Council walked back the Water Street pedestrianization pilot. But their own survey data shows a majority supports the project

Good morning,

I have to say, after spending a few days in Toronto for a journalism conference, no one in Vancouver is ever allowed to complain about the city’s trail network. It was a confusing few hours in Toronto of trying to track down running trails, or even interesting running routes, only to be foiled time and time again. Never take for granted what Vancouver has.

Speaking of taking things for granted, I hope you got in your visit to the pedestrian area of Water Street this summer, because next year it’s going to look different…

I spent an afternoon going through the city’s report on the Water Street pedestrian pilot and the rationale for cutting next summer to only weekends and events, instead of every day. I break it all down in today’s top story. 

Let’s dive in.

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout managing editor

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Monday: 12 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

Tuesday: 11 🌡️ 8 | 🌤️

Wednesday: 10 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

ANALYSIS

Council walked back the Water Street pedestrianization pilot. But their own survey data shows a majority supports the project

What happened: Council voted to change the popular Water Street pedestrian zone pilot for next year, shifting it from every day in the summer to only on weekends and special events. But an in-depth review of the city’s report by the Lookout raises questions about why council chose to scale back the pilot when a large majority of visitors and residents, and a majority of businesses, support its return and expansion.

Background: Following in the footsteps of other world-class cities, including Montreal, Water Street was turned into a car-free zone for the summer as a pilot project for pedestrianizarion. Construction and revitalization of the streets in area took place from March to June before the pilot as crews repaired bricks and asphalt, according to CBC. The pedestrianization pilot took place in July and August. 

• The city conducted numerous interviews with attendees, residents and business owners to gauge its popularity and how to structure it for next year. The end result? Council voted to cut over 70% of days, ending the pilot on weekdays.

Let’s break down the key data from the city’s survey and report, from all major stakeholders.

The public: Of those who visited, 84 per cent said they had a positive or somewhat positive experience. The same number wanted it to return, and 85 per cent said they wanted more pedestrian zones in Vancouver. Only 11 per cent of people said it was harder to access the area. 

• What’s anlso important was that residents also wanted it to return, with 78 per cent of locals surveyed in Gastown saying they had a positive experience. Out of those who visited the pilot, 87 per cent said they’d be very likely or somewhat likely to return. 

Business responses: The city talked to 100 businesses and received 89 responses to a survey from Gastown businesses. A total of 59 per cent of businesses wanted the pilot to return; 49 per cent said it had a positive impact on their business and 33 said it wasn’t positive; and 41 per cent said it increased foot traffic while 39 per cent said it didn’t.

• Those opposed were primarily higher-end retailers and expensive fine-dining restaurants that relied on car traffic, located primarily in the Maple Tree Square area. More of those businesses said had decreased revenue.

Visitor changes: Biking and micro-mobility to the area increased by 75 per cent on weekdays compared to the daily average, and 83 per cent were travelling on sustainable forms of transportation rather than vehicles. There was only a slight increase in traffic volume in the outlying areas due to the shutdown road, primarily on Hastings and Keefer Streets.

• More weekday visitors: One benefit for the area businesses was that weekday visitors increased more than weekend visitors, with a 56 per cent increase on weekdays, 

Improvements: Businesses identified a number of improvements, most of which were all fixable by the city, including more public amenities like washrooms and garbage bins, more marketing and better wayfinding.

• City failure?: Similarly, the biggest complaints from the public were not about the project itself but how it was set up, which is, of course, something the city has control over. 

Further context: Some businesses that were dealing with declining revenue, arguably the reason why council scaled back the pilot, also dealt with months of construction in the area before the pedestrian pilot took place, something that is well known to contribute to reduced revenue. In a story in the CBC, before the pilot began, businesses nearby even said the loss of foot traffic from construction resulted in lost revenue. 

• And in the city’s survey, local businesses saw a far bigger decline in retail sales before the pedestrian pilot during four months of construction, at 7 per cent, rather than during the pedestrian pilot, which was only 1.5 per cent. 

What it means: A recent Vancouver Sun story led with a business owner saying her revenue dropped. If you only read that, you’d think that was a widespread issue. However, as the analysis above shows, both businesses, residents, and visitors all supported the project, with only a few types of businesses seeing a decline in revenue.

• A key question surrounding the council's decision is what sort of city Vancouver wants to build. Is it one that places an emphasis on livability, following the trends of other cities, by creating public spaces that residents overwhelmingly demand? Or do we prioritize the needs of a few businesses that saw revenue decline? That’s something Vancouver residents will have to weigh during the next election. 

One big observation: Major cities around the world, and even places in Canada like Montreal, have figured out pedestrian-only areas. Montreal blocked off nine kilometres in 11 spots last summer for pedestrians only, with businesses loving the changes. It raises questions about why Vancouver, and our city council, is seemingly one of the few major cities that cannot make pedestrianization work…

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🤮 50: The number of tonnes of hardened grease that was removed from sewers in Richmond. No word on whether any pizza-eating turtles were spotted during the cleanup… [CTV]

🌊 3: The number of homes evacuated in North Vancouver in the Deep Cove neighbourhood because of leftover flooding debris. [Vancouver Sun]

🛩️ $133 million: The cost for YVR to upgrade the international north runway. [Urbanized]

DREAM JOB

Discover your dream job in Vancouver;

• Senior advisor, public affairs at TransLink

• Director, content and communications at BC Cancer Foundation

• Territory manager at Moosehead Breweries

• Head of client services at Creator.co

• Vice president of sales and marketing at Townline

Local jobs are selected by the Lookout team and are not paid ads, unless specifically noted.

