Refining the CurbTO approach for the Pillette Village BIA and/or Riverside BIA would allow SERT’s concerns to be addressed. In both BIAs, on-street parking is already provided in the curb lanes. By limiting temporary parking pick-up zones and curb lane pedestrian zones to existing parking spaces:
The lane closures would not impact emergency response, since driving lanes would not be affected.
Transit Windsor buses would still be able to pick up and drop off at the curb, since Transit Windsor stops would not be blocked off.
Costs for lane closures would be reduced, since the Ontario Traffic Manual requirements to close a parking lane are less onerous and complex than the requirements to close a driving lane.
Comments from SERT on this approach are provided in Appendix 1. In general, the following key issues were raised:
Access to Transit Windsor stops should be maintained.
Closing of parking lanes to create pedestrian zones will create fewer issues than with the closure of driving lanes.
However, concerns remain regarding protection of pedestrians from traffic o and with providing temporary curb ramps for accessibility.
No concerns were noted with converting existing on-street parking spaces to temporary time-limited parking for customer order pickup.
The Executive Director of the Pillette Village and Riverside BIAs was consulted for feedback. Formal comments from the two BIAs were not available for this report; comments from the BIAs have been requested for Council`s consideration at the May 25 meeting. Informal verbal comments from the Executive Director are summarized as follows:
Reducing Wyandotte Street East to one lane in each direction to reduce speeds in the two BIAs is an especially high priority.
Removal of parking to provide curb lane pedestrian zones would likely not be supported by the BIA members.
Conversion of on-street parking to temporary parking pick-up zones may be of interest, but no members of either BIA who have responded to date have indicated that they would use this program if it were available.