06-01-2020, 09:55 AM
I wasn't sure where to put this, but it is related to COVID:
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/elora-shuts...63202#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=UqWDAKg
Elora is opening their main streets to pedestrians. This is a great step forward, I'm sure these types of destination towns will suffer greatly during COVID, but will also still be a destination for many, steps like this make them safer for people, and also more reasonable to open. Hopefully they allow shops to move some of their shop/tables outdoor where the risk can be lower and people can spread out more.
On the other hand, I hope this type of thing survives beyond COVID. While it will take some transportation reconfiguration to make this feasible (the main highway usually goes THROUGH the town) this type of pedestrian street is transformative to a town, making it a far more pleasant and enjoyable place to be. In the Netherlands, many if not most small towns have car free or car light centres which make them a destination, as opposed to an obstacle.
The most poignant example for me is Elmira, I had only been there during the pancake festival, and I thought, what a lovely town. So I decided to visit it on another, non-pancake festival day. Well, the main street is just a line of transport trucks, there's nothing even remotely pleasant about shopping on a main street next to heavy stinky diesel transport trucks, I would never go back while that situation persists.
And here is where I am really impressed (also with our local BIAs, who sometimes share similar, if less ambitious, positions) with Elora, that the BIA is fully on board with this. Basically, the people I spoke with online, at the time, a bypass in Elmira was being considered, felt that their main street would die if the trough traffic was removed. And I thought, what a lack of vision, and confidence. But the sad truth is the opposite is true, the traffic is killing their main street, and they are too scared of change to realize it. (Caveat: I don't know what the Elmira BIA (if there is one) thinks about a bypass, I was talking mostly with residents of Elmira)
Here's another related video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRBnDNbAR4
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/elora-shuts...63202#_gus&_gucid=&_gup=twitter&_gsc=UqWDAKg
Elora is opening their main streets to pedestrians. This is a great step forward, I'm sure these types of destination towns will suffer greatly during COVID, but will also still be a destination for many, steps like this make them safer for people, and also more reasonable to open. Hopefully they allow shops to move some of their shop/tables outdoor where the risk can be lower and people can spread out more.
On the other hand, I hope this type of thing survives beyond COVID. While it will take some transportation reconfiguration to make this feasible (the main highway usually goes THROUGH the town) this type of pedestrian street is transformative to a town, making it a far more pleasant and enjoyable place to be. In the Netherlands, many if not most small towns have car free or car light centres which make them a destination, as opposed to an obstacle.
The most poignant example for me is Elmira, I had only been there during the pancake festival, and I thought, what a lovely town. So I decided to visit it on another, non-pancake festival day. Well, the main street is just a line of transport trucks, there's nothing even remotely pleasant about shopping on a main street next to heavy stinky diesel transport trucks, I would never go back while that situation persists.
And here is where I am really impressed (also with our local BIAs, who sometimes share similar, if less ambitious, positions) with Elora, that the BIA is fully on board with this. Basically, the people I spoke with online, at the time, a bypass in Elmira was being considered, felt that their main street would die if the trough traffic was removed. And I thought, what a lack of vision, and confidence. But the sad truth is the opposite is true, the traffic is killing their main street, and they are too scared of change to realize it. (Caveat: I don't know what the Elmira BIA (if there is one) thinks about a bypass, I was talking mostly with residents of Elmira)
Here's another related video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWRBnDNbAR4