INTERPRETATION OF FINDINGS

The study uncovered vital information and numerous problems facing the vending community on

Chaguanas Main Road. One such piece of information is the pattern of the various age groups

shown in Figure 1, with the majority of vendors being over the age of 30 (43.3%) while the age

range that was the second most prominent fell between the 25-30 age group (27%). There was a steady

decline in the percentage of age groups as it decreased, revealing that vending attracts a more mature and

older set of individuals.

In Figure 2 ,100% of the vendors disagree in having enough space to vend. The average monthly income

of most of the vendors seemed to be below average as the pie chart in Figure 3 showed a steady decline

in the results obtained from the questionnaire pertaining to this particular question, with only 5% of the

vendors earning more than $4000 dollars a month. This causes one to wonder what it takes to meet the

needs of their children and others in the household, indicating that it takes allot of time and effort to meet

such needs and that vending is no easy lifestyle.

 Figure 4 shows that over half of the vendors, most of who are household heads have not finished

primary school while less than a quarter have. This leaves a quarter who have either some secondary or

technical education. A resulting pattern is that children are not encouraged to go to school and more

importantly, to continue their education. A trend here is that many start out in primary school but later

drop out, so only a few make it to secondary level. Lack of proper education reduces their chances of

attaining well-paying jobs. This is reflected in the monthly household income (Figure 3). Nearly half fall

into the lower echelon of society as they earn less than $1000. Overall a whopping preponderance has a

monthly gross of under $4000, leaving a minority with a still below average income. This gives one

reason as to why there are vendors ages 10 and over, even though they are few in number. Both Figures 3

and 4 answer questions that are vital to research.

As can be seen in Figure 5, obstruction of the roadway, lack of space for pedestrian traffic flow, poor or

improper disposal of garbage, noise pollution and other forms of complaints are received from the users

of the Main Road in order of most frequent. This is the majority of problems faced by users of the

Chaguanas Main Road, and if proper measures are put in place, it can lead to the alleviation of such

problems contributing both to the Main Road users and to the vendors.

Offences committed against vendors, in order of most frequent are larceny, robbery, vandalism, physical

abuse, other forms of offences and sexual harassment as observed from Figure 6. These crimes were

found to be more common amongst the female vendors, especially sexual harassment. Figure 7 shows the

vast majority of vendors strongly disagreeing with the idea of being relocated. This is mainly because of

the fact that they would lose the amount of customers that visit them, even though they would have a

better area with more space to sell their goods. This goes to show that relocation and space are two crucial

factors amongst the vending society in Chaguanas.

2
 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

The major source of problems faced by the vendors of Chaguanas Main Road is crime. Criminal

activity, sourcing from the users of this Main Road, has posed as a problem to the vendors for

quite some time, with 89% of the vendors stating the above. These results go in hand with the

research conducted by John C. Cross, as read in his book (2000), Informal Politics: Street

Vendors and the State in Mexico City, showing a pattern of consistency in terms of unlawfulness

in matters such as vending. Also, 47% of the vendors who were surveyed claimed that their

fellow vendors have committed crimes against them as well, while 32% admitted to having

committed a crime.

One other issue faced by the vendors on the Main Road was that of space to sell. As 81% of the

vendors stated that they do not pay for the land that they occupy, they have arguments amongst

each other for a sufficient amount of space to sell. It should be noted that those who have issues

regarding space are those who do not pay for their area. This is another research that once again

coincides with that of author John C. Cross.

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The majority of vendors live a life of poverty, as, per month, 42% earn less than $1000. This data

contradicts the fact that most of the vendors are pleased with the amount of customers they

make, showing inconsistency. The education level of the vendors is proof for this as the majority

of them never completed primary school. This information coincides with Global Report on

Human Settlements, by Shayer Ghafur (2001), as he stated that the majority of the worlds

population live under the poverty line and this directly links to research question number 2.

