Agenda Index City of Vancouver

ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

TO:

Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic

FROM:

General Manager of Engineering Services and Director of Current Planning

SUBJECT:

Granville Street (and Granville Mall) between Drake and Cordova

 

RECOMMENDATION

GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS

COUNCIL POLICY

Council has established priorities for transportation modes, with the greatest increase in travel expected to occur on public transit.

The 1997 Transportation Plan reinforces the need to provide a balanced transportation system within the downtown.

The 1991 Central Area Plan reinforces the need to promote a pedestrian friendly central area.

PURPOSE

This report reviews the role of Granville Street within the context of the downtown transportation network and provides recommendations for its future direction.

BACKGROUND

In 1974, Granville Street, between Nelson and Hastings, was converted from a six-lane street to a two-lane transit and pedestrian mall in an effort to revitalize retail activity, improve transit operations, and to rejuvenate Granville Street.

In 1987, vehicular access to the mall was introduced for a six month trial period between Nelson and Georgia during the weekday evenings and all day Sunday and Holidays. At the conclusion of the trial, the results were generally unfavourable due to motorist confusion, delays to transit operations, pedestrian safety concerns, and limited benefits to businesses.

Also in 1987, Council approved a series of initiatives to try to resolve a number of non-traffic problems along Granville Street, particularly south of Nelson Street. A number of zoning initiatives were undertaken including the creation of the Downtown South residential community and the Granville entertainment district.

In 1988, the mall's roadway was rebuilt and a one block section between Nelson and Smithe was widened from two to four lanes to permit the reintroduction of general traffic.

In 1997, a study of building frontages along Granville Street in Downtown South was undertaken to assist in the creation of a distinct urban character for the street as an entertainment district and as a pedestrian-oriented shopping area. In the same year, a studyexploring several alternatives for introducing traffic into Granville Mall was initiated by members of the business community.

In 1999, Council approved the planning process for the Downtown Transportation Plan, which included a review of the future of Granville Mall.

DISCUSSION

Transit Operations

Granville Mall is the busiest street in the downtown, carrying more people than any other street by all modes. Granville Mall is also the busiest transit corridor in the downtown, serving 10 local bus routes, with 95% of trips provided by trolley buses. It also represents one of the most significant transit priority measures within the City. Other north-south downtown bus corridors, such as Seymour, Howe and Burrard, contain primarily regional routes served by diesel buses.

In the morning peak hour, there are about 230 buses travelling in two directions along the two-lane mall. Approximately 7,500 passengers are served in this peak hour with a bus passing by any given point every 25 seconds. The volume of buses on Granville Mall remains high throughout the day, unlike other streets that show more pronounced peaking. For comparison purposes, Lions Gate Bridge carries about 6,800 people (in cars and buses) in both directions in the morning peak hour using three traffic lanes. Given the significant carrying capacity of Granville Mall, transit service along the mall is critical in providing the access to downtown Vancouver that is essential to its continued economic vitality and growth.

Because general traffic on Granville Mall is restricted, transit service along the mall is more reliable, and potential delays from general traffic are dramatically reduced. As well, the concentration of buses in both directions and proximity to the Granville Street SkyTrain Station provide transit customers with convenient transit connections and good route legibility (i.e. understanding where to catch a bus to destinations throughout Vancouver). Finally, Granville Mall provides good transit access to many businesses given its central location within the downtown. Alternative configurations that relocate some bus routes to other streets would reduce the high level of service now being provided.

TransLink has been consulted throughout and they support maintaining bus priority along Granville Mall. Translink has also indicated that the mall could provide greater benefits fortransit service than it now provides. TransLink has identified a number of potential improvements to the mall to enhance its functionality and appearance, all of which would require further review in the future.

· The physical environment needs to be updated and maintained.
· Improved passenger and pedestrian amenities are required.
· Signal timings at cross streets on the mall should be reviewed.
· Facilities for parking of service vehicles should be included in the mall design.
· Options to minimize delays at bus stops should be considered, particularly with the introduction of wheelchair accessible trolleys. Solutions could include bus bays to allow buses to pass each other.

As part of the Downtown Transportation Plan, Granville Street was identified as one of several potential routes for a future downtown streetcar. Therefore, the corridor should be preserved to provide options for future downtown streetcar decisions.

Pedestrian Environment

The width of the sidewalks on both sides of the mall total 17 metres. The actual width on each side varies because of the curvilinear street. Generally, the current sidewalk widths provide enough space for pedestrians to walk unimpeded, a variety of street furniture (bus shelters, benches, litter receptacles, bike racks, newspaper boxes, etc.), street trees, commercial uses such as sidewalk cafes, and accommodating large congregations of people at intersections, bus stops, and transit stations. The growing Entertainment District is also placing a high demand for sidewalk space in front of theatres and nightclubs during peak periods at night. In terms of pedestrian volumes, Granville Mall is a major pedestrian street, second only to Robson Street, with about 16,000 pedestrians over a seven hour period mid-day.

