A resident’s comments.
For some time I followed the reports on a redevelopment of St. Georges Square. At first, I thought that this was simply a brainstorming idea, until I realized that the planning department and council is serious on moving forward with this plan. Strange, no sooner the perimeter of the space is finally starting to look inviting, the trees have reached a height to provide shade, City Hall decides to rip everything up.
Yesterday, while running errands downtown, I stopped at the square and tried to envision the proposal. FS
The biggest flaw is the public center.
How on earth are we going to have a decent traffic flow with pedestrians trying to cross the roads to the other side of the street as well as to the center!
Who wants to sit in the center of the square which for many years will be under the blazing sun. Staff’s draft, which was published a while back with a Fast Food Day in the middle is simply absurd. Nothing more then a stinking, noisy place. Inviting?? No class. The same goes for the washroom idea on the site.
Further, the one lane road will undoubtedly create a gridlock. For making a right hand turn, the car has to stop before it enters the circle and again in the circle to leave the crossings free for pedestrians. This surely will discourage people to come downtown, the exact opposite we want to create.
Have a roundabout with a pleasingly planted circle that would enhance the existing perimeter. Surely, the planner could provide council with countless examples for it. Europe has a treasure of samples.
This simplified version of the proposed redesign would make a lot more sense, financially, visually and functionally. FS