Inspection of street vendors reveals cement tables blocking the passage on the streets of Torreón

The Torreón Road Advisory Council and the National Chamber of Commerce (Canaco) requested a supervision tour of Hidalgo Avenue in terms of the presence of street vendors who exceed the limits of their stalls and obstruct pedestrian passage, in addition to implying unfair competition for formal businesses.

With the participation of inspectors from Plazas and Markets of Torreón, the inspection began in the modules on Cepeda Street, where it was observed that the space for people to pass through is very narrow, so the merchants were asked to remove the merchandise that was placed in the excess area of ​​their stalls. However, when lifting dolls and other products, a cement structure was found that they use as a table, which did not exist previously.

It is worth mentioning that the vendors quickly attended to the removal of products requested by the authorities, however, the inspectors had barely traveled a few meters when the same street vendors returned the merchandise to occupy the surplus area.

Albino Belmontes Álvarez, president of the Roads Council, expressed his concern about the mobility on Hidalgo Avenue, where people are practically unable to pass because informal vendors are overtaking their space and invading the area for pedestrians. He pointed out that it is up to the authorities to check that these stalls have their permit but, beyond this, he stressed that they should not be occupying the entire sidewalk.

"Here we want pedestrians to be able to cross freely, and when I say pedestrian, it could be a child, a person with crutches or in a wheelchair, who can cross freely. We have come to make the sidewalk free for us," he said. "What we want is to motivate the authorities to make the passage free for pedestrians."

He said that sidewalks must have at least one meter free for people to walk on, otherwise they would be forced to go down into the traffic lane and put their safety at risk.

He mentioned that the operation was requested in the Center as a start, but the idea is to extend it to the entire city.

"It's about freeing up the sidewalks, that is, we go to the neighborhoods, everyone there takes over the sidewalk, either with their little business or with the same workshops that come to repair their vehicle or the same person practically puts their car on the sidewalk and obstructs the passage of pedestrians," he said.