The fate of our streets is being debated - and Vancouver residents can no longer afford to remain idle. Traffic-calming measures, road restrictions, and changing transportation policies are reshaping our communities; and those who must live with the consequences deserve the chance to direct the decisions.
That is why The Way We Move (a Metro Vancouver transportation conference at SFU Harbour Centre on September 5) proves so vital. It connects guests directly to key policy-makers - including Becca Mayers (TransLink), Denis Agar (Movement YVR), and Florence Li (Women Transforming Cities) - and promises to explore recent infrastructural decisions.
It's also the perfect platform to fight back against traffic calming. This isn't a matter of a single speed hump or a few diverters. It's instead how our neighbourhoods are changing - and not for the better. The cost of these measures has been high and a threat of displacement looms (with vehicles shoved onto streets that cannot accommodate them, parking spaces lost, and accessible routes removed). It's time to push back.
Demand before-and-after traffic data. Demand transparent evaluations. Demand that unsuccessful measures be reconsidered rather than treated as permanent.
The future of Vancouver's neighbourhoods should not be determined solely by transportation models and planning offices. It should be determined by you.
Traffic Calming Effects In East Vancouver
Take Back the Streets: Vancouver Residents Need to Be Heard
