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Big Ideas: Some mayoral candidates open to Open Streets
Despite pushback from city transportation officials, Open Streets resonated with throngs of Torontonians who meandered through the roads on a recent Sunday morning.

Aug. 25, 2014
thestar.com
By Jennifer Bill

Open Streets, a community-building program that temporarily closes streets to cars and opens them to pedestrians and cyclists, recently took over Bloor St. in its first Toronto initiative.

Despite pushback from city transportation officials, who called the program too ambitious and only agreed to a four-hour window on a Sunday morning, Open Streets attracted crowds of people who took advantage of the opportunity to move about unimpeded on the roads until the noon shutdown.

While mayor Rob Ford (Open Rob Ford’s policard) has openly voiced his disapproval of the event, Big Ideas wanted to see how the other mayoral candidates felt about Open Streets.

As part of the Star’s yearlong Big Ideas project, each week we present Toronto’s leading mayoral candidates with a Big Idea that has ignited discussion across the city. We have now unveiled the Top 20 Big Ideas after receiving nearly 1,000 submissions from our readers on how to improve Toronto. Readers can now vote for the Top 10, to be unveiled Sept. 20.

Question: Should Open Streets Toronto be made permanent?

Olivia Chow
Position: Yes

They need to have local support, but we need more people-friendly places. I’m also the only candidate with proposals to make walking safer. It’s sad when weekend street closures for families to enjoy or raise money for charity are attacked, ironically by people who are silent about Indy races closing streets. People spaces make a city more livable.

David Soknacki
Position: Yes

A great success as a public event and we absolutely should do it again next year and beyond.

John Tory
Position: Would not take a position

I am cautious about anything that closes down lanes of traffic and increases traffic congestion. The current Open Streets project is a pilot, and I look forward to reviewing the results of the traffic impact assessment to see if there is a major impact on congestion in the area.

Rob Ford
The Star did not receive a response this week from Ford’s campaign.

Big Ideas: Some mayoral candidates open to Open Streets Despite pushback from city transportation officials, Open Streets resonated with throngs of Torontonians who meandered through the roads on a recent Sunday morning.

Big Ideas: Some mayoral candidates open to Open Streets
Despite pushback from city transportation officials, Open Streets resonated with throngs of Torontonians who meandered through the roads on a recent Sunday morning.