Pedestrianising Reid Street

I was interested to read about the Corporation of Hamilton’s plan to pedestrianise lower Reid Street in Monday’s Royal Gazette.

While the idea has been discussed before, the decision to invite architectural tenders does seem rather sudden. “I am surprised, there was no official notification or consultation at all,” said Kristi Grayston, co-chair of the Retail Division of the Chamber of Commerce.

While I agree that Reid Street would be a more pleasant place if it wasn’t choked with cars, I wonder whether the Corporation has thought through the ramifications of the plan. Does the city have sufficient alternative parking? How will the flow of traffic in the surrounding streets be impacted? Would it increase congestion on Front Street?

I’m also concerned that the change is being made piecemeal, without regard to the proposed redevelopment of the waterfront and City Hall car park. It would seem to make more sense to wait until there is an overall plan for the redevelopment of Hamilton, and then decide whether pedestrianising Reid Street fits with that plan. Perhaps the community would prefer to see Front Street pedestrianised instead?

Comments

[Adjustah on 12.10.05 at 09:12]

Gee, no traffic on Reid...just in time to save our lagging retail industry...no, wait...

As for releiving traffic congestion in the area, shut down KFC and Leisure Time, or station two policemen there with their ticket books open...

[It Doesnt Matter on 12.10.05 at 09:31]

I cant shake the feeling that this is the Corporation of Hamilton's attempts to familiarize Bermuda's city with that of some English city-centers.

This is one of the times I agree that the redevelopment of Hamilton, as a whole, should be considered first. Otherwise, pedestrian-only Reid Street seems a little premature at best.

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 12.10.05 at 09:34]

Reid Street has been made into a pedestrian area before and now with trimingham and smiths gone the need for volume deliveries are over.I think its time that many Bermudians with fat asses get out of their cars and walk a bit.This plan involves just one small section of Reid street. I'm glad that the Corporation is starting to think of people outside of their cars.If anything should be happening at all it is a push for the reduction of cars in Central Hamilton.

[loki on 12.10.05 at 09:41]

"I think its time that many Bermudians with fat asses get out of their cars and walk a bit."

Indeed. I'm constantly amazed at the number of people who are willing to leave their jobs once every hour to move their cars and flip over their parking vouchers because they're too lazy to park their cars at Bulls Head and walk for five minutes. Only in Bermuda.......

[Tiger Bay on 12.10.05 at 09:42]

It could be great - but it could also deal the death blow to many retailers.

Many small towns in the US "pedestrianised" their main streets in the 80s to counter the growth of suburban strip malls. In many cases, the pedestrianisation caused a lengthy period of business failures until buildings and city services were adapted and a new mix of retail/dining operations adapted to the changed site.

For example, outside cafes won't appear overnight. How about creating incentives for the redevelopment of the Smiths and Triminghams sites to include street level dining? How about ensuring that retail areas stay true retail (not supplanted by banking halls and office lobbies)?

The Corporation of Hamilton is paid for by businesses in Hamilton - it is ridiculous for it to act without their support. Putting a few scraggy planters in the road won't cut it - this would be a reeingineering of the way Hamilton works as a city.

On a different subject - what happened to the boardwalk revitalisation of St George's? That project has gone totally off the map. Why?

[Martin on 12.10.05 at 09:50]

If the purpose behind this is to provide a safer shopping facility, then why not "ban" traffic between (say) 11.30am and 2.00pm when people are shopping. Maybe Saturday too.

All that takes is a couple of signs at one end of the street.

Why go to great costs plus provide problems of deliveries to shops when it is not necessary?

Daft!!

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 12.10.05 at 09:57]

Tiger go bite the Mayor Jones re the boardwalk. Regarding Hamilton check out the slow city movement starting to take hold in Europe re city planning.If you let the car drive all city planning you soon have a very barren setting.I like the idea of preserving some of our city for parks and walking areas and yes this has to be integrated with a larger traffic plan for the city.

[Tiger Bay on 12.10.05 at 09:59]

Tiger's afraid of that damn parrot. Mayor Jonesy, whatcha gotta say about the boardwalk?

