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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-05-27, Page 11Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - Page Al 1 Divided we stand, united we park: The Square debate rolls on She said... Walking around Goderich's most fa- mous street, you wouldn't think the act taboo, but rather a thoroughly quaint and enjoyable experience. Taking about walking around the downtown core, however, may send you running for the nearest set of wheels. While the controversy has quieted down to a dull mumble in news -pages, the subject of pedestrian -only Square time is a touchy thing to address, it seems.' On a recent outing, The Signal -Star set out to gather the real opinions of those who know The Square best — shoppers and businesses. • Shop keepers, or sales people too chatty, cheerful and chipper? No prob- lem — ask them if they think about a proposed return to our roots, using your feet. That seems to be a surefire way to illicit staunch silence, or unsure hesi- tance. The amount of shopping Goderich's senior community does on weekends seems to be the lifeblood of merchants. Or, so it would seem from their im- plied opposition to the occasional hour or two of a decidedly safer downtown experience without vehicles vying for a space. Though few were in favor of discussing the pros and cons of pedes- trian -only without a veil of anonymity, fewer were willing to talk about it at all. The feeling of disapproval was pal- pable. According to one Square business employee, "1 think it's a great idea ... I've lived in places where some down- towns were pedestrian -only from time to time and it's just a great experience, a better feeling ... etc .. I think the town would definitely benefit from it, and tourists would enjoy it as well." When asked their name, however, conversa- tion dwindled off. "My boss doesn't like the idea, I'm sorry." The arguments are similar from busi- ness to business, and mostly consider the volume of seniors shopping and the convenience of parking. How will shoppers get their purchases to their vehicles without parking in front of the stores? Is it unfair to ask them to park a block away on a spoke street? If that's the case, they're likely to take their business elsewhere - the mall per- haps, where they'll walk a comparable distance through the parking -lot. While the question of pedestrian -only Square times is still up in the air, it may be a simple lack of clarification hold- ing progress in a perpetuating debate. Is it every weekend, or the occasion- al festival? Is it all day, or one or two hours? The bottom line is, it's hard to get a clear sense of what's a good idea and what's not if no one is sure what the idea is. It's easy, however, to assume the worst and draw your line in the sand. (D.M.) He sat ... The no -vehicles on The Square debate is like racism or religion. Everybody has beliefs but nobody wants to talk about them - at least not on record. We tried, and it was tough. Businesses were the most tight-lipped of all, though they seemed to provide the most opposi- tion to the idea. With such strong opinions, I wasn't sure why nobody wanted to go on the books until one business owner explained he lost customers last *time he took a stand on an issue. If shoppers are that fickle, perhaps what The Square offers isn't as unique as it's touted. Maybe we need to reinvent the wheel while we're out walking. With money tight all over the place, merchants on The Square want to see what little is out there circulating downtown. My understanding is that The Square would only be closed to vehicles during festivals. Many had the impression it was to be every weekend, or during the mar- kets. The nitty-gritty of this will eventually get worked out, but the lack of detail is making people apprehensive about the process. The biggest obstacle for people to overcome with the concept was its am- biguity, but what about safety? When you drive around on a Saturday morning, you never know when a pedes- trian is going to pop out from between two cars around Courthouse Park. If vendors could unload and then park along the outside of The Square and shop- pers on the spokes, there are no doubts in my mind things would be much safer for pedestrians. But is that fair for the people who set up booths? Not really. Is it fair for the stores who 'want their customers to be able to park directly out- side? Not really. Is it fair for the person with small chil- dren who has been waiting to cross the street for five minutes, or the seniors who may take a little longer to cross the road while cars.continue to circle for parking? Absolutely. No matter what terms are finally em- ployed for this idea, all sides are going tc have to do some give and take here. Parking outside The Square will have tc be made available and those with disabili- ties (ie: those already using blue and white parking stickers) should be considered. One gentleman had a particularly good idea (though an anonymous one) that il The Square were to close off to vehicles. there should be some sort of courtesy -car type service to assist those who need it. "You have about 1,000 golf carts in this town," he said. "Have the town get propel insurance and substitute free transporta- tion for those who need it." But who needs it and who is just ac- customed to convenience? Provisions are needed for the disabled, but everyone else should take a walk and think it over. ASKUSABOUT: - HOME COMFORT OilHeat, gas, A/C, filtration, humidifier, heat pump hybrids, °eia„drA boilers & Infloor, temporary, etc. - ALL FUEL & LUBRICANT NEEDS Now INCLUDING PROPANE! 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