New Westminster wants to explore whether Front Street could be closed to vehicles on Sundays and opened to cyclists and pedestrians.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, council considered a motion from Coun. Daniel Fontaine related to a Cycling Sundays on Front Street pilot project, which aims to support increased cycling, tourism and economic activity.
Front Street has been closed to vehicle traffic since mid-June because of work on the Pattullo Bridge replacement project. The road is closed to vehicles for six months, but businesses are still open and accessible via the Front Street Mews.
Fontaine said Columbia Street and Royal Avenue have felt some impacts of the road closure, but it has not had the “almost apocalyptic impacts” that some feared were going to happen on streets throughout New West. He said the closure of Front Street has created an opportunity for the city to rethink how Front Street is used.
“There is a gap between Pier Park west and Sapperton, and there isn't really a great place to walk or to cycle, because there really is no contiguous walkway or cycleway,” he said. “This initiative has been tested and tried in other cities, perhaps not to the same extent as a street as big as Front Street, but a lot of other cities have closed roads on Sundays and allowed the public to cycle and allow the public to walk and to be able to explore their city in a way that they wouldn't if there's vehicular traffic on that particular route.”
Fontaine said Sunday closures of Front Street would require provincial approval from the Ministry of Transportation, but the city can make the request.
“I could picture that particular piece of roadway being used by people who could just have a wonderful experience going from Sapperton all the way through to Quayside without having to get off on other routes and try to get from one point to the other,” he said. “Ultimately, the big solution is to connect Sapperton to Pier Park west but that isn't coming anytime soon, and this could be at least a stopgap measure just to test it as a pilot project to see how much support and community support we would get.”
The Cycling Sundays on Front Street motion asks council to report back on the feasibility and operational issues pertaining to the development of a pilot project that would:
- Close Front Street on Sundays from May to September 2025 to vehicular traffic (during daylight hours).
- Open up Front Street (during that time) to cyclists, pedestrians and other forms of active transportation.
- Seek interest from food trucks and other micro-businesses that may want to set up on Front Street during the Cycling Sunday closures.
Council unanimously supported having staff report back on the feasibility of a pilot project that would see the road closed to vehicles and opened up toto cyclists, pedestrians, and other forms of active transportation during the daylight hours on Sundays.
The third part of the motion, related to having food trucks and micro businesses setting up on Front Street during the road closures, also received council’s support. Coun. Ruby Campbell and Mayor Patrick Johnstone voted against that part of the motion.
Campbell said there is a time and place for food trucks and other micro businesses, but she does not support them on Front Street at this time. She said the city has been hearing “cries from the downtown businesses, restaurants and other vendors” for support.
“It's not too far to go to Front Street and go to some of the restaurants there, the cafes, and you can also pop up to Columbia Street,” she said. “So, I'm not supportive of food trucks and micro businesses, because I really, really, really want to use every opportunity we can to activate the downtown businesses.”
Fontaine said he included that in the motion because the section of Front Street between Westminster Pier Park and Sapperton is a “bit of a retail dead zone,” and the idea is to encourage people to visit the area.
“There's nothing there,” he said. “It's just a road. It's Front Street.”
Fontaine said that getting more people to cycle and walk in the area will increase the total volume of people coming into the downtown, and they will naturally go to many of the businesses in the area.
“This is in a place where it's not going to be competing with any other merchants,” he said. “There is no retail there.”
Fontaine believes that allowing micro businesses to temporarily set up on Front Street would “bring it to life.” He said there may be no interest on the part of food trucks or micro businesses to set up on Front Street on Sundays, but it’s something he thinks is worth exploring.
Coun. Paul Minhas, owner of Judge Begbie’s Tavern on Columbia Street, said he knows firsthand about the impacts of having small micro businesses opening in front of businesses, as it is something he has faced during events like the Pride Day and Car Free Day festivals.
“This is an area where it doesn't really affect too many of the local merchants in that neighbourhood. And if it does gain momentum, and if it does build up, actually it helps people move on to Front Street as well as Columbia Street, and it benefits them,” he said. “I just see a win-win situation on this. I don't see a loss to the downtown community for business wise.”
