Hamilton needs to be made more pedestrian-friendly, stakeholders agree. What they can't come to a conclusion on is where the work should start.

The North East Hamilton Empowerment Zone (EEZ) believes improvements to sections of Court Street should come first in order to entice tourists to that area; the Chamber of Commerce is focused on Reid Street.

Peter Adwick, chairman of the Hamilton Pedestrianisation Committee, yesterday told the Corporation of Hamilton: "It's safe to say both organisations are fully supportive of pedestrianisation schemes across Hamilton, but they both have different ideas as to where they should be implemented."

The Corporation of Hamilton first invited architectural tenders for the pedestrianisation of Reid Street between Burnaby and Queen streets five years ago. No plan was ever accepted and shopkeepers have since expressed resistance to the proposal. "The Reid Street stores are very concerned about the loss of parking, particularly the retail businesses. The retailers we talked to are looking for a multi-functional street that can be closed off and allow traffic," said Mr. Adwick.

"The discussions we have had lead us to the conclusion that the specifics we had are not as current as they should be.

"There are issues that need to be resolved. I don't think that you can have a high quality pedestrian area on Reid Street with all the parking there now, so those spaces would have to be removed. The reality is though we have to keep the street open for deliveries."

Mr. Adwick said that closing off a street to traffic was not the only way to improve the area for pedestrians.

Improvements to signs, better parking and better accessibility for the handicapped and people with strollers could all improve the city.

"Speaking for myself, I work in the city and walk around quite often," he said. "It's a fairly unsafe place to be a pedestrian.

"We feel that while the city has undertaken some sidewalk improvements, it has so far been done on a piecemeal basis."

Improvements to Washington Lane "are long overdue", he added. "It's a shabby little lane, and is needing some work. "There's a stark appearance to the buildings on either side. It leads to an unpleasant environment. You can try to draw the property owners into an improvement scheme. I'm sure they will be happy to get involved."

Public feedback is necessary before any major schemes are put in place, Mr. Adwick said.

"Pedestrian schemes in Hamilton go back more than 30 years, so they're nothing new.

"In the past, these initiatives have been supported by the public. There is no doubt a scheme to improve the pedestrian environment would make the city more attractive."