With the Santa Claus Parade set to take place this Sunday, Nov. 17, residents should be aware of upcoming road closures and transit changes the day of the parade.
The parade will run down Bridge Street, starting at Quinte Exhibition Raceway and ending at Bayview Mall.
Road closures will begin at 2:30 p.m. for Bridge Street West between Palmer Road and Yeomans Street, and Sidney Street between Catherine Street and the entrance to Loyalist Market Plaza, near Wendy’s. The plaza will remain accessible through the south entrance. Once the parade begins at 4:30 p.m., additional road closures will be put in place, moving east along Bridge Street from Sidney Street. All streets along Bridge Street will be affected as the parade progresses along Bridge Street.
The estimated timeline of closures for the procession will be as follows (subject to change):
- 4:30-6 p.m. – Bridge Street West between Palmer Road and Highland Avenue
- 5-6:30 p.m. – Bridge Street West between Highland Avenue and Pinnacle Street
- 5:30-7 p.m. – Bridge Street West between Pinnacle Street and MacDonald Avenue
- 6-7:30 p.m. – Bridge Street West between MacDonald Avenue and Singleton Drive
Traffic should return to normal by approximately 8-8:30 p.m.
Motorists should also be aware of the following parking restrictions starting on Sunday morning until the end of the parade:
- No parking on Bridge Street anywhere between James Street and Church Street (regardless of whether or not there are spots).
- No parking on Bridge Street which would obstruct the parade route in any way.
Any vehicles parked in these areas will be ticketed and towed.
Designated emergency routes for police, fire and paramedics are established to ensure no interruption of emergency services to the community.
To continue providing service during the parade, the loading and drop-off area for Belleville Transit buses servicing routes 1,2,3, 6 and 7 will be temporarily relocated from the downtown terminal to the Nicholson Catholic College bus loading zone from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Regular service for these routes will resume at the downtown terminal by 7 p.m. The loading and drop-off areas for routes 4 and 8 will not be relocated and will continue to operate from the downtown terminal for the duration of the parade. Routes 5A and 5B will run between the downtown terminal and Nicholson Catholic College bus loading zone.
For more information on the parade and activities, visit Discover Belleville’s website.