Taking it to the streets
Major Windsor road closure proposed to promote active living
Some city councillors hope to create the longest street closing in Windsor history — stretching from Old Sandwich Town to Ford City — to promote active living and community engagement.
The idea, if approved by council, would close roads to vehicles from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for an eight-kilometre block party called Open Streets Windsor on July 17 and again on Sept. 18.
“It introduces people to a new way of experiencing the street and participating in healthy activity,” Michael Cooke, manager of planning policy with the city’s planning department, said Wednesday. “We want to encourage residents to participate in recreational, healthy living along the street on a Sunday morning.”
Roughly speaking, Sandwich Street would close starting at Brock Street and continue until University Avenue, which would close until downtown, where the route would jog over to Wyandotte Street, which would close to Drouillard Road.
A number of extras would enliven the party along the way, such as events in parks, or educational stops on urban living, or classes on yoga, karate and zumba.
“There’s no official start and end point,” said Cooke, who welcomes walkers, runners and rollers. “It’s not a race of any kind. It’s just about jumping in and exploring whatever part of the route they like. And having fun.”
The two events together would cost about $54,000, which must be approved by council, for such things as police, emergency personnel, logistics and marketing.
In 2014, city council asked administration to look at the idea of temporarily closing streets to increase community interaction.
On Wednesday, Cooke provided a presentation on the Open Streets Windsor concept to the city’s social development, health and culture standing committee.
Councillors and other members of the committee seemed to embrace the idea. In fact, some suggested Open Streets Windsor should happen more than twice and in more areas of the city, depending on how the first two turn out.
Still, some councillors had a few worries. Coun. Paul Borrelli said he would only vote in favour of Open Streets Windsor if it was not designed primarily for cyclists. Cooke assured him it was for everyone.
Coun. Jo-Anne Gignac wondered if local business improvement associations — there are five along the planned route — would contribute some money to the events.
“I don’t see any offers of dollars to contribute to this and I’m wondering about the sustainability,” she said.
In the end, however, Gignac made a motion — which passed unanimously by the social development committee, chaired by Coun. Ed Sleiman — to send the idea to city council. She even encouraged Cooke and his team to make a presentation at that time, in order to help spark some publicity for the ambitious project.
“I want to see it from one end of the city to the other,” Gignac said. “Let’s tie the community in.”
The proposal is based on Open Streets TO, which in turn took its concept from an event called Ciclovia, which started as a bikeheavy affair in Bogota, Colombia, and has now spread to a number of cities as a get-together for citizens, with or without wheels.
Coun. Rino Bortolin praised Windsor’s version, suggesting it eventually expand to other areas of the city.
Coun. John Elliott best summed up the committee’s sentiment after listening to the presentation: “I like it. When can we start?”
There’s no official start and end point. It’s not a race of any kind. It’s just about jumping in and exploring.