City of Vancouver takes steps to remove mysterious West End van

It might be the greenest car in Vancouver – for all the wrong reasons.

For at least three years, a large, rundown van has been parked at the corner of Haro and Nicola Street in Vancouver’s West End.

It seemingly never moves, and is covered in so much slime that people have written on it.

“It’s just disgusting,” said one of many nearby residents who complained to Global News about the van, its cleanliness, and the fact it takes up valuable parking space in the neighbourhood.

“It’s growing moss on there now…there’s dead bodies in there, who knows?”

But every year someone has put a new insurance decal on the car, along with a parking pass. And while the van itself appears to be packed with boxes and old rags, the dash itself is clean.

“That van scares me!” said another West End denizen.

“It’s there all the time, and I keep wanting to call the police to get it taken away, but it has the sticker on the back, so legally it can stand there…maybe there’s a mystery to it, but whatever it is, maybe it’ll be gone.”

And it appears her wishes may be heeded. According to city councillor Melissa De Genova, the city has contacted the vehicle’s owner because of all the complaints.

“They’re trying to work something amicable out with the vehicle owner to have the vehicle moved by the end of the month,” she said.