[Bill Akin on 12.10.05 at 10:54]

Tigerbay,
I think that the harbour front walk is not a good idea. The proposed plan would divert the boat people away from Water St. and deprive the shops from the walk by trade they have now. I think more harbour front venues would be good but keep the foot traffic on a diverse route to maximise exposure to the Old Town.
Regards, Bill

[Tiger Bay on 12.10.05 at 11:02]

That's a valid point. I love St George and want to see it get the attention it deserves.

[silencedogood on 12.10.05 at 11:45]

I think the idea of turning it into a mini-entertainment/cultural centre is a good idea. We need one and, although I love St. George, it is not enough or central. It is too easy for tourists who don't ride scooters to get stranded there with no transportation. In hamilton you have the ferries, cabs, busses, and hotels at your fingertips but not much to hold their interest.

I agree that the total Hamilton picture needs to be taken into account, particularly the parking situation. One problem though is that to make the outdoor dining concept really work you'd have to redesign the buildings along Reid. That's a huge investment. It's an idea worth exploring, but they should get people's input before changing anything.

[Adrian on 12.10.05 at 12:01]

All Hail the Pedestrianised Reid Street.

with all due respect to Limey, I think the car free reid street would be fantastic. Picture the new street with newly planted trees for added shade, benches, possible street vendors -possible once a week all day markets, similar to Harbour nights with some cafe's being allowed to set up tables on the edges of the street.

The Pros and Cons are there, they will always be there in regard to parking, traffic etc etc but those are problems that have much deeper seeded roots that have to be tended to in a much bigger way than whether or not lower reid is cut off so why not make the concerted effort to put this plan into action. It isn't a bit sudden to be taking architectural tenders, the general discussion has been circulating for over a decade at least.

And to take on one of Tiger Bay's points regarding 1980's US strip mall dillemas, if the pedestrianisation of Reid street fostered retail competition outside of Hamilton - FANTASTIC, and if it doesn't - we aren't any worse off than we were. Bermuda has got a very limited retail market - which again - has much deeper problems than whether or not Reid street is not accessible to cars and it shouldn't be an imediment to change and growth.

And Amen to people getting off their fat *sses.

[tilti on 12.10.05 at 12:12]

I think it is a great idea. At most 50 parking spots will be lost, but in my opnion there is too much traffic in hamilton already, the noise is unbearable. As per congestion, most of that is generated by all of Bermuda leaving work at 5pm on the dot. Leave work half an hour later and difference in congestion is night and day. The same applies in the morning, where if you are going down East Broadway at 9:30 you have all the time in the world to smile and wave at Johny Barnes as you try and choose which of the two totally free lanes you want to take. The most cost effective way of reducing congestion would be to encourage employers to be more flexible with the hours that their workers start.
Regarding the comment that a redevelopment would cost a fortune, why do Bermudians have to think that you would have to totally rebuild Reid St? Why could you not just have market stalls like any European country has on their pedestrian streets?

[Combat Banker on 12.10.05 at 12:42]

Doesn't matter if the parking spots are lost really mate. They were only for shoppers going into Smith's & Trimms, and that is really not much of a problem anymore.

[Rincewind on 12.10.05 at 13:05]

"Doesn't matter if the parking spots are lost really mate. They were only for shoppers going into Smith's & Trimms, and that is really not much of a problem anymore.

Posted by Combat Banker on 12.10.05 at 12:42 "

How long have Smith's and Trimms been closed now, it certainly has not made any difference in the parking along Reid St. perhaps the best answer would be better public transportation.

"As per congestion, most of that is generated by all of Bermuda leaving work at 5pm on the dot"

Have you tried driving through Hamilton at 3:30 lately? It is almost as bad as 5:05.

"And Amen to people getting off their fat *sses. "

Praise the lord on that one, love the grocery stores where everybody is sitting in their cars right outside the doors while they wait for someone to move so they don't have to walk too far, never mind that it is causing traffic jams. Which brings to mind the problem of sidewalks, or the lack there of, you can take your life in your hands trying to walk along the roads in Bda.

