The successful closure of the Granville Mall in downtown Vancouver during the Olympics is leading to talk of regular weekend closures. (CBC)

Vancouver politicians, police and business leaders are so pleased with the success of the redeveloped Granville Mall during the Olympics that they could decide to close it regularly to vehicular traffic.

Once the ugly duckling of the downtown core, Granville Street has been transformed thanks to a $24-million facelift in preparation for the 2010 Games.

The Olympics have drawn record crowds, with an estimated 70,000 people flocking to the several-block stretch last weekend.

It's conceivable that traffic closures could be instituted every weekend, as long as there's more to the entertainment than just drinking establishments, the Downtown Business Improvement Association says.

"As long as we can find a way to program the space, have it full of activity, it's certainly something we would look into a little more closely," association president Charles Gauthier said Thursday.

Mayor sees support

The city's top politician also supports the initiative, in principle.

"There's a lot of support for keeping Granville, particularly on weekends for people to walk in and keep the cars out and the buses out," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. "We have to look at the logistics first."

Despite the huge crowds, there have been relatively few problems, according to Vancouver police.

"In any crowd dynamic, you want to expand the demographic and make it appeal to a lot of people," said spokesman Const. Lindsey Houghton. "We see a lot of families, a lot of people who are coming down with their children."

The post-Olympics challenge is to find a way to keep attracting many of the people who've enjoyed the mall for the past 10 days.

"Its kind of a chicken-and-egg thing," said Gauthier. "You need the buskers to bring the crowds down, but you also need the crowds there to support the buskers and what they do."