Business owners concerned about impact of downtown construction
By Lethbridge Herald on August 11, 2023.
Workers unload watermain pipes as part of the construction project underway along 7 Street South downtown.
Herald photo by Ian MartensSteffanie Costigan – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Construction work has begun along 7 Street downtown with some business owners are voicing concerns over what they say is a lack of communication from the City and worries over the potential impact the project will have on their businesses.
The downtown project will see 100-year-old watermains replaced along 7 St. S from 3 Ave. to 6 Ave., as well as the construction of protected bicycle lanes along 4 Ave. S. from west of Scenic Drive South to Stafford Drive South and along 7 St. S. and 7 Ave. S.
The project is part of the cycling master plan approved by council in 2017, which the City says has involved a number of stakeholder and public engagement events. But some business owners say they were left with short notice of the work shutting down the street in front of their shops.
“I did chat with a representative this of the city who came around and told me what was being done on the street. But it was after the fact. So it was, the ripping up of the street was being was already engaged. And when he asked me if I had any questions, I said, ‘well, I mean, you know, it’s kind of pointless now.’ Because they’re already started,” said Lisa Tompkins, owner of Tompkins Jewellers.
She said the focus downtown needs to be addressed with drugs and safety before a bike lane is put to affect.
“For me, the challenges that we face on a daily basis in regards to safety, and drug use downtown needs to be addressed before a bike lane needs to be put in. And I am sure that there are many other businesses in the downtown location that would agree with that,” said Tompkins.
A petition on behalf of the business owners was sent to the city, asking for the construction not to take place as they felt it would negatively impact the parking lot and access to customers visiting the stores.
While the City sent communication to affected businesses ahead of the start of construction, some owners indicated they were still caught off guard as work got underway.
John Pyska, owner of Big John’s Books, says he feels the root of the problem is the lack of communication.
“Nobody said anything to us. I don’t remember anyone saying anything to me. No one consulted me about it. No one consulted me if we wanted a bike lane,” he said.
Audrina Steciw, owner of Décor out the Door, said her main concern is coming from the construction limiting access to her business.
“So, my opinion at the moment is that the construction will negatively impact us. We have already seen that it’s day two of construction and my day was probably 10 per cent of the regular patronage of typical Thursday. And it was the first day of construction. So, every day that construction is happening will severely impact our patronage and sales,” she said.
Steciw says she doesn’t believe the bike lane would be utilized and she does not think it will make much of an impact for businesses.
“I don’t think it’ll get super utilized as a bike lane. We have like what, three, three nice months of the year here. And I see very, very few bikes or other things that would need a bike lane and sort of make enough reason for this much impact on business.”
However, at least one business owner expressed support for the planned new bike lanes.
“I think the bike lane is fantastic. I really do support it, it’s going to be great. It’s going to connect onto the bike path. I currently live near the bike path. And once they put that in, I see lots and lots of people using it. And I know many people bike downtown. So, I think it’s a fantastic idea,” said Judi Dormaar, owner of Classique Dancewear.
Although Dormaar supports the idea of a new bike lane, she too had a bit of an issue with the potential impact of the construction work.
“My only issue, of course, was the timing, because our busy time is August, September. But I have to say the city’s been very gracious with supporting us and talking to me and letting me know what’s going on. And they’re going to do the best they can to kind of get it go through. So, I know I am 100 per cent supportive of the project. For me, it was just the timing of the project.”
Dormaar said the communication on the City’s part about the ongoing construction could have been improved.
“We didn’t get informed until probably a week before the project. There was a letter that came into someone dropped off in our shops, and then someone from the city came down and talk to us. So that unfortunately was not the best form of communication.”
The City says it is working with the Downtown Business Revitalization zone to let people know sidewalks will still be open during construction. Weather permitting, the project is expected to be finished by the end of the construction season, with the work being done in separate phases to reduce the impact on businesses which will remain open during the construction.
