Cambridge has shut down a section of Main Street for the summer. The city said it’s a seasonal initiative that aims to create a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere in the downtown core. “Visitors can look forward to a range of seasonal events, patios, live entertainment and more,” a media release promised. It’s also meant to encourage people to shop and enjoy what downtown Cambridge has to offer. Main Street will remain closed between Ainslie Street and Water Street until Oct. 5. There will also be a secondary closure on Queen Street East between Guelph Avenue and Tannery Street on weekends. That will begin on June 5. The city said the street will be blocked off every Friday from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Businesses in the area are encouraged to expand their patios or outdoor space to make the most out of the summer months for what the BIA calls “The Main Street Promenade.” Thirteen Food & Beverage already has a sidewalk patio but on Monday they began building an extension on Main Street in front of the restaurant. “[We are] building another patio on this street right now. [There will] be about another maybe 30 seats on the patio on the street,” said Matt Rolleman, the owner. What about garbage carts? Earlier this year, the Region of Waterloo rolled out garbage collection carts. Some Cambridge businesses called it an eyesore. Rolleman said the collection carts aren’t ideal. “It certainly ruins the vibe a little bit to have garbage cans anywhere,” Rolleman said. “If we don’t have them on the street for the summer would be great.” The Downtown Cambridge BIA said the annual road closure is about making Cambridge a visually appealing place to be and the collection carts make that difficult. “The carts don’t add to that beautification. And so if we can find ways to keep them as invisible as possible, but also keeping the streets very clean is important to us as well,” said Donna Gelinas, acting executive director, Downtown Cambridge BIA. The BIA said it came to an agreement with the region’s waste management team to keep the cart off the streets. “The businesses on the south side will be able to use Imperial Lane, actually, permanently. So there’ll be no carts on the street at all on Main Street. And then on the north side, we’ve arranged the space in the Dixon parking lot, at least for the summer closure, for businesses to be able to put their carts up there.” The City of Cambridge said this is the fifth year of the road closure in Galt for the summer and the sixth year for the Hespeler road closure.
