Saudi authorities arrest 511 street peddlers, remove 328 makeshift stalls in Riyadh

Abu Dhabi: Saudi authorities have arrested 511 street hawkers and removed 328 makeshift stalls within the past week, to preserve the urban scene of the capital, Saudi media reported.

Street selling has been a contentious issue in many Arab cities, where peddlers aggressively sell beverages and snacks and small goods on stools, fabrics laid out directly on the tracks.

Street trading is woven into the culture of daily life in these cities. Constant traffic jams and congestion provide a ready market for sellers to hawk their goods to commuters. The sellers on bridges and expressways are predominantly young men, proffering everything from beverages and sausage rolls to floor mats and bed linen. Fruit-sellers, mostly women, cluster on and beneath pedestrian bridges and around bus stops: Wherever the congestion makes selling more profitable.

Buying on the street is particularly convenient for car commuters, who can be stuck for hours in traffic. Many of the items sold on the streets and roadsides are also easier to find than in shopping malls, and are significantly cheaper. Informal markets have sprung up near main bus stops across the cities.