Curb extension barricades bother Thunder Bay vendors

Barricades erected on the curb extensions from the sidewalk on South Algoma Street may stay in place until the fall and that has some merchants concerned the area will still look like a construction zone this summer.

The city placed the barricades as warning signs along Algoma Street to keep drivers from hitting new curb extensions that jut out into the street. The head of the Bay and Algoma Business Association said the barricades have been effective, but a permanent solution would be better.

Brian Hamilton said the barricades will be noticeable to more people when the weather gets warmer.

"It's still kinda winter, that's actually extending our patience," he said.

"But once summer comes along and these leaves get on the trees people are going to start wondering what the heck's going on with these bump-outs?"

Benches favoured

The city's engineering division said a consultant is still looking at options for those bump-outs, or curb extensions.

Manager Pat Mauro said those options could include anything from benches to planters.

"The city's preparing a tender with respect to street furniture and transit stops and one of the areas that will see those improvements is Algoma Street," he said, adding that the revitalization project always called for furnishings on the curb extensions.

However the city didn't count on having to put up warning signs before those furnishings were installed.

Kerrie Atkinson, a part-owner of a gift shop in the area said she hopes the cityfixes the situation this summer.

"It kind of makes it look like the street's still under construction when you've got a [warning barricade in place]," she said.

Hamilton said he hopes to see benches put in on the curb-extensions.

"The funny thing is they had benches here before, but the business association got them to pull them out because [of] I don't know people loitering," he said.

"I would like to see benches. We're trying to make this area look more elderly-friendly, more pederstrian-friendly, and it's hard to imagine doing that without benches."