Phnom Penh’s sidewalk commercial activities moved a step closer to extinction Monday when city officials announced a plan to relocate 200 newsstands.
The city is zeroing in on newsstands specifically because they clog traffic, as well as block sidewalks when cars and motorbikes pull over to pick up periodicals.
No deadline has been set for the program. But to make it more attractive, the city designed three Khmer-style wooden booths to replace those that it is banning.
“We do not know yet how much each new stall will cost,” said Yeouk Chhea, of the city’s department of information. “But it will not be expensive. We understand the vendors are poor.”
City Governor Chea Sophara has said for months that he plans to clear the city’s sidewalks of the jumble of goods and services that force pedestrians into the street.
In some cases, the sidewalk entrepreneurs have simply spilled out from storefronts, moving merchandise closer to the street to expand their selling area. Others set up business every morning, packing up each night.
Newsstands, however, tend to be permanent wooden stalls—complete with brick foundations—built on the sidewalks at various locations around the city.
Ten are lined up along the east side of Street 51 just north of Sihanouk Boulevard, bordering the school compound that includes Anuwath High School.
Most have been in business for years, and say that while they will cooperate with authorities, they are worried about what it will mean for their livelihoods.
“I am afraid that if they build me a nicer stall than this, I can’t afford it,” said Ly Ny, 55, proprietor of the stall on the corner of streets 51 and 254.
She bought the stall five years ago for “more than $100,” and pays the city $35 per year for her spot. With three of her four children still in school and profits of $1 per day, she says she doesn’t have much room to maneuver.
City officials say some stalls will have to relocate, while others may be able to shift away from the street on their current sites. At least two-thirds of the sidewalk must be unobstructed, they said.
The city wants more newsstands to locate along the river front area to serve the city’s growing tourist population, and hopes the Ministry of Information will crack down on all racy magazines, saying they give Phnom Penh a bad image.
Vendors said Monday they would stop if they had to, but racy magazines “are my best sellers,” said Ou Sokhuntheary, 23.
