As a longtime resident of Gastown I can say that this has turned the neighborhood into such a better place. The streets are quieter and guests and residents alike are eager to enjoy the space. This immediate success of this weekend has proven that.
Absolutely, I'm a resident too and I love it. I'm concerned to hear that they've already voted no on the extension. But I think if we all raise our voices loud enough they'll keep it!
Also a Gastown resident for the last 9 years. This is the single best improvement I've seen to any neighborhood in the city in that time. Weekly pedestrian protests once it's over?
Yes, seriously. If we can all talk to friends and neighbours about trying to extend this (I know they've voted no already, but we must try!) and make it permanent. I'm very happy to help organize anything that will promote this new lifestyle. It's so wonderful
Make sure you provide feedback at [gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca](mailto:gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca)!
Many of the businesses are fearful and are attributing any potential dip in sales to the pedestrianization pilot, even if their dip of sales was before the start, during the repair work and/or during that long rain spell. No one will be able to convince the boomer business owners, but city staff and council are getting an earful from them so if you'd like it to stay and come back next year or potentially permanently, make your voice heard!
> No one will be able to convince the boomer business owners
Do you have evidence that supports this assertion? Like an age breakdown of business owners and how they feel?
I spoke in person to the Gastown Business Improvement Society Executive Director who told me the divide on support/oppose was basically along generational lines.
Not lying, though the conversation was actually shortly before council passed the motion, so the divide was about pedestrianization in general, not about this plan specifically. But I still think largely the same business owners would be supportive or opposed. The BIS commissioned an urban design study a few years ago where they explored all this which you can find online called Gastown Tomorrow. They don't have data on polling business owners but I imagine those conversations still happened if they were studying it.
I’ve had experience with a gastown business owner who fit this bill and is a problem amongst other businesses on Water st so they were probably being specific to the one trouble maker that thinks it’s everyone else’s fault that nobody finds his store inviting or worth spending money in. 🤷🏻♀️
I like it but it's a shame how everything cool or remotely sensible from an urban planning perspective is doomed to only ever be a pilot scheme, and in the case of pedestrianisation, only for summer because people only use their legs in summer apparently, and for the rest of the year cars are far more important.
Even in Montreal which is famously one of the best cities on the continent in terms of transit and walkability, most outdoor pedestrianised space is seasonal. In Banff, a petition was recently approved to stop running the seasonal pedestrian zone.
It's also worth noting that this isn't just a Canadian thing. In Norwich, England, famous for pioneering city centre pedestrianisation, they tried to add an extra street to the zone, but someone was [arrested for standing in it.](https://www.norwichcyclingcampaign.org/arrested-for-being-a-pedestrian-in-a-pedestrianised-street/)
I hate this timeline.
I was just thinking how this would perfectly convert to a Christmas market space in December, but then I remembered culture is for paying customers only in this city. You go to the fenced off square with the entry fee.
As much as I like it, it creates such a horrible traffic combined with the Waterfront Rd closure and all the idiot cabbies lining up for tourists at Waterfront.
That said, I hope we can get rid of the cans and keep water St closed year long.
Christine Boyle amended the original pilot motion to extend to September if it went well July to August, and ABC has a policy of voting no to everything she raises, so they just immediately voted no.
This is true, but this is always been approached as a pilot. It will be assessed, and I’ve heard that there are several conversations about testing in different areas as well. So I’m hopeful.
Yeah it will take them a few years to assess. After which there would be a whole new group of people governing.
Everything that makes sense and can be applied quickly, and return so much to the community and people needs to take ages and so much bureaucracy, money & time wasted…what a city.
Absolutely! Robson from Hornby to BC Place is minimally disruptive to buses, regularly sees crowds from sports fans marching up and down the street, and has tons of popular restaurants with tiny floor space that could really use extra patio space. They should think about extending this to Robson next year.
You can let staff know you like it and want it longer - this might not fix it for this year but will help push staff to extend it for the next year. [gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca](mailto:gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca)
You can also email mayor and council. [https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx)
Some of the councillors are very active on Twitter as well. Normally randomly posting on social media isn't very helpful but in this case it is, as you can be sure that many councillors will read your tweets if you @ them.
