Vancouver to end Kitsilano Yew Street pedestrian-zone pilot
Posted August 4, 2023 9:43 am.
Last Updated August 5, 2023 4:11 pm.
After five weeks, the City of Vancouver says it is ending its pilot project that turned a portion of Yew Street in Kitsilano into a pedestrian-friendly zone.
The pilot saw the stretch between Cornwall and 1st avenues be blocked to vehicle traffic during the day, with the road only accessible to cars for deliveries and loading during certain times.
The Yew Street pedestrian-friendly pilot project map. The City of Vancouver closed a two-block stretch of the road to vehicle traffic. (Courtesy City of Vancouver)
“It is the first time staff have tested a 24/7, multi-block ‘open street’ in Vancouver, and this design is unique in that it supports loading activity in the morning and early afternoon while allowing for walking, rolling, and gathering during other times,” a city report explains. “This sharing of space was designed in such a way that daily moving of barricades or the use of staff to manage traffic wasn’t necessary.”
According to the report, staff have gotten “a lot of feedback” throughout the pilot project period, with some raising concerns about traffic access, circulation, and parking — those worries mainly coming from “one of the businesses on the streets.”
Beyond that feedback, the report says there was also “significant community and business interest” in creating a “plaza-like” space, rather than creating a space dedicated to just walking.
Doing so would “require a re-think of the space and more detailed design, operational and stewardship conversations with the businesses along the street,” staff say. They add because of this, they have decided that ending the pilot the week of Aug. 7 is the “best path forward” for the time being.
Staff and the city have not announced any plans to create a plaza-like space in the area, though they say the feedback gathered will help guide any potential future plans.
