Quote:
Originally Posted by J81
If the city had closed the correct side of Main Street the business owners could have expanded their patios onto the street. Instead they closed the wrong side where only a couple restaurants exist and have no patio to begin with aside from Coras which is only open until 3pm anyway. It was a good idea in principle. Horrible execution!
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I'm pretty sure the reason why the city went with preserving east/west traffic flow on Main Street rather than west/east flow is because virtually all of the on street parking on Main Street is on the north side of the street and not the south side. The non food store owners would have wanted to preserve on street parking at all costs.
As you have pointed out, the problem with this premise is that it does very little to expand patio space for all the restaurants on Main Street, which also coincidentally are mostly on the north side of the street.
The experiment was doomed to failure. It should
never be repeated!!!
Now, this does not mean that there is nothing that can be done to improve the pedestrian experience on Main Street in the summertime. I have a proposal:
1) - Main Street should remain a two way street. It is the only street in the core that runs completely from the Moncton west end all the way through to Dieppe. It is just too vital a corridor to be closed or to have significant traffic restrictions. In other cities that have pedestrianized downtown streets successfully, they have always been side streets, not principal thoroughfares.
2) - I would propose instead to eliminate or significantly reduce on street parking on Main Street in the summertime. These parking spaces could be freed up to provide room for additional patio space for the downtown restaurants (like the Third Glass does, or Mexicali Rosa's did this summer). A few parking spaces could be preserved so that food trucks could take up semi permanent residence as well. Food trucks are popular, and would boost pedestrian presence on Main Street.
3) - I don't have too much sympathy for non food merchants in the core and their demands for on street parking in front of their businesses. Most people can walk a couple of blocks to make their purchases. There are really only a handful of parking spaces on Main Street in any event. Perhaps the city could compensate the merchants by giving them free parking passes at city run parking facilities near Main Street that they could hand out to their customers.
4) - I would probably institute a new low speed limit for the very heart of Main Street in the core (Botsford to Lutz) in order to improve pedestrian safety, perhaps as low as 30 km/hr. This would be a pain, but we are only talking about a distance of 5 blocks. The motoring public would survive.
5) - Improve landscaping along the Main Street sidewalks with a few more planters, and perhaps a couple of small informal stages for buskers or street performers. This would also improve the atmosphere of the downtown and give it a more festive air.
To repeat - maintain two way traffic, but decrease the speed limit, eliminate or greatly reduce on street parking on Main Street, with the space given over to increased patio space for restaurants, allow food trucks on a few of the remaining parking spaces, improve the greenery along the street and build a couple of small stages for street performers and compensate Main Street merchants with city funded free parking vouchers on nearby lots for store customers.
Thoughts?????
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