Two-way traffic returns to Blowers Street
Posted Jun 21, 2012 07:00:17 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Converting some of Halifax’s core streets to one way was supposed to increase pedestrian traffic and sidewalk cafes, but a decline in business has prompted the city to reverse its decision on Blowers Street.
Some of the Blowers Street businesses reported a drop in business due to the change in traffic patterns.
“There seemed to be a precipitous drop in their business. Not amongst all of them, but in some of them along Blowers Street, saying that this has really negatively impacted businesses,” said executive director of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, Paul MacKinnon. “
MacKinnon tells News 95.7 he asked HRM’s traffic department to return Blowers Street to a two-way venue and the municipality agreed, implementing the changes overnight on Wednesday.
Blowers between Grafton and Barrington streets is now open for two-way traffic.
“There wasn’t a great expense to doing this change,” said MacKinnon. “It involved painting some lines and they were able to add some parking meters. But this wasn’t a huge, costly project.”
In October, HRM changed the direction of travel on several downtown streets in an effort to improve traffic flow and create more parking.
Sackville Street was made one-way eastbound between Brunswick and Lower Water and Lower Water was made one-way northbound.
