Market Makeover Raises Fears for Dangriga’s Streetside Vendors

The Dangriga Town Council says it wants to clean up the streets and breathe new life into a struggling town market, but the plan is worrying street vendors. Officials are proposing to clear vendors from busy areas near the bus terminal and Ecumenical Drive and move them into the market, saying it will ease traffic, improve safety, and create a central space for business and tourism. Vendors, however, fear losing the steady flow of customers they rely on. In response, the council held a public meeting on Wednesday to hear concerns, with Market Councilor Hilberto Bernardez saying the goal is to bring Dangriga in line with towns that already run organized, thriving markets.

 

On The Phone: Hilberto Bernardez, Dangriga Town Councilor

“ We had a public consultation with the vendors, and the purpose of this consultation is to basically revive the Dangriga Market at the market square. As you know, the Dangriga market is dead in comparison to the different markets around town. If you go to Belize City there’s a well organized market. If you go to Cayo, there’s a well organized market. If you go to Belmopan, Punta Gorda, Orange Walk and Corozal. So Dangriga is a bit behind. On ecumenical drive, we have a lot of traffic. Alright? So we’ll be able to ease the traffic from Ecumenical drive. Also, we’ll be able to create more order around our town because we have people coming in from out of town setting up where wherever they want. All right? We want to improve that. Also to improve the safety around town and the emergency exit. As you know from time to time, we have emergencies. We have police vehicle moving; we have the fire truck moving. We want to try as much as possible to have our road roadways clear, right? Also to create a hub for tourists. Oftentimes tourists come into Dangriga and they’re looking for the market. They’re looking for the market to buy souvenirs, to buy food and so on. Those are some of the benefits of basically reviving our market here in Dangriga.”

 

Town officials say the proposed vendor move is about safety, traffic flow, and tourism, but for many in Dangriga, the real challenge now is finding a balance between order and earning a living.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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