Victoria’s bars and restaurants will be able to keep their expanded patios in place for at least another year.
City council decided at committee of the whole Thursday to extend its Build Back Victoria program to Oct. 31, 2021.
The program was introduced in June to help businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic by allowing them to set up patios on sidewalks, streets, boulevards and public plazas.
Pedestrian-friendly zones were created along Government Street by reducing vehicle travel to a single lane and blocking it off entirely from Fort Street to View Street.
Councillors agreed Thursday to reopen Government to one lane of vehicle traffic for the winter, when there will be fewer pedestrians and increased demand for curbside pick-ups and drop-offs.
They will decide in the spring whether to close the street again for the summer. — Times Colonist
