A group of seniors is worried a Vancouver proposal to close off the road in front of their retirement homes will leave them feeling trapped.

The city is considering blocking traffic on Bucketwheel, a small side street near the False Creek Seawall. The proposal suggests turning the narrow roadway into a protected bike and pedestrian lane, arguing that the move would keep vehicles away from the Seawall, which runs just east of the area.

But some residents who live in the seniors' homes on Bucketwheel have described the closure as a "really bad idea."

The homes, Fairview Manor and Clarke Manor, are the only buildings on the section of the street, and house approximately 40 seniors each.

"We need access to taxis, HandyDARTs, emergency vehicles," Leone Konings told CTV News on Friday.

Having vehicles stop at the end of the street, rather than drive up to the buildings, would be difficult for residents with mobility issues.

"Yesterday, one of the neighbours was brought down here by hospital transfer, and he's just had his leg amputated," Konings said.

"We have people up to the age of 95: One lady who's in her 90s that broke her hip a couple of years ago, and somebody who has arthritis in their feet and can hardly walk without crutches, and somebody who's had a couple of operations on their hips and find it very difficult to walk."

Konings has started a petition, which she plans to pass on to the city. So far, she's collected approximately 40 signatures.

Joe Baxter, a senior who has lived in Fairview Manor for 15 years, said he signed the petition because the closure would increase the risk of residents falling.

"If the folks have to go out there on a slippery day… it would really put them in jeopardy," he said.

Baxter said he has a spinal injury and needs crutches, and has to be careful whenever he walks.

"They would be putting seniors here at risk without realizing the impact of the decision they make," he said.

Recommendations on how to improve one of the oldest portions of the Seawall, including the closure to traffic, will be before City Council next week.

Dale Bracewell, the city's manager of transportation planning, said the officials asked the public for input, and that the majority of respondents said they supported a reduction in vehicle traffic near the Seawall.

If approved, the city would accommodate a loading zone on Moberly Road. Konings said she thinks that the city should forgo its plan to block off the area, but that if it must put in a bollard to block vehicles, the barrier should be installed at the other end of Bucketwheel, on Millbank.

Seniors and those with disabilities are also worried about the city's 10th Avenue Corridor Project, which could eliminate as many as 77 parking spots near the Vancouver General Hospital.

Advocates spoke out earlier this week, telling CTV News that people in wheelchairs or with walking challenges need to be able to park near medical facilities.

City staff said the 10th Avenue bikeway is one of the busiest routes in the city, with almost as many cyclists as vehicles travelling through the area each day in the summer.

The city said planners will ensure that there is still enough access to emergency and other medical facilities.

Planners are mulling three proposals, and construction on the project is scheduled to begin next year.

With reports from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim