Jan Voss’ livelihood depends on moving cars.
But on Sunday, the professional traffic engineer will be amongst the throng of 20,000 people expected to enjoy Port Moody’s second Car-Free Day on St. Johns Street.
That’s when a section of the city’s busy commuter thoroughfare will be closed to traffic and given over to a pedestrian party that runs from noon to 7 p.m. and includes live music, family activities like rock climbing, street hockey, roving entertainment and more than 120 booths showcasing local merchants, artisans and community groups as well as a Brewers Row beer garden at the Queens Street plaza.
Voss lives in the neighbourhood. He also owns Creative Traffic Solutions, a Port Moody company that conducts traffic surveys and provides engineering services to help clients manage traffic. More and more, those traffic solutions are accommodating the needs of users beyond cars and trucks, like pedestrians and cyclists, Voss said.
“Cities are starting to repurpose their infrastructure to a multimodal focus,” he said, adding events that close roads serve as a reminder that those roads belong to people, not cars.
Voss said traffic surveys his company conducts now often count pedestrians and cyclists, not just motor vehicles, and the results can lead to design considerations like wider sidewalks, more space for patios and the integration of bike lanes.
“If you’re moving 100 people, you want to make sure you accommodate all modes,” Voss said. “You’re really trying to slowly change to a more balanced approach.”
Voss said the move to take North American streets back from cars has its roots in Europe, where traffic calming has been part of the urban landscape since even before there was traffic that needed calming.
“What’s old is new again,” Voss said.
But changing behaviours and transportation patterns that have been ingrained for generations is a slow process. Hosting car-free days and closing streets to accommodate events are a start that can lead to more reclamation initiatives.
“If you have one, then you can have another the next year that is longer, and before you know it, you’ve got a huge success,” Voss said. “People can decide how to use the roads.”
• To accommodate Car-Free Day, St. Johns Street will be closed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 19, with through traffic and buses diverted to Clarke Street. For more information about the road closure and how to get around it, go to portmoody.ca. The Shoreline Shuttle free bus service, which connects Inlet Centre, Rocky Point Park and Moody Centre, will operate from noon to midnight, with an additional temporary stop on Clarke Street between Kyle and Queens streets. For more information go to portmoody.ca/shuttle.
