It’s an unusually scorching July morning in Victoria, BC. A crowd of bicycle commuters take quick gulps of Gatorade and water while waiting to cross at a busy intersection. Four mountain bikes, a recumbent, a handful of cruisers and fixed gears and a couple of parents with preschoolers stuffed in toddler-trailers make up the group. This could be mistaken for rush hour in Copenhagen if it weren’t for the arbutus trees casting a bit of shade on the scene.
So what is happening to the cycling movement in BC? Will Vancouver become the Amsterdam of North America? Municipal governments seem to be finally taking cycling seriously as a viable alternative mode of transportation. Could it be that one day, in the not so distant future, city streets will be as clogged with happy, healthy cyclists as they are now with frustrated, polluting motorists? Momentum interviewed cyclists and wannabe cyclists from around the province to see what they think is in store for the future of cycling in their province.
Lanky, twenty-something Andy Hudson gets around Vancouver on his speedy Italian Colnago road bike. After spending years risking his life biking on the narrow, poorly designed streets of Toronto he finds Vancouver to be a great place to try tube and saddle transport for those who might be worried about safety. He said that in Vancouver, there are only a few places where he doesn’t feel comfortable on the road.
“I think the future looks bright. In Vancouver, the mayor and council are trying to do a lot to get more people [bike] commuting,” said Hudson. “The city of Vancouver is lucky because they have such a good bike plan.” Hudson has noticed that signage for cyclists has improved over the past few years as some Canadian and American cities are now indicating distances for cyclists between popular destinations within the city. He noted also that the city of Vancouver has recently painted bike logos along city streets that have become popular routes with cyclists. “They are not lanes, just logos, but I feel that has made a difference,” he said. “You feel like you belong on the road and drivers know that you belong.”
Hudson said the logos are positioned about a meter away from where car doors could open. He added that cyclists are sometimes shy about taking more of the lane so they won’t get doored. The logos give cyclists permission to put themselves in a safer position on the road. “That’s city initiative; that’s Vancouver,” he said.
But Hudson doesn’t want the city to stop there. Transforming Vancouver into even more of a cycling “utopia” will involve creating separated bike lanes, designated bicycle and stroller cars on Skytrain and more funding for traffic rules enforcement. “A lot of changes are top down, they are things that urban planners are concerned about,” Hudson said. “In Vancouver there are fewer problems. It’s all about using the infrastructure.”
Let’s get away from the coast and head inland to see what the future of cycling might be in the snow capital of BC, beautiful, mountain-high Revelstoke. Sarah Newton, a former bicycle racing sprinter, is the president of the North Columbia Environmental Society. Alternative transportation is a main focus of the group. “I would say this is the most incredibly bike friendly city I’ve ever seen, and I’m a cyclist,” said Newton. “We are off the highway so there is no highway traffic in the downtown core and we have great urban density.”
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