The talks among businesses and city officials on the downtown St. John’s pedestrian mall continue.
Portions of Water Street have been closed off to traffic from noon to 10 p.m. daily, and some businesses have expanded their operations onto special patios as part of the trial event. While it has been met with rave reviews, businesses in other parts of downtown have raised concerns that the pedestrian mall is leeching business away from other areas.
In an online meeting yesterday, Mayor Danny Breen expressed that one of the main reasons Duckworth Street wasn’t included in the mall is because of the access required by the St. John’s Regional Fire Department.
(File photo by Earl Noble.)
Deputy Chief of Support Services, Robert Fowler says downtown St. John’s has always proven problematic for their crews. He says having two streets closed to traffic could make it very difficult to respond to an emergency. Fowler says one of the largest water mains in the area runs along Duckworth Street, as well.
St. John’s Regional says it is on board to have more discussions about their issues, should the mall continue to grow.
Downtown St. John’s Working on Solutions
Meanwhile, Downtown St. John’s acknowledges that businesses outside the pedestrian mall are feeling the impact.
Gaylynne Gulliver is the Marketing, Special Events, and Public Relations Manager with Downtown St. John’s. The group participated in yesterday’s meeting to discuss some of the challenges faced by business owners and identify possible solutions.
Gulliver says parking issues remain a challenge, referencing situations where people will park on Duckworth Street and walk down to the pedestrian mall.
While people are enjoying heading to Water Street, she doesn’t want them to forget about Duckworth. To date, she says, several restaurants on Duckworth Street have been granted permits to build decks—such as Piatto, Magnum & Steins, and Get Stuffed.
Gulliver says that they will continue to work on solutions to help businesses in the area.
