Proposed plan to eliminate vehicle traffic in Market Square not moving forward
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- City planners say the effort to make Market Square only accessible to pedestrians is now off the table.
The idea was to prevent traffic through Market Square, making it more pedestrian-friendly, like many European communities. As it turns out, that was just a plan, and it isn't going to happen after all.
Market Square remains the heart of outdoor gatherings in Downtown Pittsburgh.
"I love it. I think it's thriving. The businesses are doing well with the pedestrians coming in from outside," said resident Myesha Atkins.
Earlier this year, renderings of a new plan for Market Square were released. Pedestrian access was the key reason to eliminate vehicle traffic in Market Square. The idea was proposed by several agencies, including the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development.
Business owners were not on board.
"We need it to have someone come for supplies, sometimes deliveries. I bring my own supplies," Talib Hussain of Cherries Diner said. "We're not happy. We need cars to bring stuff here."
Hussain isn't alone. Jordan Nicholas runs his family's coffee and tea business in Market Square.
"I think everyone got ahead of themselves with the story," Nicholas said.
Nicholas told KDKA-TV that the idea was flawed from the very start.
"More than half the Square needs access to the roads for deliveries and operations in general," Nicholas added. "Doing something like that, I think you can logistically accomplish, but I don't think you can do it completely, every day. It's just not strategically possible."
KDKA-TV contacted the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Allegheny Conference on Community Development for comment and is awaiting a response.
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's Jeremy Waldrup did speak to KDKA-TV's news partner, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, telling them the entire idea was conceptual and not a formal plan.