Short of relocating downtown Regina to the outskirts where access roads, streets and parking lots can be reengineered on a Harbour Landing scale to accommodate all the commuters and shoppers driving over-sized vehicles (as one mayoralty candidate has actually proposed) creating smooth traffic flow in the area in this era of potential growth and renewal is a daunting challenge.
Nonetheless, the city has embarked on a Downtown Transportation Study to “identify and evaluate options to improve conditions for all users including pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, automobiles and delivery vehicles.”
March 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. there’s an open house at the Cornwall Centre to gather public input. Phase 1 will examine operational challenges and opportunities and look for short-term solutions to facilitate traffic movement on 11th and 12th Ave, including whether City Plaza (pictured above) should remain pedestrian only. Phases 2 and 3 will look at longer term strategies to perform the miracle of allowing the vast majority of Reginans to access the downtown in their cars and trucks in a safe, super-quick and convenient manner while simultaneously encouraging alternative modes of transportation like those noted above.