I’ve had just about enough of the rhetoric from a handful of car-centric business owners, who for some reason think that returning Beacon Avenue to a two-way street will magically improve their bottom lines.
A return to two-way traffic would bring more traffic for pedestrians to dodge and make it much more difficult to cross the street from side streets. But the greatest damage would be loss of ambiance to our shopping, dining and walking-friendly environment.
Kenny Podmore stated quite accurately that “nine out of ten” people that he spoke to didn’t want a return to the two-way traffic system. I couldn’t agree more with his findings and concur that friends and neighbours I have spoken to produce the same consensus. There is a large percentage that would go a step further in reducing car traffic on Beacon by creating a pedestrian only area from Fifth St. to Second St.
Business is booming in Sidney at the Thursday night markets — when the street is closed to traffic!
Beacon Avenue hosts a venue for hundreds if not thousands of people every Thursday during the summer. Think how many more events would draw out of town people if the street was even more pedestrian friendly.
As far as visitors not finding their way around, well they all seem to find their way here, park somewhere convenient and find their way out of town. I don’t ever remember seeing any lost souls still trying to find their way out of town on post-market days.
I suggest to mayor and council that we not waste any more time and potentially our hard-earned tax dollars on this outmoded car-centric notion of a return to two-way mayhem.
Adam Kanczula
Sidney