RIYADH, 28 September 2003 — The growing number of footpath markets and vendors along the busy roads of the capital is making life increasingly difficult for pedestrians and motorists.
The situation is compounded by an ever-increasing number of children at traffic lights hawking goods like bottled water, chewing gum, chocolates, car sunshades and even birds in colorful cages.
This contributes to the challenges facing Riyadh, whose population is expected to exceed 10.5 million by the year 2022, according to a study conducted by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), making it the first mega-city of the Gulf region.
“The municipal authorities, it seems, are not worried about these vendors. They must impose tighter restrictions on them,” said Zainuddin Ansari, a restaurant manager in the crowded Batha area.
A number of footpath stalls selling perfumes, footwear, electronic items, watches, dried fruit and soft drinks are lined up in informal markets in central areas like Batha and Haiul Wazarat. Rows of pickups are parked by the side of the road selling watermelons.
“These truckloads of watermelons have become a common sight,” said resident Sohail Siwani. “It seems watermelons are sold on every busy U-turn of the city. Riyadh will be known as the city of watermelons,” he predicted.
At alternate intersections on the capital’s main roads, drivers are approached by children selling bottled water, chewing gum or sunshades. “At times, the entire family is working at roadside stalls and working as vendors at traffic signals,” said Saudi vendor Zuhair, adding that the children are aged between six and 12 years.
Riyadh districts notorious for their informal roadside markets include Utaiga, Dar Al-Baida, Aziziah, Iskan, Malaz, Mursalat, Al-Wazarat, Nasim Al-Gharbi, Sinaiyah, Shifa, Ghubaira and Manfuha.
Hussain Kamil, a local businessman, called the vendors a “nuisance,” adding: “There have been complaints that these illegal vendors clog the roads in peak hours.”
Khaled Al-Onaizi, a fruit and vegetable seller, was concerned about the welfare of children who sell their wares at traffic lights. “These poor boys and girls hovering around the traffic lights are the sole breadwinners of their families,” he said. “They only earn between SR10 and SR50 a day.”
A child named Afzal, 11 years old, told Arab News he gets up very early in the morning to sell bottled water to drivers. But he said cold bottled water was not a good business now that the summer is over and he would have to look for other goods to sell.
