Business Owners Fuming Over Car-Free Sundays in Kensington
Pedestrian Sundays are meant to bring in business to Kensington Market but according to some businesses in the area, it does nothing. In fact, it keeps business out.
The owner of Casa Acoreana tells the National Post, that the businesses in the area were never asked how they felt about Pedestrian Sundays. That the brand new gates unveiled last Friday, were put in by Councillor Adam Vaughan and the B.I.A. without any consultation. There are seven large street planters with swinging gates that keep all traffic out.
Ossie Pavao's shop has been operating there for almost 50 years and adds, that many other businesses in the area share his sentiments in not wanting the streets closed off to vehicles. The owner of another shop says it does nothing except flood the market with tourists who don't necessarily, buy anything.
Councillor Adam Vaughan however feels it's positive telling the Post, "We've got to rethink the infrastructure to reflect how people are using the city. It’s rethinking assumptions that are 50 years old.”
The city's manager of pedestrian projects says those large gates cost about $179-thousand dollars. The city paid for part of it, and the businesses are footing the rest of the bill through B.I.A levies.