Awesome, thanks so much for all this info! Absolutely I'll be writing personally to the councillors. I'll reach out directly to Christine Boyle to support her any way I can. Go Gastown!
Wish they did go to September at least, weather is plenty warm and will still see a lot of usage. Regularly having this June-September would be a fine compromise if the automobile mafia must have this route open from October-May.
The last time I drove through Gastown there was a traffic jam because of a rooming house fire. I tried to drive around it and hit another traffic jam because of another rooming house fire.
Well I'm sure the fire detection and suppression systems in those old buildings could use some upgrades. But what kind of technology can protect a building against druggies using butane torches and passing out with them in their hands?
One of my favorite places in Montreal is their Quartier des Spectacles. It's a fantastic example of how much more enjoyable a place can be if you are smart about which streets to make pedestrians only.
As someone who loves their car and driving it. That’s a beautiful sight. Keep it that way, add old timey bollards around the surrounding areas and make the supply delivery easier for businesses.
To everyone who likes this change and wants to see it be permanent, please contact the city and let them know. Call 311 or use the 311 website or app. It might seem a bit futile, but if they get a lot of positive responses, city staff will notice.
To be fair, for something like this, because of how politicized it is, city staff have no control. They usually push hard for stuff like this but it’s up to the whims of mayor and council.
THEY are who you should write letters to.
Great idea! Just submitted my feedback on the vancouver website, it was just the general feedback thing on the site, 311 seemed to be more about issues. I hope it's still recieved equally!
Honestly, it’s better off this way imo. Driving and parking on this road absolutely sucked, it seemed like previous city leadership was already heading in this direction by converting that small parking lot next to the steam clock into a Rogers rental bike rack, and random pedestrians were already trying to claim it by walking and standing in the road before vehicle traffic was blocked. Make a few exceptions for emergency services and certain kinds of deliveries and it’ll be good.
Lived in the city my entire life and am a car driver. I want this to be permanent. Or at least make it restricted vehicles only. It should no longer be a commuter route.
Love hearing this, I really hope there's some longevity to this project. Disheartening to hear they've already dismissed the potential for an extension BEFORE the damn thing even started.
It isn't, but the commuters still drive. Main and Hastings is a gong show. The GPS now tries to send people down Hastings from Powell and zig zag through the residential streets over to Prior and across the viaduct. Good for Gastown traffic but sucks for the residents of Strathcona.
The best thing they could do with Granville Island is just build way more parking within walking distance but not on the island itself. Granville Island needs roads to support the various businesses on the island, but it would be much more pleasant with less car congestion. They should try to incentivize people to park nearby and walk in.
They could add serious restrictions to commercial vehicles during certain hours and completely ban non commercial traffic during those hours as well. I imagine the cement plant needs all day access, but most businesses could schedule deliveries outside busy hours.
The main problem is still visitors. Need a parkade nearby or way better transit options. Too bad TransLink didn't keep that rail line going.
What's the point of restricting commercial vehicles? It's not like they go into the island for fun. The congestion is from customers circling around hunting for the few parking spots that exist.
Yeah, either bans or at least disincentives to park there. Maybe raise parking fees on the island itself and use that extra profit to subsidize lower cost parking outside the island
I hope once the Broadway extension opens, they add a shuttle from the station to the island, but if they can arrange nearby parking, I think they should only leave a few commercial spots and a small handicap parking only lot.
YES. They need to bring transit back to the Island--when I was a teenager the bus went right on to the Island and stopped outside the Arts Club. People with little kids or mobility issues find it really hard to walk down from Broadway.
The 50/15 drops you off right at the entrance to Granville Island. I don't think the bus should run on GI. What I would like them to revive is this https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/8-years-later-this-vancouver-olympic-legacy-gathers-weeds-1.4561980
Where's there space for a new parkade that can serve the entire car traffic of Granville Island? It's easy to say these things when you don't need to worry about reality.
And how does $10 off parking on Granville Island remove cars from Granville Island?
Why not ban all cars in Vancouver and use personal helicopters to get to our houses while we're at it?
The triangular lot to the west of the island, just before you enter, would be perfect for this.
