Granville Mall, Vancouver

Last updated
Granville Mall
Flyer trolleybuses on the Granville Mall in 2019(2).jpg
A northbound trolley bus on the Granville Mall
Coordinates: 49°16′59″N123°07′02″W / 49.28309°N 123.11724°W / 49.28309; -123.11724
Locale Downtown Vancouver
Opened1974, 2010
Rebuilt2006–10
SkyTrain stations Translinkexpo.svg Granville
Translinkcanada.svg Vancouver City Centre
TransLink buses 4, 7, 10, 14, 16, 17, 20, 50

The Granville Mall is a transit mall and pedestrian zone in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It comprises the section of Granville Street in Downtown Vancouver between Hastings and Smithe streets. Most routes that service the mall are primarily trolleybuses operated by TransLink; [1] in addition to bus service, the Granville Mall can be accessed by SkyTrain from either Granville and Vancouver City Centre stations of the Expo and Canada lines, respectively.

Contents

History

A trolley bus on the old mall in 1985 Flyer trolleybuses on the Granville Mall in 1985.jpg
A trolley bus on the old mall in 1985
Granville Mall in 2006; this portion south of Robson Street remained open during Canada Line construction. Granville-mall.jpg
Granville Mall in 2006; this portion south of Robson Street remained open during Canada Line construction.
Canada Line subway station construction at the mall in 2008 Image Granvillemallskytrain.jpg
Canada Line subway station construction at the mall in 2008

The idea of closing off a section of Granville Street to automobile traffic arose after the city withdrew its freeway plan in 1968 due to community opposition. The city concluded that automobile use within downtown should be restricted in order to avoid overloading the area's street network, and subsequently designated the section of Granville between Hastings and Nelson streets a pedestrian and transit mall. [2] The Granville Mall opened for service on September 15, 1974. [3]

The Downtown Vancouver Association sought to re-open Granville between Nelson and Georgia streets to general traffic, and the city proceeded with that proposal in 1987 on a trial basis. The trial was declared unsuccessful and cancelled the following year, [4] although the city did re-open one block between Nelson and Smithe streets to general traffic in 1989, widening the section to four lanes. [2]

On April 24, 2006, the mall between Robson Street and Hastings Street was closed to all traffic, including transit buses, to allow construction of the Canada Line subway and Vancouver City Centre station. [5] During this closure, buses were re-routed to Seymour Street (northbound), Howe Street (southbound, routes crossing the Granville Street Bridge), and Richards Street (southbound, routes within downtown). As part of this construction, the 800, 600, and 500 blocks of Granville (between Smithe and Robson, and then again between Georgia and Pender) were open to all traffic, northbound, including on-street metered parking.

Before its closure, the Granville Mall was used by over 1,900 buses (90% electric trolleybuses) and 47,500+ transit riders on weekdays. Following studies and consultations, Vancouver City Council decided in the spring of 2006 to carry out a redesign of the mall after completion of the Canada Line subway under the street. Trolleybus service on the mall resumed on September 7, 2010; the buses continue to use Howe and Seymour streets in the evenings on weekends and holidays. [1]

Entertainment district

In somewhat of a contrast to the hustle and bustle of transit during the day, the centre portion of the Granville Mall and nearby streets play host to the city's primary urban retail and adult nightlife district after the evening rush hour. Known simply as the Granville Entertainment District contains countless bars, dance clubs, venues, restaurants, hotels, and shops with neon lights and a particularly urban gritty vibe are open daily until late into the night and extend to the wee hours of morning on weekends. The entertainment district was created by city zoning policies, concentrating adult nightlife operations which had previously been scattered throughout the greater downtown peninsula.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambie Street</span> Street in Vancouver, Canada

Cambie Street is a street in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is named for Henry John Cambie, chief surveyor of the Canadian Pacific Railway's western division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MBTA bus</span> Greater Boston bus network

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus. In 2022, the system had a ridership of 83,623,600, or about 319,400 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burrard station</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Burrard is an underground station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in Downtown Vancouver on Burrard Street, where Melville and Dunsmuir Streets meet, and is the western terminus of the R5 Hastings St that provides service to Simon Fraser University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granville station (SkyTrain)</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Granville is an underground station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located in Downtown Vancouver on the portion of Granville Street that is known as the Granville Mall. The station is accessible from the surface via entrances on Granville Street and Seymour Street, and the Dunsmuir entrance between Granville and Seymour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Street–Science World station</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Main Street–Science World is an elevated station on the Expo Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The station is accessible from both sides of Main Street at the intersection of Main Street and Terminal Avenue and is adjacent to Pacific Central Station, the city's inter-city railway and bus terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coast Mountain Bus Company</span> Bus transit services operator in Metro Vancouver

Coast Mountain Bus Company (CMBC) is the contract operator for bus transit services in Metro Vancouver and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority, known locally as TransLink, the entity responsible for public transit in the region. The buses form part of the integrated transit network of the Lower Mainland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">98 B-Line</span> Former express bus service in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The 98 B-Line was a bus rapid transit line in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It linked Richmond to Downtown Vancouver, with a connection to Vancouver International Airport. It travelled mainly along Granville Street in Vancouver and a dedicated bus lane on No. 3 Road in Richmond. It was operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and was funded by TransLink. The route was 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) long. The line carried over 18,000 passengers daily. It was discontinued on September 7, 2009, two and a half weeks after the opening of the Canada Line, which replaced it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">99 B-Line</span> Express bus service in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The 99 B-Line is an express bus line with bus rapid transit elements in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It travels along Broadway, a major east–west thoroughfare, and connects the University of British Columbia (UBC) to Commercial–Broadway station on the SkyTrain system. It is operated by Coast Mountain Bus Company and funded by TransLink.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Vancouver</span> Neighbourhood of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada

Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north shore of the False Creek inlet, which cuts into the Burrard Peninsula creating the Downtown Peninsula, where the West End neighbourhood and Stanley Park are also located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in Vancouver</span>

Transportation in Vancouver, British Columbia, has many of the features of modern cities worldwide. Unlike many large metropolises, Vancouver has no freeways into or through the downtown area. A proposed freeway through the downtown was rejected in the 1960s by a coalition of citizens, community leaders and planners. This event "signalled the emergence of a new concept of the urban landscape" and has been a consistent element of the city's planning ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Drive station</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Marine Drive is an elevated station on the Canada Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located at the intersection of Cambie Street and SW Marine Drive in Vancouver, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver City Centre station</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Vancouver City Centre is an underground station on the Canada Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is located on Granville Street, between West Georgia Street and Robson Street in Downtown Vancouver, and serves the shopping and entertainment districts along Granville and Robson streets, and the office and shopping complexes of Pacific Centre and Vancouver Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marpole Loop</span>

Marpole Loop is a public transit exchange in the Marpole neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The exchange is a part of Metro Vancouver's TransLink transit network. It is the southernmost transit exchange located within the city of Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kootenay Loop</span> Public transit exchange in Vancouver, Canada

Kootenay Loop is a bus loop in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the easternmost major transit exchange in the city of Vancouver, with routes serving Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver and the Tri-Cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B61 and B62 buses</span> Bus routes in Brooklyn, New York

The Crosstown Line is a public transit line in Brooklyn, New York City, running along Van Brunt Street and Manhattan Avenue between Red Hook and Long Island City, Queens. Originally a streetcar line, it is now the B61 and the B62 bus routes. The northern section, the B62, is operated by MTA New York City Bus' Grand Avenue Depot in Maspeth, Queens, and the southern section is the B61, operated by MTA New York City Bus' Jackie Gleason Depot in Sunset Park. The entire route was a single line, the B61, until January 3, 2010; the B62 was previously a separate, parallel route between Downtown Brooklyn and Greenpoint, now part of the B43 route. The streetcar line, B61 and the original B62 previously operated from the now-closed Crosstown Depot in Greenpoint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland Transit Mall</span> Public transit corridor in Portland, US

The Portland Transit Mall is a 1.2-mile (1.9 km) public transit corridor that travels north–south through the center of downtown in Portland, Oregon, United States. It comprises a pair of one-way streets—6th Avenue for northbound traffic and 5th Avenue for southbound—along which two of three lanes are restricted to transit buses and light rail vehicles only. As of September 2022, the corridor is served by the Green, Orange, and Yellow lines of MAX Light Rail; Frequent Express; and over a dozen local bus routes, all of which are services of TriMet, the transit agency operating within the Oregon side of the Portland metropolitan area. C-Tran, the transit agency for Clark County, Washington, additionally serves it with two express bus routes—#105 I-5 Express and #164 Fisher’s Landing Express.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R4 41st Ave</span> Express bus service in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The R4 41st Ave is an express bus route with bus rapid transit elements in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Part of TransLink's RapidBus network, it replaced the 43 Express that travelled along 41st Avenue, a major east–west route that connects the University of British Columbia (UBC) to the SkyTrain system's Oakridge–41st Avenue station on the Canada Line and Joyce–Collingwood station on the Expo Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R5 Hastings St</span> Express bus service in Metro Vancouver, Canada

The R5 Hastings St is an express bus service with bus rapid transit elements in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Part of TransLink's RapidBus network, it travels along Hastings Street, a major east–west route, and connects Simon Fraser University to the SkyTrain system's Burrard station on the Expo Line in Downtown Vancouver. It replaced the 95 B-Line route on January 6, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial–Broadway station</span> Metro Vancouver SkyTrain station

Commercial–Broadway is a rapid transit station complex in Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain system in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It serves an elevated portion of the Expo Line and a below-grade portion of the Millennium Line. It is a major transit hub, with the third-highest number of boardings of any SkyTrain station, and a terminus of the region's busiest bus route, the 99 B-Line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trolley buses in Vancouver</span> Electric transit system serving Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver trolley bus system forms part of the TransLink public transport network serving Metro Vancouver in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Opened in 1948, the system was originally owned and operated by the British Columbia Electric Railway. By 1954, Vancouver had the largest trolley bus fleet in Canada, with 327 units, and the fleet grew to an all-time peak of 352 in early 1957. There were 19 routes by 1955 and a peak of 20 by the second quarter of 1957. The last route to open in the 1950s was the only express trolley bus service that ever existed in Canada. Several, mostly short, extensions to the system were constructed in the 1980s and later.

References

  1. 1 2 Pabillano, Jhenifer (August 11, 2010). "Trolley service returns to Granville Mall on Tue Sept 7". The Buzzer Blog. TransLink. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Granville Street Redesign, Background, History of Granville Street". City of Vancouver . Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  3. "Granville Mall Service" (PDF). The Buzzer. British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority. September 6, 1974. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  4. "Granville Street Redesign, Background, History of Granville Street". City of Vancouver. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. "Transit service changes, effective Apr 24" (PDF). The Buzzer. TransLink. April 14, 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2019.