Downtown panhandling and Safe Street Act
I’m the first person to admit that this issue can be overwhelming with no easy solution. That being said I have seen the effects of panhandling on the downtown over many years. I’ve seen vibrant businesses leave the downtown area or move out of Peterborough. I know people who avoid the downtown and feel intimidated by panhandlers.
Within the past two weeks I have experienced a few situations that overstep the boundaries of the Safe Street Act of Ontario.
The downtown area is made up of about five main intersections. When shoppers who feel uncomfortable with panhandlers, for a variety of reasons, want to avoid even an interaction, no matter how well-meaning, they resort to jaywalking. At the best of times this is an unsafe act. If you take into account parked cars, a person’s age, mobility issues, poor visibility and fast drivers it becomes even more dangerous.
This past Friday night we attended Showplace at George and Charlotte, where there was a panhandler knocking on car windows asking for change. After parking we headed to the theatre. At the corner of George and King there was a mass of people, many elderly, crossing the intersection to enter the show. In the midst of this confusion there were several panhandlers who were confronting people for change and infringing on their movement as they tried to cross the street and enter Showplace.
I’m not seeking a new committee or discussion group to address this issue. As a first step, a police presence would be helpful when an event like this is taking place at one of the venues (more specifically an hour before and at the time of exiting). This would assist in addressing the guidelines of the Safe Street Act of Ontario.
David Hickey, Douro-Dummer