Councillor proposes partial closure of James St. N during summer Art Crawls

Hamilton city councillor Cameron Kroetsch has brought forward a motion to close a portion of James St. North during Art Crawl every second Friday in June, July and August. The aim is to create a safer space on sidewalks and relieve congestion.

Kroetsch says, “This is going to make the neighbourhood and the event safer and that’s my goal here for sure, is to make sure that we increase pedestrian safety in this term of council and make people feel like they belong to their neighbourhoods and their communities can be vibrant places. They can be outside, sharing the space, interacting with vendors and having a good time.”

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The proposed closure will stretch from Barton Street to Cannon Street between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the monthly event. Kroetsch says this stretch of James Street North was chosen to have as little impact as possible on buses and vehicle traffic. Kroetsch says that the road closure will also keep vendors safe.

Some local business owners within the closure area say they like the idea, “thousands of people come out for Art Crawl so I think that’s the next big thing is to shut it down.”

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Serafina Thoma has been frequenting the Art Crawl since 2010 and has been a jewelry vendor since 2014. She says that she supports the move by the city to make the streets safer during the event. “I’ve seen a lot of near miss accidents during Art Crawl due to pedestrians and vehicles so that would be really amazing.”

As an artist, Thoma says this motion shows the city’s support for vendors and their art, “it would feel like the city is supporting the art nightlife that we have because Art Crawl is thriving. It’s finally back after covid. Last month was super jam-packed busy. It only gets busier throughout the summer months leading to September Super Crawl.”

If the motion passes on Wednesday the next step is to put a plan in place for June.