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Stanley Park Is Banning Car Access To Further Encourage Physical Distancing

Vancouver

Photo: Sworldguy / 604 Now Flickr Pool

As of noon on April 8th, the Vancouver Park Board will ban vehicle entrance at Stanley Park to further encourage physical distancing.

Once the closure is implemented, the Park Board will be encouraging cyclists to keep a safe physical distance from pedestrians by moving off the seawall and using the adjacent Stanley Park Drive, which will be free of traffic.

The Vancouver Park Board hopes the move will reduce the amount of vehicle traffic in park as it continues to enhance public safety measures amid COVID-19.

RELATED: Everyone Boarding BC Ferries Will Now Be Screened For COVID-19 Symptoms

The road closure will directly impact Stanley Park Drive, and all roads connected to it.

The closure will be carried out Wednesday morning and remain in place indefinitely. It will be implemented via physical barriers and signage at key access points to the park, supported by Park Rangers and the VPD.

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Digital traffic signs on Georgia Street, English Bay and the Stanley Park Causeway will alert motorists to the closure. The Causeway will remain open.

Officials have gone as far as closing parking lots and removing logs from beaches to encourage physical distancing, but people still continue to gather in the city’s outdoors.

“We’re going to reduce congestion in the park, to provide space on the roads within the park, and to relieve congestion on the adjacent seawalls to cyclists and to pedestrians,” stated Vancouver Park Board general manager Malcolm Bromley during a press conference on April 7th.

Physical distancing has had a positive impact in flattening the COVID-19 curve. Despite this, physical distancing is an on-going problem in Vancouver, with over 1,400 warnings handed out to date.

For more Vancouver news, head to our News section.

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