#VeryVancouver Neighbourhoods – Commercial Drive

Photo: Ken Eisner / Flickr

A confluence of cultures makes Commercial Drive, or “The Drive,” a neighbourhood worth exploring. Known as “Little Italy,” this diverse neighbourhood is home to a colourful mix of hippies, immigrants and families. Back in the late 1800s, the area was a thoroughfare used for logging, with shops springing up along Commercial as the surrounding area became residential. Subsequent waves of immigrants after the two world wars, many from Italy and Southern Europe, contributed to The Drive’s current character.

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#VeryVancouver Neighbourhoods – Commercial Drive

Car Free Day Festivals take over Vancouver’s Busiest Streets

Car free day vancouver 2016

Image courtesy of Car Free Day | facebook.com

If you’re struggling with an idea for what to this Father’s Day in Vancouver other than getting dear old dad another tie for his collection, why not treat him to a unique experience instead? This Father’s Day weekend in Vancouver also coincides with the Car Free Day Festival taking over major streets on Saturday, June 18 and Sunday, June 19.

Four neighbourhoods will be hosting epic parties to take back the streets with food, fun, family-friendly activities, and music. Main Street, Commercial Drive, Denman Street, and Kitsilano will be the place to be this weekend, and your dad might just enjoy the entertainment over another round of golf.

Here’s what’s going on at the different neighbourhoods for Car Free Day 2016:

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Car Free Day Festivals take over Vancouver’s Busiest Streets

Commercial Drive Bike Lane Plan Attracts Mixed Reviews in Vancouver

A cyclist along a downtown Vancouver bike lane. Photo credit: Paul Krueger | Flickr

A cyclist along a downtown Vancouver bike lane. Photo credit: Paul Krueger | Flickr

Will a new bike lane be good for Vancouver’s Commercial Drive? Well, that depends whom you ask.

Late last year, the city proposed a dedicated bike lane along the busy East Vancouver strip, part of a larger plan to add a dozen new bike lanes to the city over the next five years. Behind the push: a dramatic increase in the number of bike trips across Vancouver, which jumped by 16 percent last year alone.

A newly released study, however, suggests that a Commercial Drive bike lane is not without controversy.  84 percent of business and property owners surveyed do not support a separated bike lane on the Drive, according to the Commercial Drive Business Society. And 85 percent are concerned about losing parking on the street to make way for bike access.  Continue reading:
Commercial Drive Bike Lane Plan Attracts Mixed Reviews in Vancouver