Barbados Today

The Transport Authority has no interest in placing vendors operating at the River terminal at a disadvantaging, Director Alex Linton has assured.

Linton told Barbados TODAY commuters would see increased activity at the van stand this week, but the vendors would not be evicted.

“We are not telling anyone to leave the terminal and the ones we found there would be relocated within the terminal. That was what was stated initially and the vendors we found there will be dealt with accordingly,” Linton explained.

With the January 3, 2017 deadline having expired, the vendors had told Barbados TODAY on Friday they were still in the dark about their pending relocation.

The move, which was originally scheduled to take place last November 6, is to facilitate construction work on Phase 2 of the Constitution River Terminal Redevelopment Project.

The vendors, who had earlier complained of short notice and the likely impact of the move on their businesses, had said they were still awaiting word from the Ministry of Transport & Works on its plans for them.

Linton told Barbados TODAY the Transport Authority was working with the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) to ensure a smooth transition during the last two phases of the project.

“We will get this done as smoothly and with as little friction as possible. There are some who believe we are in there to put them out of the terminal. This is so far from the truth that I cannot even believe it.

“We are not disadvantaging any of the vendors. We are looking only at that select few along that wall within the vehicle tarmac. If you visit the project now, you will notice that the fencing has been halted. That wall will be fenced in so that when the workmen are doing their drilling and putting up the steel structures they would not be impacted,” Linton emphasized.