Vancouver man says traffic calming measures leaving people 'barricaded in their own neighbourhood'

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results. Graffiti scrawled on a concrete barrier blocking cars from driving along East Georgia Street sums up the sentiment of many living in Vancouver's Hastings-Sunrise neighbourhood. It reads: "This is not a solution." The frustration is aimed at City of Vancouver traffic calming measures that some say have turned the streets into a maze, restricting vehicle access to and from the homes they used to enjoy. One long-term resident said the situation has left people "barricaded in their own neighbourhood." "Simply put, if you live in the neighbourhood, you can't get out of the neighbourhood," said Tom Siracusa, who's lived in Hastings-Sunrise for 50-plus years. Residents in Hastings-Sunrise have organized to push back against blocked roads in their neighbourhood. (Karin Larsen/CBC) Siracusa is spearheading a grassroots campaign to reclaim the streets for motorists called "Remove the Barriers." The focus is on opening up roads between Boundary Road and Nanaimo Street east to west, and Hastings Street to 1st Avenue north and south. A petition has garnered over 2,100 signatures. "It really seems like a top-down measure from the City of Vancouver, and residents have had enough," said Siracusa. CBC News requested an interview with a City of Vancouver representative, but no one was available. In an email, a city spokesperson said the barriers are part of the city's expanded Hastings-Sunrise Traffic Calming Project, which was developed after "extensive public consultation" and implemented to address " longstanding concerns about speeding and traffic shortcutting." The Remove the Barriers campaign cites safety concerns over emergency vehicle access. The city spokesperson said Vancouver Fire Rescue Services was a partner in designing the changes to the street network. 'Vehicles go like crazy!' The group also says their laneways are becoming highways, with frustrated drivers speeding on back lanes to bypass the barriers. The Remove the Barriers campaign claims blocking streets to motorists is hurting residents and local businesses. (Remove the Barriers) Parker Street resident Quynh Nguyen, 74, says the situation in her laneway is making her afraid to leave home. "Most vehicles go like crazy! And honestly, I'm scared to go in the back lane," she said. "I'm a senior. I need to get the groceries. I'm still lucky I can drive but it's so difficult [to get] in and out of my garage." Siracusa says the laneway problem was entirely predictable. "A lot of things are just flat out common sense. If you start damming a river, the water's going to go somewhere and if you start blocking the roads, the cars have to go somewhere." Sooya Cafe owner Henry Lee says the barricade in front of his Hastings-Sunrise business is costing customers and hurting his bottom line. (Karin Larsen/CBC) The blocked road making Nguyen's life miserable is costing business owner Henry Lee in real dollars. Lee owns Sooya Cafe on Windermere Street, now behind a barricade that suddenly appeared three months ago resulting in an instant loss of customers and parking spots. "It's called a traffic calming measure but it doesn't calm traffic, it cuts it off completely. And it affects everything about my business," said Lee. He said in earlier discussions, he heard city staff express that support for small businesses like his was a priority. He was expecting speed bumps or a traffic circle, but instead was taken completely by surprise on the day the barrier appeared. The City of Vancouver spokesperson said staff is monitoring the impact of the traffic calming measures and collecting feedback from the community. "Because traffic patterns can take several months to stabilize after new measures are installed, we will collect vehicle speed and volume data in fall 2026 and make any required adjustments in early 2027," reads the email.