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Kim Briscoe said her retail business dropped 32 per cent when the city of Vancouver closed three blocks of Water Street in Gastown to vehicles this summer.

But when the Water Street pedestrian zone pilot project ended and traffic resumed on September 5, business returned to normal.

“They reopened it on a Thursday,” said Briscoe, who has run the Kimprints frame shop for four decades on the ground floor of the Europe Hotel. “On Saturday I had a record day. I had a record day here.

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But others appreciated the pedestrian zone pilot project. So, on October 24, the city council voted in favor of reinstating it for the summer of 2025, with one major change: Water Street will be closed to traffic on weekends only.

Jackie Haliburton of Angel Clothing at 2 Powell Street is somewhat relieved.

“As long as they have (special) events, put a little energy into the weekends and do some special things, it might be OK,” said Haliburton, whose business has dropped by 20 percent last summer.

“It’s much better than the alternative,” she said, speaking of closing the street to traffic for three months. “It would be so scary if they did it again.”

Support for the pedestrian zone varied by business type and business location.

In a survey, the city found that restaurant businesses like bars “are more supportive of the pilot returning,” at 63 percent. That’s nine percent more than at retailers, where 54 percent want the experience to continue.

Forty-five percent of food and beverage companies reported an increase in revenue, compared to 39 percent of retailers.

The city found that there was “a strong division between those who support (the pedestrian zone) and those who do not.”

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“Some destination businesses (e.g., high-end retailers, fine dining, specific services) that rely on customers seeking their unique product offerings or experiences have not felt they benefit from the increased number of pedestrians during the pilot project,” according to a press release. of the city.

“These businesses also serve a customer base that relies more on vehicle access and, as a result, these businesses have been more impacted by the loss of on-street parking and changes in traffic flow. »

Briscoe’s Framing Shop was one of the “destination” businesses.

“My kind of business, people can’t come out with framed hockey jerseys and walk two blocks trying to find a parking spot,” she said. “Parking was a problem. A big problem.

What really seemed to annoy his customers was when the city issued tickets and towed vehicles on his block of Powell Street, which was closed to parking but was not clearly marked.

“Towed, it costs $300 to $400, right there,” she said.

But the municipal survey revealed that many people appreciated the pedestrian zone.

Lee Haber lives near Gastown and found Water Street very busy when he visited.

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Haber believes the difficulties some retailers are experiencing may be due to the four months of construction that took place before the pedestrian pilot began.

He would like to expand the pedestrian zone, removing a “car light” zone with some traffic on Water Street to make it entirely pedestrian.

“Then you can do really cool things that are being done in other cities,” he said.

“In Montreal, for example, when they walk, not only do they not erect barriers and leave, they install things like mini-golf courses, they set up playgrounds, places where children can draw and paint. There are all kinds of things to liven up the space.

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