Riverton council weighs car-free Sundays downtown as shop owners push back

Riverton’s city council spent more than four hours on Tuesday debating whether to close the heart of downtown to private cars every Sunday, in a session that filled the public gallery for the first time this year.

The proposal, drafted by the council’s transport committee, would run as a six-month trial from April. Twelve streets around Market Square and the riverside promenade would be closed to private cars from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. Buses, taxis, residents with permits and delivery vans arriving before 11 a.m. would still be allowed through.

Supporters point to cleaner air and busier squares

Backers argue the change is modest and overdue. Figures presented to the council show that air-quality sensors on Bridge Street regularly record the city’s highest nitrogen dioxide readings on weekend afternoons, when traffic queues for the old town car parks.

We are not banning cars from Riverton. We are giving people one day a week to walk the center without breathing exhaust.

Clara Novak, chair of the transport committee

Cycling groups and several parents’ associations spoke in favor, and a petition supporting the trial has gathered just over 8,000 signatures. Two councillors pointed to Port Alden, where the harbor front has been closed to cars on summer weekends for three years without a drop in café sales.

Shop owners fear empty tills

Retailers were less convinced. The downtown traders’ association says Sunday is the busiest day of the week for many cafés, bakeries and gift shops, and warned that families from the suburbs could simply drive to out-of-town malls instead.

If you close the streets before you fix parking and buses, the people who lose are the small shops, not the big chains.

Idris Halloran, head of the downtown traders’ association

Councillor Petra Lindgren of the Progress Party proposed an amendment adding free park-and-ride shuttles from two garages on the ring road and a review of sales and footfall data after three months. The amendment drew support from both sides of the chamber, and Civic Union members signaled they could back the trial in that form.

What happens next

The transport committee will return with a revised plan, including the cost of extra Sunday bus services and signage, before the full council votes next month. If the trial is approved, the first car-free Sunday would take place in early April, with a public report due before the end of the summer.