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A pilot project that saw patios on Elgin Street started in 2012. Business owners say patios were good for business, but accessibility concerns were raised by a community group.As snow and ice begin to settle on the sidewalks of Elgin Street, Centretown residents and business owners are debating whether restaurant patios should continue to share the walkway with pedestrians in the summer months.
The 2012 pilot project that allowed the Elgin patios came to a close Nov. 16.
As part of the pilot project, many restaurants, such as Fresco Bistro Italiano and Woody’s Pub, had received approval for the use of patios.
The decision on whether the project will continue will be made in early 2015, according to city officials.
Jim Bickford, co-owner of Fresco Bistro Italiano, says the patios were good for business and the streets.
“It’s a chance for us to increase sales during the summertime,” says Bickford. “It creates more of an atmosphere down here.”
The city recommends a 1.8-metre minimum of free sidewalk space. Bickford says as long as restaurants follow those requirements, there should be no congestion.
However, not all residents believe the patios are a benefit.
Ryan Lythall, wheelchair accessibility adviser for Bluesfest and an Elgin-area resident, is concerned the patios make the sidewalks more crowded and less accessible.
“The disadvantage for people like me, or people in general, is there is not a lot of room to get around,” says Lythall.
Lythall, who has Muscular Dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, says he understands the appeal of patios for businesses, but is not sure Elgin is suited for the project.
“The sidewalks (on Elgin) are already really (narrow). You have bus stops, fire hydrants and bicycles,” says Lythall.
“On Rideau there are (wide) sidewalks with patios on both sides, however there is still a lot of room for people to get around. Ideally, the only time they should have a patio is when they have that much room.”
A report presented to the city’s planning committee in March stated that municipal staff members were weighing the pros and cons of the patio project.
That report said that revenue projections approved in the 2013 operating budget were $570,000 to the city relating to the installation of patios, but final revenues were $677,000.
The greatest additional revenue related to patios came from the Elgin pilot project.
Sam Cruz, a manager at Fresco Bistro Italiano, says even with its relatively small patio, he noticed a business increase.
“Our patio isn’t as large as the others. We probably had one of the smaller ones on the street and still we had an influx of traffic during the summer months,” says Cruz.
However, other reports have expressed concern over the narrow width of the sidewalks along Elgin Street.
According to a Centretown Active Transportation Audit Report, released by the transportation committee of the Centretown Citizens Community Association last January 4, the walkability audit team recommended that patios should not be permitted on Elgin Street until broader sidewalks are put in place.
“All the restaurant owners are going to do what they can to maintain those patios and obviously there are some compromises that have to be made with the city to accommodate it,” says Bickford.
Still, Lythall, who says he would travel down Elgin a few times a week during the summer, is not interested in the patios.
“In general, I think Elgin is a bad street. The sidewalks are really bumpy and now with the patios I use other streets when I can,” he says.
“When I can, I try to avoid the sidewalk in general.”