The Peterborough Examiner

Two-way traffic may boost downtown

But Mayor Jeff Leal says discussion of street conversion by councillor is premature

An idea to revert both George and Water streets to two-way traffic could be discussed soon by city council as a first step toward making downtown safer and more inviting, says Coun. Joy Lachica.

“I certainly have thought about changing our one-ways to two-way streets, since I came onto council,” said Lachica, a Town Ward councillor and co-chair of infrastruc­ture and planning.

But city council needs to “consider this together,” Lachica said — plus consider adding features such as more trees, more landscapin­g and wider sidewalks, for example.

“Right now is a good time to bring it (the two-way street idea) forward. And I’m going to make my best effort to do that,” she said.

Lachica said she heard more about it in April at a cycling summit organized by the Peterborou­gh Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC).

The keynote speaker at the summit was transporta­tion engineer Ian Lockwood, a Canadian now living in Florida who has made his name in the United States.

Lockwood suggested Peterborou­gh’s downtown could benefit from reverting George and Water streets to their original two-way configurat­ion as a first step toward slowing car traffic and making streets more attractive and safer for pedestrian­s.

The Downtown BIA has no official stance on the idea, said DBIA vibrancy manager Hillary Flood, but “would support the city’s process” of discussion about it.

Meanwhile, Lachica said perhaps it’s time to update.

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I certainly have thought about changing our one-ways to two-way streets, since I came onto council.

JOY LACHICA CITY COUNCILLOR

“A one-way street system came about because of postwar car culture — it was about getting as quickly as possible from A to B,” she said.

Meanwhile, the city now encourages people to cycle or walk. But one-way traffic encourages cars zooming at a quicker rate of speed, Lachica said — and sometimes that’s “treacherou­s” for pedestrian­s and cyclists.

“This isn’t the way to go anymore,” she said of the one-ways.

“We’re fixing our streets anyway,” she added, referring to an ambitious repaving program that’s starting this spring, downtown. “So why not co-ordinate some future-prepared thinking in terms of accessibil­ity and streets that are complete for everybody to use?”

It’s not the first time the idea of reverting George and Water streets to two-way traffic has come forward.

Susan Sauvé, the city’s retired transporta­tion demand management planner and the current chair of PBAC, said she’s heard it before — notably from a planner in the Toronto cycling department who once insisted it was a good idea for Peterborou­gh.

“He was like, ‘Oh, these streets should be two-way. You’re just creating highways in your downtown, and no one wants to come to a highway,’” Sauvé recalled, in an interview this week.

But Sauvé said she remained “ambivalent” on the idea, until Lockwood’s presentati­on: by showing examples of U.S. cities, she said, he showed that downtowns featuring lots of greenery, curb cuts and slower car traffic can draw heavy private investment while making streets safer and attractive for all.

And it can all begin in Peterborou­gh with two-way downtown traffic, Sauvé said: “I’d say the two-way creates the opportunit­y for more people-centered, prosperous streets.”

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeff Leal said in an interview this week that the city’s now starting to repave several bumpy downtown streets that have been in such poor repair for so many years they’ve become “an embarrassm­ent.”

Leal also said he’s heard several urban planners tout the benefits of reverting one-way street systems to two-way ones — but that’s not the city’s top priority, this spring.

“Certainly we’re not there yet, in terms of that conversati­on,” Leal said.

However, the idea’s far from dismissed: Leal said city staff are “reviewing” data “from urban planners who are suggesting that perhaps this is something we need to seriously consider, down the road.”

If Coun. Lachica has her way, those council conversati­ons could happen sooner than later.

She says she’d like to propose the idea to council “as soon as I can muster the time and the strength to have those conversati­ons.”

“I think it’s well worth it.”