Update July 6, 2023 (4:15 p.m.):
Since publishing, the City of Vancouver has announced via Twitter that based on feedback from the public they will be "removing the concrete island on York and Yew to help reinforce the new traffic patterns for drivers" and next week they will adjust the coloured concrete blocks and install flexible bollards to support the new traffic restrictions.
Original story July 6, 2023:
Colourful concrete blocks, a small sign, and some new mystery road markings are the few physical indications that the portion of Yew Street between West 1st and Cornwall avenues is now a pedestrian-friendly zone.
Closing the two-block stretch to traffic is part of a pilot program announced by the City last month (June 2023) in response to requests from local businesses to improve walking (and rolling) access to the shops, bars, restaurants, and beach.
Jayden Grundy, co-owner of Yew Street's The Cider House says he and his partner, Aaron Armbruster, originally lobbied for the street's closure two years ago during COVID. It wasn't approved at the time, and "was put aside until [Vancouver mayor] Ken Sim and his council got a hold of our proposal this spring," he tells V.I.A.
However, few pedestrians have flocked to the area since it closed to cars on July 1, though Grundy thinks that's likely due to the long weekend.
There is also a fair amount of criticism being voiced online about the pilot program.
The main issue: The "pedestrian-only" section of Yew in question appears to be full of cars.
'Confusing and dangerous'
Vancouverite Mihai Cirstea voiced his feedback on a recent Twitter thread, calling the pilot's traffic control methods "confusing and dangerous."
"The Yew Street pilot is not pedestrianized, not interesting, and bizarrely actually creates one of the worst cyclist-vehicle conflict points I've seen in the whole city," he says.
Cars are able to cross Yew Street between West 1st and Cornwall via two laneways that have been kept open in both directions. The laneways are open to allow deliveries between midnight and 4 p.m. weekdays and midnight to 10 a.m. weekends but it's causing confusion for drivers because they appear completely open to all traffic at all times.
York Street has also undergone changes to accommodate the pilot. It used to be one-way eastbound on the west side of Yew (so that traffic is forced to turn at Yew). Now, York is one-way westbound and traffic is allowed to cross Yew, but not turn.
However, some drivers are turning onto the pedestrian street and there aren't any full barriers in their way to prevent that from happening.
Confusing signage - and lots of it
There are over 60 pieces of signage in place on Yew Street explaining the new rules and 100 in total in the surrounding area warning drivers of the changes, according to the City of Vancouver.
Of those pieces of signage, only one specifies that the rules are intended for delivery and loading vehicles; those rules seem to be causing the bulk of the confusion.
A spokesperson for the City Engineering department tells V.I.A. that they are aware of the traffic issues and the public’s feedback and explains that the signage was created for the sake of simplicity, to comply with provincial legislation, and based on feedback from local businesses.
The City could have banned all but commercial vehicles from the street but business owners wanted to create accessibility for other types of loading such as customers being dropped off or deliveries that didn't necessarily use a van. The following are also prohibitions and permissions as part of the pilot program:
- It is illegal to drive from the top of Yew St at West 1st to the bottom at Cornwall.
- During delivery hours (midnight to 4 p.m. weekdays and midnight to 10 a.m. weekends) for half a block at a time, only in the direction moving away from the alleys, it is technically possible and legal for all cars to enter the street.
The bottom line is that what is being touted as a "pedestrian-friendly open street" is only open sometimes to pedestrians.
The City of Vancouver acknowledges the goal is not to ban vehicles outright, just at certain hours.
"The intended outcome of this is that during delivery hours we're not intending that to be a pedestrian pathway on the roadway," clarifies the spokesperson over the phone. "We're intending this to be a street that allows loading up until 4 p.m. and a car-free pedestrian space after that point. Two different pieces of the same street depending on the time of day."
"From our perspective, that would be of limited value [for non-loading vehicles] if you were not destined for that exact half block," he adds.
Pop-up plaza vs pedestrian-zone pilot
The City says that changes in traffic patterns often take time for people and drivers to get used to but that they are working on additional measures to clarify and reinforce the new traffic regulations.
Meanwhile, Grundy is optimistic that people are starting to get the hang of the new system.
"I'm curious to see how this next weekend goes," he says. "It's nice to see people just walking on the street and with the strollers and sitting on the nice painted blocks that they have out there."
However, the public's other complaints on social media surround what they say are missing incentives to make the area attractive to pedestrians.
"There is a beautiful huge beach park a block away. Who wants to sit in the middle of a hot concrete road dodging vehicles when you can go here?" asks one Vancouver resident, while another calls the area an "asphalt desert."
Many people chimed in to agree with Cirestea's Twitter thread and express disappointment and hope for improvements, making comparisons to the popular plazas at Granville and West 13th and at Cambie and West 18th.
"I was thinking it would be much more lively," says one local in a Tweet to Councillor Sarah Kurby-Yung, one of the backers of the proposal. "Restaurants should be allowed to set up tables. Perhaps you could ask the City to rethink this trial so people actually want to use it."
Kirby-Yung replied that she "will look into long-term plans" but clarified that the space is "intended to be a pedestrian zone vs. pop-up plaza."
What happens now?
Cirstea tells V.I.A. he doesn't want to be solely negative about the changes on Yew, since the project has so much potential and he believes it would be easy to fix. His thoughts on how to improve the pedestrian-friendly zone include closing Yew to deliveries earlier in the day and adding clearer barriers, painting the street with bright colours so it's clear people are meant to walk there, and adding shade in the form of umbrellas and trees for the longer term.
He also thinks that adding picnic tables to the street will allow people to get take-out from the (often full) restaurants or bring their own food, and suggests creating a plaza-like space that people can use for activities like musical performances.
This is the first pedestrian-friendly open street for the City and Grundy encourages the public to make concessions for the pilot because it's a work in progress.
"It's much much better than it was," the business owner says. "I think it's an amazing project."
If the pilot is deemed successful Yew Street could remain (occasionally) open to pedestrians permanently or return next summer with additional improvements added over time.
According to the City’s spokesperson, they are measuring the success of the pilot based on “observations” and the feedback they receive from the public.
They are reportedly assessing the usage of the pedestrian-only street through on-site monitoring and observations, traffic data collection, and feedback from businesses and residents, via email and 311 calls.
They also cite the nature of a pilot project for the lack of more heavy-duty infrastructure. "We're aware of other streets that are built more permanently that operate with morning deliveries," says the spokesperson, adding that they are trying to balance business interests while having an activated space and allowing delivery activities.
With files from Brendan Kergin
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