[silencedogood on 12.10.05 at 13:05]

tilti,

Some redevelopment would have to be done in order to meet the stated goals of outside dining, etc. If you were to have euro-style restaurants there would either have to be a set off of 5-10 feet that is occupied by block walls right now, otherwise they would stretch into the street with no place to walk, or, you would have to knock down some block walls and putting in some columns to allow for covered, but open air dining.

Are they going to post the architectural submissions? Any ideas on how this idea would mesh with the Hamilton waterfront project?

[Tiger Bay on 12.10.05 at 13:51]

Congregation points are vital to the success of pedestrian projects; the most successful ones have an anchor like a theatre or cluster of restaurants to draw people in day and night.

Simply cutting off the cars on Reid Street probably won't have the desired effect - they need a plan that draws in the building and business owners.

It's dumb to seek architectural tenders before you have a supported plan. Bass ackwards.

Of course, one should probably build the retaining wall before one builds a new bus terminal a foot away ;)

[Observer on 12.10.05 at 13:58]

I personally think the best Hamilton street to be closed to traffic should be Front Street. The suggestion earlier by Adrian of newly planted trees, benches & street vendors would look great on such a scenic street, particularly when one could also have the option to relax at a sidewalk cafe & take in the view. All this would only enhance the picturesque buildings and the harbour view. As it is, the tourists step off the ships & right onto such a congested & noisy thru-way.

Reid Street could remain open to vehicular traffic & continue be used for (limited) parking and the drop off for deliveries. Burnaby Hill could be used for short-term parking or only for deliveries on Front Street.
The area of Queen Street, between Front Street & Reid Street could also be used as a loading zone for deliveries on Front Street.

I certainly don't have all the answers, but I truly believe, given enough planning, it would work.

[SmokingGun on 12.10.05 at 14:06]

I like the idea of a semi restricted pedestrian way. Have wider sidwalks with a single lane with numerous speed ramps that is open to commercial vehicles for certain hours to allow deliveries.
Each end of the street could have a small parking lot to accomodate short term parking and bikes. Maybe in winter time or around christmas
it could be opened to more traffic to accomodate the need.

Regarding the fat asses....big butts need loving too so make sure there's plenty of benches.

[SmokingGun on 12.10.05 at 14:13]

I'm was still talking about Reid Street. The Front Street idea would probably be very difficult to do. It's actually a major artery for traffic and it would dump too much into the center of town. Expanding the docks, sidewalks and restricting parking could help the cause though.

[loki on 12.10.05 at 14:20]

Don't even get me started on Queen Street (aka, "Chicken Alley"). The only way to stop jackasses from holding up traffic is to ban traffic completely on the street: they already double-park illegally and I had the wonderful experience the other day of coming upon cars on either side of the street double-parked. One car was waiting for KFC, the other for Leisure Time. Of course, I made the mistake of beeping my horn after been held up for 45 seconds - "fuck you, you white bastard" was the response. Nice.

[Full Fullish on 12.10.05 at 14:22]

Re the traffic....I still think they need to syncronise the traffic lights. Also they should get rid of the cross walks and replace them with pedestrian lights. It would be a hell of a lot safer too!

[spliffs on 12.10.05 at 14:28]

""fuck you, you white bastard" was the response. Nice."

Well, you obviously provoked him...by being white..

[automatic on 12.10.05 at 14:29]

Ideally, it makes much more sense to pedestrianise Front Street. It would certainly be a lot more attractive on the eye and would create an atraction to our tourists, the success of harbour nights proves that. As Observer says, Reid street could still be used for parking and loading. Also, there are already numerous cafes and bars on Front Street, so alfresco dining would be a lot easier to achieve without massive costs incurred in redesigning buildings.

However, this could only be done with a complete re-jig of the traffic flow. Whilst west-bound traffic could still go along Reid Street, all East-bound traffic through town would be forced onto the already overcrowded Queen and Church Streets, or further North onto Dundonald. With the present levels of traffic this would cause complete gridlock at rush hour!

Completely banning parking on Queen Street for the KFC and Leisure-Time lazy-arses, a better public transport system, staggered working hours, etc etc would all have to be implemented to make it work.

