Vancouver's Water Street to go car-free on Sundays this summer

Water Street in Vancouver's Gastown will be closed to vehicles on Sundays until the end of August, in the city's latest attempt to pedestrianize the popular tourist area.

Last year, the heart of the Gastown neighbourhood at Maple Tree Square was closed to cars from July until mid-August, and Water Street was partially closed — with the city aiming to boost foot traffic in the area and improve the pedestrian experience.

This year, Water Street will be closed to cars on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., from Richards Street to Columbia Street, until the end of August.

Meanwhile, nearby Cordova Street will open to two-way traffic between Gore and Richards streets, and multiple events will be held in the area all summer by the local business improvement society.

City planners say the plan is part of a pilot project and the ongoing Gastown Public Spaces Plan, and businesses say they're cautiously optimistic for the summer ahead.

"This isn't just about one street or one season," Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim told a Sunday news conference. 

"It's about shaping the future of Gastown and public spaces across our entire city." 

WATCH | Businesses were optimistic about last year's pilot program: 

Part of Vancouver's Gastown goes car-free for summer

12 months ago

Duration 6:17

The city has completed a project that will see Water Street go car-free as part of a pilot project. Matthew Senecal-Junkeer, the owner of the nearby Birds and Beets cafe, discusses his observations with the CBC after a weekend of the pilot project being active.

A city staff report last year found that foot traffic had increased by 35 per cent in Gastown, compared to the period before the summer pilot project began.

Gastown is a popular tourist area with cobblestone streets and a steam clock.

CBC News spoke to people walking in Gastown on Sunday. Vancouver resident Michelle Arthur said the idea of pedestrianizing the area was great for her, saying she wouldn't have to worry about traffic and parking.

"I never come to Gastown. So [the pedestrian zone] brought me down here today, and I've been living in Vancouver since COVID," she told CBC News. "So, you know, I think it's fantastic."

Businesses cautiously support idea

The plans to pedestrianize Water Street have been ongoing for decades, and the 2024 pilot project came after months of construction and roadwork in the area.

This year, however, the car-free pilot is only running on Sundays, as opposed to last summer's seven days a week.

WATCH | Construction deals a hit to Gastown businesses: 

Gastown businesses say they're being hurt by revitalization efforts

1 year ago

Duration 4:34

Eleanor Chow Waterfall, owner of Cadeaux Bakery, and Birds and Beets owner Matthew Senecal-Junkeer are not happy the city has closed Powell Street to repair and revitalize Gastown's Maple Tree Square. They say the move comes at a time when businesses, which should be busy, are hurting.

Walley Wargolet, the executive director of the Gastown Business Improvement Society, said that businesses suffered due to the construction work last year and some lost business from locals during the largely car-free summer.

"Certainly the tourism traffic was here, visitor traffic was ... actually pretty solid," he said. "So I think if you came down here, things looked good.

"But from a revenue perspective, a lot of those businesses were negatively impacted, and we saw revenues that did go down."

Emiliano Orozco, the supervisor at the Kit and Ace clothing store on Water Street, said that car-free days would be great for the store in terms of tourist foot traffic.

"But on the other hand, I might be worried because many of our regular customers come here by car, right?" he said. "So I think that can affect us a bit. We'll just have to see how it goes."