Council explores temporarily closing two lanes of Riverside Drive for pedestrians

Windsor city council approved on Monday a report that will consider a process to close two lanes of Riverside Drive to help residents maintain proper physical distancing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The report was proposed by Ward 3 Coun. Rino Bortolin, asking administration to return with their findings on May 4. Council passed the motion in an 8-2 vote, with Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis and Mayor Drew Dilkens opposed to the project.

"By closing two of the lanes on Riverside Drive, [it] allows people to be out and about," Bortolin said, adding that he's seen more and more people go out for walks along Windsor's riverfront since warmer weather arrived. 

Bortolin said he specifically asked administration to consider what it would mean if someone wanted to close a portion of their street, as well as what it would mean if Windsor were to reduce Riverside Drive to two-vehicle lanes, from Devonshire Road to Caron Avenue. 

"If people are mostly just walking for exercise, the traffic is reduced," he said. "Riverside Drive made a lot of sense to me to be the first one that we do this with."

Bortolin was clear that the closure would be temporary, until the province lifts existing physical distancing rules during the pandemic. 

"[It] really would be dependent on how things move along for the next couples of months," he said. "If we're in this holding pattern for months and months, I'd like to see it continue."

Should councillors approve the temporary closure of Riverside Drive, Bortolin said residents would likely see bollards or traffic cones separating lanes either Tuesday or Wednesday. 

Coun. Francis said he opposed the closure because he was "a little surprised by the ask," adding that he was uncomfortable with asking administration to report back on closing the road, rather than asking whether the city should or could implement such a measure. 

"When I ask a council question, I try to provide it as open-ended as I can, to allow the experts to weigh in," Francis said. "I don't want to force anything I want to do on them."

Francis added that based on similar questions put to administration in the past, he was under the impression that the city's engineer "is not in favour of closing," citing public safety concerns, as well as concerns over traffic. 

"Obviously things are a little bit different with traffic, but taking what the city engineer said recently, along with that information several months ago and not giving administration more opportunity perhaps to voice their concerns and their recommendations on the matter, all those taken together is why I voted to oppose that report," Francis said.