Toronto Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam is proposing a temporary closure of two Yonge Street vehicle lanes in order to open up the street to more pedestrian traffic between mid-August and mid-September.
The proposed closure would affect the right-hand lane both north and south during the Yonge Street Festival, restricting cars to a single lane in both directions between Gerrard and Richmond Streets.
Wong-Tam is working with the Yonge Business Improvement Area on the proposal for the section of road that is already crammed with pedestrians.
"The proposal is really simple. We want to play with flexible sidewalks and actually bump out the pedestrian space," Wong-Tam told CP24 Tuesday.
Engineering studies show that Yonge Street is actually under capacity for car traffic, said Wong-Tam. She said vehicles travelling along the street could be sufficiently addressed with only one lane of traffic.
The larger pedestrian space would allow business owners to install cafe patio extensions and would allow for other programming, she said.
"We're asking all of Toronto to come down, and visit, and take another look at Yonge Street," said Wong-Tam.
Council will vote on the idea at a June meeting.
