If the City of Burnaby wants to shut down a major road like Kingsway for a Car Free Day event, staff say it won't be cheap.
City staff gave councillors three Car Free Day options at a council meeting Feb. 11.
The options range from large-scale to small-scale, according to a staff report:
- $675,000: complex road closure with large footprint and contracting of programming and production support similar to other major city-produced festivals
- $295,000: Simpler pilot closure of Beresford Street between Willingdon Avenue and Sussex
- $120,000: Edmonds community pilot to “build towards a future fully programmed street festival with strong ownership by community partners”
Coun. Pietro Calendino, who first asked staff to research the Car Free Day plan last year, said he was “not too happy” with the idea of smaller pilots.
“I’d envisioned a street where there is a lot of traffic, that we would discourage traffic on that street,” he said.
Calendino had suggested major streets such as Hastings, Kingsway, Edmonds and Central Boulevard.
While he acknowledged Beresford would be easier to organize, he said it didn’t serve his intended purpose: “to discourage people from using cars on that day on a major street.”
He hoped staff would explore if the city could start small on Sixth Street, or close Central Boulevard along with Beresford.
Emmaline Hill, director of culture, said traffic engineering staff considered the impacts and the cost of closing the main thoroughfares outlined in Calendino’s original motion.
“In some cases, they were quite extensive, which is why you see that large, nearly $700,000 budget that was projected initially for events like this,” Hill said.
She noted analysis also included the degree to which there are “built-in activations” along the thoroughfare, such as small businesses, restaurants, boutiques and community groups that can spill out on the street “to really make it an exciting and vibrant space.”
Calendino said, “Obviously, it all comes down to cost and where the council is prepared to put in the funding.”
Coun. Daniel Tetrault said Beresford would be a good test as the area has been marked as a potential future entertainment area.
Coun. Sav Dhaliwal said he leaned towards the Edmonds pilot, possibly along Sixth Street.
“It’s a thriving business area,” Dhaliwal said.
Through 1,000 surveys taken at major local events last year, the city found 80 per cent of respondents expressed interest in attending more Car Free Days, according to the report. Almost half of the respondents (44 per cent) were under the age of 34.
Staff said organizers of similar events highlighted the importance of engaging local community groups including businesses, service organizations and institutions to “improve the authenticity, vibrancy and local ownership of the event.”
“Community members are likely to be more eager to participate if the event can be organized to address local challenges and opportunities,” said the report.
Council is expected to discuss the city’s operating budget, including options for Car Free Day, within the next month.
