STANLEY PARK NOTEBOOK
/by Nate Lewis
(click images to enlarge)
A DATA DRIVEN LOOK AT TRAFFIC WEST OF DENMAN
When the park board decided to remove the temporary bike lane in Stanley Park, one of the decisions that needed to be made was how to reconfigure vehicle access through Ceperley Meadow.
With Beach Avenue west of Denman converted to one-way traffic – and falling outside the park board’s jurisdiction – the proverbial rabbit couldn’t go back in the hat. Or, rather, cars exiting the park couldn’t go back onto Beach.
The decided-upon solution was to turn cars up Park Lane and onto West End streets. Nelson, Barclay, and Robson, along with Stovold and Rosemary Brown lanes, were opened up as alternative exits from Stanley Park in September 2023.
Since then, there’s been about a ten percent increase in daily traffic on these three streets, according to transportation department data that the city shared with The West End Journal.
Nelson saw the smallest increase in car traffic (five per cent) while Robson and Barclay saw more significant increases of 12 and 13 per cent respectively.
Before and after traffic changes. (Nate Lewis graphic)
Importantly, this is a comparison of traffic in summer 2023, before the Ceperley Meadow exit opened, and in spring 2024, after the change.
As we all know, summer brings the crowds to Stanley Park, Denman, and English Bay, so the timing of when this data was collected is something to keep in mind when considering these numbers. The impact of these traffic pattern changes on the neighbourhood won’t be fully known until the busy summer months.
To put it in perspective, before the pandemic over 3,000 vehicles would exit the park on Beach Avenue daily. Now, there are more than 4,500 vehicles exiting the park, on average per day, by way of Nelson, Barclay, and Robson.
The city says they will redeploy their monitoring equipment again this summer to get more information on the amount of vehicles coming out of Stanley Park and onto West End streets.
A related issue that bears watching is the potential for changes at Beach Avenue, based on the West End Waterfront Vision, which the park board approved in April.
The first phase of the plan (which is all that is currently funded) calls for reinstating two-way traffic on Beach Avenue, to prepare “for future potential public transit extension to within Stanley Park,” according to the park board report.
The plan is on its way to city hall for a vote this month.
TREES PLEASE
The park board recently announced they will begin tree planting in Stanley Park. This is the latest phase of tree work on the peninsula, after the park board sprang into action to remove thousands of dead and dying trees from Stanley Park earlier this spring.
They’ll now begin planting approximately 25,000 new trees in the park in an effort to rebuild Stanley Park’s forest, which has been hard hit by a prolonged hemlock looper moth outbreak.
“The effects of tree planting won’t initially be obvious. However, we can all watch over the coming months and years as a green and vibrant forest takes shape,” said Joe McLeod, Vancouver Park Board’s manager of urban forestry.
They will be planting western red cedar, Douglas fir, grand fir, and pacific yew. “By planting diverse tree species, the forest will be much less vulnerable to insects, infestations, and the effects of climate change, making it more resilient in the future,” McLeod added.
The park board will be watering newly-planted trees over the summer, while managing invasive species, like English ivy, which could threaten the success of tree planting in the park. To assist in the efforts, they’re asking the public to stay on designated trails in order to protect these newly-planted areas.
Looking ahead, the park board says there will be more tree removals starting this September, with another round of tree planting scheduled for next spring.
CONCERT KINGS
The only crowds at the Malkin Bowl grounds right now are comprised of geese, but May means the start of concert season in Stanley Park.
(Bbnomula / instagram)
Malkin Bowl is putting on three concerts this month: Xavier Rudd on May 18, Duke Dumont on May 24, and Baby’s Bonanza on May 26.
The “Bonanza” is a concert event put on by Vancouver rapper and hip-hop artist bbno$ (pronounced baby no money). He’s announced that all proceeds from the show will go to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre.
All that to say, prepare yourself for some youthful crowds if you’re visiting the park on weekend evenings later this month, particularly the final weekend of May.
A LONGTIME PARK RESIDENT
I also wanted to highlight another piece of Stanley Park reporting this month from Global News.
Reporter Alissa Thibault presented a three-part series on the life of Christenson Bailey, an artist who has been living in Stanley Park since 1990. You can check out all three parts of her fascinating profile of Chris here.
