Vehicle traffic set to return to Stanley Park

Park board votes to ease restrictions, allows one lane for cars, one for cyclists

Drivers could be allowed back on the roads in Stanley Park as early as next week after Vancouver’s park board voted to ease traffic restrictions.

The decision early Friday came after a seven-hour special meeting that began Thursday evening. It means one lane of Park Drive will be designated for vehicles, while the other will be reserved for cyclists to allow for adequate physical distancing inside the park.

Staff will take “urgent action” on this decision to ensure vehicles will be able to get to all park facilities as soon as possible, according to a park board news release on Friday.

They expect the park could be ready for shared vehicle and cyclist traffic by early next week.

The plan will route cyclists along the right-hand lane of Park Drive, with all motor vehicle traffic using the left lane. Lanes will be demarcated with a series of cones and other delineators, with signs to support all roadway users, the park board said.

Under this plan, cyclists will remain on the roadways and not on the seawall, which will continue to be reserved for pedestrians.

The plan is temporary and likely will be in place through the summer.

“I think this is a great initiative,” said Miguel Diaz, general manager of Stanley Park Brewing, a restaurant and brew pub in Stanley Park.

Diaz said allowing vehicles in a controlled flow will help his business because patrons who need to travel by car can now visit. He agreed with not opening all lanes because he would like to see the

reopening plan go slowly so that the park is not overcrowded during the pandemic.

“It’s a smart way to start, and a good way to reopen,” he said of the park board’s decision.

The NPA park board commissioners, John Coupar and Tricia Barker, had called for an immediate reopening of all traffic lanes. But the two Green commissioners and the two COPE commissioners wanted to wait and examine whether car traffic on Park Drive should be restricted to one lane to make more room for cyclists.

Vehicles have been prohibited from entering the park since April 8 to discourage people from congregating during the pandemic.

Coupar has argued that without car access, seniors and people with disabilities are not able to use the park.

A petition to have the park reopened to its PRE-COVID state had nearly 16,000 signatures on Friday morning.

The Teahouse restaurant, which has been operating in Stanley Park for more than 40 years, has argued against closing one of the two lanes to cars and reducing parking in Stanley Park.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest crisis we’ve faced in 100 years, and we need normalcy rather than uncertainty,” said The Teahouse owner Brent Davies.

“The changes to Stanley Park are being made during an unprecedented time without consideration of the additional impact they will have. Reduced vehicle access and parking will be detrimental to employees and park goers.”