By Douglas Cornish, Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor, May 1, 2015
Re: Would allowing vehicles onto Sparks bring Ottawa’s famous street back from
the dead?, April 25. The entire argument with Sparks Street hinges on “cars or
no cars” (unless you have light rail running down Sparks with frequent stops to
eat and shop). In its heyday, the street was the Haight-Ashbury of Ottawa, or
the — with high-end shops like Birks, Ogilvy’s and Simpsons. The only way to
save the pedestrian-only Sparks is to turn it into a “festival only” street that
would draw crowds all year around. Otherwise, the reality of a car-free Sparks
Street is finished — it’s dead. It’s yesterday’s idea (before shopping malls,
box stores, and urban sprawl) and it’s yesterday’s reality. via
Letter: It’s time to go back to cars on Sparks Street | Ottawa Citizen.