Scarth Street pedestrian mall may soon allow vehicles

Scarth Street in downtown Regina will soon be revitalized. The City of Regina is hiring a consultant to come up with a plan and one of the decisions to be made is whether limited traffic should be allowed on the pedestrian mall.

Businesses along the Scarth Street pedestrian mall like The Fat Badger are excited to hear that a revitalization is in the works and have expressed interest on restaurant outdoor patios.

“I think that if we’re going to do it, we need to work with everybody who is on this mall and make sure that we can make it an attractive place for everyone who frequents it. It’s a great space in the summer,” Aaron Ens, the kitchen manager for The Fat Badger said.

Scarth Street used to accommodate parking and traffic until the pedestrian mall was created in 1975. It has had mixed success over the years. Consultations will soon be held to consider ideas.

“That’s why we’re hiring a consultant and so the consultant will help us to do the engagement with the public and the stakeholders and the surrounding businesses to see what types of streets that they would like, with traffic or no traffic,” the City of Regina’s manager of roadways Nigora Yulyakshieva said.

Many people would favour some upgrades but like it the way it is.

“Definitely I’d say no cars. I like this being just open to the public walkway,” resident Thomas Alleyn said.

“I’m not really sure if it’s wide enough [for vehicles] because then you’d feel like the cars were on top of you,” Ray Smith, another resident said.

The city would like to begin work on Scarth Street in 2024, part of a continuing plan to make the downtown a pedestrian friendly shopping and entertainment district.