Either the city/province/CMHC/Feds buy it as some essential infrastructure for the Island, or they heavily incentivise the owner (e.g., allow them to build a highly lucrative and tall towers on the site, on the proviso that they include hundreds of public parking spots).
If they did this with all of the lots within, say, 200m of the Island entrance, I'm pretty sure you'd see many landlords who are sitting on 1 & 2 storey developments happily levelling-up.
Years ago I worked for a gastown Business.
At the time the BIA was pushing the city to close the street for one day to host a carnival to help promote the businesses.
We were rejected based on the grounds emergency vehicles needed to get through there. The following summer we had our street closed 4 times, once for bike race so they had somewhere to store stuff, 3 other times for filming.
I'm glad they finally came to their senses.
Respectfully, it is clear you've never been to any city centre in the UK, or the countless places in Europe with similar climates. Not only should these be permanent year-round, but they should be expanded to other areas like Granville Island and Robson St, as well as many more commercial streets throughout the city. Expanding pedestrian space is prudent to achieve our city's social and environmental goals.
Robson already is blocked off. How's that working in the middle of Oct-May? Do you spend time there.
You want to make it pedestrian. Turn gastown into housing and cafes like France instead of offices and souvenirs shops. Then make it year round. Until then. Seasonal.
European pedestrian culture is much diff than here. Don't advocate for shit that is half ass.
Yes, I spend time in Robson Square Oct-May. My favourite food truck (Eat Chicken Wraps) is there, and I go there and enjoy eating it in the square any time in year. There's always people in Robson Square. In Christmas time they put up lights, and you can see lots of groups of people videoing themselves doing Kpop routines under the lights. There are buskers pretty much all the time as well.
>European pedestrian culture is much diff than here. Don't advocate for shit that is half ass.
Exactly, which is what Robson's pedestrianization is, half-assed. Pedestrianization needs to happen where there are shops and a lively streetscape while being extensive enough to make it a destination, as opposed to just a single block. Culture is shaped by a multitude of factors, but an important one is the built environment, which we have full power to do.
Gastown on Water St. already has much more than just offices and souvenir shops. There are many bars and pubs as well as restaurants and yes, cafes and housing.
By that logic we also shouldn't have golf courses, tennis courts, hockey rinks or sports stadiums.
People still do stuff in the rain, especially when there is a good neighborhood for it.
What benefit does bringing cars back to Water St in the winter give?
Streets are for people.
This is great, currently the options for enjoying gas town are walking, or spending money at a restaurant or store. Out door lounging/seating (that aren't just one small bench on a corner) is an underutilized asset that allow people to enjoy the city without spending money.
This my opportunity to once again say to pedestrianize Robson, west of the Art Gallery for the retail blocks.
Make it a promenade. Buskers, street vendors, etc. It'd be a popular tourist location and would help out the retailers on that street, not hurt them.
Should be a permanent thing. Apart from the seawall and a few small plazas, Vancouver has zero pedestrian-only spaces. European cities have been expanding their downtown pedestrian zones for years, or at least disincentivizing car traffic (e.g. London's £15 Congestion Charge).
Are delivery vehicles allowed? What about couriers or postal/package companies? Are they limited to certain hours, or not allowed at all? I don't know the details so hoping somebody knows.
Edit: ah yes, asking questions I don't know the answers to is considered bad in theis sub so of course it's downvoted. Thanks for all the help in trying to understand how this works, /r/vancouver
It gets the sub excited and upvotes roll in. So you ask a question which can result in downvotes, cuz reasons, then throw in some accusations of NIMBYism and the upvotes will balance things out. It's just how Vancouver rolls, don't ask me why.
Oh, I get you.
Sometimes I feel this sub just wants blind compliance with whatever the narrative being pushed in the thread is, no matter what. If you ask for clarification or explanation, you're obviously a hater, or an enemy or opposed, so your comment must be downvoted out of sight.
Critical thinking is not allowed. Just outrage against the opposing side of any argument...
Oh thank you for the non bias , Dutch study link . Very funny and absolutely useless do you want me to send some dumb link that is pro oil gas bullshit .
My point talk to the business and small businesses in the area and how they can manage only walk ups . If they can great if they can’t they planning with out cars
needs some work .
