THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay is looking for feedback on its work to “reimagine” the design of public space in the north core downtown with a new online survey.
The city hopes residents will weigh in on ideas that have been piloted, including wider pedestrian boulevards and reduced traffic on key stretches like Red River Road, and a move to one-way traffic on others.
Some of those pilot projects recently concluded, while others, like one-way stretches on Van Norman Street and Park Avenue, will extend into the winter.
Feedback received through the new survey will help inform how the city approaches a full rebuild of core streets, set for 2022-2023 as the city replaces aging water and sewer mains in the area.
“Our ultimate goal is to help create a space in the downtown north core that is accessible and inclusive, but also a place where residents want to spend their time,” said project manager Steven Murphy in a statement announcing the survey Tuesday.
“Resident input is essential to identifying what aspects of the pilot projects have been successful and to create a downtown that meets the needs of tomorrow.”
Previous feedback has shown strong support for plans to make the downtown more focused on pedestrians, and less on cars.
Of around 600 respondents to another survey earlier this year, over 90 per cent favoured more space for pedestrians, while on-street parking was ranked last on a list of priorities for downtown streets.
The new survey will be open to the public through Monday, Nov. 29. Residents can learn more about the Reimagining North Core Streetscapes project and fill out the survey at the city’s Get Involved website.
City planners have called the project a “once in a lifetime” chance to reshape the downtown.
Draft plans would reduce Red River Road, Cumberland Street, and Water Street from four to two lanes in parts of the core. Park Avenue and Van Norman Street would become one-way streets in the core, adding angled parking along with other side streets.
