Car-free street pilot project in Kitsilano is still full of cars (PHOTOS)

@Mihai_Cirstea_/Twitter

After initial buzz and excitement around the Yew Open Street pilot, some Vancouverites are less than enthused about the project’s rocky start.

The pilot project intended to transform two city blocks at the foot of Yew Street by Kitsilano Beach into a temporary pedestrian-only corridor for the summer.

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Yew Street is now closed to vehicles between West 1st Avenue and Cornwall Avenue. Vehicle traffic on neighbouring streets has been changed up slightly, with vehicle traffic on York Avenue between Yew Street and Vine Street reversed from one-way eastbound to one-way westbound.

While Yew is closed, the laneways between remain open, as do York Avenue and West 1st Avenue. The pilot project is intended to provide loading access to local businesses while also providing a safe pedestrian environment.

Since officially kicking off at the end of June, some have been vocal about how the project is going.

Exciting news! We’re piloting our 1st pedestrian-friendly #OpenStreet in #Kitsilano. Two blocks of Yew from First Ave to Cornwall will be closed to vehicles (except for deliveries until certain times & emergency response) for the summer. Find out more ➡️ https://t.co/lDcruWd5NV pic.twitter.com/OdxDVpPXaL

— City of Vancouver (@CityofVancouver) June 30, 2023

City of Vancouver

Criticism of the pilot project

Mihai Cirstea, a student at the University of British Columbia, shared on Twitter that he loves pedestrianized spaces and he had some thoughts on the Yew Street Pilot Project.

“I’m not satisfied at all. It’s the bare minimum effort to “pedestrianize” a street. It’s still full of cars, it’s completely uninteresting, and it almost seems set up to fail,” he told Daily Hive.

(1/10) I'm a huge fan of pedestrianized spaces so I went to check out the Yew St pilot, and I hate to say this but… it's so bad.

I mean for starters it's full of cars pic.twitter.com/fDrWCvDIGy

— Mihai Cirstea (@Mihai_Cirstea_) July 5, 2023

“I live nearby and was really excited when they announced the program because Vancouver sorely lacks pedestrian spaces,” Cirstea told Daily Hive.

“Unfortunately when I went to check it out, it was a huge disappointment. There’s nothing that physically prevents cars from entering the streets, and the signage is very confusing, so many drivers were (probably accidentally) turning onto Yew when I was there,” he said.

“Another problem is that the intersecting alleyways remain open to vehicles 24/7, so the entire space can’t be properly activated because cars are crossing every few meters. Aside from the cars, a huge missed opportunity is that there’s absolutely nothing to draw people there. There are no public tables, no seating, no shade, nothing to do. The street looks like it did before, with the addition of a few concrete blocks,” he said.

According to Cirstea, the intersection at York and Yew is more dangerous and confusing than ever before.

“Before, cars driving west on York had to turn onto Yew, because York street was a one-way (in the opposite direction) in front of them. Now, instead, they are newly permitted to go into the one-way, and against the flow bikes who aren’t expecting vehicles to be coming at them,” he said.

The City’s response

The City of Vancouver’s Yew Open Street Team said it’s aware through its monitoring that some motor vehicle drivers are entering the pilot outside the times permitted.

“Although slower than before the changes, this is of course not the intended behaviour. We are working on measures to clarify and reinforce the situation, and we also expect that it can take drivers some time to adjust to new traffic patterns,” said a City representative.

“As a pilot project, there are both components not yet completed as well as changes we are already planning to make to provide clearer signage and physically reinforce the restrictions on motor vehicle traffic. In order to maintain access for business loading, we are testing new strategies and value user feedback.”

The team welcomes and encourages community feedback, and you can email the team here or use 311 to share your thoughts.

A walkable Yew Street

@Mihai_Cirstea_/Twitter

Yew Street is a popular corridor between the Kitsilano Beach area and West 4th Avenue, especially in the summer.

This beachside portion of Yew Street is lined with popular businesses, including Chewies Smoke & Oyster Bar, Lucky Taco, Cafe Zen On Yew, CM Chicken, Kitsilano Natural Foods, The King’s Head Public House, The Cider House, Kits Market, Viva Cafe & Bakery, Kibune Sushi, Paradiso Italian Gelato, Nook, and Local Public Eatery.

With files from Kenneth Chan

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