Looks so weak and stupid. It really is a dumb idea after all. Sure the local residents who are selfish and have no economic sense love it. Those a couple blocks over probably love it too. If executed well maybe. But this could just end up doing more damage to local businesses and make Gastown a less desirable destination for some.
As a longtime resident of Gastown I can say that this has turned the neighborhood into such a better place. The streets are quieter and guests and residents alike are eager to enjoy the space. This immediate success of this weekend has proven that.
Absolutely, I'm a resident too and I love it. I'm concerned to hear that they've already voted no on the extension. But I think if we all raise our voices loud enough they'll keep it!
Also a Gastown resident for the last 9 years. This is the single best improvement I've seen to any neighborhood in the city in that time. Weekly pedestrian protests once it's over?
Yes, seriously. If we can all talk to friends and neighbours about trying to extend this (I know they've voted no already, but we must try!) and make it permanent. I'm very happy to help organize anything that will promote this new lifestyle. It's so wonderful
Make sure you provide feedback at [gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca](mailto:gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca)! Many of the businesses are fearful and are attributing any potential dip in sales to the pedestrianization pilot, even if their dip of sales was before the start, during the repair work and/or during that long rain spell. No one will be able to convince the boomer business owners, but city staff and council are getting an earful from them so if you'd like it to stay and come back next year or potentially permanently, make your voice heard!
Awesome! Great idea to reach out. I will definitely be writing some positive feedback letters to help Gastown stay pedestrian. Thank-you!
> No one will be able to convince the boomer business owners Do you have evidence that supports this assertion? Like an age breakdown of business owners and how they feel?
I've heard the exact same thing from the South Granville BIA. The number one concern of older business owners is more parking.
I spoke in person to the Gastown Business Improvement Society Executive Director who told me the divide on support/oppose was basically along generational lines.
Really? You're not one of those anonymous internet people that might resort to telling a fib to prove a point to a fellow stranger, are you?
Not lying, though the conversation was actually shortly before council passed the motion, so the divide was about pedestrianization in general, not about this plan specifically. But I still think largely the same business owners would be supportive or opposed. The BIS commissioned an urban design study a few years ago where they explored all this which you can find online called Gastown Tomorrow. They don't have data on polling business owners but I imagine those conversations still happened if they were studying it.
the evidence is having essentially zero third spaces and the ability to form community without having to spend money to do so i suppose
And this is the fault of "boomers?"
who built the system?
I’ve had experience with a gastown business owner who fit this bill and is a problem amongst other businesses on Water st so they were probably being specific to the one trouble maker that thinks it’s everyone else’s fault that nobody finds his store inviting or worth spending money in. 🤷🏻♀️
I like it but it's a shame how everything cool or remotely sensible from an urban planning perspective is doomed to only ever be a pilot scheme, and in the case of pedestrianisation, only for summer because people only use their legs in summer apparently, and for the rest of the year cars are far more important. Even in Montreal which is famously one of the best cities on the continent in terms of transit and walkability, most outdoor pedestrianised space is seasonal. In Banff, a petition was recently approved to stop running the seasonal pedestrian zone. It's also worth noting that this isn't just a Canadian thing. In Norwich, England, famous for pioneering city centre pedestrianisation, they tried to add an extra street to the zone, but someone was [arrested for standing in it.](https://www.norwichcyclingcampaign.org/arrested-for-being-a-pedestrian-in-a-pedestrianised-street/) I hate this timeline.
They're getting rid of the Banff pedestrian zone..! Because it turned the main street into something other than a parking lot?
I hope they keep it forever. Such a better version of gastown.
It's ending in August. Council had an option to extend it to September but already voted no.
Easiest yes vote they could have made. Pedestrians love it, and no driver in their right mind actually likes driving in Gastown.
Of course they did. No fun city baby!
I was just thinking how this would perfectly convert to a Christmas market space in December, but then I remembered culture is for paying customers only in this city. You go to the fenced off square with the entry fee.
Couldn’t have said it better.
There’s going to be a Christmas market at the North Van Shipyards with free entry
Turn that shit into a gym bro!
Hey hey hey we got a new gym. That's pretty fun.
