pedestrians back to the City's streets By Tim Greenfield The biggest changes to affect Hamilton for decades could soon start to take shape.

Officials are hoping that within a few months a transition will begin which will make the city centre a more attractive place for pedestrians and less congested than present.

But the Corporation of Hamilton and Government are aware that many of the radical alterations to parking, traffic movement and restrictions will only proceed if they can win public support.

Inherent in much of the new City of Hamilton Plan, is the notion to change people's attitudes to what they have taken for granted for many years -- to drive and park exactly where they wish.

Hamilton is close to reaching a crisis point with congestion -- with many happy to sit in their cars for up to an hour in the morning -- and its quality of life for the half of the Bermuda working population who commute there every day.

Traffic and parking are running on plans put forward in the early '70s, which cannot cope with the demands of a modern society.

Peter Adwick, assistant director of forward planning, believes some of the changes may be hard to swallow but people will look back in years to come and wonder how they managed before.

"We have a vision of people wandering around an attractive city that is pleasant to walk in,'' he said.

"And when traffic problems have been alleviated that is what we are aiming for, trying to improve the quality of the environment of the city.

"The traffic is a problem that many people feel something should be done about, the measures we feel could significantly help that problem. Some could be short term and others may take a little longer, it is important we get a good measure of feedback from the public.'' In the next few months, some traffic management changes may be made, such as signing and parking adjustments.

Larger schemes, such as pedestrianisation of Lower Reid Street may be up and running by next year.

In addition, the alliance hopes to improve traffic flow by classifying some roads for access only and others, such as Court and Dundonald Streets, to take away through traffic from the city centre.

Pedestrianisation also may stretch to part of Front Street, Queen Street and Bermudiana Road.

Parking plans include providing shoppers spaces close to the city centre, a possible new multi-storey car park and park and ride options for commuters.

While planners know some of the ideas will not be well received, they are confident people will accept them in the long term.

"It is about changing peoples' attitudes, they become ingrained, for example it is in their psyche that they have to park on Reid Street. But if we want to improve the environment, something has to give.

"It wasn't so long there was free on-street parking, people got used to that.

Things do change, nothing is guaranteed.'' The plan, which has been produced with cooperation between the Corporation of Hamilton and the Department of Planning -- with much work being done by planner Julie Rodwell -- has some controversial aspects.

And it is there that Mr. Adwick is hoping public meetings and feedback from the community -- copies of the draft are avail- -able from the Planning Department -- will ease the transition.

Overall the scheme is expected to dovetail into a new national transportation plan, where better public transport and decreased usage of cars are intended to free up the roads and create a quality environment in the city centre.

WHAT'S ALLOWED ON DIFFERENT ROADS What's allowed on different roads Distributor Roads: "Through roads'' with limited pedestrian movement, aided by crossings and traffic lights, with parking, vehicle access to properties.

Access Roads: Local access, with pedestrian movement, aided by crossings and traffic lights, with parking, vehicle access to properties.

Residential Streets: Parking will be restricted to residents only, with freer pedestrian movement aided by "traffic calming'' measures and crossings, slow vehicular movement and no commercial vehicles allowed.

Pedestrian Streets: Streets could get wider pavements, walking, shopping and alfresco dining encouraged. Parking restricted to motorbikes, loading bays and limited car parking, access to properties allowed. Slow vehicular traffic, no commerical vehicles.

Pedestrian priority areas: Complete freedom for pedestrians, no parking except for loading bays and emergency vehicles. So far, only Reid Street between Burnaby and Queen Streets is designated as a pedestrian priority area.

Open streets: By providing more parking around Hamilton and cutting on-street parking, city planners hope to cut congestion.

Graphic file name: TRAFFI