Boston Duck Tours CEO not happy with late notice of Copley Connects pop-up park
BOSTON – A first-of-its-kind pop-up park called Copley Connects opens Wednesday in Boston's Back Bay. But not everyone is thrilled about the temporary outdoor space.
Workers spent Tuesday turning a section of Dartmouth Street between the Boston Public Library and Copley Square into an outdoor public space. It will have a series of rooms, including a lounge and outdoor learning space, a stage for live entertainment and a welcome center where people can express thoughts about the space.
Dartmouth Street will be closed for 10 days between St. James and Boylston streets. During this time, city officials will conduct a study to see how traffic flow is impacted.
One person who has concerns about the plan is Cindy Brown, the CEO of Boston Duck Tours.
Brown told WBZ-TV about two-thirds of the company's tours, over 100 a day, use Dartmouth Street to show tourists Copley Square.
"My biggest concern is that Copley Square is a beautiful feature of our tour in Boston," Brown said. "To cut off Dartmouth Street as we loop around bringing literally thousands of guests around each year, it's taking away a highlight of our tour route by not being able to show them Copley Square."
Brown said she only found out about the plan on Monday during a call with the Back Bay Association.
"There was no heads up to our company, Boston Duck Tours, or any of the trolley businesses," Brown said. "So we had to scramble to reroute our tours that normally would be going around Copley Square, that's on our brochure and on our map, to not go around Copley Square."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said the city has already learned a lesson from the pilot program.
"Definitely need to do a better job of making sure everyone is involved way in advance in the planning as we look to make plans for later in the summer or even into next year. This is a very important learning experience for us," Wu said.
Brown said Boston Duck Tours would be able to work around the setup if the area was closed for single days from time to time. But Brown the CEO added she is hopeful the 10-day trial will show planners it is not feasible for extended periods.
"I don't think it's worth it," Brown said. "To change the traffic patterns so drastically for just one little block of outdoor curb space doesn't seem like the benefit is worth the cost not only to our company but to traffic in general in the Back Bay."