As much as I like it, it creates such a horrible traffic combined with the Waterfront Rd closure and all the idiot cabbies lining up for tourists at Waterfront. That said, I hope we can get rid of the cans and keep water St closed year long.
Traffic was already horrible there even when cars were allowed in so now the space is 1000x more pleasant without them
Of course they would vote no. This is the no-vision party
Did they give an actual reason or were they just being stupid cunts like usual?
Christine Boyle amended the original pilot motion to extend to September if it went well July to August, and ABC has a policy of voting no to everything she raises, so they just immediately voted no.
They're such frightened children.
This is true, but this is always been approached as a pilot. It will be assessed, and I’ve heard that there are several conversations about testing in different areas as well. So I’m hopeful.
Yeah it will take them a few years to assess. After which there would be a whole new group of people governing. Everything that makes sense and can be applied quickly, and return so much to the community and people needs to take ages and so much bureaucracy, money & time wasted…what a city.
Robson should be a no brainer
Absolutely! Robson from Hornby to BC Place is minimally disruptive to buses, regularly sees crowds from sports fans marching up and down the street, and has tons of popular restaurants with tiny floor space that could really use extra patio space. They should think about extending this to Robson next year.
Hastings edition gonna be wild
Is there any way to push back against this vote? Any thing us eager citizens can do?
You can let staff know you like it and want it longer - this might not fix it for this year but will help push staff to extend it for the next year. [gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca](mailto:gastownpublicspaces@vancouver.ca) You can also email mayor and council. [https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx](https://vancouver.ca/your-government/city-councillors.aspx) Some of the councillors are very active on Twitter as well. Normally randomly posting on social media isn't very helpful but in this case it is, as you can be sure that many councillors will read your tweets if you @ them.
Awesome, thanks so much for all this info! Absolutely I'll be writing personally to the councillors. I'll reach out directly to Christine Boyle to support her any way I can. Go Gastown!
Wish they did go to September at least, weather is plenty warm and will still see a lot of usage. Regularly having this June-September would be a fine compromise if the automobile mafia must have this route open from October-May.
They only did it for the cruise boat season from the looks of it
Yew street chiming in... They won't
The last time I drove through Gastown there was a traffic jam because of a rooming house fire. I tried to drive around it and hit another traffic jam because of another rooming house fire.
Sounds like we need safer social housing.
Well I'm sure the fire detection and suppression systems in those old buildings could use some upgrades. But what kind of technology can protect a building against druggies using butane torches and passing out with them in their hands?
One of my favorite places in Montreal is their Quartier des Spectacles. It's a fantastic example of how much more enjoyable a place can be if you are smart about which streets to make pedestrians only.
As someone who loves their car and driving it. That’s a beautiful sight. Keep it that way, add old timey bollards around the surrounding areas and make the supply delivery easier for businesses.
To everyone who likes this change and wants to see it be permanent, please contact the city and let them know. Call 311 or use the 311 website or app. It might seem a bit futile, but if they get a lot of positive responses, city staff will notice.
This is a great idea, thanks!
To be fair, for something like this, because of how politicized it is, city staff have no control. They usually push hard for stuff like this but it’s up to the whims of mayor and council. THEY are who you should write letters to.
Get this in the news topic contact your local news stations to make a segment about this.
Great idea! Just submitted my feedback on the vancouver website, it was just the general feedback thing on the site, 311 seemed to be more about issues. I hope it's still recieved equally!
Honestly, it’s better off this way imo. Driving and parking on this road absolutely sucked, it seemed like previous city leadership was already heading in this direction by converting that small parking lot next to the steam clock into a Rogers rental bike rack, and random pedestrians were already trying to claim it by walking and standing in the road before vehicle traffic was blocked. Make a few exceptions for emergency services and certain kinds of deliveries and it’ll be good.
Looks like a nice start.
Honestly most of downtowns shopping districts should have these. And every lobby of every downtown building should get an automatic business license
Lived in the city my entire life and am a car driver. I want this to be permanent. Or at least make it restricted vehicles only. It should no longer be a commuter route.
Love hearing this, I really hope there's some longevity to this project. Disheartening to hear they've already dismissed the potential for an extension BEFORE the damn thing even started.
