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Six years ago, many downtown Vancouver businesses were fiercely opposed to the loss of curbside parking in favour of new, separated bicycle routes.

Today, not only has much of that criticism abated, but new businesses have sprung up that capitalize on this city’s growing urban bike culture.

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There’s been a “sea change” in attitudes towards cycling, says Charles Gauthier of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, which serves about 8,000 businesses in a 90-block area.

“I do think it’s part of the consumer mix that businesses can’t ignore anymore,” he says.

It’s been at times a bumpy ride. No one is more familiar with businesses’ concerns than Gauthier, the association’s president and chief executive officer.

“Some businesses expressed a lot of concerns primarily that they thought their customers primarily arrived by parking and driving in front of their store,” he says.