Halifax Widens Sidewalks As Mayor Hints At Future Street Closures
HALIFAX — As businesses tentatively begin to reopen and public health restrictions tied to Covid-19 start to ease, the city of Halifax is widening sidewalks on some of its busiest streets.
Mayor Mike Savage said May 25 the city is preparing for more businesses and public services to open as the provincial government relaxes public health measures.
“To that end, we must adapt civic spaces to the circumstances in which we find ourselves. We have reopened parks and trails and beaches and now we are going further,” Savage said.
The move is part of a series of changes to the city’s streets and sidewalks intended to make it safer for people to come downtown. The changes will start with wider sidewalks on Spring Garden Road and Quinpool Road.
Sidewalks will be widened on both sides of Spring Garden Road, between Queen Street and South Park Street, by blocking off on-street parking, loading zones, and two bus stops with temporary barriers.
The sidewalk on one side of Quinpool Road, between Quingate Place and Monastery Lane, will also be widened at the cost of parking, loading, and a bus stop.
The city is also setting up several temporary loading zones for businesses and making a few other changes.
Savage said Haligonians will see “boots on the ground” to make the changes right away and that the new, widened sidewalks will be in place by the end of this week.
Support, But No Decision Yet On Sidewalk Patios And Full Street Closures
Yesterday’s changes are the first phase of a three-phase recovery plan that will eventually see a series of “short, medium, and long-term adjustments” to the city’s trails, sidewalks, bike lanes, and streets.
Neither Savage nor Halifax’s chief administrative officer Jacques Dubé gave specific details about what further phases will look like but both hinted that full street closures and support for outdoor seating for businesses are likely.
Business leaders in Halifax have asked the city to close some downtown roads to vehicle traffic this summer to make room for more outdoor seating. Many, particularly restaurants and cafes, say it might be the only way they can survive the summer.
Savage said May 25 that he believes street closures can help businesses considerably.
“I definitely think that closing streets to cars opens streets to possibilities and that we’ll be seeing more of that [in Halifax],” he said.
He added that one of the city’s priorities this summer will be to “maximize the revenue” for businesses and restaurants that have been forced to close by Covid-19.
He said outdoor patios are an important part of that, and that he’s looking forward to “more initiatives that allow people to move through the city, and provide more space for patio space for bars and restaurants.”
“Helping our businesses come back when they’re allowed to open, we want to be a part of that,” Savage said.
Dubé echoed the mayor’s sentiments, saying that the city “certainly” wants to make it easy for businesses to set up outdoor patios this summer.
He reiterated that no firm decisions have been made yet but said the city is working with the city’s business leaders and that “all options are on the table” for future phases of the plan.
“COVID-19 is a pandemic and a serious crisis, but with crises comes opportunity, and this is an opportunity …to try some things,” Dubé said.
The city will announce more details of the Phase 2 transportation plan in a couple of weeks, said Dubé.