Residents of Waterloo should be prepared this weekend, as thousands of students will be moving to the city for school.
The city announced a host of traffic initiatives on Tuesday intended to make the students’ big move as easy as possible.
Some roads will be closed, the city says, while others will be turned into one-way streets on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
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Lester Street will be northbound only from Seagram Drive to Columbia Street West with no access from University Avenue West (to go north) and Columbia Street West (to head south).
There will also be no left turns onto Columbia Street West from Lester Street (north) or onto University Avenue West from Lester Street (south). There will be no through traffic from Lester Street (south) across University Avenue West.
Spruce Street will be one way northbound from Hickory Street West to Columbia Street West with no access from the latter.
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Conversely, Regina Street will be one way southbound.
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There will also be no left turns from Columbia Street West to Sunview Street and no right turns onto Regina Street North from University Avenue East.
Parking is also prohibited on Bricker Avenue from King Street to Clayfield Street, Regina Street from University Avenue to Hickory Street, Marshall Street from Brighton Street to Regina Street, Balsam Street from Hazel Street to Hemlock Street and Larch Street from Balsam Street to Hickory Street.
There will also be a host of events designed to help students get acclimatized to university life.
On Sept. 4, Waterloo Fire Rescue Services will visit the Wilfrid Laurier campus to discuss the importance of fire safety. Attendance is mandatory for all first-year students.
The next day, Waterloofest will take place at Waterloo Public Square from about 4 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. This event is designed as an orientiation for freshman attending
University of Waterloo and Conestoga College. City staff will be on hand to welcome students and there will also be food trucks and booths from a host of uptown businesses and community service providers.
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On Sept. 6, the soccer fields will be home to Wilfrid Laurier University CampusFest. Municipal enforcement and fire rescue services will attend this event to share information about bylaws, parking options, property standards, fire safety and more.
On Sept. 11, municipal enforcement officers will be at University Avenue West and Hazel Street between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as part of the Veteran’s Green tent event.
The MacGregor Albert Community Association BBQ is on Sept 14 from 12 p.m. until 2 p.m. It allows students to mingle with their new neighbours.
Finally, on Sept. 24 the doorknocker campaign returns to Waterloo. municipal enforcement officers and various community partners will go door-to-door to help students learn about safety, fire safety, and the importance of being a good neighbour.
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