Water Street Pedestrian Zone pilot

A pedestrian zone is a car-free or car-light area that puts people first. 

In a pedestrian zone, roads and the public realm are transformed into a lively and inclusive space that prioritizes:

• Walking
• Local businesses
• Culture
• Community-building
• Biking
• Rolling  

Exploring turning roads and the public realm in pedestrian zones is a priority within both the Vancouver Plan and Transportation 2040 Plan. 

This pilot is a valuable opportunity to test new and unique people-first concepts in Vancouver.  

The pilot area will be divided into car-light and car-free zones.

Review a detailed map of the pilot area PDF file (1.2 MB)

Car-light zone (local access only)

• Water Street, from Maple Tree Square to Cambie Street  

Car-free zone (emergency vehicle access only)

• Maple Tree Square  
• Water Street, from Cambie to Richards Street 

Abbott Street will provide vehicle access to Water Street and back lanes for residents, businesses, and visitors to enter the area to park or load. Emergency vehicles will always be able to access Water Street.

To support special events and Open Street Days, all of Water Street will be converted to a “car-free” zone on the following 4 dates: 

• Wednesday, July 10 – Gastown Grand Prix  
• Thursday, August 15 – Meet Me in Gastown  
• Saturday, August 31 – Open Street Day

Open Street Days are days where we will be exploring and learning from different levels of programming and small-scale activations. 

Water Street pedestrian zone pilot map 

Information icon Review additional closures by selecting the layer for "Road closures - Special events and select weekends".

Existing City street cleaning services (nightly flushing, sweeping, and litter collection) will be supplemented with additional enhanced daytime litter pick up and sidewalk cleaning once construction is complete.

Existing micro-cleaning will also be supplemented during the pilot with additional micro-cleaning, power washing, and feces collection starting on June 28.

We are also developing a holistic approach to community safety including daily peer ambassador support, and additional peer initiatives to support nighttime and gender safety.
 
Maintaining a safe and inclusive public realm and cleanliness will require continuous collaboration with our staff, the Gastown Business Improvement Society, community organizations, as well as liaising with the Vancouver Police Department.

Staff have budgeted $1.3 million for the 2024 pedestrian zone pilot, which includes:  

• Traffic management and transportation changes 
• Furniture and planters 
• Community programming supports 
• Sanitation and stewardship supports 
• Monitoring and data collection 

Maple Tree Square closure  

• Pedestrian and cyclist access will remain open during construction, but detours may be necessary. Follow the posted detour signs.

Main Street and Powell Street detours  

• Westbound through traffic will not be allowed to continue past Main Street from Powell Street and all traffic will be required to turn right or left at Main Street.     

Powell Street restrictions 

• Powell Street will be limited to local deliveries between Columbia Street and Harbour Light Alley.    
• All traffic will need to turn right or left at Main Street. 

Alexander Street directional changes 

• Alexander Street will be converted to a 2-way street, east of Maple Tree Square. 

Columbia Street modifications 

• Columbia Street will be converted to a 2-way street between Powell Street and Hastings Street to support access and circulation. 
• We will monitor Columbia Street throughout the duration of construction and the Water Street pedestrian pilot to assess whether it remains a 2-way street for a longer period of time. 

Cambie Street  

• Cambie will be converted to a one-way street between Water Street and Cordova Street to support access and circulation.

Review the detailed traffic circulation map PDF file (2,2 MB)

The westbound #50 bus will be detoured off Water Street and onto Hastings Street. Buses will have a new temporary stop at a nearby location at Waterfront Station.   

The eastbound #50 bus will remain on Cordova Street and Cambie Street and continue to stop on Cordova at Homer Street (Stop number 50036).   

All other bus routes in the area will continue to operate on their regular routes during both the construction and the pedestrian pilot. 

We will maintain access to the area's bus stops at all times, although we may temporarily relocate some stops.

Find out more information about bus stop and route detours External website, opens in new tab  

In the pilot area, we are converting existing on-street parking into loading spaces to facilitate business access for loading and passenger pick-up and drop-off.

Off-street parking will be available in the nearby EasyPark Parkade at 160 Water Street. External website, opens in new tab

Review a detailed map of the parking and loading zone PDF file (2.3 MB)

During the pilot, special access for tour buses will be maintained on Water Street, between Cambie and Abbott, to make sure they can still reach the heart of Gastown.  

We are continuing to work with tourism operators to discuss their needs, generate excitement about the pilot, and encourage locals and visitors to explore the neighbourhood.   

The pilot area will remain open to bikes, scooters, and other micro-mobility devices. Riders will be encouraged to roll through at a slow and safe pace.

There will also be 2 new Mobi bike shares stations by Alexander Street and Carrall Street, and Cambie Street and Cordova Street.

Free bike valet

A free bike valet will be available for people to safely store their bikes, skates, scooters, strollers, or micro-mobility devices.

The bike valet will be in the courtyard at 131 Water Street from June 28 to September 2, 2024.

Hours of operation

• Sunday to Tuesday, noon to 7pm
• Wednesday to Saturday, 11am to 10pm

The Gastown Public Spaces Plan prioritizes creating an accessible and inclusive public realm.

We are working with members of the community, including those with disabilities, and consultants to learn from the pilot and make public spaces more accessible. 

Accessibility considerations for this summer’s pilot includes:

• Establishing passenger loading zones on the 100 Water St block for convenient pick-up and drop-off
• Designating an accessible loading zone at the 100 Water St block
• Maintaining a movement lane in both car-free blocks to support unobstructed travel
• Keeping the sidewalk space wide and unobstructed in both car-free blocks
• Designing patio footprints to allow comfortable walking or wheeling, with wheelchair users and strollers in mind
• Maintaining access to the Easy Park parking lot to make sure there is ample parking for those requiring vehicles to access the neighbourhood

To make sure businesses can easily and creatively use the additional street space, we are offering flexible design options and simplified permitting processes for expanded patios, merchandise displays, and other potential business uses such as street entertainment and vending.

Through the pilot, businesses could benefit from:  

• Transferring up to 100% of indoor seats to a patio for restaurants  
• Incorporating flexible design options for patios and merchandise displays
• Using and stewarding new public realm seating as an alternative to creating a small patio 
• Flexible permitting approaches for additional public space activations, like shared market stalls and live music for patios, through the Water Street open streets permit

To learn more about getting support for your Gastown business, email patios@vancouver.ca 

Open Streets Permit

As a Pedestrian Zone, the Water Street Pilot is designed to enable local businesses, community organizations and residents to bring vibrancy and engaging activities to the pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood through the Water Street Open Streets Permit.

Local businesses, community organizations and residents are encouraged to bring their creative activations to life in the Water Street Pilot area.

Examples of eligible activations:

• Community games (e.g., board games, chess, mah-jong, and more)
• Educational activities and events
• Storytelling or cultural sharing
• Live music or arts performances
• Community pop-up events

Permitted locations in the Pedestrian Zone Water St:

• 300 Water Street block
• Maple Tree Square

If you are interested in hosting an activation elsewhere on Water Street during the pilot, email: openstreetspermit@vancouver.ca

Learn more about and apply for an event permit

Busking & other street entertainment

During the pilot, there will be designated "busking zones" where we welcome buskers to perform. Be aware that there may be other programming happening around you and to be mindful of your performance time limit.

For more information on the Street Entertainment Permit, contact us at street.activities@vancouver.ca