More cities are closing roads to make room for pedestrians. Why not Hamilton?

Hamilton will not follow Toronto's lead and close streets or traffic lanes to cars to make more outdoor space for walkers, joggers and cyclists during a looming pandemic summer.

But stay tuned: the city is working on a COVID-19 mobility plan" meant to allow residents to get around safely - on both wheels and feet - as Hamilton emerges from its pandemic lockdown. What that will look like is not yet clear.

The city's emergency operations centre refused a petition request by 200-plus residents in late April for James Street North to be temporarily closed to cars during the pandemic.

Just a few days later, the City of Toronto went public with an ActiveTO" plan that will close some roads and turn others into quiet streets" - reserved for local car traffic only - in a bid to make more pandemic-safe walking space. Several U.S. cities have enacted similar plans, while closer to home Ottawa made a recent U-turn to close some streets after early reluctance.

Hamilton will not go down that road, said emergency operations director Paul Johnson.

I understand some people are saying, well, other cities have done this, why haven't you?" he said. We are saying there is currently no public health imperative to create more space through road closures ... Right now, we don't see major problems with pedestrians queuing or congregating."

Inadvertently creating a destination" for pedestrians to gather - and possibly spread COVID-19 - was part of the fear of closing James Street North, city officials noted. Making life difficult for businesses trying to reopen was also a concern.

On the other hand, residents who supported the petition like Eugene Ellmen urged council to treat the closure as a pilot" for similar measures across the city. Doing so, he argued, would benefit the community's mental health in regards to balancing the stresses associated with maintaining physical distance while trying to avoid vehicle traffic."

Johnson said Toronto's dense" urban population of close to three million means it is not really a fair comparison" to Hamilton when evaluating the need to add space for pedestrian physical distancing.

(Fans of temporary street closures, though, point to COVID-19 quiet street plans in smaller cities like Portland, population 650,000.)

The city and the Hamilton Conservation Authority have also started reopening access to local trails and pathways - and if the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to decline, more outdoor options will become available.

That said, Johnson said the city is looking ahead to a post-lockdown mobility plan" to help residents get around. That could include strategic street lane closures - think sidewalk pinchpoints" in reopening retail districts, for example.

Full road closures are not the only physical distancing solution cities have pitched during the pandemic. Brampton used pylons to build temporary bike lanes in that city last month.

Hamilton will be looking for ways to enhance and expedite" its cycling infrastructure as part of its post-lockdown mobility plan, said general manager of planning Jason Thorne. That could include beefing up cycling lane protection in more areas, he said, pointing to an experiment with new bumper separation between bikes and cars on Locke Street. If we want to attract more people to walk and cycle, rather than add more cars to our roads and parking lots, we have to make our streets safe and convenient for cyclists and pedestrians."

A version of the post-lockdown mobility plan is expected to come to council in a few weeks.

Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com