Council voted yesterday to approve a permanent pedestrian plaza along the 800-block of Robson Street. This means that no vehicular traffic, including buses, will no longer be able to travel along that block.
The Seniors’ Advisory Committee did not have ample time to discuss this issue in detail at its last meeting, but previous committees have provided several comments, which we refer to in our letter to Council dated April 19.
In particular, the committees indicated that re-routing the #5 Robson/Downtown bus in previous years (during temporary closures of the block) posed a barrier to many older adults (especially those in the West End) who are dependent on the bus for safe, convenient, and direct access to amenities and services in the downtown core. This kind of access is vital to help reduce social isolation, which we have recognized as problem with major health consequences.
We strongly urge Council to ask staff to continue working with relevant stakeholders (e.g., TransLink, West End groups, and the Seniors’ Advisory Committee) to consider different transit alternatives that may better serve the needs of seniors now that this plaza is permanently closed to traffic.
