OTTAWA -- A one kilometre stretch of Bank Street could be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturdays this summer.

The Bank Street BIA says it has put together a proposal to close Bank Street between Queen Street and Flora Street on Saturdays from July through September between 9 a.m. and 11:59 p.m.

On Twitter, the BIA said closing Bank Street to motor vehicles would "provide greater access for cyclists and pedestrians."

Council passed a motion requiring two-thirds of businesses along a stretch of road to approve closing it to motor vehicle traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The BIA hopes to provide an update on the status of the vote by Wednesday. 

On Friday, Councillor Catherine McKenney and Mayor Jim Watson announced Somerset Street will be closed to vehicles from Bank Street to O'Connor on Friday nights between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. The closure is designed to allow bar and restaurants to expand patios and to give pedestrians more space during the COVID-19 pandemic.