The streetscape of Granville Mall has not changed substantially since it was built in 1974. The streetscape elements are currently outdated and complaints are received about the condition and style of the street furniture, maintenance of the sidewalk, lighting fixtures and the inconsistent design treatment in several areas. The aesthetics of Granville Mall, coupled with social issues in some sections of the street (such as graffiti and panhandling) add to its reputation.

Many people relate the reputation of the Granville Mall directly to its most visible distinction - the lack of general traffic. It is not clear what, if any, impacts the introduction of generaltraffic would have on some of the social problems along the mall. In fact, problems appear more prevalent at the southern end of Granville Street where general traffic is permitted.

Notwithstanding the important role of Granville Mall within the downtown's transportation network, there is a need to upgrade and enhance the character of the street. Granville Street is proposed as the major north-south greenway in the Downtown Transportation Plan. Therefore it is recommended that a commercial streetscape/entertainment district/greenway design scheme be developed for Granville Street between Drake and Cordova, to upgrade and enhance the character of the street and promote economic activity. This would be coordinated with the new Street Furniture Program. Upon completion of the study, the cost and funding source for any proposed capital work would be reported back to Council.

In addition, a review of options for managing the mall to better promote and manage on-street activities and assets of the mall is recommended. There is general agreement that the mall needs to be recognized as a special street within the downtown and that successful malls in North America provide some form of integrated mall management. Since retail coordination and collective management of commercial initiatives have been vested by Council in the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, it is essential that this organization be a partner in this evaluation.

General Traffic

The Downtown Transportation Plan team has reviewed the functions of all streets within the downtown and has not identified a need to increase traffic capacity on Granville Street. However, there are a number of reasons given by stakeholders for reintroducing general traffic to the mall, including:

· Improved vehicular access to properties along the mall;
· The creation of a direct vehicular gateway into the Downtown from across the Granville Street Bridge;
· The creation of a more typical street with access by all modes of transportation;
· Increased exposure to businesses, as well as potential visits if parking is provided;
· Better returns on property investments; and
· A catalyst to improve other conditions (social, economic, etc.).
· An incentive for property owners to financially participate in changes to the mall.

In consultation with a select group of stakeholders representing some property owners and merchants, staff undertook a conceptual review of options for introducing general traffic tothe mall. Although the review was not exhaustive and did not include all stakeholders, two half-day sessions yielded the following conclusions:

· A number of potential configurations for reintroducing traffic were identified;
· Introducing traffic to the existing two-lane mall would increase travel times and decrease reliability of the buses;
· Relocating local bus routes from Granville Mall/Street to adjacent streets would compromise the level of service currently provided to transit users in terms of convenience and legibility;
· Widening the mall and introducing traffic would decrease the impacts of general traffic on transit service;
· Further detailed analysis (micro-simulation) would be required to determine precisely the impacts the introduction of traffic along a widened mall would have on transit operations;
· Any widening of Granville Mall would have an impact on the width and usability of the sidewalks;
· Introducing traffic to the mall may eliminate mid-block pedestrian crossings currently allowed; and
· There is a strong desire for significant physical improvements to the mall, whether or not traffic is reintroduced.

Assessment of Introducing General Traffic to Granville Mall

All options for introducing traffic along the mall require significant tradeoffs. An option that received the most interest from the select group of stakeholders was the introduction of northbound traffic only with parking on the east side. This would require an additional traffic lane to accommodate northbound traffic plus one additional parking lane on the east side of the street. There was a desire by some to pursue this option with further detailed analysis to determine the transit impacts and its possibility for implementation.

Staff has used the regional traffic model to provide an assessment of the impact of introducing traffic to a four-lane roadway along the length of Granville Mall. The results of the model for the downtown network indicate that the new traffic lanes on Granville Mall would attract vehicles from adjoining streets. The overall benefit to general traffic in terms of travel time and travel speeds would be minor, and would come at the more significant expense of transit travel times and speeds. For this four-lane scenario and with turns permitted at all intersections, it is estimated that the cost to transit operations due to increased delays would be a minimum of $2.5M per year in order to maintain the samecapacity. The competitive advantage of cars over transit also increases, resulting in fewer people taking transit (reducing transit revenue) and more traffic congestion because of additional car usage. These annual costs would be on top of the capital cost (between $4M and $5M) required for reconstructing the mall. A more detailed assessment of the impacts would require the use of a traffic micro-simulation model, rather than the regional traffic model used to assess the overall impacts of the Downtown Transportation Plan. However, with the regional model, one can conclude that the introduction of a single direction of traffic with parking would also negatively impact transit operations.

