The City of Vancouver's plans to eliminate already badly needed parking space on Commercial Drive in order to set up bicycle lanes on both sides of the Drive, were stopped through effective collective action.

Spearheading the campaign was the Commercial Drive Business Society who held that were the City to go ahead, the bicycle lanes would mean heavy losses to already struggling local businesses and would create gridlock on Commercial Drive. In the words of Nick Pogor, executive director of the Commercial Drive Business Society, the proposed bike lanes represent “a major threat to the future vitality of the Drive” [Click on image to see quote in March 1st 2017 Vancouver Courier article].

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Michael Geller of the Vancouver Courier reported that the society had sent letters to every city councillor, and even provided each of them with a large binder with a 5,000-signature petition, but none of the Vision councillors had responded. 

About 150 people from a variety of neighbourhoods attended RCCCD's celebration [See handbill]. The evening, MC'd by Alicia Barsallo, included a solo of guitar by virtuoso Rene Hugo, addresses by community organizers, and dancing to the music of two amazing rock bands: "Fiction" and "Tumblin' Dice" [See artists & food].