The Editor, Sir:

The problems that the mayor is now experiencing in the vicinity of Mandela Park in Half-Way Tree, following his decision to allow vending in that area, should not come as a surprise to anyone including the mayor and the Kingston and Saint Andrew Corporation given the unpredictability of vendors and the challenges experienced in downtown Kingston.

This leads me to ask the question, what was Mr McKenzie thinking when he initiated such a plan and what motivated him to allow vending in that particular area in the first place?

It has always been the view of this reader that this initiative was an imprudent and misguided one, which would be abused and seriously disfigure the aesthetics of Half-Way Tree.

Green light

We have seen, since the green light was given to vendors, an exponential growth in erected stalls and also an expansion both in their length and width, which has impeded the path of pedestrians wishing to walk on or near the access way adjacent to these stalls.

The park, or what's left of it, is a shell of its former self, and is now being invaded by transients who leave behind garbage, a con-sequence of the vending which has proliferated over time.

The mayor must realise, if he has not already done so, that Half-Way Tree is one of the few spots in the metropolitan area that has not been contaminated by excesses such as over-vending and we must preserve this at all cost.

I am by no means against anyone working for an honest living, but there are indeed rules that ensure that a balance should be made in ensuring that a structured society exists.

I am, etc.,

ERROL McLEISH

ermarlii16@hotmail.com

Daytona, Greater Portmore

St Catherine