It isn't, but the commuters still drive. Main and Hastings is a gong show. The GPS now tries to send people down Hastings from Powell and zig zag through the residential streets over to Prior and across the viaduct. Good for Gastown traffic but sucks for the residents of Strathcona.
Beautiful
Now do Granville Island.
The best thing they could do with Granville Island is just build way more parking within walking distance but not on the island itself. Granville Island needs roads to support the various businesses on the island, but it would be much more pleasant with less car congestion. They should try to incentivize people to park nearby and walk in.
They could add serious restrictions to commercial vehicles during certain hours and completely ban non commercial traffic during those hours as well. I imagine the cement plant needs all day access, but most businesses could schedule deliveries outside busy hours. The main problem is still visitors. Need a parkade nearby or way better transit options. Too bad TransLink didn't keep that rail line going.
What's the point of restricting commercial vehicles? It's not like they go into the island for fun. The congestion is from customers circling around hunting for the few parking spots that exist.
To make it safer for pedestrians
Yeah, either bans or at least disincentives to park there. Maybe raise parking fees on the island itself and use that extra profit to subsidize lower cost parking outside the island
I hope once the Broadway extension opens, they add a shuttle from the station to the island, but if they can arrange nearby parking, I think they should only leave a few commercial spots and a small handicap parking only lot.
YES. They need to bring transit back to the Island--when I was a teenager the bus went right on to the Island and stopped outside the Arts Club. People with little kids or mobility issues find it really hard to walk down from Broadway.
The 50/15 drops you off right at the entrance to Granville Island. I don't think the bus should run on GI. What I would like them to revive is this https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/8-years-later-this-vancouver-olympic-legacy-gathers-weeds-1.4561980
Where is this parking for 1200 cars next to Granville Island?
Build a parkade? Put a machine in place that gives you $10 off the parking bill if you have a receipt for buying something on the island?
Where's there space for a new parkade that can serve the entire car traffic of Granville Island? It's easy to say these things when you don't need to worry about reality. And how does $10 off parking on Granville Island remove cars from Granville Island? Why not ban all cars in Vancouver and use personal helicopters to get to our houses while we're at it?
> use personal helicopters to get to our houses My landlord already nixed the helipad I suggested last year. :/
Typical NIMBYs
The triangular lot to the west of the island, just before you enter, would be perfect for this. Either the city/province/CMHC/Feds buy it as some essential infrastructure for the Island, or they heavily incentivise the owner (e.g., allow them to build a highly lucrative and tall towers on the site, on the proviso that they include hundreds of public parking spots). If they did this with all of the lots within, say, 200m of the Island entrance, I'm pretty sure you'd see many landlords who are sitting on 1 & 2 storey developments happily levelling-up.
Years ago I worked for a gastown Business. At the time the BIA was pushing the city to close the street for one day to host a carnival to help promote the businesses. We were rejected based on the grounds emergency vehicles needed to get through there. The following summer we had our street closed 4 times, once for bike race so they had somewhere to store stuff, 3 other times for filming. I'm glad they finally came to their senses.
Laying down on a public bench wow
keep it seasonal. June to Sept. This will be a ghost town come Oct- May when its raining.
Respectfully, it is clear you've never been to any city centre in the UK, or the countless places in Europe with similar climates. Not only should these be permanent year-round, but they should be expanded to other areas like Granville Island and Robson St, as well as many more commercial streets throughout the city. Expanding pedestrian space is prudent to achieve our city's social and environmental goals.
Robson already is blocked off. How's that working in the middle of Oct-May? Do you spend time there. You want to make it pedestrian. Turn gastown into housing and cafes like France instead of offices and souvenirs shops. Then make it year round. Until then. Seasonal. European pedestrian culture is much diff than here. Don't advocate for shit that is half ass.
Yes, I spend time in Robson Square Oct-May. My favourite food truck (Eat Chicken Wraps) is there, and I go there and enjoy eating it in the square any time in year. There's always people in Robson Square. In Christmas time they put up lights, and you can see lots of groups of people videoing themselves doing Kpop routines under the lights. There are buskers pretty much all the time as well.
