Cars to be banned from Stanley Park to encourage physical distancing

UPDATE April 10, 2020: The Vancouver Park Board said the seawall is now closed to cyclists to leave more room for pedestrians. Cyclists can still use Stanley Park Drive andBeach Avenue.

The Vancouver Park Board is banning cars from Stanley Park and encouraging cyclists to stay off the seawall in an effort to stop crowding within the immensely popular park.

Officials said the park will be closed to all vehicle traffic as of noon Wednesday. Cyclists are also now being asked to start usingStanley Park Drive, which will be entirely car-free, and avoid the waterfront path to put more space between themselves and pedestrians.

"Most people are trying their best ... but our job is to prevent people from getting sick," the board's general manager, Malcolm Bromley, said Tuesday.

"Social and physical distancing is working ... but we can't let up. And at the park board, we won't let up."

The board tried to reduce the amount of traffic going through the park by closing all of its parking lots on March 22. A statement saidvisitors have been driving to the park anyway and parking illegally on the side of the road,especially on sunny days.

The result has been a park stillteeming with visitors, even though the public has been repeatedlyasked toavoidcrowds andmaintain physical distancing.

A stretch of warm, dry weather hasn't helped.

The statement said new barriers will be put in place to block key access points to the park, with enforcement from park rangers and Vancouver police. Traffic signs before the entrance points from major roads will remind drivers that they cannot drive through the park.

Roads through Stanley Parkwill remain open for emergency responders, parks staff and the No. 19 transitbus. Tenants will also have limited access.

Bike traffic through the park will continue to flow in the normalone-way, counter-clockwise direction.

1,600 warnings issued

More than25 staffhave been assigned to crowded areas of the park to remind people to stay two metres apart from others to slow the spread of COVID-19. Bromleysaid employees have issued 1,600 warnings, to date, for people who aren't staying far enough away from others in public.

Parking lots at all beaches and parks in the city are currently closed. Board director Howard Normann said closing Stanley Park entirely at this stage is "highly unlikely," but the board will do what it has to do to follow heath officials' advice for keeping people safe.

"We don't want to have to take further action to keep people safe, but will do so if needed," said Normann.

"We are asking people to leave their vehiclesat home, visit Stanley Park if you are in the neighbourhood, cycle responsibly on [Stanley] Park Drive and interior roads, jog and run the seawall, but please, leave enoughdistance between yourself and others."

The board is encouraging people to avoid visiting the park at peak hours and on sunny days, when it is most crowded.

The park is one of the city's most renowned tourist attractions, drawing eight million visitors in a typical year. It's also a favoured escape forthousands of locals, with vast green space and the longest uninterrupted waterfront path in the world.