House committee hears calls for uniform rules for street vendors; transportation secretary cites safety and resource limits

Lawmakers in the House Transportation and Infrastructure committee on July 2 examined three joint resolutions that would compel state agencies and municipalities to coordinate a plan for ambulant vendors, adopt a uniform regulation for commercial use of spaces adjacent to state roads, and create a public digital map of suitable vendor locations.

The measures under consideration — identified in the hearing as HJR 363, HJR 358 and HJR 366 — aim to harmonize rules between the central government and municipalities to protect both public safety and the livelihood of small vendors and microenterprises.

“La ubicación inadecuada de estas estructuras, vehículos o actividades comerciales representan un riesgo para la seguridad vial,” said Edwin González, secretary of the Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP), as he outlined the agency’s legal framework and safety concerns. González cited Regulation 6172 (2000), based on Law 54 of 1973, which generally prohibits vendors from occupying state rights‑of‑way. He also described two major projects — PR‑101 in Cabo Rojo and PR‑129 in Lares — where federal funding and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requirements required removal or relocation of encroachments to allow construction to proceed.

The secretary presented crash figures the agency compiled for the committee: 359 crashes in areas with vendor activity over the period the report analyzed, 62 of which involved vendors or vendor spaces; he said the count included two fatalities and 27 injuries. He told lawmakers that a full island‑wide inventory and a technical digital map would require engineering reviews (sight‑distance, turning radii, pedestrian access) and additional staff and funding that DTOP currently does not have.

Several representatives pressed DTOP on how municipal patentes interact with state regulation and whether municipalities are required to consult DTOP before issuing local permits for vendor activities. Committee members repeatedly sought a written moratorium or clarification after news reports said some eviction notices had been rescinded; González said there is an instruction from the governor pausing broad enforcement in many cases while the regulation is reviewed but acknowledged there was not a single written statewide document rescinding individual eviction notices.

Lic. Ricardo Rolón Morales, speaking for the Federación de Alcaldes de Puerto Rico, told the committee the federation supports a uniform rule so long as it respects municipal authority under Law 107 (the municipal code) and recommended explicit, permanent coordination mechanisms between state agencies and municipalities when the regulation is adopted.

The committee pressed for near‑term deliverables. Chair directed the Federación to provide an inventory and formal memorandum within 15 days and asked DTOP to deliver copies of written notifications, project‑specific lists of affected vendors, and the crash data cited within five days. The chair also scheduled a second public hearing and pledged to convene roundtables with municipalities and vendor organizations to draft implementable changes.

Representative Joe Colón Rodríguez, an author or co‑author of one of the resolutions, urged a collaborative approach: “Lo que queremos es que nuestros agricultores y comerciantes puedan dormir tranquilos sin tener que estar con la preocupación de que mañana van a llegar a sacarlos de allí,” he said, pressing DTOP to work with municipal governments on relocation options and transitional supports.

The hearing made clear the primary tensions: DTOP said safety rules and federal funding constraints limit where vendors can legally operate on state roads, while municipal officials and many representatives emphasized the economic and cultural role of ambulant commerce and pushed for humane, funded relocation and orientation programs.

Next steps: the committee will receive the requested data from DTOP and the Federación de Alcaldes, hold a second hearing, and open a process of stakeholder roundtables and proposed regulatory amendments. The committee said any required statutory clarifications or funding requests will be considered as the rulemaking and legislative drafting proceed.