Survey respondents want Scarth Street to remain reserved for pedestrians

Scarth Street should remain reserved for pedestrians only.

That was the overwhelming response to a survey by the City of Regina, the results of which were released Friday. The survey was conducted last year, and received responses from more than 6,600 people.

Ninety per cent of respondents said they supported pedestrian-only access to F.W. Hill Mall at Scarth Street between 11th and 12th avenues.

Construction for a revitalization project in the area was originally supposed to begin this year, but has been pushed back to 2027.

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While most respondents wanted to keep the area for pedestrians only, Anna Gardikiotis, owner of Copper Kettle on Scarth Street, said she would be in favour of a more mixed approach.

She said it would be advantageous for businesses to have services come to their door.

“(Scarth Street) is very sparse,” Gardikiotis said. “A lot of people are not downtown, and we need some good design that can accommodate both worlds – pedestrian and (vehicles) – but very limited vehicle use. I’ve seen those models in other cities that I’ve lived in, and they work very well.”

She cited downtown Calgary as an example.

Gardikiotis said she’d like to see single-lane vehicle access, but said Scarth Street could still be closed to traffic for special events. But, she noted, a hybrid approach would require very creative urban planning and a significant amount of investment and forethought.

“I’m not looking for a cheap design solution where you just slam a few pieces of asphalt and parking metres on there. That’s not at all what I have in mind,” Gardikiotis said.

“I see just a couple of little turnouts for cars to stay – service vehicles, for maybe 10 minutes at a time at most – and then like a single lane allowing traffic through just to facilitate the traffic.”

In the city’s survey, 62.2 per cent of respondents said it would be important for Scarth Street to have more on-site events and activities.

“Any form of good attractions, events, festivals – all those sorts of things, are what leads to community building and vibrancy in your downtown core,” Gardikiotis said, “and I think Scarth Street is integral to all of that.”

980 CJME reached out to the City of Regina for comment but did not receive word by time of publication.