Turtle Place, the downtown Vancouver terminus for The Vine, C-Tran’s bus rapid transit system, could host up to two food trucks or carts in the future. On Tuesday, the agency’s board of directors approved changes to a policy that will allow food vendors on the site and could lead to other C-Tran facilities allowing them as well. Alisha Jucevic/The Columbian Photo Gallery
Food carts and trucks have become staples of the downtown Vancouver cityscape in recent years, and now C-Tran has added its own property to the list of places where hungry consumers and vendors can meet.
On Tuesday night, the C-Tran board of directors unanimously approved updates to an agency policy that will offer up Turtle Place — the terminus along West Seventh Street between Main and Washington streets for the agency’s bus rapid transit service — as one more option for locals to grab some food.
The agency believes that allowing up to two food vendors at Turtle Place, and possibly its other properties, will give its customers a better transit experience, draw nonriders to their facilities and help stimulate economic activity in the city.
For decades, C-Tran has had a policy of prohibiting street vendors from using any of its facilities — with the occasional exception. But now, the transit agency is embracing the food truck trend and recognizing the enhanced community experience they can provide.
First targeted toward vendors in 1985, then updated in 2001, the policy excluded vendors except for “special, one-time only events that may be approved by the Board of Directors from time to time.” However, as cities and transit agencies across the country have come to embrace street food culture, C-Tran has jumped on board. While the board approved the motion just this week, allowing food vendors at Turtle Place has been considered by the agency since the planning stages of the The Vine.
During the final design of Turtle Place, project stakeholders, including the city of Vancouver, supported the idea of incorporating food vendors. Thus, when the site was upgraded to accommodate bus rapid transit, water and electricity hookups were added for vendors.
However, C-Tran waited for more than a year after The Vine went live before deciding to allow food vendors at the site.
“We wanted to monitor operations at the plaza in the wake of the launch of (bus rapid transit), to ensure that vendors wouldn’t inhibit transit functions,” C-Tran spokeswoman Christine Selk said. “We now feel it’s an opportune time to launch this pilot project.”
Food vendor approvals will be decided by C-Tran CEO Shawn Donaghy, based on three primary factors: first, that the Federal Transit Administration must allow for incidental use — that’s already happened at Turtle Place; second, that the public interest is being served without interfering with C-Tran’s operations; and third, a risk assessment of C-Tran’s liabilities.
Jessica Terry, general manager of the food truck Fixins — A Taste Of The South, said she was encouraged by C-Tran’s plan to open Turtle Place to food trucks.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea. It’s nice to know the city is supporting the food trucks,” she said. “It’s pretty hard to find a good spot. There’s not a lot of locations for us to be at. We have to take what we can get.”
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