That has done little to ease the worries of some of the affected business owners.
“We’re in a situation where we’re already struggling. We’ve been struggling for a while, and they’re literally just stomping on us now,” said Pyska.
For Steciw the initial loss of customer traffic at her store has her looking with trepidation at the future.
“It does not take very many days, weeks for a business to go under at 10 to 20 per cent of their regular daily revenue, which yesterday was the first day of construction, and we saw a 10 per cent of our daily revenue. We saw a 90 per cent decrease in our daily revenue for this day last year to the day to day,” she said.
“And if that happens for two months, you will have less stores on the street. You’ll maybe have a bike path, you’ll maybe have a modernized street, but you will have less businesses on the street, or less businesses that are healthy on the street. Less owners that are able to provide for their families.”
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Quit with the bike lanes, already. Fix some potholes instead. Or raise and level some manhole covers.
This Council and administration are far from being transparent and this is just another example.
According to the city website they still intend on reducing traffic lanes from Stafford Drive to Mayor Magrath Drive on 3rd Avenue to 2 lane traffic, adding bike lanes, more traffic lights and pedestrian light crossings, strangling traffic flow. The businesses rely on transport trucks to resupply them in many cases.
I have monitored 7ave south, which is the existing bicyle boulevard which they reduced speed to 30 km per hour, redirected traffic in several places so you cannot drive from 4 street south to 13 street south and made some streets impossible to drive from 8 avenue to 6 avenue without going around a couple of blocks. Is this green?
We live in a area which sees -40 degree weather in winter and you rarely see bikes in the winter, almost all are the criminals downtown riding their ‘borrowed’ bikes they found in the alley.
7th avenue is rarely used in the summer. I have talked to people living on that avenue and they rarely see bikes on it!
This is going to destroy a major thoroughfare in this city since there are only are only a few other major east-west roads that you can take for large volume traffic. The other 3 are all in residential areas so 3rd avenue was ideal for truck traffic trying to deliver goods to businesses in the area.
We are spending millions for bikepaths which are rarely going to be used and almost not at all in the winter, while restricting traffic in an area that needs east-west traffic flow. The schools in the area hinder traffic flow and there is no 4 avenue for several blocks.
Thie bike path could go across school grounds and up to 5 avenue from 13 street south to Stafford drive. There already is asphalt on LCI grounds going across that 2 block area.
3rd avenue is a major artery and putting a chokehold on traffic is not going to force people to ride a bike!
This is Alberta, not Ontario or BC and our way of thinking is different, and we will not be bullied. This will ultimately cause many changes at city hall in the next election with demands for administration changes.
Too many things have been rammed down our throats, after citizens have said NO to the actions. They have manipulated surveys to get the desired results they wanted but only askings questions which can be answered to lead them in their desired result.
There already are other cities who are removing the bikepaths due to demands by citizens, at a high cost to taxpayers.
But hey, it is all free money because it came from provincial or federal programs so lets spend it, right? It all comes from the taxpayer!
Spend spend spend and ignore the people who elected you! Downtown businesses are continually getting hit by bad decisions that kill their business. How many will fail because of the Lethbridge Hotel fire and clean-up which reduced traffic flow? One is too many!
This is what happens when people sit back and say ” I am too busy, there is nothing I can do! ” I can’t stand up to government making bad decisions! Wrong, you can! This is a democracy still!
Re: The way Albertans think about things.
On most big issues, Albertans as a group have been shown to have views that are pretty much in lock-step with a majority of Canadians. When the focus shifts to specific regions, such as Southern Alberta, then the picture changes quite a bit.
So…. exactly 1 business out of 12 did not sign the petition and the City calls this a raging success. Their idea of “consultation” seems to be, “Shut up, pay your taxes and learn to like it”
They are almost always lying. No wonder few people have any trust or respect for them. That’s exactly what consultation is in this town. Plus the BRZ is a joke. How much money does the city give that organization every year?.