'We are listening,' Mayor Brian Bowman says about opening Portage and Main

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman says he is listening to people's views — including critical voices — about reopening Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrians, but he remains committed to making the downtown intersection more accessible to everyone.

Bowman said the city has commissioned a traffic study and is talking with nearby property owners about possibly removing the barricades that have prevented people from walking across the intersection since 1979.

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"We do need to be mindful of traffic flows, pedestrian safety and the affected businesses that are directly impacted and indirectly impacted, and so it's obviously something that's not happening overnight," he told CBC's Marcy Markusa at Portage and Main on Wednesday morning.

"We've been having very good discussions with the property owners, and what we're hearing is tremendous support for … providing [pedestrians] with the opportunity to cross here like they do at other intersections throughout our city."

RAW: Mayor Brian Bowman talks about opening Portage and Main

8 years ago

Duration 2:07

CBC

The mayor said while he recognizes there is opposition to reopening Portage and Main — a Probe Research poll suggested 53 per cent of Winnipeg adults want the traffic barricades to stay up — he's sticking to a promise he made in the 2014 civic election campaign.

"Look, I recognize there are very different views on this intersection in Winnipeg, and we heard them loud and clear during the campaign," he said.

"I stood on this very spot and made the commitment for Winnipeggers in an open and transparent way during the campaign, and I think Winnipeggers are right to expect that I'm going to do everything I can to fulfil my campaign commitment on this issue."

'Heart and soul of our city'

Bowman said while fixing roads and other city infrastructure remains his top spending priority, opening the intersection is high on his list for a number of reasons, including improving accessibility for pedestrians with mobility issues.

When asked if he's ignoring those who don't want Portage and Main to be reopened, Bowman said he and the city are open to hearing other views.

"We are listening, and that's why we're doing the traffic study, that's why we're going to be leveraging the traffic management system and why we're proceeding in the way that we are, by working with the property owners in the area," he said.

He added that when it comes to ensuring safety, the city's new traffic command and control centre should be able to manage traffic issues that may arise from opening Portage and Main.

Portage and Main has the potential to be a great place for Winnipeggers, whether they want to walk across it or use the existing underground network of pathways, Bowman said.

"The thing about Portage and Main is it's such an iconic intersection. It's really the heart and soul of our city. It's where we come together as a community, and I think this intersection can do a lot more for our downtown; it can do a lot more for Winnipeg," he said.

"It's not just an intersection that you drive through. This is a place where Winnipeggers have historically come together, and we want to do what we can to make it an even greater place to show off our city and for people to experience."