Improving Safety in the Downtown Pedestrian Mall

Preparing for this summer’s Downtown Pedestrian Mall: focusing on safety, accessibility and consistency.

What began as a way to promote community connections and help businesses in the downtown during the pandemic is fast becoming a staple of the St. John’s summer. 

On February 8, Council will be considering a decision note recommending a long-term commitment to the Downtown Pedestrian Mall as well as some changes to ensure long-term success for this popular initiative. 

Since closing the Downtown Pedestrian Mall in 2022, staff have been evaluating feedback and considering ways to address key concerns. 

Safety and Accessibility

Any time you mix pedestrians and vehicles, there is the potential for accidents to occur. One of the things visitors to the Downtown Pedestrian Mall love the most about the whole experience is being able to wander the downtown core without the worry of meeting a motorized vehicle. 

Staff recommend keeping the current measures in place that allow access for deliveries until noon daily; these times are clearly posted and occur when pedestrian traffic is at its lowest in the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. 

From a safety perspective, the section of Water Street from Clift’s-Baird’s Cove to Prescott Street is more problematic. This section includes the Courthouse, a private parking lot and private residential parking. It also includes access to the Atlantic Place parking garage – an important location for individuals looking for parking near the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. 

For 2023, staff are recommending removing this section of Water Street from the footprint. There are about 50 businesses on this portion of Water Street. At a meeting held to discuss this possibility, feedback was mixed, with some of the dozen or so participants supporting the idea while others were disappointed to not be included within the footprint. 

Staff feel the reduction will:

• alleviate safety concerns with vehicle access in the pedestrian zone
• allow unimpeded access to the Atlantic Place parking garage
• allow for more concentrated programming along Water Street from Adelaide to Clift’s Baird’s Cove.

Reducing the footprint will also improve accessible parking along Water Street and improve GoBus access.

Parklets – those great patios and storefront extensions businesses can use throughout the downtown and in other areas of the city – are one of the most enjoyable elements of the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. Staff will be recommending a by-law change to cover building standards for these structures, including accessibility, sight distance, design and construction standards, use of cooking apparatus and the use of heating apparatus. 

Staff also recommend the City purchase additional jersey barriers – those concrete blocks that are placed alongside parklets - to provide additional safety protection against passing vehicles. 

Consistency

People often wonder what the timelines are for the Downtown Pedestrian Mall and are surprised to see it close when the weather is still good. 

The City manages the Downtown Pedestrian Mall as one of our annual special events, which means having people to staff the event daily and to schedule and coordinate pop-up events and programming. A consistent opening and closing will help the public know when the Downtown Pedestrian Mall opens, and when it closes. 

Staff are recommending that Council extend the dates to coincide with the end of the school year and to finish on Labour Day Monday. So, for 2023 the dates would be Thursday, Jun. 22 to Monday, Sept. 4. Of course, parklets can still stay in place for a longer period – from May 20 to October 31, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. 

Staff are also recommending 3-year approvals for parklets. 3-year approvals will result in a reduction of administrative time and cost to process applications and will help business owners make long-term commitments when planning their parklet structure. The 3-year approval is for a Conditional Use Agreement and Lease only; permits and associated fees will apply annually. Council will weigh in on an application period for parklets and also a recommendation to keep fees for the parklet lease the same as 2022. 

Follow the discussion on plans for this year’s Downtown Pedestrian Mall by watching the Committee of the Whole live on Wednesday, February 8 at 9:30 a.m. You can also catch up later by watching the recorded video or reading the minutes at stjohns.ca/meetings.

PLEASE NOTE: This blog post was modified on February 9 due to an error. In the original post, the section of Water Street  identified as problematic was Clift's Baird's Cove to Adelaide Street. The area should have been stated as Clift's Baird's Cove to Prescott Street. We apologize for this error.