Calm or chaos? East Vancouver residents sick of traffic calming barriers
Television coverage from Hastings-Sunrise, with residents describing what the closures have meant for getting around the neighbourhood.
In the news
Press coverage
What journalists and observers have reported about the barricades in Hastings-Sunrise, and about the residents organising to have them removed.
These are other people’s words, not ours. Each item links to the original.
Vancouver man says traffic calming measures leaving people “barricaded in their own neighbourhood”
Karin Larsen reports from Hastings-Sunrise on residents who say the changes have turned local streets into a maze. The piece features a resident of more than fifty years, a 74-year-old on Parker Street who says she is now afraid to use her own back lane, and a cafe owner on Windermere Street who lost customers and parking when a barrier appeared outside his door.
The City told CBC the measures follow extensive public consultation, that Vancouver Fire Rescue Services helped design the changes, and that speed and volume data will be collected in autumn 2026 with any adjustments made in early 2027.
Some Hastings-Sunrise residents pushing back on traffic calming measures in their neighbourhood
Radio coverage on CBC’s afternoon programme, hosted by Gloria Macarenko, on why residents in the affected blocks want the barriers reconsidered.
Residents call for removal of traffic barriers in Vancouver’s Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood
Television coverage of the campaign, filmed in the neighbourhood, with residents describing the effect of the closures on how they get around.
Whose neighbourhood is it? Inside the Hastings-Sunrise barrier fight
A twelve minute radio interview with Tom Siracusa, spokesperson for Remove The Barriers and a Hastings-Sunrise resident, on what the closures have meant for people living in the affected blocks.
This one is an interview rather than a report. It is the campaign putting its own case, and worth weighing as such.
East Van Traffic Coalition wants the City of Vancouver to remove the concrete barriers
The civic affairs watchdog covers the coalition’s formation and its request that the City reconsider the barriers in specific Hastings-Sunrise blocks, with background on how the measures were introduced.
About this page. We link to coverage whether or not it agrees with us, and we do not edit what other people have written. Where a report includes the City’s response, we have summarised that response too. Follow the links and read the originals.
Summaries here are ours. They are not quotations, and they are not endorsed by the outlets concerned.
Media inquiries and neighbourhood press tours
Remove The Barriers welcomes coverage from local, national and independent media. We would be glad to show journalists, reporters and content creators the real-world effect that the road closures and barriers installed under the City of Vancouver’s traffic calming program are having on our community.
Book a guided press tour
See the barriers and hear from affected residents firsthand. We invite news crews and digital creators to join our organizers for an on-the-ground look at the traffic and access problems residents are living with.
During the tour, we can show you:
- Barrier locations: where the barricades and restricted-access points are, and how traffic is being rerouted.
- Access and safety concerns: dead ends and design choices that residents say make it harder to reach their homes and slow emergency vehicles.
- On-the-record interviews: local families and commuters who can describe how their school runs, grocery trips and commutes have changed.
To book, email removethebarriers2026@gmail.com with your outlet name, crew size and preferred day and time window.
Fast facts for journalists
- Volunteer-led A grassroots citizens’ group. No organizer or member is paid.
- Our cause Freedom of mobility. Residents should be able to drive to work, school and the grocery store safely, and reach their own homes without unnecessary barriers.
- Community support More than 2,000 people have signed our petition.
- Our funding Donations made through our website fund our media campaign and message distribution. We receive no money from contributions made on Change.org.
We can put you in touch with residents from specific streets, and we hold recorded interviews, transcripts and written accounts submitted through this site. Everything published here was provided with the resident’s permission.
A summary of what neighbours have raised, grouped by theme, is on the what people are saying page.
Media contact
For interview requests (on-camera, radio or print), statements or photos, email us directly. We respond to press inquiries the same day.
removethebarriers2026@gmail.com
Published something we have missed? Let us know and we will link to it here either way.