St George Street Sidewalk Gallery slows traffic and bring neighbours together

We spend a lot of time driving and sometimes we drive a little too fast. Avery, a Cedar Hill neighbour became more aware of this while on maternity leave.

“I spent a lot of time on the porch. I noticed cars were going really fast. We chose to live on St. George Street was because it was a quiet street,” Avery said. 

Avery contacted the City of Kitchener to ask about traffic-calming measures and learned about the LoveMyHood Matching Grant program. In talking with a LoveMyHood Project Coordinator, they came upon the idea of painting hydro poles along the street. 

Leslie, another St. George Street neighbour joined Avery and started knocking on doors to gauge project interest and invite others to join their committee.  

“There were a lot of very positive responses. There was little, if no resistance to the idea, which was amazing.” Leslie said. 

Overall, neighbours supported the project and the committee submitted its LoveMyHood Matching Grant application and were approved; and the St George Street Sidewalk Gallery was born.  

The St. George Street Sidewalk Gallery includes seven hydro poles painted by local artists. including Elfie Kalfakis, Nehad Abdulkader, Jackie Bradshaw, and Maddie Resmer. 

“Although some people still speed down our street, the project has helped. I think most importantly the neighbourhood is more connected than ever with neighbours looking after one another. So if there is a speeder more neighbours are likely to speak up and act,” Avery said. 

What began as a concern about speeding has grown into a vibrant expression of neighbourhood pride, proving that small ideas can lead to lasting change when neighbours work together.