“I think it’s giving us more visibility” – Business Owners Hopeful Two-Way Main Street Will Bring More Customers

The first weekend of a two-way Main Street in the City of Cortland is now over. Main Street officially switched over to two-way early Friday morning after more than 50 years as one-way. Even though it’s only been a few days, business owners think the change is bringing in more eyes and customers to their businesses.

Sandro Mironti, owner of New York Bagel, said he hasn’t seen any incidents or issues, except a few people parking the wrong way. Getting the speed limit down to 25 miles per hour helped, he said.

“We’ve seen a lot of traffic,” Mironti said. “We were counting cars how many were going north and how many were going south, and we actually have more cars going north than going south. It looks like this lane is getting used more. I think it’s giving us more visibility. It’s obviously more people driving by our place.”

Mike Wiese, who co-owns Project Lean Nation at 64 Main Street with his wife, loves the new traffic pattern. He says the volume of the volume of traffic in town has been exponentially more than usual.

“For businesses like us, you get towards the tail end, there’s some signs that people don’t see on a regular basis,” Wiese said. “Now, a two-way is really going to highlight that and get some different eyes and perceptions. People are going to be more aware now.”

“I think the true test is when the students come back and we get the extra traffic,” Mironti. “I do think it’s going to be okay, because most of the kids don’t bring their cars down, they leave them on campus.”

Nicolette Starmer, a resident of Main Street, fears she may get rear-ended.

“I’m nervous for myself, and all the long-time Cortland residents who have had Main Street be a one-way street their entire lives,” Starmer said. “The reverse parking is also a little worrisome. I don’t have a lot of faith in people parking backwards.”

She hopes people adjust to the parking soon, she said.

“Hopefully, we all get used to it soon, and it brings more people downtown,” Starmer said. “I really want downtown to come back to life again. It’s getting there.”

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page has been created by city officials online at Cortland.org. The page explains the reason to switch back to two-way, reverse parking, and more.