Innovating Streets Survey Results

Generally, people were in favour of the ideas that we talked about (kerb buildouts, pocket park) and we had people offering their services in one way or another.

There was concern with the exact location of the trial which has resulted in moving this to the other side of the street, from the Hotel / Cool Change side to the square itself.

Several reasons for that, being:

• Space for community, not just adjacent businesses – The main concern with the current location was that this might be perceived as space that will be claimed by the adjacent businesses, while the intention is for this space to serve all of community, and not just customers of the nearby bars. 

• Alcohol ban enforcement – Associated with the previous point is that the area will be alcohol-free, which is easier communicated if it is not immediately connected to adjacent bars.

• Shading and sunlight – Current location is shaded for a large part of the day, especially later in the season. Opposite side of the street is sunnier but still has nearby trees to provide shading. 

• Camber – The northern edge has a steep camber and deep gutter – the southern edge of the street is much flatter, which makes implementation easier. 

• Delivery trucks – With a trial on the other side of the street there is less impact on the deliveries made to the business on the north side. 

• Heavy vehicles – Heavy vehicles will still need to drive through the square and require generous turning space in and out of Kitchener Street. A trial on the northern edge would not interfere with this. 

• Bridging the square – One of the issues we identified at the start was the disconnect that currently exists between destinations around the square, with the square itself currently acting more like a visual barrier than a connector. Making the edges of the square more attractive, accessible, and comfortable promotes the use of the square and is a good catalyst for further change in the future. 

Based on the above, the project was moved to focus on the Square rather than outside the businesses around the square only.