REMOVE THE BARRIERS - UPDATE
The Issue
Dear Friends, Families and Neighbours,
Thank you for standing with us and signing the petition!
Together, the East Van Traffic Coalition Ltd is calling on the Mayor of Vancouver, City Council, and the Engineering Department to remove
these disruptive traffic barriers immediately. We are demanding that these barriers be taken down, and we will hold our elected officials
accountable in the upcoming municipal election on Saturday, October 17.
⚠️ Critical Action: Sign, Share, Attend a Meeting, and Donate Locally
-Sign & Share: Please sign and share our petition at www.removethebarriers.ca with your neighbours, family, and local business owners.
-Attend a meeting: Join the movement and support the cause.
-Donate Directly: Every dollar goes toward renting halls, website and content creation, printing flyers, and spreading the word on
our campaign. Please chip in directly at https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-change-lives-21233 www.removethebarriers.ca
Important Notice: Please donate only on our official website. Financial contributions made on Change.org do not reach our
campaign or local neighbourhood efforts.
Press Coverage | Remove The Barriers - https://removethebarriers.ca/press/
In The News: Recent Media Coverage
Journalists and observers are reporting heavily on the growing disruption across our community.
Here is the full list of recent coverage highlighting our fight:
Newspaper & Digital Outlets
-Vancouver Sun (8 Oct 2026): East Vancouver residents say barriers meant to calm traffic are creating ‘chaos’ instead.
John Mackie drove the Hastings-Sunrise streets with residents, reporting on closures, lost parking, and drivers flooding back lanes. The City admits data collection runs through fall 2026, with no adjustments until early 2027.
-Daily Hive (7 Oct 2026): East Vancouver group calls for removal of vehicle barriers in neighbourhood streets.
Kenneth Chan reports on our core asks—a pause on installations, a review of closures, and restoring two-way traffic. The piece notes our petitions have surged past 3,100 signatures. East Vancouver group calls for removal of vehicle barriers in neighbourhood streets.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-remove-the-barriers
- CityHallWatch (12 Aug 2026): East Van Traffic Coalition wants the City of Vancouver to remove the concrete barriers. The civic affairs watchdog covers our coalition’s formation and how these measures were originally introduced.
Community backlash: East Van Traffic Coalition wants the City of Vancouver to “Remove the Concrete Barriers” in specific neighborhoods –
Television Reports
- CityNews (21 Sept 2026): Calm or chaos? East Vancouver residents sick of traffic calming barriers. Television coverage from Hastings-Sunrise featuring residents describing what these closures mean for everyday navigation. CityNews
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/video/2026/09/21/calm-or-chaos-east-vancouver-residents-sick-of-traffic-calming-barriers/ Calm or chaos?
- CBC News (8 Sept 2026): Vancouver man says traffic calming measures leaving people “barricaded in their own neighbourhood.”
Karin Larsen reports on the street maze, featuring a 74-year-old resident afraid to use her back lane and a local Windermere Street cafe
owner losing customers. CBC News
- Global News (Sept 2026): Residents call for removal of traffic barriers in Vancouver’s Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood. On-the-scene
Radio & Podcasting
- The Jas Johal Show (9 Sept 2026): Whose neighbourhood is it? Inside the Hastings-Sunrise barrier fight. A detailed 12-minute
interview with our campaign spokesperson, Tom Siracusa, outlining our complete case.
The Jas Johal Show | Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tvfoMXcYCpipy9Ik7iMrZ
-CBC On The Coast (Sept 2026): Some Hastings-Sunrise residents pushing back on traffic calming measures in their
neighbourhood. Radio coverage hosted by Gloria Macarenko on why our blocks want these barriers reconsidered. Some Hastings-
Sunrise residents are pushing back against traffic-calming measures in the neighbourhood | On The Coast | On Demand |
CBC Listen
Why These Barriers Must Go
- They Endanger Lives: Rerouting limits immediate access for emergency vehicles and first responders.
- They Create Neighbourhood Hazards: Blocked main roads force heavy vehicle traffic into school zones and narrow residential
alleys.
- They Eliminate Parking: Families, seniors, and business visitors are losing vital parking options right outside their doors.
Let's make our voices heard. Head to www.removethebarriers.ca to sign, share, and donate directly to our community today!
Warm regards,
The East Van Traffic Coalition Ltd.
www.removethebarriers.ca
3,204
The Issue
Dear Friends, Families and Neighbours,
Thank you for standing with us and signing the petition!
