File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Daniela Ginta

The way I see it

GINTA: Can a walkable downtown Kamloops be the solution for a better summer?

Apr 19, 2021 | 9:40 AM

HAVE YOU FOUND yourself ordering more take-out food lately? Or heading out to one of the many patios that have sprouted all over town on short notice in an effort to help local food business owners weather the current restrictions? Many have and that’s as amazing as can be.

We can call it a Kamloops thing and we would not be wrong. This community is known to support its own and this is no exception. Plus, this is a yummy kind of help.

More small businesses have opened their doors recently downtown and while a few wondered if this is a good time to open given our problematic COVID numbers, most people in the community have welcomed the new additions. Plus, the Farmer’s Market has returned and based on the many who visited it this past Saturday, I’d say we’re big believers in supporting our local businesses.

But here’s an opportunity to revisit a subject we have encountered in the not so distant past: making a few blocks of Victoria street car-free for the weekend at least. That can help boost the number of people visiting the downtown even more, as they would shop there or stop for a treat or a meal at many of the patios the city has helped get organized in the last two weeks.

If there was ever a time to consider this a welcome option, that would be now. The warm season has debuted with a string of perfectly sunny days and it’s easy to reminisce about the festivals that would take place in the summer in the downtown core, when access to cars would be blocked and people could just stroll at their own pace.

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Also, many would not just stick to Victoria Street but would likely venture to the shops on nearby blocks, and that would only mean good things.

Less pollution on warm summer days, perhaps some extra greenery to add to the charm of our quaint downtown that is slowly returning to having nice little stores open their doors, all the cafés and restaurants we’re all supporting and hoping to keep afloat as we are still in a pandemic. Hard to think of any arguments against all that.

Parking, some will say perhaps. However, the number of cars able to park along the few blocks that would be blocked on walk-only days is not high enough to cause serious constrictions on the other accessible streets.

As they say, when there’s a will, there’s a way (or many) to solve things out.

The times have been hard and we’ve yet to see a way out. Being out in nature and then being able to enjoy a leisurely outing in the city can both help in raising the spirits.

Last year’s gardening craze was a great escape from the madness that was the beginning of the present pandemic. Stores ran out of seeds and soil. And that’s great – many studies have now shown that getting our hands dirty with garden work can help reduce depression and boost our well-being.

We’ve yet to learn what this summer holds. The uncertainty is keeping many of us more determined yet to stick to being as close to nature as we can, whether that’s gardening or enjoying the many local trails. Adding a walkable downtown on the weekends means making the best of the strange times we find ourselves in, all the while helping local businesses thrive.

One day we will leave all of this behind us, and as it happens, there will be a wealth of feel-good stories we have come across in the Kamloops community.

A legacy of a walkable downtown could be yet another one, and a testament that replacing cars with people walking, as many cities around the world are trying to implement, can be a positive transformation that will make Kamloops shine.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.