The City of Victoria council has approved a motion to close a section of Government Street to vehicle traffic and prioritize it for pedestrian use.
Starting Monday, June 8, Government Street between Fort and View Streets will be closed entirely to traffic, other than emergency vehicles and delivery trucks.
To facilitate these changes, the street will be converted from two lanes to one, with signage to inform vehicles about its new “pedestrian-priority” designation.
The measure is meant to be temporary, as Mayor Lisa Helps emphasized that it will be reassessed on at the end of October 2020.
This decision came alongside a host of other measures that could significantly change the landscape of the municipality in an effort to help businesses weather the effects of COVID-19.
Some on-street parking spots will be converted into patios or sidewalk space to allow retailers to expand their businesses while still letting shoppers maintain adequate physical distances.
The municipality will also add designated zones for food trucks and vendors to set up in order to aid the industry that expects to take a major hit with the cancellation of music festivals, fairs, and other large summer events.
