Idea to turn 17th Avenue S.W. into a pedestrian walkway lives on, despite BIA pumping the brakes
Last summer, a thread on Reddit drummed up support for closing 17th Avenue S.W. to cars and making it a pedestrian walkway.
In response to the online postings, the Business Improvement Area (BIA) polled its 730 members.
BIA executive director Tulene Steiestol says 85 per cent of respondents said 17th Avenue isn't the right place for a pedestrian mall and that coming just as a years-long construction project has concluded isn't the right time.
"The words that we heard, if we were to do any kind of closure, is it would kill us. It would destroy us. We would be shut down," Steiestol said.
"There is and was no plan to close 17th Avenue. We heard loud and clear it would impact businesses in a negative way."
But that hasn't stopped the idea from percolating back to the surface.
Christopher Chiasson, who moved to Calgary two years ago from Toronto, where he worked as executive director of the Cabbagetown BIA, started an online petition calling for the "pedestrianization of 17th Avenue on select weekends in the summer months."
"There's no way we would know if it's going to be beneficial if we don't experiment with it," Chiasson said.
"There's always the opportunity that by closing off traffic to cars, you maybe don't get that traffic from those travelling by vehicle, but you actually invite a whole new audience of potential attendees and visitors and shoppers."
Florist Marika Styba owns Peaseblossoms Flowers on 11 Street S.W.
Her store is part of the 17th Avenue BIA.
Styba says most of her customers come by car, and she's seen sales drop as bike lanes diminished parking and a long construction project limited traffic to the area.
She says even a part-time closure of the artery would further hurt business.
"We already have a lot of barriers to having people come down and visit us as small businesses. Parking is really critical for access, not just for local area customers, but people who come from all over," Styba said.
"To have a car-free zone works in certain places, but certainly not in areas like 17th Ave."
Trolley 5 Brewpub owner Ernie Tsu says closing 17th Avenue on weekends through the summer would benefit businesses like his, which attract a lot of foot traffic and have large patios.
Even so, Tsu says he's not sold on the idea.
"It can't just be about the restaurants, it's got to be about all the businesses, and I think retail needs to be engaged before anything like this is, you know, looked at," he said.
"I mean, Trolley 5 is here because of all the amazing retailers that are on the street as well. So, it would have to be beneficial for all of the retailers and everybody that's on 17th for this to work."
The BIA also says closing 17th Avenue even temporarily would put people in the area at risk.
The four-lane corridor is a dangerous-goods route through Calgary, as well as the area's main thoroughfare for emergency vehicles.
By 7 p.m. Wednesday, Chiasson's petition on change.org had garnered 148 signatures.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Mexican authorities say thieves killed 2 Australians and an American to steal their truck
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.