Sidewalk encroachments irk merchants, put pedestrians at risk — shopkeepers

AMMAN — Complaints have been mounting recently regarding sidewalk encroachments by street vendors in Amman and across the Kingdom, which robs shops of their business and poses a hazard to pedestrians.

Many vendors are spreading their commodities over the sidewalks, hindering access to other stores and creating an “uninviting atmosphere” for local and foreign guests, Tariq Alkhatib, a merchant in Downtown Amman, told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

Alkhatib noted that street vendors must be kept from illegally occupying sidewalks in order to sell their merchandise, as this results in unfair competition with off-street vendors who respect regulations, follow tax laws and pay rent and electricity.

For their part, street merchants are calling for a designated public space for selling their wares, arguing that they provide affordable goods for the poor, different types of food and clothing, while eking out a living for themselves, Alkhatib added.

“Violators are widespread, but the Greater Amman Municipality does its part through day-to-day inspections to stop those who break the rules,” the merchant said.

Abdullah, who is a merchant in Irbid, stated that the problem of sidewalks being converted into “pseudo-markets” is present across the country. 

Previously, he said, this phenomenon occurred rarely, but it is becoming increasingly widespread, in spite of intensive surveillance on street vendors.

Head of the Random Sale Control Department Saad Dweikat told The Jordan Times on Saturday that the purpose of market control is not primarily to crack down on street vendors or violators. 

Rather, “we serve our country from the standpoint of people’s rights to benefit from public utilities, and random sales from vendors setting up in wrong areas is not the solution, as it blocks pedestrian movement and negatively affects off-street vendors,” he said.

“Our groups are deployed in different areas, and soon they will start carrying cameras with them to document incidents,” Dweikat said, adding that the inspection squads will also seek to “protect citizens from fraud, deception and expired goods”.