Great minds think alike apparently. The power trio of potential Vision candidates in Vancouver’s municipal elections – Andrea Reimer, Kerry Jang, and Kashmir Dhaliwal – called for a three month Sundays Car Free Streets trial for next summer in three areas: Commercial Drive, the West End, and the Punjabi Market.Â
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While it’s great that the power trio are acknowledging that regularly scheduled Car Free events are the next big city thing since municipal wifi and public bike share programs (I kid, I completely support the car free programs!), this post wasn’t going to focus on the great things that Paris, San Francisco, Portland, New York, and Bogota are doing. That sense of complacency facing Vancouveris a very important issue though in understanding how far the city has been lagging in recent years to sustain it’s high level of livability. However, this post is about all the great car free events that have occurred over the past few months.Â
You see, one of the biggest issues with car free events is that it takes a shift in behaviour to accept such a radical idea. What’s been great though, is that through a series of events this summer, people and businesses have, I believe, opened up to changing their behaviour after seeing what a success car free events can be.Â
As Gord Price mentioned in this article about bike sharing, Â
You’re not going to be able to drive downtown during the Games.
What this tells me is that there is an oncoming perfect storm of events that will shift public perception of what is street is. Maybe, after all, they are more than just routes for through traffic. Maybe, when properly used, they can be your front yard, your community gathering place, your outdoor café, your urban park, your greenway, your place to stop and smell the roses.
In doing so, perhaps, businesses and communities will begin to understand that designating so much of the street space to cars over cyclists and pedestrians is in fact detrimental to an area’s livability and that that space can be used much more efficiently – maybe temporarily, during car free events, and maybe everyday, like with the Davie St. redesign I proposed not too long ago.Â
And it’s already happening. It happened this summer with all the car free events, and it happened with council candidates calling for a Sunday car free program. It will continue to happen next summer, and will come to a climax during the Olympics.Â
We’ve gotten over the hard part – the changing of behaviour. People are ready for some change now, and it happened surprisingly organically. It’s just a question of how far we’ll go from here. Will Vancouver take the next step in livability?
Click on through for some photos and recaps of the car free events that happened this sumer in the West End – an area I definitely feel is more than ready to take that next step.Â
June 7 (weekly) – West End Farmer’s Market
The Harvest Festival. Look at all the lovely sidewalk chalk!
A nice stroll for fresh veggies on a crisp Vancouver day
June 15 – Car Free Day Vancouver
Hula hooping on Denman!
Rope skipping on Denman!
July 18 – HSBC Celebration of Light
People walking down Denman towards English Bay
Hundreds of thousands line Sunset Beach
People watching on land and sea
Sunset Beach packed to the brim with people!
Exiting after the fireworks. Imagine trying to handle all these people, each in their own car!
August 1 – Koodo’s Big Night Out, Davie St. Dance Party
Davie was lined with beer gardens and dance areas - all filled with people!
Some local live entertainment
Skipping rope was one of many fun activities, including a huge game of Twister and popping the bubbles that filled the sky
August 3 – Pride Parade and Festival
The crowds near Robson St.
Wooh! Looks like fun!
The crowds that fill the streets after the two hour long Parade ends
After 500,000 attendees to the Parade, hundreds of thousands stuck around for the Festival at Sunset Beach
September 6 – Davie Day
Welcome to Davie Day!
The cafés spilled onto the street!
Crazy stilts lady!
Making horseshoes
A fantastic street performer from New Zealand was putting on quite the show!
Colour the car!
The politicos were everywhere!
Great buskers were on site to add some music
A free bouncy house for kids!
Bubbles and sidewalk chalk for everyone!
There was a huge painting wall for kids
Even a dog wash on site!
Local artists lined the streets with art for sale
As a resident of the West End, I can say this is an idea who’s time has come. Almost everyone I know who lives in the neighbourhood does so car-free already (granted, everyone I know is under the age of 30). Almost everything is accessible by walking, biking, or as a last resort transit (which is actually quite poor for such a dense neighbourhood).
Convincing the business community that this a good idea will be a harder sell, but like you said, they’re starting to see the light. When I was in Copenhagen, I learned about their big pedestrian only region (the Stroget). When it was first created (in the 60s!) the business people were strongly opposed. However, today it’s th most successful shopping area in the city. “Merchants on Copenhagen’s Stroget-who initially opposed closing the street to vehicles-reported sales increases of 25-40%.” (source)
I’m hoping those Vision candidates get elected. Considering how hard it will be to get on the Vision slate, never mind elected to council, the odds are stacked against them. However, they have my vote.
P.S. Great pictures.