By Mike Vlasveld, 1310 News, March 30, 2020

A petition, urging the City of Ottawa to shut down some of its under-used streets to vehicular traffic has gained several hundred signatures.

Ecology Ottawa launched its petition on Friday, asking the mayor and councillors to consider re-purposing underused roadways in order to provide safe outdoor access for pedestrians and cyclists during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I urge you to follow the lead of cities like Philadelphia, New York City, Bogotá, Toronto and Vancouver in making more streets accessible only to pedestrians and cyclists," the petition reads. "I urge you to follow through with ambitious, city-wide policy direction for safe street access, and to use general city funds for this initiative, rather than councillors' small office budgets."

https://www.ottawamatters.com/local-news/petition-asking-ottawa-to-designate-under-used-roads-for-pedestrians-gaining-traction-2210598