Just proves that whether it's Reid or Front, this whole idea needs to be taken as part of an overall plan, rather than just a simple "lets close it off...it'll look nice"

As for the bus station debacle Tiger, am I the only one that thinks six months to knock down a short stretch of wall and rebuild it again seems a tad lengthy? I'm no construction expert, so I might be wrong, but to be that seems ludicrous.

[H Reardon on 12.10.05 at 14:30]

"As for releiving traffic congestion in the area, shut down KFC and Leisure Time"

Posted by Adjustah on 12.10.05 at 09:12

Sure, let's punish every successful business--that ought to really boost retail sales.

[loki on 12.10.05 at 14:45]

"As for releiving traffic congestion in the area, shut down KFC and Leisure Time"

Posted by Adjustah on 12.10.05 at 09:12

Sure, let's punish every successful business--that ought to really boost retail sales."

Jesus, Reardon, do you have to have your ojectivist hat on all the time? Loosen up. Get a sense of humour: I assure you, Adjustah had his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.

[loki on 12.10.05 at 14:48]

"As for the bus station debacle Tiger, am I the only one that thinks six months to knock down a short stretch of wall and rebuild it again seems a tad lengthy? I'm no construction expert, so I might be wrong, but to be that seems ludicrous."

I take it you haven't driven by Jews Bay recently, then. Works and Engineering started in April on a retaining wall approximately 50ft long - they only finished it a few weeks ago!

[silencedogood on 12.10.05 at 14:50]

""fuck you, you white bastard" was the response. Nice."

Well, you obviously provoked him...by being white..

Posted by spliffs on 12.10.05 at 14:28

Maybe he was tired of people who looked and beeped like you...Bud, can I get an amen? I keed, I keed.

[silencedogood on 12.10.05 at 14:58]

On the serious note, closing Front Street would be ideal for all the reasons listed above but what to do about traffic? A tunnel from parliament to BoB? How expensive is that relative to the possible benefit? Probably too much, but worth checking out.

Maybe with lights Reid could absorb the extra traffic. Alot of old Euro cities like Rome, Athens and London have congestion fees where people have to pay or are restricted from driving downtown on certain days. They get around it by buying extra cars but since we have the one car limit...this could be exempted for rainy days.

Planning needs to give Hamilton a once over including the 1-way system and where people can park.

[Adrian on 12.10.05 at 15:11]

"looked and beeped like you"

freakin' hilarious!!!!

A

[SmokingGun on 12.10.05 at 15:25]

How about video cameras with automatic ticketing for all double parkers in front of KFC and LeisureTime? The police could operate a central control room and have a live feed into Fresh TV so people can see their aunty getting snagged. Fresh TV can get a commission for each vehicle ticketed to help pay for better equipment and talent.

[silencedogood on 12.10.05 at 15:42]

Good idea! There should be a Bermudian version of Cops. Fresh TV's fabled cheesecloth look would make for great shots of the spinning wheel, the C mart and dub city.

[Bill Cook on 12.10.05 at 16:32]

Closing off Reid St to traffic will not solve much and in my opinion will discourage even more people to come into to town to shop,as it just means fewer parking spots near the shops tough if its raining etc.

Right now I can go online order my winter blankets etc and go to my local post office to collect more easily than driving into town,in fact I do it regularly.

The problems in the area will be further exacerbated once B.O.BDA open their retail banking dept in the ground floor of the Trimingham building.

You see they got around the requirement of the location being designated retail that way.

[SmokingGun on 12.10.05 at 16:42]

"The problems in the area will be further exacerbated once B.O.BDA open their retail banking dept in the ground floor of the Trimingham building.

You see they got around the requirement of the location being designated retail that way."

Posted by Bill Cook on 12.10.05 at 16:32

Despicable, disgraceful, outrageous, moronic, ludicrous, totally un-Bermudian, useless waste of precious Front Street property. Who gives a damn about outdoor cafe's and improved pedestrian experiences for Bermudians or visitors if all you are giving them is a bank teller? Shameful.