As students return to the city for another school year, local officials are poised to close a couple of downtown roads to vehicle traffic in order to accommodate large nighttime crowds.
The area around the intersection of Wyndham and Macdonell streets – a section of downtown that’s home to numerous liquor licences – will be shut down most Thursday through Saturday evenings as part of the Safe Semester program.
“With a higher volume of pedestrians downtown in September, closing the streets Thursday through Saturday allows everyone to enjoy Guelph’s downtown nightlife safely,” states a post on the city’s website.
Closures run from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night Sept. 7 to 9, 14 to 16 and 21-23.
On-street parking is not allowed in the area during that time.
“Any cars parked on closed streets during Safe Semester will be towed at the owner’s expense,” the post notes.
In addition to the road closure, city officials plan to set up accessible portable washrooms near Guelph Central Station, on Macdonell at the east end of Carden Street.
An increased law enforcement presence is also expected.
"Residents can expect to see additional police and bylaw enforcement officers deployed to address the anticipated increase in calls for service related to the beginning of the school year," states a Guelph police news release.
Guelph Transit buses will be impacted, with several routes on detour. They are:
There will be nine routes on detour during Safe Semester. These routes include:
- 3 Westmount
- 8 Janefield
- 9 Waterloo
- 10 Paisley
- 11 Silvercreek
- 12 Delhi
- 13 Eastview
- 20 Northwest Industrial
- 99 Mainline
