Portage and Main is the most famous intersection in Winnipeg, but for several decades, pedestrians haven't been able to cross it. It seems for nearly as long, people have been debating the wisdom of that move.
Now the issue is heating up once again.
The Canadian Automobile Association of Manitoba says the barriers should stay up.
"Overwhelmingly, people said it makes no sense," said Mike Mager, president of CAA Manitoba.
The company surveyed its members, and a picture emerged from the 1500 responses.
They said 70 per cent felt opening the intersection shouldn't be a priority for the city and 60 per cent said they'd be concerned for pedestrian safety if Portage and Main was re-opened.
And if it did happen, CAA said 75 per cent believe traffic congestion would be a significant problem.
"You're going to have that intersection full of people," said Mager. "So now you're going to get one, two cars through every light cycle? That's a dramatic change in the flow through downtown, and there's no other alternative."
However, the Downtown Winnipeg Biz believes the positives of reopening this iconic intersection, far outweigh any potential negatives.
"This is the beginning of our city. This is the heart of our downtown," said Stefano Grande, executive director with the Biz. “There's huge economic development on tourism alone."
Mayor Brian Bowman doesn’t disagree.
"Removing the pedestrian barriers is a key step to making this area of downtown both accessible and engaging,” he said. “Work to achieve this goal, in a safe and measured way, continues."
The city says any changes to Portage and Main need to be made in consultation and collaboration with current property owners.
