and some vendors are not holding up to those standards.

“And what we are saying is that we are going to hold them to those standards. It doesn’t matter who you are, we have an agreement and we’ll say to you just stick by the agreement,” Swaby told the Jamaica Observer during a tour of downtown Kingston.

He said he is contemplating calling the Beckford Street vendors back to a meeting to have a discussion, but he will give them some more time to comply.

“The police have indicated to them what needs to be corrected. So I’m watching to see if things will change. If I do not see that, clearly there will be a need to go back to the drawing board and have a discussion.

“I would hate for them to push us where we have to just clear the road. I don’t want that. What I want is for us to work together,” added Swaby who was touring the downtown Kingston market district to see how the public was adjusting to the new temporary one-way traffic changes implemented on Monday to ease traffic flow during the Christmas period.

In the meantime, head of the Kingston Central Police Division Superintendent Beresford Williams, who joined the mayor on the tour, said the police will be working with the vendors who are operating contrary to their agreement to get them compliant.

— Alecia Smith