Downtown Peterborough street set for major overhaul

Peterborough’s city councillors, sitting as the committee of the whole, got a good look at a proposed plan to reshape a pivotal downtown street Monday night.

“It’s really exciting and I feel very privileged to be a part of this,” said AECOM landscape architect Mike Hubicki as he began his presentation on the Charlotte Street East development.

Hubicki’s design is set to complement the urban park currently under construction in the former Louis Street parking lot. It would see a redevelopment of Charlotte Street stretching from Aylmer Street to Water Street.

He described it as pedestrian-friendly and accessible, with wide sidewalks and low curbs. The project could also include bollards that could be removed to accommodate festivals or even a pop-up patio or two.

Town Ward Coun. Dean Pappas was quick to applaud the design.

“It’s going to be a ‘wow’ factor for our downtown, and our downtown needs a wow factor,” Pappas said. “It is the gateway to the central area, when you get off the Parkway and get on Clonsilla, it leads you right down Charlotte Street.”

But not everyone was sold right away.

Hubicki said the plan doesn’t cost the downtown any parking spots. But the Ashburnham Ward councillor expressed concern about the effect on business.

“How are delivery trucks going to get down here and deliver their parcels?” he asked, pointing out Charlotte Street was a route for trucks heading to the Quaker plant.

Hubicki acknowledged that larger vehicles would have a more difficult time navigating the block. He said there would be times when a truck would simply have to pull over where it could, put its blinkers on and motorists would have to be patient.

Describing the traffic management plan as a sophisticated, intuitive approach, Hubicki said the street would seem narrower, something that automatically induces motorists to slow down.

The speed limit would be reduced from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, and cyclists would share the street with cars. The architect said those on bikes would likely dictate the speed of traffic.

That gave Otonabee Ward Coun. Dan McWilliams some pause. He wondered if Peterborough was ready to slow down on one of its busiest streets.

“It’s a very, very heavily-used corridor, and I’m just wondering if this looks a little bit soft or tender when it comes to transportation needs on Charlotte Street,” he said.

The completion of the $4.5-million project is dependent on the completion of construction on Bethune Street. That work has yet to begin.