Taylor Swift chaos hits Vancouver: What you need to know to get around

It’s going to be a busy weekend for residents and visitors to downtown Vancouver.

The City of Vancouver is warning everyone that traffic is going to be slower this weekend – from Friday, Dec. 6 to Sunday, Dec. 8.

Taylor Swift is in town for the final three shows of her Eras Tour but in addition, the Vancouver Canucks are playing on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., Cirque du Soleil has six shows over the weekend and there are many other events, including the Vancouver Christmas Market at Jack Poole Plaza.

Thousands of people are expected to flood into the downtown area over the three days.

The City of Vancouver said everyone should expect delays, especially near BC Place, Rogers Arena and Concord Pacific Place.

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Whenever possible, people should walk, bike, roll, take a car-share or take transit to and from downtown.

TransLink is providing extra service across bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus on all three Swift concert nights with a special Rogers West Coast Express ‘Midnight’ Train on Saturday, Dec. 7.

Click to play video: 'Taylor Swift merchandise pop-ups draw huge crowds'

Taylor Swift merchandise pop-ups draw huge crowds

Various concert-related road closures and passenger zones will be in effect from noon until midnight on Friday, Dec. 6, Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8.

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Road closures and local access:

  • Full closure of the 700 and 800 blocks of Beatty Street between Smithe Street and West Georgia Street
  • Full closure of Pacific Boulevard from the Cambie Bridge off-ramp to Pat Quinn Way
  • Full closure of northbound Cambie Bridge off-ramp to Pacific Boulevard eastbound
  • Full closure of the 100 block of Robson Street between Cambie Street and Beatty Street

Local residents and hotel guests in the area will still be able to access these locations, the city confirmed.

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Designated passenger zones will be in effect on Cambie and Hamilton streets from Smithe Street to West Georgia Street, along with Pacific Boulevard between Pat Quinn Way and Quebec Street which drivers, taxis and ride shares can use as pick-up and drop-off zones for up to three minutes.

Mobi by Rogers is helping to make biking to the events easier by ensuring dock availability near BC Place at the Dunsmuir & Beatty, Expo & Smithe and Carrall and Seawall stations.

More information and a map of the Stadium District and closures can be found here.

Click to play video: 'Pop-up Taylor Swift merchandise store drawing large crowds in Vancouver'

Pop-up Taylor Swift merchandise store drawing large crowds in Vancouver

Notable works with traffic impacts include:

  • Cambie Street Bridge: Reduced to one lane each way, to support ongoing deck rehabilitation work in addition to a concert-related closure of the northbound off-ramp from the bridge onto Pacific Boulevard from noon until midnight daily on Dec. 6, 7, and 8.
  • Oak Street between West 64th and 70th Avenues: A minimum of one lane in each direction will be open to support ongoing sewer upgrade work and scheduled crane activity on Dec. 7.

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