Downtown Victoria’s Government Street going mostly car-free starting Monday

Starting Monday, Victoria’s Government Street will get a whole new look.

Victoria city council voted last week to transform the tourist-friendly drag into a “pedestrian-priority street.”

That change, which will apply between Humboldt and Yates streets, will see the street reduced to one lane, with through-traffic banned. Delivery and emergency vehicles will still be permitted to use the road.

It will also see the complete closure of Government between Fort and View streets.

At the same time, additional space will be opened up for outdoor patio or other business uses.

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Funding for initial planning to transform the street into a pedestrian-priority space was approved in the 2020 budget, but council voted to fast-track the changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Health experts have called for increased outdoor space to allow physical distancing, and have advised that dining outdoors could help slow the spread of the virus.

“This initiative is a significant and ambitious response to the current Covid-19 crisis and represents
one of the largest changes in the downtown for many years,” states the motion approved Thursday.

The city says given the sped-up timeline, it hasn’t had a chance to engage in “fulsome consultation with stakeholders,” including the Downtown Victoria Business Association.

Further consultation around a permanent transformation of the route to a pedestrian-priority street is expected over the summer.