A CLOSER LOOK
/WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR NELSON STREET?
by John Streit
(click images to enlarge)
If you drive, work, play, walk, roll, cycle, or live along one of the West End’s busiest streets, you’re about to see, hear and smell a lot more vehicles once portions of the Stanley Park Temporary Bike Lane are removed. Drivers and residents know Nelson Street is already jammed eastbound between Jervis Street and Burrard Street during the morning and afternoon rush hours due to ongoing construction (left lane of Nelson often used by cement and supply trucks) of the 57-storey ‘The Butterfly’ luxury condo development, along with the renovation and expansion of the neighbouring 1911 First Baptist Church.
Often, you’ll see frustrated drivers on Nelson doing U-turns along Nelson Park to escape to Robson, Georgia or Davie Streets as soon as they realize a long wait is ahead, especially with the Thurlow Street double left-turn lane traffic just piling all the congestion through one very busy intersection.
Soon, drivers coming east over the Lions Gate Bridge from the North Shore will again be able to use Stanley Park Drive as a traffic bypass (“rat running” as it’s often called) to access streets like Nelson, Barclay and Robson instead of being forced back onto West Georgia via North Lagoon Drive. Many will be guided by GPS navigation systems informing them that the Causeway and West Georgia are too congested and the park is the faster route.
This comes after the ABC-dominated Vancouver Park Board voted to restore two-way traffic through Ceperley Park (and other sections) while removing most of the temporary bike lane and promising to consider a permanent Stanley Park bike lane for the summer of 2024.
Needless to say, some fear the “quiet” streets (particularly west of Denman) enjoyed by residents since the Stanley Park Temporary Bike Lane was established early in the pandemic may get much louder. Meanwhile, the “The Butterfly bottleneck” may expand even further West down Nelson, increasing noise and pollution.
“The Butterfly” traffic on Nelson to at least Jervis. (James Oakes photo)
The City of Vancouver (COV) tells The West End Journal (TWEJ) that its Engineering Department is currently working with Park Board staff in response to the Park Board’s recent motion to remove significant portions of the bike lane and reroute vehicle traffic through the West End.
“We expect that this will restore the ability for motor vehicle traffic to exit the park toward the West End via Park Lane. Park Lane turns into Lagoon Drive and then Robson Street, and already allows access to the City street network including both Nelson and Barclay streets. Engineering staff plan to start by first monitoring traffic conditions to determine trade-offs and how to potentially proceed on Beach and within the West End. We hope to receive additional information from the Park Board in terms of their goals and priorities in the area to inform potential responses on City streets, as well as on timing and configuration within Stanley Park to help determine a joint monitoring plan,” the COV says in an email.
The City says it’s expecting to complete a vehicle count that shows which combination of entrance and exit any given driver used, as well as if they spent any significant time within the park.
“We would also complete some counts on the City street network, most likely late summer given peak times in the park and after Option C is implemented. During the period that we are monitoring and determining a response, we would not be intentionally directing traffic to any given West End street, though we would work with Park Board for them to clarify to drivers which exit leads to Georgia versus the streets in the residential West End. Whether the same amount of traffic returns and takes any given street will help us determine any changes to make on several timescales: the longer range West End Waterfront Plan process, the permanent bike lane on Stanley Park Drive for Summer 2024, and any potential changes to the City Street network before those times,” the COV writes.
The City provided TWEJ a vehicle count on Nelson between Bidwell and Cardero from February of this year showing that the average daily traffic volume was 2,600 eastbound and 1,600 going westbound.
Compare this to another vehicle count on Nelson, this time between Bute and Thurlow in October of 2021, showing the average daily vehicle traffic volume was 6,000 eastbound and 2,500 westbound.
Vehicles at Second Beach will soon be allowed to continue east again into the West End.
Carole Walker knows the West End’s traffic issues — especially on Nelson Street — almost better than any resident. She has lived most of her adult life in our neighbourhood and became a community activist back in 1976.
