STREET TRADING AROUND TOLL BOOTHS: AN ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY OR AN UNNECESSARY DANGER?

The focus of this study was to identify the economic opportunities and dangers of the tollbooth to traders in order to explore enabling and realistic approaches to addressing street trading in tollbooth areas. The study set out to examine the locational advantages and disadvantages and the spatial characteristics of the street traders and their operations. The aim of this research was also to understand the locational problems and to explore means of integrating street traders’ activities into spatial planning process to ensure a sustainable socio-economic growth. This research was carried out by using Ashanti region because it is a nodal commercial town where trading activities from the north and south of the country converge which has led to a proliferation of street trading activities in the town. This has been achieved in this report through a review of the literature and focuses on the theory regarding the informal sector, street trading in tollbooth areas and its linkage to urban planning. A number of research methods were used in gathering of data. These include observation, and a field survey and a sample of 85 street hawkers were interviewed. The major research findings show that the spatial distribution of tollbooth and street traders around them occur in knots of four areas; Ejisu Besease, Tabre, Mamponteng and offinso-Ahenkro. There stand no planned places for street traders around tollbooth and they are located in spaces which are meant for other uses. Field Research was done from the 16^th September 2019 to the 19^th September 2019. The main objective of this study is to draw attention to the various hazards involved in the street hawking business and benefits these street hawkers gain from selling around tollbooths. These hazards may or may not be known to many especially the street hawkers themselves, which is why they may choose to engage in this line of business. The following findings emerged: firstly, it is evident that many of the hawkers enter into this line of business due to its low capital requirement. Others do not choose to be part of these activities but are forced into it to augment family income.  Secondly, it was observed that hawkers face many dangers as a result of their line of work. These come in the form of motor accidents, health dangers as a result of emissions from vehicles, excessive standing and running as well as continuous exposure to vagaries of the weather.

Majority of hawkers in the area were found to be females between the ages of 15 and 40 years. It was revealed that poverty, low educational attainment and family responsibilities are some of the issues that push hawkers into the business. Hawkers further expressed low start- up capital and manageable profits as some factors that attract them to the hawking business. Another issue is that since tollbooth areas have become an asset for sustainable livelihoods, location is key to the sustainability of microenterprises.  This results in contestations and conflicts with urban authorities and some indigenes of the town where the tollbooth is sited. Based on the study and evidence from the survey findings, recommendations have been made to address and manage street trading to ensure that resultant spatial problem are avoided. This approach does not seek to perpetuate activity, but rather attempts to limit its negative and undesirable effects on the urban environment. This report proposes that street trading should not be treated as an ‘after-thought’, but rather the spatial dynamics should be understood and the space needs of street traders must be considered in town planning.