CAA members don’t want Portage and Main reopened

WINNIPEG – Opening up Portage and Main to pedestrians is not a priority, according to a new poll done by CAA Manitoba.

In a survey of nearly 1,500 CAA members, more than 70 percent said they felt opening the intersection to pedestrians should not be a priority.

It’s one of the key campaign promises by Mayor Brian Bowman, who recently said he would like to see it reopened by next summer, ahead of the Canada Summer Games.

READ: Brian Bowman hopes Portage and Main will open to pedestrians next summer 

But in the poll done by CAA, more than three-quarters said they thought it would create further traffic congestion, while some 60 per cent surveyed said it could lead to pedestrians getting hurt.

The iconic intersection was closed in 1979 when the city signed a contract with area business in favor of an underground concourse.

READ: Pressure building to reopen Portage and Main

That 40-year contract, with the main anchor tenants on the corner expires in 2019.

The CAA poll also found just 20 percent of its members 18-29 believe it should be reopened.