The patio at the Old Triangle Irish Alehouse in summer 2018. Image: Inda Intiar/Huddle
It looks like turning Main St. into a one-way channel with a bike lane could be a real option for downtown businesses this summer.
In an update to the City’s Committee of the Whole on Monday, director of economic development Kevin Silliker provided feedback from downtown businesses through a survey by Downtown Moncton Centre-ville Inc. (DMCI).
“We’re hearing that their message is consistent, they’re not looking for a Main Street closure. They’re also not looking for any impact to on-street parking. However they do want the city to look at extending the footprint of patios in the downtown where possible,” he said.
DMCI’s survey on 65 downtown food and beverage establishments found the businesses customer capacity has decreased from 85 percent to 50 percent depending on the size of the space.
Earlier this spring, City Council decided to waive fees for businesses who want to set up sidewalk patios this summer. So, a few restaurants that usually didn’t have patios are thinking to apply for a patio license this year, though some decided against it because there’s not enough space to safely physical distance.
Those that would or have applied for licenses said they would be interested to increase their patio size to expand seating capacity. Restaurants are also open to the idea of using public spaces to boost capacity, the DMCI survey found.
Of all the downtown businesses, 69 percent had no objections to having patios being extended in front of their establishments. Those against it are concerned about inconvenience to tenants, possible security issues, and a blocking of storefronts, among others.
To allow larger patio spaces to accommodate physical distancing, DMCI proposed making Main Street one way, possibly with a bike lane. They also proposed the closure of some side streets like Orange Lane.
In addition, city staff are looking into closing Downing Street to add tables and chairs, expand cafe and sidewalk patios, and make it a pedestrian corridor. DMCI says 84 percent of downtown businesses surveyed are in favour of this option, but there are concerns about the lack of public washrooms, among other things.
City staff has also set up a task force that will meet with all downtown businesses to figure out their needs.
“We will be looking at and brainstorming options that we’ve talked about before – whether it’s leveraging private property or looking at side streets, and underutilized areas in the downtown. We think there is a variety of those to explore on a one-on-one basis with the adjacent property owner,” Silliker said.
“I’m really happy that we’re looking at the possibility of having a one-way street and with bike lanes. I think this is really a great concept. We’ve been talking about encouraging people to walk, to bike, I think this is a good message,” said Councillor Paulette Theriault.
“When we talk about reinventing ourselves as a city, this is the perfect time to do this.”
Councillors Greg Turner and Charles Leger say they support the idea but noted that similar options should be made available for businesses on St. George Street also.
Mayor Dawn Arnold says this is “a real opportunity to re-envision our downtown,” noting that citizens are “extremely” engaged on the topic.
The issue has generated debate among residents and businesses, especially since talk about possibly closing Main Street to allow pedestrian traffic surfaced in recent weeks.
DMCI executive director Anne Poirier Basque previously said her organization is not in favour of closing any portion of Main Street.
“We need access to our businesses. We need vitality more than ever on our sidewalks because the summer events and festivals are not going to occur,” she said.
Councillor Turner, who has spent nearly 50 years working and living downtown, previously said that closing even a part of Main Street “really disrupts the normal flow of traffic.”
“It really is a bit of a deterrent unless you have a major event or activity going on,” he said.
With files from Allan Dearing. Inda Intiar is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