In 1997, a similar four-lane scenario along Granville Mall was analysed by a transportation consulting firm (Bunt & Associates) on behalf of members of the business community. The preliminary assessment concluded that with left turns restricted at most intersections, transit operations on Granville Mall would not be significantly compromised. The study did recognize the potential for increased pedestrian conflicts because of the reduced sidewalk widths. Because of the cursory level of analysis, the study implies the need for further detailed assessment to determine the impacts more precisely.

In addition to immediate transit impacts with the introduction of general traffic, there would be less flexibility for future improvements to bus operations along the mall. Although this is not readily quantifiable, there would be significant opportunity costs, given the projected growth in employment and population within the downtown.

The negative impacts to the pedestrian realm from introducing general traffic to Granville Mall would be just as significant. For example, the introduction of one additional traffic lane and one additional parking lane would narrow the existing sidewalks by about 6 metres. This represents about 35% of the existing sidewalk widths and would make them slightly narrower than the sidewalk widths along Robson Street where required building setbacks have been achieved. This would impact the ability of the sidewalk to provide space for all the uses currently desired along the street. Unlike Robson Street, Granville Mall has more diverse sidewalk uses that require more space, such as transit passengers waiting for a bus and nightclub/theatre patrons queuing. Future uses would also be compromised given the trend for more people to walk around downtown throughout the day as indicated in TransLink's Trip Diary Survey (50% increase between 1994 and 1999). The vehicular traffic would also increase air and noise pollution along the mall portion of Granville Street, making it less pedestrian friendly. Overall, the character of the street would be changed and more dominated by traffic.

Other Modes

Service vehicles with permits, emergency vehicles, taxis and bicycles are currently allowed on Granville Mall. They are all required to share the road space with transit vehicles. Any changes to the mall would need to take these modes into consideration.

Public Consultation

As part of the Downtown Transportation Plan process, extensive consultations with stakeholders about the Granville Mall were undertaken. In addition to general public meetings and open houses, specific consultations on Granville Mall were undertaken at the following events:

- workshops on transit issues, pedestrian issues, and Granville Mall;
- walk-abouts along Granville Street/Mall during the day and evening; and
- a bike-about throughout the downtown, including Granville Mall.

At these venues there was general support for making improvements to the mall. However, opinions were divided about whether or not traffic should be reintroduced to the mall. Other suggestions included:

- making it a pedestrian only mall;
- making it a pedestrian and streetcar mall; and
- putting surface light rapid transit along the mall.

To better gauge public reaction to the idea of reintroducing traffic to the mall, questions were asked in two of our newsletters and in a random sample survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid. The results, shown in Appendix A, show that the majority do not support reintroducing traffic to the mall. Opposition was 58% among residents and commuters, and 52% among businesses in the Ipsos-Reid Survey.

An informal survey of property owners along the mall conducted by the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association reportedly show that a significant majority of respondents favour introducing traffic into the mall.

Financial Implications

The cost of a streetscape/entertainment district/greenway design consultancy for Granville Street, between Drake and Cordova, is estimated to be about $60,000. This will be funded from 2001 Streets Basic Capital Budget - Greenways (CA2EA2H, order number 30003084). TransLink would be requested to participate and share in the cost of this design. Depending upon the final outcome of the design, the City may incur future capital costs. These costs will be further identified and presented to Council upon conclusion of the study with a potential source of funding. Potential cost-sharing arrangements with TransLink for the capital costs would also be pursued.

Conclusion

From a transportation perspective, there are significant public benefits to retaining the mall for transit and pedestrian uses only. Given the limitations on increasing road capacity for general traffic, the most effective way to maintain accessibility into downtown is by transit. Since Granville Street/Mall represents the busiest downtown street, the most important downtown bus corridor, and one of the busiest downtown pedestrian corridors, it should be retained for buses and pedestrians without being encumbered by general traffic. This would allow the greatest flexibility in improving bus operations in the near and distant future, and the greatest flexibility in managing sidewalk use along the busy pedestrian corridor. The majority of residents and businesses participating in the Ipsos-Reid random sample survey and those responding to the City's newsletter questionnaire support this position.

All options for reintroducing general traffic to the mall would require significant tradeoffs to transit operations and sidewalk widths. The regional transportation model provides an assessment that shows a negative impact to transit operations. A more detailed assessment of the impacts would require the use of a traffic micro-simulation model.

Apart from the transportation issue, there is a strong desire for significant public realm changes along Granville Street. Therefore, the development of a streetscape/entertainment district/greenway design for the street is recommended in preparation for physical upgrades to the streetscape environment. To assist in the longer term health of Granville Mall, a recommendation is also made to review options for mall management.

* * * * *

Link to Appendix A

Comments or questions? You can send us email.
[City Homepage] [Get In Touch]

(c) 1998 City of Vancouver