George Street No Longer Closed Downtown For Weekend, Re-Opens Early To Vehicular Traffic

The weekend closure of George Street to vehicular traffic downtown has been cancelled. The road is being immediately re-opened to vehicles for the remainder of the weekend, Saturday, June 13th and Sunday, June 14th.

The City of Peterborough made the decision on Thursday to close sections of George Street downtown to vehicular traffic for the weekend as an immediate action to coincide with the Province’s Stage 2 framework for the re-opening of the province that was announced on Monday, June 8th.

“It was an attempt to provide additional pedestrian space to help people feel more comfortable and safe coming back into the downtown during the COVID-19 pandemic—and it also provided an opportunity for pop-up patios for businesses on George Street through a fast-track process,” says Brendan Wedley, Manager of Communication Services. “Based on feedback after the first day, the City is reopening the road to vehicles. The City apologizes for the confusion.”

People are encouraged to physical distance—that is, stay at least 2 metres away from people who aren’t from your household or social circle of 10—as much as possible when walking through the downtown and passing by patios along sidewalks. When physical distancing isn’t possible, please consider wearing a mask.

A longer-term solution for re-working public space in the downtown will be put in place over the next couple of weeks to provide additional space for pedestrians by changing vehicle traffic lanes and on-street parking. The plan, which was created in collaboration with Peterborough Public Health and the Downtown Business Improvement Area, is available on the City’s website.

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