Prevention of traffic flow for pedestrians, narrowing of roadways, poor disposal of garbage and

noise pollution are problems faced by the users of the Main Road, in order of frequency. This

clearly shows that the public have many issues with the vendors and that there is room for

improvement of these existing problems, which directly relates to research question number 3

and the newspaper article by Rachel Uranga, which states that these vendors pose as a health risk

and impacts on the quality of the publics lives.

The vendors were strongly against the idea of relocation, claiming that relocation would be a

great disadvantage to them as they would receive a decrease in the number of sales since no

customers would visit. This is seen as a major reason for the vendors being on the Main Road in

the first place, as this area is one of the busiest paces in the country. Such a research coincides

with that of John C. Cross once again.

Differences in the trends and patterns of the research findings were very few, being as a result of

certain differences in the methodologies by these article writers and authors. Some differences

were the fact that vendors had a hard time obtaining customers, as stated in one of the articles

from the local newspaper, The Guardian. The method of data collection used in that research
4
was in the form of interviews, both of the customers and of the vendors. Also, the street venders

of Chaguanas did not have an organization or a political party as stated in the book by John C.

Cross. Even though methodologies were similar since he distributed questionnaires, there are

various differences in the ways of which Mexico and Trinidad operate.

CONCLUSION

Having examined the problems and issues associated with informal vending on Chaguanas Main

Road, Chaguanas, it can be concluded that there are many problems associated with such

vending, the reasons for which are known. Vending on a global scale pose various hazards to

oneself and the public, therefore, in my opinion, it should be reduced if not stopped. The purpose

of this research was to uncover these problems and issues and find answers for their alleviation,

and such was done. Some of these problems could be easily solved and some require an

advanced level of strategizing and planning as well as a greater effort by the government to

procure measures that can satisfy the needs of both the vendors and the general public and to

stop and prevent the phenomenon of vending. One was in which the needs of the public can be

met is by relocating the venders to a more secure, spacious and sanitary environment, improving

their lives on a whole, but this was against the wishes of the vending community because they

believe that there would be a great decline in the number of customers. The vendors seemed well

aware of the issues of the public and vice versa. The results obtained from this study were all as

expected since the questionnaire was clearly understood which ensured that the problem

statement as well as the sub-problems were answered. Also, the literature went hand in hand with

the data collected, proving the research to be valid.

5
Some exceptional and unexpected results were the satisfaction of the vendors in terms of sales,

even though their monthly income was below average and the attitude of the public towards the

vending community, which was rather impolite and unwelcoming, considering the people in

society, their values and what they stand for.

LIMITATIONS

This research project was limited to a small Main Road in Chaguanas. Thus care must be taken

in attempting to apply findings to the wider Trinidad and Tobago society. Further, findings

become increasingly unreliable as it is applied to foreign societies/countries with significant

cultural differences.

It was not possible to interview all the members of the entire vending community. This would

have been ideal, as different vendors would have identified a wider range of social and economic

problems.

A few vendors were reluctant to discuss personal matters, especially when it came to income and

expenditure.

The word limit for the project also meant that relevant information had to be omitted.

Due to the fact that a sample of the population was use it may not be fully representative of the

entire population.

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 RECOMMENDATIONS

The vending community at Chaguanas Main Road can remain at its current location, provided

that some major changes are made. There is immediate need to put in place proper drainage

systems, large bins for garbage disposal, patrolling police officers at designated areas throughout

the Main Road and to extend the roadway for more lanes.

Job opportunities in the Chaguanas area may encourage venders to find legal and suitable jobs,

thereby allowing them to better provide for themselves and their families.

With respect to the study, it is advisable that in the future, other vending sites should be visited to

identify the extent of these problems. Preferably, all vendors should be spoken to about the issues

they face.

The vendors can be relocated to another area, but this area should be set up in a way that can

attract customers and become modernized. This includes building a recreational facility with a

plaza for vendors and state of the art facilities, all with a small monthly rent of which the vendors

can meet the needs of. The vending stalls should also be state of the art and resistant from thieves

and the environment. Further, seasonal vendors should be put together with other stalls and share

space until the end of the season.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Boodan, A. (2008, December 23), Chaguanas mayor: Consumers holding on to

cash.

