Vancouver drivers to face Taylor Swift-related disruptions over the weekend; extra transit and ferries added
Posted December 5, 2024 7:56 pm.
Last Updated December 6, 2024 6:30 am.
Vancouver is in the throes of Swiftie mania, and anyone moving around the region should be prepared to deal with disruptions on the roads around downtown, especially around BC Place Stadium, Rogers Arena, and Concord Pacific Place.
In response to the added crowds, transit and ferry service has been expanded on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Traffic:
Several roads will be closed from noon until midnight on all three days of the concert. These include:
Beatty Street between Smithe Street and West Georgia Street;
Pacific Boulevard from the Cambie Bridge off-ramp to Pat Quinn Way;
Northbound Cambie Street Bridge off-ramp; and
And Robson Street between Cambie Street and Beatty Street.
In addition, several streets are designated passenger pick-up and drop-off zones only, meaning drivers, taxis, and ride-share services can stop there for up to three minutes. These include:
Cambie and Hamilton Streets between Smith Street and West Georgia Street; and
Pacific Boulevard between Pat Quinn Way and Quebec Street.
Public transit:
TransLink is modifying its schedules on all three concert nights, with increased bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus service.
SkyTrain: The last train will depart from Waterfront Station at 1:15 a.m. for the Canada Line and at 1:16 a.m. on the Expo Line.
SeaBus: Sailings will run every 10 minutes beginning at 3 p.m. until the last sailing at 1:22 a.m.
Bus: TransLink says extra buses will be added as needed, and a “Swift” shuttle bus will depart from BC Place after the concerts to take riders to Waterfront Station.
West Coast Express: A special train has been added on Saturday, departing from Mission at 4 p.m. and a return train leaving Waterfront Station at midnight.
BC Ferries is also expanding its service to deal with the crowds. On Friday, there will be extra sailings in both directions between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen at 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. On Sunday, additional late-night sailings are scheduled from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen at 11 p.m. and from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay at 1 a.m. (early morning Monday, Dec. 9).
Other events:
The concert isn’t the only thing drivers need to worry about. The Vancouver Canucks are playing home games Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, and many other events and activities are also underway in and around downtown, including Cirque du Soleil at Concord Pacific Place.
Planned roadwork:
Further, planned construction and development roadwork will continue as normal, with two major areas of note.
- The Cambie Street Bridge is reduced to one lane each way due to deck work, and it will also be impacted by the concert-related closure of the northbound offramp from the bridge onto Pacific Boulevard.
- Oak Street will see some lane closures between West 64th and 70th Avenues, with at least one lane open in each direction, relating to sewer upgrade work.
The Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver are presented by Rogers, the parent company of 1130 NewsRadio and CityNews.
Listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver every 10 minutes on the ones for traffic updates. You can also follow us on X @NewsRadioVan and subscribe to Traffic Alerts sent directly to your inbox.
