Our parks are beautiful places that we are proud to share, but they were never intended to be international tourist destinations.
In 2014, it became apparent we needed to address the traffic woes caused by increasing numbers of visitors in Deep Cove and we initiated a community dialogue. Despite implementing many community-inspired suggestions, the tourist numbers have kept growing.
Our neighbourhoods and trails never envisioned these numbers. Recognizing this, the District of North Vancouver has begun piloting several tools to help ease traffic, crowds, and parking issues in some of our most popular visitor destinations. These additional demand management strategies are designed to make your streets safer and less crowded, prevent environmental damage, and ensure that emergency vehicles have easier access to neighbourhoods.
In Deep Cove, measures include new parking regulations and increased enforcement, additional traffic control, commercial bus restrictions, and an increase in the number of community liaison staff and park rangers. So far, visitor numbers recorded by our park rangers suggest that these steps are already having a positive impact.
For example, trail usage at Quarry Rock dropped 25 per cent from 41,000 trail users in May to 31,000 in June.
Reducing the amount of wear on the trail and ensuring trail users are safe is a major priority of our summer action plan. The plan is not meant to prevent people from visiting and enjoying the outdoors: with less crowding, Quarry Rock becomes a safer and more enjoyable place for all.
The decline in the number of trail users likely results from the reduction in tour buses to Deep Cove. This type of traffic was identified as a major issue in the area, as the large size of these buses causes congestion and noise disruption.
Since implementation, only five non-permitted buses were recorded coming into Deep Cove, and subsequently ticketed. Permitted buses are still granted access, however the additional requirement has quieted demand. Fewer than 30 permits were issued from May to June.
While things seem to be moving along well, the rest of the summer will provide a clearer picture of what worked and what we can improve on for next year.
As always, we welcome visitors to the North Shore and hope that everyone enjoys their time in this special corner of the world, but encourage everyone to consider other modes of transportation when they plan their visits. Parking availability can always be checked through the district’s Twitter account,
@NVanDistrict, where our traffic control personnel send out helpful weekend updates for both Deep Cove and Lynn Canyon.
As the summer months progress, please continue to provide the district with your feedback by connecting with us at [email protected].
In fall, staff will report back on the pilot project and your input will help shape next year’s plan. Visit dnv.org/summerplan to learn more. ■
