Peddling banned in neighborhood

A ban on the peddling of goods other than printed materials is now in effect in part of Hyde Park.

During the summer, the Chicago City Council voted to prohibit most peddling in the area between South Shore Drive and Cottage Grove Avenue from 55th Street to the Midway Plaisance.

The ban does not affect authorized charity tag days or newspaper vendors, said Robert Mason, Executive Director of the South East Chicago Commission. Mason had proposed the ban to Alderman Lawrence Bloom, who gained city council support for the issue.

"We feel peddling is an activity that can hurt local businesses," Mason said. Peddlers sometimes set up tables outside stores and sell goods at prices lower than the store owners can offer, he explained. The peddlers' tables also interfere with pedestrian traffic.

"The people who operate stores are paying rent, property taxes and license fees. They have overhead and they deserve to be protected," Mason said.