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However, during a 75-minute audit by the Citizen on Thursday afternoon, none of the dozen cars and trucks seen entering or leaving the mall used their four-way flashers. None drove recklessly or came close to hitting any pedestrians, but most appeared to be driving between 10 and 25 kilometres an hour.

As many as 20 vehicles were parked on the three-block section of the mall around 2 p.m. Thursday. Most had construction permits or the green VIP permits visible.

But two drivers entered the one-way street from the wrong direction, parked and ran quick errands. One dashed into a sushi outlet and emerged five minutes later with a takeout order. Another returned an apparently defective suitcase to a leather goods store.

Another woman parked her Mercedes near Sparks and O’Connor, collected a permit from a nearby merchant, then strode the length of the mall to Elgin before disappearing in the direction of the ByWard Market.

McHale says the mall authority does what it can to crack down on speeding and people who abuse the ability to park on Sparks.

While the mall authority doesn’t rely on city police to curb speeders, it employs a site supervisor who patrols the mall, McHale says. “If he thinks someone is moving too fast, he’s the first one to wave them down and slow them down.”

The mall also calls in bylaw enforcement when it believes someone is parking illegally, he says.

McHale says he understands that some people oppose the presence of vehicles. “They look at Sparks Street and say, ‘You’re a pedestrian promenade. That’s what you should be. You shouldn’t have vehicles on there.’

“Unfortunately, the reality is deliveries have to be done, businesses need to survive. And one of the things the businesses were saying is they really needed a little bit of extra help during the off-season when our foot traffic on the street is greatly reduced.”

That’s little comfort to Wells. “What I loved about Sparks was it didn’t have cars,” he says. “Before, I could jog down there without having to worry about it. But now, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.”

dbutler@postmedia.com

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