Pedestrian-only Granville 'party zone' a success

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - It appears closing the Granville Entertainment district to traffic on weekends has been successful in curbing crime.

Disturbance calls for 2008 dropped 13 per cent compared to the year before. The VPD's Granville Street Closure Report also shows fight-related calls dropped five per cent. And the number of complaints about people intoxicated in public was nearly cut in half.

The report also asked people and local businesses what they think of the street closures. The perception is that there are fewer incidents about drunk and disorderly conduct, and street violence. But public disorder and harassment, in terms of panhandling, is still a problem.