As Summer nears its end, so too does the City of Kelowna’s experimental Bernard Avenue closure.
Since late June, the city’s main drag has been closed to motorists, allowing pedestrians, cyclists and patios to expand into the streets.
Monday, Sept. 7 will mark the last full day of the program. A clean-up of the temporary fencing, benches and furniture will be removed Tuesday and the road will resume operations on Wednesday, Aug. 9.
“Finding an innovative use of public space to create a socially distanced pedestrian zone and to allow businesses to expand customer capacity this year was critical,” said JoAnne Adamson, the city’s property manager.
Council approved using public space on Bernard Avenue as patio space to help businesses enhance capacity, including a proposal to limit the majority of the road to pedestrians in May.
City staff will be evaluating resident, visitor and business reaction to the program this year and expect to make recommendations to council as to whether a similar program will be implemented next summer, in 2021.
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