EVENTS

Vancouver Horror Show Film Festival | Various venues | This weekend and next | Two weekends of horror-fuelled cinema | Tickets $22 per screening

Oil Paintings by Marion Webber | #101 - 3699 Sexsmith Rd., Richmond, BC | Every Sat-Sun, 12 - 4 pm | Marion's focus is nature, finding unusual opportunities to create compelling imagery. "Making The Ordinary, Extraordinary”| Learn more [Sponsored]

Canyon Frights | Capilano Suspension Bridge Park | Oct. 11-31, 10 am-8 pm | A Halloween adventure for the whole family | Tickets $72

Stanley Park Halloween Ghost Train | Pipeline Road, Stanley Park | Until Oct. 31, 6-10 pm | All aboard for this spooky ride on the Stanley Park train | Tickets $17

Vancouver Entrepreneur Networking Event | Karma Lounge | Nov. 1, 7 pm-9 pm | Stylish, professional networking meetup to facilitate meaningful conversation | Tickets $12

Luke Wallace Album Release Concert | The Wise Hall | Nov. 1, 7 pm | Local musician is launching a new album, The Dandelion Resistance | Tickets $28

Kanpai! Sake Celebration | Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre | Nov 2 5 pm-10 pm | Sip on sake, try delicious food and learn about all things sake | Tickets $26

Planetarium VidLaser | BCIT Planetarium | Nov. 2, 7 pm | Beautiful laser show with music, many choreographed live | Tickets $30

12th Annual International Fashion Gala | Christ Church Cathedral | Nov. 2, 2 pm-9 pm | Afternoon and evening showcase of fashion with the theme Romance and Power | Tickets $33

Not a Film Festival | The Cinematheque | Nov. 3, 1:30 pm | Films featuring filmmakers that refuse to be confined by traditional labels | Learn more

SPONSORED BY COASTAL JAZZ

Creative forces collide at IronFest V this weekend

This weekend's Ironfest V from Coastal Jazz features musical luminaries, mystic poets, avant-garde jazz improvisers, and veteran Vancouver players. Go on a rhythmic journey in back-to-back double bills with Asrar Quartet and Jessica Ackerley Trio (November 1) followed by Kevin Romain's Salience Network and the Brodie West Quintet (November 2) at The Ironworks. Tickets available online or at the door ($35/night). Presented in association with the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival.

THE AGENDA

🏢 Did you know not all apartment buildings have sprinklers? For example, there were no sprinklers on apartment floors in a highrise building that caught fire last week. That building was built in 1991, one year before the city required new buildings to have them. There are 83 buildings over six storeys built before 1992 that don’t have sprinkler systems. Fire officials say it may not possible in some buildings, and the cost may not be worth it if the building is nearing the end of its lifespan. [Vancouver Sun]

🚦 It may soon be a little safer for pedestrians. The City of Vancouver is planning to roll out more leading pedestrian intersections this year. These intersections first change the walk light, then the green light for vehicles, helping pedestrians be more visible when vehicles turn. The motion passed at council would double the number added each year. One study showed they can reduce collisions by up to 60 per cent. [CBC]

🏠️ Does the heritage building designation favour architecture over other factors too much? The city says it plans to change how it selects buildings for heritage designation, focusing not just on the physical style of a building but “intangible” elements like cultural elements, lived experiences and more. [Vancouver Sun]

⛺️ There will no longer be a new campsite on Bowen Island. Metro Vancouver has sold the Cape Roger Curtis land to the Bowen Island Conservancy for $30 million. Locals had opposed the move to create a campsite, saying there was already too much traffic to the island. [CBC]

🍽️ The Greater Vancouver Food Bank policy will not allow first-year international students to access their services. The organization says that the new rules established by the federal government requiring international students to have $20,635 saved up to come to Canada means that they can afford groceries. [Langara Voice]

👮 Police are investigating a stabbing in Chinatown at Keefer and Main Street on Sunday morning. Police say both people knew each other, and one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. [VPD]

🏒 Are things turning around for the Canucks? Elias Pettersson scored his first five-on-five goal since March 5, and the Canucks beat the Penguins 4-3 on Saturday. [Sportsnet]

PHOTO OF THE DAY

It’s mushroom season! Be on the lookout (pun intended) for mushrooms all across the Lower Mainland.

GAME TIME

Here’s today’s Vancouver Quiz question — what year did Vancouver require sprinklers to be installed in new buildings?

Reply to this email with the correct answer and your name to be featured in the newsletter.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Here’s why crows fly to Burnaby every night. [Vancouver is Awesome]

• This was quite the event happening outside BC Place over the weekend. [Reddit]

• I love pies. And this pie place in downtown Vancouver is doing them well.

• The New York Times shared some places you fly on a float plane. Most of them you know, but there are some good recommendations for when you arrive. [New York Times]

• Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.