It’s hoped that people will change their attitudes and habits now that Water Street has been converted to a pedestrian mall for the summer months.

A ribbon-cutting on Water Street yesterday marked the official opening of the pedestrian mall. It’s the first time the main drag through the downtown has been closed to vehicles since the late 1960s.

MP Jack Harris acknowledged that Newfoundlanders are not known for wanting to walk to their destination.

He says there is a tendency to want to park directly in front of the store or restaurant they visit, but he hopes that with the current COVID situation, people will want to walk, and socialize safely with physical distancing in mind.

Overall response to the concept has been favourable, but Andrew Corbett of Maverick Sports and Collectibles hopes the weather cooperates.

He says the perception is that parking is an issue in the downtown, even though there are lots of parking garages in the area. He wonders how people will view having to walk from a parking space to their destination if the weather is not the best.