In the news
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.
Tom Siracusa joined Jill Bennett to call on the incoming council to answer the campaign’s questions: who holds the authority to remove the barriers, and what the process is for getting it done.
Twelve minutes, on Curiouscast.
John Mackie drove the Hastings-Sunrise streets with residents for the Vancouver Sun, reporting on the closures, the lost parking, and drivers diverting into the back lanes to get out of the neighbourhood.
The City told the paper it will collect speed and volume data in fall 2026 and consider any changes in early 2027. It did not say whether it holds data showing the barriers have reduced collisions, and ICBC said it has no specific study.
Television coverage from Hastings-Sunrise, with residents describing what the closures have meant for getting around the neighbourhood.
Kenneth Chan reports for Daily Hive Urbanized on the campaign and its asks: a pause on further installations, a review of existing closures, and two-way traffic restored on the affected streets. The piece puts the petitions at more than 3,100 signatures.
It also notes that City staff are in caretaker mode during the election period, so action before the vote is unlikely.
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.
Radio coverage on CBC’s afternoon programme, hosted by Gloria Macarenko, on why residents in the affected blocks want the barriers reconsidered.
Television coverage of the campaign, filmed in the neighbourhood, with residents describing the effect of the closures on how they get around.
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.
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.
Police arrested and removed a protester who was blocking crews from taking out the Bloor Street West bike lane in Etobicoke, after a tense standoff.
Protests continued for a fourth day on Bloor Street West as provincial crews kept working to remove the protected bike lanes between Islington Avenue and Royal York Road. A city notice says the work is expected to run through November 17.
Three people had been arrested by the third day, on charges including mischief and obstructing police; none of the charges have been proven in court. The report notes the City’s estimate of at least $48 million to remove the lanes on Bloor, Yonge and University, a figure the province disputes, and a provincial engineering report that found any congestion relief may be negligible or short-lived.
Video from Bloor Street West near Islington Avenue, where crews began removing protected bike lanes under an Ontario government order as cyclists gathered in protest and Toronto Police stood by. The province plans to rework up to 19 km of the city’s bike lanes. The City estimates the cost at $48 million, a figure the province disputes.
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.
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.
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:
To book, email removethebarriers2026@gmail.com with your outlet name, crew size and preferred day and time window.
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.
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.