Portage and Main needs to prioritize accessibility — whether it reopens or not, says advocacy group

An advocacy group for people with disabilities says the mayor's recently announced plan to open Portage and Main to pedestrians would create a more accessible city — but it also wants to ensure that the intersection has proper signage, lighting and is "seamlessly connected" to street crossings and transit stops.

That announcement "is definitely a positive step in something that the community has been looking for for a long time," said Patrick Stewart, with the Independent Living Resource Centre, which released a report about the intersection just days after Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said he wants to see it reopened.

"Just being able to cross the street, that's a pretty clear solution that would work for everybody."

The report from the Independent Living Resource Centre, titled "4 Corners – Accessibility and Portage & Main," highlights the challenges people with disabilities face while trying to navigate the intersection and outlines what Winnipeg could do to make the intersection — either above ground or below — more accessible.

The report is dated January 2024 and was just released this week, but has been in the works since summer 2022, Stewart said.

It was written under the impression that the intersection would remain closed at street level to pedestrians, and was intended to be released alongside the Portage and Main revitalization study that's being discussed at a city committee meeting on Thursday.

However, last Friday, Gillingham said he'll push to open Portage and Main to pedestrians by 2025 and close the underground circular walkway, which a city report says needs at least $73 million in repairs that would lead to four to five years of traffic disruptions.

Stewart says that announcement, which would still need city council's support, was exciting, but caught his organization off guard.

"Now the conversation has a very interesting new dimension to it," he said in a Tuesday interview with CBC Radio's Up To Speed.

His centre's report says any path for pedestrians at the intersection must be connected to other street crossings, transit stops and any underground entry points. The pathways should also be maintained year-round and be cleared of snow promptly during the winter months, the report says.

It also calls for adequate lighting and signage that directs people to pedestrian routes and amenities like washrooms.

'Universal design'

While the report focuses mostly on the accessibility issues within the underground walkway, Stewart said the city must consider "universal design" to make the intersection easily navigable if it's reopened.

"You would just want to make sure that you have enough time for people to cross the street," he said, which might require "more robust signage and indication when it's time to walk."

Designing an accessible Portage and Main also means making sure crosswalks nearby are safe and accessible, the report says. Sidewalks must be level with roads and made from materials that don't erode, unlike brick and stone.

Stewart said while his organization supports reopening, that shouldn't necessarily mean the underground walkway must close.

"It doesn't need to be an either-or consideration that … we can either have surface-level or the underground," he said.

"The easiest way to create accessibility is just to open the intersection, allow everybody to cross the road. But … the underground does serve a very significant purpose I think for our city as well."

Navigating intersection 'very confusing'

The centre's report says the current city-owned entrances to the underground walkway are stairs-only, and private buildings that provide elevator access have limited operating hours. The area also lacks signage that explains how people with accessibility needs can access the walkway.

The "very idiosyncratic chain of entrances and lifts and elevators … really can be so confusing to move around, even if you've been downtown your whole life," Stewart said.

"If you get to one of the stairwells that the city owns, you'll find a set of stairs, you'll find a sign that kind of says, 'You are here,' but there is no information if you need an elevator or lift to get to the underground."

The report says once inside the underground walkway, the ramps are too steep and aren't slip-resistant, and the walkway also lacks wayfinding signage to help people with disabilities get around.

"It can be very confusing and take a very long time to circumnavigate Portage and Main," said Stewart.

"There's just so many opportunities for something to go wrong."

Stewart said the Independent Living Resource Centre's report is set to be presented at the city's property and development committee meeting on Thursday.