VANOC is hoping that commuting by car is abandoned during the 16 days of the Games. The City of Vancouver will use it as a trial run for its broader transportation objectives.
“Planning and infrastructure investments are paying off as we prioritize walking, biking, transit and goods movement, while attempting to limit single-occupancy vehicle volumes.”
This statement is not a part of VANOC’s Olympic transportation plan, but rather a quote taken directly from the City of Vancouver’s Transportation department website.
Clearly, Vancouver’s car commuters are going to be hard pressed to continue their preferences for getting around during the Games, as exclusive Olympic traffic lanes, severe parking resrictions and closed off streets will make getting behind the wheel a monumental test of patience. Here are just a few facts and figures:
- No. of vehicles now into and out of downtown: 400,000 per day
- No. of vehicles that will be affected by 2010 security closures: 80,000 per day
- Reduction of vehicles into and out of downtown during the Games: 20 per cent.
- Peak hour capacity in/out of the downtown to/from the east: 13,000 vehicles/hour
- Peak hour capacity on same roads during the security closures: 6,000 vehicles/hour
- Reduction of vehicles on east-west roads downtown roads during Games: 50 per cent.
- No of vehicles per day on Robson: 2,000 (near Cambie), up to 8,000 (near Burrard)
- No. of vehicles per day on Hamiltion: 4,000 (near Robson)
The City of Vancouver, however, will be looking very carefully at the successes and failures of such extreme measures to gauge the next steps towards making sustainability the defining feature of our transportation options.
