Opening Regina's Scarth Street to vehicles a step in the wrong direction: planning experts

The cobblestoned path of Scarth Street Mall has operated as a pedestrian walkway in downtown Regina for nearly 50 years.

That could end as the city looks to "activate" the street. Reintroducing vehicles to a street that has been pedestrian only since 1975 is one potential modification, according to a tender document issued late last year.

If the city moves forward with that decision, it would be doing the opposite of what most city planning experts recommend. Prioritizing people over vehicles is generally believed to bring people into a city's downtown core, according to two experts that spoke with CBC News. 

Rylan Graham, an assistant professor at the University of Northern British Columbia's school of planning, said the downtown cores of many cities in North America have been "reshaped and carved up" to accommodate vehicles. 

"The shift now is really how do we design for people and to elevate the human experience so that it is an appealing and interesting place that people want to be in," Graham. 

Graham, who grew up in Regina, said any plan that brings cars into the downtown "is the opposite approach that we need to be taking." 

Bob Patrick, chair of the regional and urban planning program at the University of Saskatchewan, provided similar critiques when asked about reintroducing vehicles to a pedestrian-oriented street. 

"It seems to be kind of reverse, the opposite of of good urbanism," Patrick said. 

"There's certainly a trend to close off streets. I mean that is happening in Europe, that's happening in Asia, it's happening in North America." 

Despite concerns the city is moving forward with its plan to update Scarth Street.

Earlier this month it awarded a contract worth $230,000 to Mississauga's CIMA Canada Inc., for engineering services on the revitalization project. 

The City of Regina said in a statement that CIMA Canada will "develop a preliminary design of what Scarth Street could look like."

Opportunity for local businesses 

The Regina Downtown Business Improvement District said they've heard from local business owners who are open to bringing vehicles back downtown. 

She says many businesses want loading zones with easy access for vehicles to allow for pick-ups, drop-offs and deliveries. 

"I think what we're seeing, especially post-pandemic, is the need to have what we call flexible spaces, spaces that can do double duty," said Judith Veresuk, RDBID's executive director.

Veresuk says Regina has tried to update and revitalize its downtown core by carrying out upgrades to major streets. Now, it's Scarth Street's turn. 

"So Scarth Street, the pedestrian mall, is the last piece in the doughnut that really needs to be addressed," she said. 

Veresuk envisions a streetscape modelled after Halifax's Argyle Street.

Argyle was transformed from a street that was built for vehicles to a mixed-use model that has extended sidewalks big enough for patios as well as a single-lane, one way street running through the middle. 

Just like Scarth Street, with the Globe Threate, Argyle is anchored by its local theatre and features a number of bars and restaurants. 

During the summer, or for special events, the road is closed to traffic, letting people walk without fear of being hit by vehicles.

Veresuk says that is a possible future for Scarth Street.

Patrick said allowing vehicles can quickly spin out of control. 

"Once you bring cars onto Scarth, there'll be a desire for parking, and that's what the store and owners will probably want too. They don't want cars just passing by. They'll want cars to pass in and stop," he said. 

Currently the pedestrian mall is dominated by concrete planters running on either side of a cobblestone roadway.

Veresuk says the planters limit the space available to businesses facing onto the street and are filled with trees that have not done well in the constantly shifting sunlight. 

A report commissioned by RDBID found only three of the trees remain viable.

Veresuk would like to see the planters replaced with smaller, more portable greenery. 

"So I think that really is the best of both worlds, worlds that we should be looking at before we make a final decision on the future of Scarth Street," she said. 

Mayor Sandra Masters is on the record as being in favour of opening Scarth Street up to vehicles but maintaining the ability to close it down for special occasions. 

Graham said that while updating aging infrastructure is good, the history of the city and the pedestrian access is part of the community connection to Scarth Street. 

That's something that should be taken into account when looking toward the street's future, he said. 

"We have this assumption that to to make this a better street or more accessible, it means that we have to be able to park directly in front," Graham said.

"But through all of that we'd be really losing one of the few spaces in downtown Regina that is truly a space where people can go and hang out and socialize." 

What happens next

Details on which public consultation CIMA Canada will use haven't been released yet, but they are coming soon, the City of Regina said. 

While any changes to how Scarth Street operates would require city council to approve bylaw amendments. 

Final designs for the project could come by the end of 2023 while construction could begin by 2024.

That timeline would match up with another city project to revitalize the nearby 11th Avenue. 

Revitalizing Scarth Street is expected to have a budget of $4.75 million.