Sidewalk Vendors

[Martin Hash]

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Though many South American cities do boast paved public thoroughfares with storm drains and wide sidewalks, sometimes ornately laid with colored paving stones, there is no safety for the unwary pedestrian. Firstly, drivers are notoriously rude, not at Cairo levels, but approaching that epitome of criminal disregard for the safety and defensive courtesy. In fact, taxi drivers intentionally hazard those who dare attempt street crossing, going so far as to cross lanes to threaten such a trespasser. However, the threat is intensified by sidewalk vendors who assume their squatting rights on such prime safe real estate supersedes the mere safety of passersby. Wider sidewalks only invite the sidewalk vendor to take more space.

Also, the owners of the shops that were blocked must be pissed – not only can’t customers get to the door, but the sidewalk vendor is directly competing with them by selling the same goods! Maybe the shop owners and sidewalk vendors have a deal of some king but that doesn’t solve the problem of where do the pedestrians walk?

Granted, countries with the worse sidewalk vendor problems coincidently have the poorest citizenry. If there are local ordinances prohibiting such activity then surely the police who would presumably enforce them are bribed off, further exacerbating the poverty and corruption in the community. Sidewalk vendors are more than inconvenient – they are a definitive indicator that a society is ill or non-functioning.