“We got a notice from the city that they were planning to repave, and if I recall correctly, widen Nelson Street from Bidwell to Jervis Street. We had 20 days to respond, which involved getting signatures on a city document representing 50 percent plus one of property owners and representing 50 percent or more of assessed values. Many long hours over many days after work I succeeded in meeting those requirements and defeating the plan. Owners were eager to know what was happening and Nelson Street was a concern even at that time,” Walker said.
A year later, The West End Traffic Committee was formed at a meeting of 21 local business and community groups and Walker was elected spokesperson. “I knew nothing about City Hall or community activism. It was terrifying but the concern for the community was greater and so many long years of meetings, letters, briefs and rallies followed,” Walker explained.
Her group, now disbanded, helped create one of North America’s first neighbourhood traffic calming plans. “The goal was to keep the West End a livable, affordable and pleasant community. We worked to have the city politicians and planning, and engineering departments understand this neighbourhood and its place in the city,” Walker said.
She continues to have concerns about Nelson Street, which Walker said the City designated as a collector street (not residential) years ago – something her group tried to change in the 70’s and 80’s.
Calm before the traffic storm on Nelson near Stanley Park?
“Nelson is carrying ever greater volumes of commuter, recreational and commercial traffic. The City looks at this as the easiest and most expedient way to move ever-increasing volumes of traffic from bridge to bridge, Stanley Park, the downtown and all points east and south. We fought for and had stop signs and traffic circles put on Nelson in an attempt to deter and slow down the traffic. We had parking put back on Nelson Street (removed in the 1950s). We agitated for traffic diversion measures, pedestrian-controlled signals on Denman and traffic control measures on Nelson Street. Despite these attempts to control traffic volumes and speeds, the city is directing ever more traffic onto Nelson Street. Drivers treat it as a freeway. It is the route of least resistance,” Walker told TWEJ.
While encouraged by street calming measures to neighbouring east-west streets, she notes there is a side-effect.
“Significant changes have been made to Haro and Comox Streets. Robson has been closed to traffic at Hornby. Beach Avenue has had two traffic lanes removed. Robson and Davie are controlled with traffic lights and drivers prefer to avoid them. All of this puts more and more pressure on Nelson Street,” Walker said.
The City of Vancouver says it has “refreshed” its approach in how it delivers traffic calming across the city.
“The Neighbourhood Traffic Management program (here) will implement traffic calming measures to address speeding and short cutting on local streets. For this program, we have developed a framework for selecting neighbourhoods and a process for working with communities to deliver projects. Similarly, we have ongoing work in the West End through the Community Plan Implementation program (here). Both programs allow us the ability to continue to monitor Nelson Street,” the COV explains.
Walker would like to see several changes to Nelson Street as eastbound North Shore traffic is set to return through our neighbourhood.
“Speed limits should be lowered, and enforced. Access to Nelson Street from the park and bridges should be limited if not blocked. Traffic should be directed to Robson, Davie, Georgia, Alberni and Beach Avenue. Signs should clearly state that traffic travelling on West End residential streets, including Nelson Street, is travelling through a residential neighbourhood and must slow down,” she believes.
This video by James Oakes, The West End Journal’s associate editor illustrates the bumper-to-bumper challenges already faced on West End streets.
When asked by TWEJ, the City said it had no plans to introduce flaggers further west of Thurlow or Bute on Nelson to detour drivers onto other east-west streets.
For Walker, the Nelson Street traffic situation boils down to quality of life in a neighbourhood which faces pressures like no other in Vancouver.
“Hundreds of West Enders cross Nelson daily to attend school, go to the Community Centre, library, banks, restaurants and grocery stores or pharmacies. There is a park and a school on Nelson Street, and thousands of us live on Nelson Street. It is impossible, much of the time, to sit on balconies, patios or porches and hold a conversation because of traffic noise and air pollution. We must be ever vigilant when crossing the street,” she said.
