Something exciting this way comes.
East Vancouver residents concerned about concrete “banana barriers” received significant news this week. ABC Vancouver announced that, if elected, it would begin removing recently installed traffic calming measures, prioritizing locations where they restrict neighbourhood access, divert vehicles onto school streets, or fail to demonstrate a clear safety benefit.
For members of our community, this announcement proves exceptionally well-timed. For months we have been rallying against traffic calming installations, trying to demonstrate the frustration (and potential harm) they cause. Our streets have been transformed into a series of confusing turns and tedious stops, forcing drivers to converge on the back-alleys as they try to navigate; and the result has been chaos. ABC seeks to change this, saying its proposed approach would restore parking, review remaining residential-street closures and diversions with neighbourhood input, and examine how to best combat the growing congestion issue.
Safety may have been the intention of these measures - but it has not been the result. To see local candidates finally begin to realize this leaves us hopeful for the future.
It does not, however, mean we can rest. Our community must continue to push back against traffic calming barricades and keep reaching out to Vancouver's transportation policymakers, ensuring that this issue remains as relevant to them as it is to us.
Lend your voice to the cause by signing our petition today.
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