Government Street plan: it all depends on you

2.7 million pedestrians use thoroughfare, but should it be for pedestrians only?

While we couldn’t agree more that making downtowns more hospitable is a vital and on-going project (“We need to make downtown more hospitable,” Oct. 23), good city building is a democratic process in this day and age.

It is no longer considered appropriate for government or agencies to impose their will on the intelligent and engaged people of downtown Victoria, and it is certainly not appropriate for the Downtown Victoria Business Association to impose our will on the hardworking storefront businesspeople who do so much to make Victoria a great place for locals and visitors.

Their voices count, and their concerns count, even when those voices are not unanimous.

The DVBA is not acting as a gatekeeper for a pedestrian experience on Government Street. We are simply acting, listening and expressing the views of the businesses we represent. It is the mandate of the DVBA to be the advocate for businesspeople who operate within our boundaries, and when their voices are not unanimous in their opinions, which is often the case, then it is our job to gather data that allow us to explore the questions further

With eight pedestrian counters measuring pedestrian traffic every day throughout the downtown core, Government Street has been the busiest corridor over the past year with 2.7 million pedestrians. Clearly, locals and visitors not “avoiding old town.”

Buses drive up the street because some passengers simply aren’t adventurous enough to climb up the hill from Humboldt and we want to ensure maximum numbers into the downtown; that has been fully vetted by the city and business owners and led by us.

The jury is out on whether Government Street is suitable for pedestrian-only traffic. Strong opinions are held on both sides of this discussion. That being said, few have first-hand experience with Government Street as a pedestrian corridor.

The DVBA feels there is much to be gained by employing a spirit of intellectual enquiry in these cases; to try things out as a community, to pilot various projects, to evaluate and gather evidence from those experiences.

The Greater Victoria Festival Society’s event, Wicked Victoria, on Sunday was an excellent example of such a pilot that will help everyone involved explore the potential and future of Government Street. We don’t claim to have all the answers at this time, but we do commit to vigorously investigating these issues in a spirit of respect and collaboration with the many amazing members of our downtown community.

Following a productive charette with Government Street stakeholders, where we looked at the physical, social and economic dimensions of Government Street, we have been working to deliver a plan in the same spirit as the vision for Douglas Street.

The DVBA is committed to working with our community — both businesses and other stakeholders — to make the best use of one of our most active and buzzing corridors.

Government Street is truly a jewel in the tapestry of our incredible downtown. As anyone who travels to other North American cities knows, we are uniquely blessed by the setting, buildings, people and character of our urban centre.

In this setting over the past year, we have witnessed an unprecedented level of thought- ful, caring and engaged local citizens who are connecting with each other to create the city they believe Victoria has the potential to become.

They are building parklets and painting crosswalks. They are hosting panels on top of parkades to discuss community building, with hundreds of local people in attendance.

I work downtown every day, and I am often struck by gratitude for this city that offers so many of its citizens vibrancy and a deep sense of belonging. So, yes indeed, there is a lot going on in downtown.

At the DVBA, we strive to support all of the talented people working within our boundaries, and we will continue to work closely with the people on Government Street as they address their challenges and move their beautiful street forward.