So, does Walker have confidence the COV will actively monitor the situation on Nelson once Stanley Park traffic flow is restored?
“Years ago, we on the West End Traffic Committee truly believed we could make a difference and dedicated our lives to that end. Now, those of us who are still alive, see that those in power can simply overrule, thwart and bugger up whatever was promised and agreed to. Am I just cynical or am I a realist? That’s up to you to decide. Time will and is telling.”
NOTE: The City of Vancouver says the next phase of engagement for the West End Waterfront Master Plan, which includes a transportation component, will begin this month. It’s encouraging you to get involved and watch this page for updates.
WE ASKED YOU - AND YOU TOLD US
On Facebook, the WEJ asked what traffic changes would you like to see on Nelson Street?
Mark Winston: I'd like to see the response of City Hall and the Park Board to citizen input if they opened up residential streets in Shaughnessy and Kitsilano to direct Burrard and Granville traffic during rush hours! The West End is a residential neighbourhood, not a conduit for traffic, which is already beyond heavy, especially during the summer. Highly irresponsible of our newly elected Parks Board to take an issue such as cycling lanes in Stanley Park and use it as a wedge and an excuse to dramatically increase automobile traffic not only in Stanley Park, but throughout the West End. They are not only reducing cycling access through the park, an issue in itself, but have gone way beyond adjudicating the balance between bikes and cars in Stanley Park to augment already-snarled traffic outside the park.
Christine Hearn: Nelson is already a nightmare with the constant construction stops at Burrard. I can just see cars backed up all the way to Denman during the busy summer.
Rolf Strandberg: I know lots of people are unhappy with Beach Ave only being one lane for cars west of Denman but it is nice to have it so quiet here with just the sounds of thousands of cyclists cruising by on a nice day. I suspect the Parks Board would like Vancouver to reopen Beach Ave to two-way so the thousands of suburban sunny Sunday drivers can exit at Beach to cruise home along the waterfront as before. So, instead, the Parks Board will be allowing this traffic to exit at Nelson, Barclay and Lagoon Drive to Robson so that the neighbours get so upset it'll force Vancouver to reopen Beach Ave to two way.
Norm Mackenzie: One of the reasons that Nelson is so busy now is that all the residents of the Southwest quadrant of the West End (West of Denman, South of Nelson) can no longer use Beach avenue as a way out, as they did before it was blocked. Nelson is basically the only route out, and all that traffic is directed into the centre of the neighborhood instead of Beach Avenue. It's also causing more congestion on Denman. I also don't think that opening Beach will divert many vehicles from the park exit off the Lions Gate Bridge, as a majority of commuters aren't even aware. I will say that the traffic circles on Nelson are dangerous and need to go. When they were installed there was not nearly the amount of traffic and pedestrians as there are now. They should be converted to 4 way stops like the one at Nelson and Bute.
Jenny Demonge: I’d like to see four-way stop signs at Nelson/Nicola - it’s an accident about to happen all the time.
Kailey Quinn: We live downtown, and in an area where a lot of people want to visit in the summers. I don't see an issue with the traffic getting a bit busier, as long as it's being well maintained with lights and stop signs, and the fire station isn't having any issues getting in/out of their station on Nelson
Laura Lang: It won't be a "bit" busier, it'll be a LOT busier. Kevin said THOUSANDS more cars - so pollution, traffic jams in previously quieter West End neighbourhoods, much more traffic noise taking away the peace of our lovely neighbourhood.
Robin Martin: I'd like to see them open Beach Avenue from Second Beach to Denman. That would cut traffic from Nelson Street.
Jody Benson: A light/crosswalk light for walking at Jervis and Nelson. Better lighting along Nelson (especially corners) for the evening.
West Ender John Streit has been a BC radio, TV and online journalist for more than 20 years. You can listen to him anchor Global News on 980/CKNW in Vancouver.
