So more people are cycling, but planners at Vancouver city hall say what we need now is to grow the culture of cycling to take advantage of the new cycling infrastructure. Which brings us back to Bike to Work Week
Another Bike to Work Week is upon us (May 26 to June 1). This is the big chance for people in Metro Vancouver who have never tried cycling to work to give it a go.
Cycling needs a push in Vancouver. Traffic on the main downtown protected routes is not going up as fast as many of us thought it would – or should. Monthly bike trips on Hornby Street have risen to only 1,100 from 900 in the last four years. On the Burrard Bridge, the March numbers have been bouncing around, with the 57,000 trips in March 2014 (a construction period) the lowest in three years. March bike trips on Dunsmuir Street are up a bit over four years, to 1,400 this year. The most recent data I could find for Metro Vancouver shows cycling in 2012 up 26% over three years.
So more people are cycling, but planners at Vancouver city hall say what we need now is to grow the culture of cycling to take advantage of the new cycling infrastructure. Which brings us back to Bike to Work Week.
The organizers at bikehub.ca
have online dashboards for signing up your workplace, entering the Most Bike-Friendly Business contest, mapping the best route and practising safe cycling. And of course there are prizes. Not just snacks, drinks and free tune-ups at over 50 “motivational celebration stations,” but serious ones: a new bike will be given away every day to someone who registers a ride to work that day.
I like those prizes. I'd love to win a new bike. But there are some even more serious prizes that everybody gets automatically – just by riding to work. No skill, luck or connections are required. You spin, you win.
Free rock star parking. Pull up to the door where you're going, and there's always a secure post of some kind nearby you can lock up to. No keys to throw. No tickets to pay. No parkades to navigate. No monthly bills. No time limit. If your bike is the equivalent of a rock star limo, sure, find a protected storage locker. In 30-plus years of random bike parking on the street in high-visibility places, I've never had my whole bike stolen.
Free fitness membership. Bike to Work B.C. figures an average cyclist burns 30 calories per kilometre. Pedal faster to burn more. The views are always better than a screen at the gym.
Free cheek glow. This comes with every ride. Show up for work with a happy flushed glow on your cheeks. A great conversation starter!
Free happiness. Cyclists have happier commutes. Statistics Canada tells us that two-thirds of people who bike (or walk) to work say they're happy with their commute. By comparison, only a quarter of transit users and a third of drivers like their rides. Road rage? Just ride it off.
Get off the dole. By cycling instead of driving, you shrink the public subsidy for your commute from $2,876 a year to $62. And you stop adding to the costs of climate change.
Guaranteed commute times. Every bike trip is completely predictable, so there's no need to plan extra time for congestion, accidents or road closures. Never listen to another traffic report!
Free stops anywhere, anytime. Every curb is your personal unrestricted stop zone. Take a call. Smell the flowers. Talk to someone walking by. Drop into a store.
Free fuel. You can lead a bike to a gas station but you can't make it drink.