Trinidad Guardian.

Available:

http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2008/12/24/chaguanas-
mayor-consumers-holding-cash

Cross, C. J. (2000), Informal Politics: Street Vendors and the State in

Mexico City.

Stanford, Claifonia: H-Urban.

Available:

https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=4503

Gordon, M. (2003), Global Report on Human

Settlements.

Nottingham, UK: Russell Press.

Uranga, R. (2005, March 06), Pushed to the Limit

Street Vending, Though Illegal, is a Booming
Industry.

Los Angeles, CA: Daily News.

Available:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/PUSHED+TO+THE+LIMIT+STREET+VENDING,
+THOUGH+ILLEGAL,+IS+A+BOOMING...-a0129927957

8
 Webb, Y. (2008, December 17), High Street vendors
anger business people.

Trinidad Guardian.

Available:

http://guardian.co.tt/news/general/2008/12/18/high-street-
vendors-anger-business-people

APPENDICIES
QUSETIONNAIRE

A pleasant good afternoon to you! My name is Zachary Charran and I am a Lower Six student of

Presentation College Chaguanas, conducting a research project pertaining to vending on

Chaguanas Main Road. I humbly ask for a few minutes of your precious time, only to complete

this questionnaire. Your full cooperation would be greatly appreciated, as the research being done

collects information that is not only a vital part of my investigation, but hopes to achieve an

answer for the betterment of your future and well being. Please remember that all information

from this questionnaire remains strictly confidential.

To which age group do you belong?

10 to 15 15 to 20 20 to 25 25 to 30 30 and over

What gender are you?

Male Female

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 1. Do you understand what the term Illegal Vending means?

Yes Female

2. How often do you sell your products at Chaguanas Main Road?

Everyday Weekdays Some Days Seasonally

3. How many hours do you spend vending a day?

1 to 3 3 to 5 5 to 7 More than 7

4. Do you think you get the amount of customers you would like?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

5. Do you pay for the area that you currently occupy?

Yes No

6. Do you think that you have enough space to vend?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

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 7. Do you have any issues with your fellow vendors pertaining to space?

Yes No

8. What is your Average Monthly Income?

Less than $1000 $1000 to $2000 $2000 to 4000 More than $4000

9. In your lifetime, up to what level of education have you attained?

Incomplete Primary Complete Primary Secondary Technical Tertiary

Post Graduate

10. Please tick the box that relates to how often you receive the following complaints

from users of Chaguanas Main Road.

How Often Are They Received

Frequently Sometimes Rarely
Complaints From Public
Lack of Space for Pedestrians
Noise Pollution
Obstruction of the Roadway
Poor or Improper Disposal of Garbage
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 Other

11. Please state what other complaints, if any:

12. Have any of the users of this Main Road performed any act of criminal activity against

you?

Yes No

13. Please tick if any of the following criminal offences have ever been committed against

you:

Have you ever been a victim of any of

Criminal Offences these offences?

Yes No

Physical Abuse

Robbery

Vandalism

Larceny (Thievery)

Sexual Harassment

Other

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 14. Do you think that any of your fellow vendors ever engaged themselves in any form of

criminal activity?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

15. Have you ever engaged yourself in any form of criminal activity?

Yes No

16. Please tick whatever necessities you believe your stall lacks:

Is Your Stall Capable of Handling This?

Yes No

Necessity
Proper Methods of Garbage Disposal

Protection from any forms of

Vandalism
Protection from Environmental

Extremities(flooding, earthquake etc.)

Shelter from Sun and Rain

Other

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 17. Do you agree that being relocated to a more secure vicinity would be beneficial to you in

any way?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Thank you for your time and patience. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

The following is an Arial View of Chaguanas.

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 The Circled Part shows the Area that was Under Research.

The Following is a Picture of Chaguanas Main Road during the Christmas

Season.

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This picture clearly shows some of the issues discussed in the Research that
was done on Chaguanas Main Road.

16