Together, the East Van Traffic Coalition Ltd is calling on the Mayor of Vancouver, City Council, and the Engineering Department to remove
these disruptive traffic barriers immediately. We are demanding that these barriers be taken down, and we will hold our elected officials
accountable in the upcoming municipal election on Saturday, October 17.
⚠️ Critical Action: Sign, Share, Attend a Meeting, and Donate Locally
-Sign & Share: Please sign and share our petition at www.removethebarriers.ca with your neighbours, family, and local business owners.
-Attend a meeting: Join the movement and support the cause.
-Donate Directly: Every dollar goes toward renting halls, website and content creation, printing flyers, and spreading the word on
our campaign. Please chip in directly at https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/donate-to-change-lives-21233 www.removethebarriers.ca
Important Notice: Please donate only on our official website. Financial contributions made on Change.org do not reach our
campaign or local neighbourhood efforts.
Press Coverage | Remove The Barriers - https://removethebarriers.ca/press/
In The News: Recent Media Coverage
Journalists and observers are reporting heavily on the growing disruption across our community.
Here is the full list of recent coverage highlighting our fight:
Newspaper & Digital Outlets
-Vancouver Sun (8 Oct 2026): East Vancouver residents say barriers meant to calm traffic are creating ‘chaos’ instead.
John Mackie drove the Hastings-Sunrise streets with residents, reporting on closures, lost parking, and drivers flooding back lanes. The City admits data collection runs through fall 2026, with no adjustments until early 2027.
-Daily Hive (7 Oct 2026): East Vancouver group calls for removal of vehicle barriers in neighbourhood streets.
Kenneth Chan reports on our core asks—a pause on installations, a review of closures, and restoring two-way traffic. The piece notes our petitions have surged past 3,100 signatures. East Vancouver group calls for removal of vehicle barriers in neighbourhood streets.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-remove-the-barriers
- CityHallWatch (12 Aug 2026): East Van Traffic Coalition wants the City of Vancouver to remove the concrete barriers. The civic affairs watchdog covers our coalition’s formation and how these measures were originally introduced.
Community backlash: East Van Traffic Coalition wants the City of Vancouver to “Remove the Concrete Barriers” in specific neighborhoods –
Television Reports
- CityNews (21 Sept 2026): Calm or chaos? East Vancouver residents sick of traffic calming barriers. Television coverage from Hastings-Sunrise featuring residents describing what these closures mean for everyday navigation. CityNews
https://vancouver.citynews.ca/video/2026/09/21/calm-or-chaos-east-vancouver-residents-sick-of-traffic-calming-barriers/ Calm or chaos?
- CBC News (8 Sept 2026): Vancouver man says traffic calming measures leaving people “barricaded in their own neighbourhood.”
Karin Larsen reports on the street maze, featuring a 74-year-old resident afraid to use her back lane and a local Windermere Street cafe
owner losing customers. CBC News
- Global News (Sept 2026): Residents call for removal of traffic barriers in Vancouver’s Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood. On-the-scene
Radio & Podcasting
- The Jas Johal Show (9 Sept 2026): Whose neighbourhood is it? Inside the Hastings-Sunrise barrier fight. A detailed 12-minute
interview with our campaign spokesperson, Tom Siracusa, outlining our complete case.
The Jas Johal Show | Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5tvfoMXcYCpipy9Ik7iMrZ
-CBC On The Coast (Sept 2026): Some Hastings-Sunrise residents pushing back on traffic calming measures in their
neighbourhood. Radio coverage hosted by Gloria Macarenko on why our blocks want these barriers reconsidered. Some Hastings-
Sunrise residents are pushing back against traffic-calming measures in the neighbourhood | On The Coast | On Demand |
CBC Listen
Why These Barriers Must Go
- They Endanger Lives: Rerouting limits immediate access for emergency vehicles and first responders.
- They Create Neighbourhood Hazards: Blocked main roads force heavy vehicle traffic into school zones and narrow residential
alleys.
- They Eliminate Parking: Families, seniors, and business visitors are losing vital parking options right outside their doors.
Let's make our voices heard. Head to www.removethebarriers.ca to sign, share, and donate directly to our community today!
Warm regards,
The East Van Traffic Coalition Ltd.
www.removethebarriers.ca
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition Updates
Share this petition
Petition created on May 26, 2026