Coronavirus: Richmond Street in London, Ont., opening lane for cyclists and pedestrians

To encourage people to support local businesses downtown and allow for physical distancing as coronavirus safety measures continue, the City of London, Ont., is opening up part of Richmond Street to pedestrians and cyclists.

Starting Friday, one southbound lane on Richmond Street, from Mill Street to Kent Street is blocked off to create a shared space for pedestrians, cyclists and businesses.

“As more people are visiting Richmond Row to support our business community reopening, we must ensure that they can do so safely while maintaining physical distancing,” says Mayor Ed Holder. “This can be challenging on crowded sidewalks, and we are taking new steps to provide more space for visitors.”

The changes are a part of the City of London’s new Back to Business initiative to help local businesses keep operating during the pandemic.

“We will continue to work with businesses closely on a case-by-case basis to respond to their needs as they reopen,” says Jim Yanchula, manager of downtown projects and business relations at the City of London.

Pedestrians Global News spoke to along Richmond Street seemed in support of the change.

“The way the world works is there is a lot of space that needs to be taken up, and people need to be able to move along the streets safely,” said Weston Gaul.

For others like Ryan Webber, it’s a good step to making the downtown core more cyclist-friendly.

“It’s a great idea overall, London has a bit of way to come as far as being cyclist friendly like other cities are, but it’s a step in the right direction,” Webber said.

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Barb Maly, executive director of Downtown London, says opening up the street to more pedestrians and cyclists is a temporary measure to encourage people to come back to the core area as businesses impacted by COVID-19 start to reopen.

The new changes will not affect any London Transit bus stops or routes.

Other London roadways previously modified to allow for more physical distancing along Blackfriars Bridge, Kensington Bridge, Clark’s Bridge, and Springbank Park entrances will also continue.