The call in favor of making part of Water Street and Duckworth Street pedestrian-only is growing louder and louder by the day.
Downtown resident and comic artist, Wallace Ryan has created a petition calling on members of city council to consider the idea.
Mayor Danny Breen has said he is favour of the concept for a portion of the year and they are consulting with businesses in the area.
A comparison between Water Street in 1969 and 2019 has been circulating online. The petition in favour of making the downtown street pedestrian only continues to grow.
Ryan claims it’s been done in many places around the world and is a boom for local businesses.
He says it turns the street into a “real activity center.”
Ryan says it drives people to the street and insisted that usually within the first year when places convert a street like Water or Duckworth, they see up to a 35 per cent increase in pedestrian volume.
He says especially after the COVID-19 lockdown, it would be good for business and a great way to start to revitalize the downtown that’s recently fallen on hard times.
Ryan was around in 1969 when the City did this for one summer – pictures of a pedestrian-only Water Street have recently been widely circulating on social media – and loved it. He says many others did as well.
He says the response has been amazing and the petition has surpassed 1,000 signatures in under two weeks.
Wallace believes it’s the comments on the petition that really stand out. He says they basically all say the same thing and are all in support of the idea.
With social distancing still an important factor, Wallace says this actually helps, as it gives people much more room to walk on the street and space out.
To take part in the petition, visit here.
