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SINGAPORE: It is not the cost of each batch; is the size, and could be larger, said vendors along Waterloo Street after authorities announced Tuesday (Dec. 8) plans to move vendors to designated locations along a popular pedestrian walkway on the next year.
Starting January 4, 2021, vendors along the stretch of Waterloo Mall will have to vote for one of 41 assigned spots as authorities try to mitigate health and fire hazards along the busy road.
For a 3-square-meter lot, suppliers will have to pay S $ 48.15 each month for a three-year temporary occupancy license. Each supplier will also receive a new 2.2m wide umbrella.
Currently, they do not pay any fees and choose where they want to settle.
READ: Waterloo Street Vendors Must Pay Rent for Designated Spaces Starting Next Year
“This is a street improvement exercise to allow for a more enjoyable walking experience for people visiting the Waterloo Mall, such as temple devotees and residents who live there, and to improve public health and safety “said Ms Thong Wai Lin, Deputy Executive Director of the Singapore Land Authority, the government agency overseeing this project.
From his canvas-covered spot about ten feet wide, with three umbrellas as scaffolding, Lee Tai Chin, a street cobbler for the past 16 years, said that an umbrella wouldn’t be enough when it rains.
Lee Tai Chin, a Waterloo Street shoemaker for the past 16 years, said having just one umbrella will make it difficult to work when it rains. He currently uses three and a tarp. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
“If there is a storm and the wind comes, I have to stop working because all my things will be flying,” said the 78-year-old in Mandarin.
The fortune teller Johny Seah agreed. How could an umbrella provide enough cover for him and a client? He asked in Mandarin. He had asked for an extra umbrella, but his request was rejected, he said. He currently uses four.
Mr. Seah added that it would be problematic to move and that he did not like the fact that he could not choose his next location.
“But there is no choice. What the government says, we have to follow, ”he said.
But Catherine Teo, who sells flowers outside the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho temple, said vendors like her shouldn’t be too greedy.
The government could have prevented them from operating, but instead opted to tidy up the venue and charge them a nominal fee each month, the 65-year-old said in Mandarin. She has been in this trade for 60 years, having helped her grandmother and mother as a child.
Catherine Teo, who has been selling flowers to temple devotees along Waterloo Street since she was a child, said the new measure could help reduce clashes between merchants fighting for space along the stretch. (Photo: Rachel Phua)
When the tourists return, it will also be a much more enjoyable experience for the vendors, he said.
Speaking in Mandarin, he said: “At least things will be stable. At this time, sometimes there are small conflicts with other providers about the space we occupy. Even if we made money, we would not be happy. “
“Next time it will be smaller, but at least we won’t fight and we can still sell our stuff,” he said.
The downside, he said, is the lottery-like system for getting a slot. “It will depend on your luck. If you get a good one, you will be happier. You get a bad one, you sell fewer flowers. ”
Residents in the area said that while they were happy authorities were fixing the street, they did not want the redevelopment to affect vendors’ livelihoods.
Mdm Mei Pei Ling, 50, who has lived in an apartment along the stretch since 1984, said that over the years, the place had gotten messier. Sellers would leave their items in the same place overnight instead of packing them up and moving them aside.
He said he feared items like carts and cardboard boxes would one day catch fire or become a home for rodents.
But some of the sellers are his neighbors, and he hoped the change wouldn’t affect his profits.
Ronnie Ma, 50, who has lived in Bras Basah for more than 40 years, said residents began to complain five or six years ago.
They also feared that the neglected outposts would become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, said Ma, who has been chairman of the Kampong Glam Citizens Advisory Committee for at least six years.
When COVID-19 started to spread, he advised sellers to be a little more cautious and practice safe distancing, he said.
“But it’s difficult,” he said, as the salespeople liked where they were and feared the business would suffer if they changed locations.
Talks between the committee and the government on congestion began about two years ago, he said. The committee members told authorities that they wanted the place to be in order, but they wanted to make sure the vendors could continue to practice their trade. When the pandemic occurred, the situation became more urgent.
“It’s a question of really making sure everyone’s interests are protected and seeing how best to find a solution to address everyone’s concerns,” Ma said.