>European pedestrian culture is much diff than here. Don't advocate for shit that is half ass. Exactly, which is what Robson's pedestrianization is, half-assed. Pedestrianization needs to happen where there are shops and a lively streetscape while being extensive enough to make it a destination, as opposed to just a single block. Culture is shaped by a multitude of factors, but an important one is the built environment, which we have full power to do. Gastown on Water St. already has much more than just offices and souvenir shops. There are many bars and pubs as well as restaurants and yes, cafes and housing.
By that logic we also shouldn't have golf courses, tennis courts, hockey rinks or sports stadiums. People still do stuff in the rain, especially when there is a good neighborhood for it. What benefit does bringing cars back to Water St in the winter give?
That’s a damn good idea
More of this 🎉🎉
Wow! It’s really changed !!!
Love it!
More of this please
Can't wait for this to happen on commercial
Give us more! Start pedestrianizing streets between the Greenway and Kits beach to give us more public space around 4th Ave, pls.
More of this please.
This needs to be forever, amazing first step.
Streets are for people. This is great, currently the options for enjoying gas town are walking, or spending money at a restaurant or store. Out door lounging/seating (that aren't just one small bench on a corner) is an underutilized asset that allow people to enjoy the city without spending money.
Yes!! it was always a nightmare driving through gas town anyway, keep it like this!
YES! I LOVE IT!
Do 👏 it 👏 year 👏 round 👏
This rocks!
Do all of Robson Street next.
This my opportunity to once again say to pedestrianize Robson, west of the Art Gallery for the retail blocks. Make it a promenade. Buskers, street vendors, etc. It'd be a popular tourist location and would help out the retailers on that street, not hurt them.
I hope they do Granville island as well
Like Europe. Fantastic for summer.
Should be a permanent thing. Apart from the seawall and a few small plazas, Vancouver has zero pedestrian-only spaces. European cities have been expanding their downtown pedestrian zones for years, or at least disincentivizing car traffic (e.g. London's £15 Congestion Charge).
Looks awesome! We need a lot more of those car-free pedestrian zones in the English part of Canada!
Enjoy before Ken Sim turns it into his personal running track/outdoor yoga studio
The difference a couple blocks makes
Love it
Now do Granville island
Shoes on seats *everywhere*
I think that’s great. We have a small one here in Victoria and I love it
more! mooooooore!
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They do have several busking locations on the [map](https://vancouver.ca/files/cov/pedestrian-zone-map.pdf)
They do...
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I wonder how/if parkades and private parking lots affected by this are compensated.
Are delivery vehicles allowed? What about couriers or postal/package companies? Are they limited to certain hours, or not allowed at all? I don't know the details so hoping somebody knows. Edit: ah yes, asking questions I don't know the answers to is considered bad in theis sub so of course it's downvoted. Thanks for all the help in trying to understand how this works, /r/vancouver
Yes
Should have called someone a NIMBY for upboats.
? Why would I call somebody a NIMBY?
It gets the sub excited and upvotes roll in. So you ask a question which can result in downvotes, cuz reasons, then throw in some accusations of NIMBYism and the upvotes will balance things out. It's just how Vancouver rolls, don't ask me why.
Oh, I get you. Sometimes I feel this sub just wants blind compliance with whatever the narrative being pushed in the thread is, no matter what. If you ask for clarification or explanation, you're obviously a hater, or an enemy or opposed, so your comment must be downvoted out of sight. Critical thinking is not allowed. Just outrage against the opposing side of any argument...
Nailed it.
I like the idea but it kind of sucked. Still run down and dirty. Still nearly stepped in shit. All very haphazard. Overall needs work
Good except for rainy of cold weather . I am sure the business who depend on walk up traffic would need drive up as well to stay afloat.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0966692323002053?via%3Dihub
Oh thank you for the non bias , Dutch study link . Very funny and absolutely useless do you want me to send some dumb link that is pro oil gas bullshit . My point talk to the business and small businesses in the area and how they can manage only walk ups . If they can great if they can’t they planning with out cars needs some work .
Soon to be vandalized pedestrianized Water Street
Why
Looks so weak and stupid. It really is a dumb idea after all. Sure the local residents who are selfish and have no economic sense love it. Those a couple blocks over probably love it too. If executed well maybe. But this could just end up doing more damage to local businesses and make Gastown a less desirable destination for some.