Close traffic lanes to give pedestrians some distance

Re City won’t close Yonge St. to cars, Apr. 1

I am disappointed to find out Toronto will not be joining cities, such as Bogota, Calgary and New York, in closing traffic lanes to provide extra space for people who walk or bike.

The claim it would undermine Toronto Public Health’s goal of stopping people from congregating in groups is not entirely accurate; if anything, closing traffic lanes is the best way to make physical distancing easier.

Being a resident near the Martin Goodman Trail, I saw first hand how busy the trail was on Sunday with (relatively high) temperatures, which made physical distancing difficult. Meanwhile, traffic volumes on Lake Shore Boulevard decreased to a point (where) it only makes sense to close at least one traffic lane to increase space.

The same can be said for Yonge Street, where sidewalks are too narrow and consultations were under way to pedestrianize the street.

If the city is planning to make these arterials safer for people who walk or bike anyway, why not use COVID-19 to make it a reality now?

Robert Zaichkowski, Toronto