Downtown street changes take effect Friday
George and Water down to one lane, Hunter and Charlotte become one-lane, one-way
The city’s modification to downtown streets will be complete Friday, with signs going in to remind drivers of the changes.
Mayor Diane Therrien is asking people to be patient as the city closes some lanes of traffic downtown in order to expand pedestrian space.
The idea is to expand outdoor space for restaurants to add pop-up patios, for retailers to set up outdoor sales and for people to have plenty of space to circulate while keeping a wide physical distance from one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some lanes of traffic are already blocked off to cars; the barricading is expected done by the end of the week. Therrien said on Wednesday she’s already heard both negative and positive feedback.
To motorists already experiencing frustration as they search for parking spaces, for example, she asked for patience: “Give it a chance.”
The temporary changes, as outlined in a city press release, were designed to create more space for pedestrians and patios by reducing four downtown streets to one lane and turning the closed lanes into enough room for safe physical distancing.
Poles blocking off lanes were installed beginning last weekend.
Two of those streets, previously twoway, will become one-way. The speed limit on those streets will be reduced to 30 kilometres per hour.
George Street between Murray Street and Sherbrooke Street will be reduced to one lane southbound for vehicles.
Water Street between Simcoe Street and Hunter Street will be reduced to one lane northbound.
Hunter Street between Aylmer Street and George Street becomes a one-way street with a single westbound lane.
Charlotte Street between Aylmer Street and George Street will be one-way street with one eastbound lane.
The cycling lanes on George Street and Water Street remain in place, the city advises.
The city worked with Peterborough Public Health and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area to develop the plan. A temporary early closure was met with a public outcry.
While this means the loss of some parking spaces, the city states, there are about 385 on-street spaces still open, 400 in parking lots and 1,200 in parking garages downtown.