Commercial Drive is going car-free for up to eight Sundays this summer, city council decided yesterday.
The “Summer Spaces” program, one of council’s Greenest City initiatives, will see car-free events in Collingwood, Gastown, Mount Pleasant and Commercial Drive.
Council also approved in principle a “ciclovia,” a car-free stretch of road connecting Stanley Park to Jericho Beach, across the Burrard Street Bridge.
“These are not intended to be anything like festivals,” said Craig Ollenberger, of Car Free Vancouver.
“They’re intended to be much lower density, they’re intended to be more of a way of life.”
Summer Spaces includes a Farmers’ Market along the Carrall Street Greenway in Gastown on Sundays in August and September.
However, the proposed ciclovia worried some residents of Beach Avenue, who were concerned about noise and access to their parkades.
Coun. Geoff Meggs said the ciclovia may not happen this year, nor be exactly as proposed.
It was approved in principle with $50,000 funding, but will depend on whether organizers can complete a plan to the satisfaction of the city manager.
