Nova ScotiaCoun. Dave MacKeigan said curb extensions, also known as bump-outs, on Commercial Street are set to be removed.Curb extensions are to be removed on Commercial Street in the coming weeksAnna Rak · CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoOne of three curb extensions on Commercial Street in Glace Bay, N.S. (Anna Rak/CBC)Changes are coming to a downtown Glace Bay, N.S., street that one Cape Breton regional councillor said will improve traffic flow and create more parking spaces, hopefully to the benefit of the area’s businesses.Coun. Dave MacKeigan said curb extensions, also known as bump-outs, on Commercial Street are set to be removed.For years MacKeigan has said the three bump-outs, which narrow the road and act as a buffer between pedestrians and cars, need to go.”They have been an impediment to traffic,” said MacKeigan. “They are just unnecessary.”On Commercial Street, the curb extensions limit the number of on-street parking spots for those visiting the area’s shops, services and restaurants.More parking spacesMacKeigan said removing them will eliminate the risk of accidents caused by vehicles parking around the curb extensions and sticking out into traffic. The change will create space for as many as 11 new parking spots, including disabled parking.”The businesses in downtown Glace Bay are struggling and they need all the help they can get. I think this is going to be a big help for them,” said MacKeigan, who represents District 9 on CBRM council.One business on Commercial Street is looking forward to the extra street space. Camille McMullin and Jovita Hynes, co-owners of Vintage Jewellers Limited, said many of their customers cannot find a parking spot in front of their store, and it is affecting their business.Co-owners of Vintage Jewellers Limited, Camille McMullin, left, and Jovita Hynes. (Anna Rak/CBC)”Hopefully this will make a big change in people coming, because a lot of the things they say is, ‘I couldn’t get a spot in front of your store so I just kept going,'” said McMullin.Commercial Street is limited to one-way traffic. Hynes said if it became a two-way street, more people would shop at the businesses downtown. “People that come through town, they just go one way. If you pass a business and you can’t get back to it, then you’re going to keep going,” said Hynes. MacKeigan said he agrees and would like to see a change to the traffic flow downtown. According to MacKeigan, Public Works will begin the curb extension removal in the next couple of weeks. MacKeigan could not say how much the removal will cost. A spokesperson for the municipality said the change was alloted for in the budget, but she did not know the dollar figure.ABOUT THE AUTHORAnna Rak is a reporter for CBC Cape Breton.
Changes to Glace Bay street will create more downtown parking, says councillor
