By James Peters

Council hears recommendation to close Fourth Avenue to vehicle traffic year-round

Aug 28, 2018 | 3:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops councillors have praised the Fourth Avenue Plaza Pilot Project.

The initative took place over a two-week period ending August 12, and was the first foray into revamping the city’s Downtown Plan.

It saw portions of Fourth Avenue between Lansdowne Street and Seymour Street closed to vehicle traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk freely between the sidewalks.

Planning and Sustainability Manager Jason Locke says closing downtown streets to cars may have been a hassle for drivers, but the positives outweighed that inconvenience.

“How do we make the downtown more pedestrian-friendly? This is a way to do that,” Locke told council. “Sure, cars may be inconvenienced just a little bit and they have to move around, but the benefit of providing a pedestrian amenity gathering space for the downtown… Community Planning just feels the benefits are huge.”

Stay Ahead of the Curve with Kamloops' Trusted Property Manager - Rohit Kumar

May 20, 2025

Question of the Week

Do you believe the G7 summit in Alberta will help forge a smoother relationship between Canada and the U.S.?

15h ago

1000 Ways to Heal

1000 Ways to Heal: NIPD - A Path Toward Healing

17h ago

A 360-response survey conducted by the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association found 75 per cent of respondents saying they want to see the plaza become permanent.

Councillor Arjun Singh agrees.

“I’m whole-heartedly in support of this pedestrian plaza. I think it’s going to be very, very good for us. I did hear from folks who didn’t think so. But I think ultimately, this is a very, very good thing for us to put in action,” said Singh.

More testing may be carried out to determine if the concept works as well in the wintertime as it does in the summer.

“If this does become permanent, we would like to test it all year round. There are many winter cities that have permanent plaza spaces, both summer and winter. But in terms of designing the space, anything is possible,” said Locke.

The Fourth Avenue Pedestrian Plaza is just the first of several concepts put forward in a recent public engagement process ahead of revamping the Downtown Plan.

Other suggestions include turning the former Value Village property and adjacent parking lot on Seymour Street and Fifth Avenue into a civic plaza and market space, and reviving the performing arts centre vision for the former Kamloops Daily News property at Seymour Street and Fourth Avenue.