A special report from Ken Ohrn:
.
I agree with those who say that, in the world of people who ride bicycles and those who plan for them, the “indicator species ” is women. On the premise that women are more concerned with safety and practicality, the conclusion is that when women start using their bicycles for utilitarian purposes, then something is going right. Major growth is underway. The planning and the building have succeeded.
Now here’s a surprise for you. The first photo is a woman, probably on the way to work (Hornby and Georgia, 09:21 a.m.), or something work-related. This is becoming a commonplace sight on any and all bike routes around Vancouver.
.
.
Note the step-through bicycle; practical and increasingly stylish. Front carrier containing large bag. Cool and, I presume, comfy dress. Helmet, worn correctly — strapped on, and level. No earbuds. No lycra. No mirrored wrap-around glasses. Comfortable upright posture.
But check out the second photo.
.
.
Unaccompanied children. I looked carefully both ways, and there were no obvious Moms or Dads in sight.
This summer it seems like all of Vancouver from 4 to 84 is on wheels. In addition to the bikes, push scooters, skateboards and roller skates, I’ve sen three different disabled individuals in motorized wheelchairs using the bike lanes. I’ve also seen a fair number of electric moped type vehicles using the bike lanes. They’re not really motorcycles, but they’re not really bikes either so I don’t know where they belong.
Helmet use is variable. It seems to be 100% among families with kids and riders in “cycling gear”, and very high among commuters using Seaside or crossing the Burrard Bridge. Near the beaches and throughout downtown it’s far more common to see hair blowing in the breeze. I choose to wear one, but don’t believe it should be the law.
I tried riding to work in regular clothes, but found that even when I allocated lots of time and took it easy the length of ride plus warmth of weather plus block of foam on my head meant that I really wanted a quick shower and change of clothes by the time I got to the office. Luckily my building has excellent cycling facilities so I can do just that.
I will adjust my wardrobe for fall, but for now I’ve settled on the following:
– padded lycra undershorts covered by baggy shorts
– cotton t-shirt with long sleeve running shirt over top when it’s a bit chilly.
I like having something between my hands and the handlebar grips so I wear cycling gloves every day. I tried using a backpack, but now have a rear rack and small, weather resistant panniers.
My “hadn’t been on a bike in 22 years” body was torn between as much shock absorption as possible and as little rolling resistance as possible so it’s probably no surprise that my bike is a true hybrid, a mix of styles and materials that makes it neither a squishy big tired mountain bike nor an ultra skinny tired road bike. I sit higher than I did in the 1980s when I had what we used to call a “10 speed”, but not truly upright like the people in those photos. It works for me, YMMV.
Yeah. All over the place, people are cycling. One nifty side effect of the media controversy is that people now hear about new cycling routes. I don’t know if they would have been informed about them ten years ago.
And studies tell us that 60 % of the population wants to cycle for their short trips. That’s a lot of latent demand.
I could feel proud that our city is doing something about it but to be honest, every city in the world is adding more cycling infrastructure so we’re not unique. (Well except maybe in the high quality of the recent ones. We’re lucky to have good designers for ours.)
Well, I thought you should have at least one comment from the “indicator species.” That would be me, a 50-plus female and occasional cyclist who has cycle toured in younger years.
Weather permitting, even I now cycle to work along the Hornby bike path in summer, when I can dress casually. (Since I am self-employed, clothing does not much matter.)
Having the new seaside greenway all the way from Kits is a bonus, although I still find negotiating that left-hand turn from Beach onto Hornby can be tricky.
And I still see a lot of cyclists continuing up Burrard, despite the bus traffic. Perhaps the signage to Hornby could be just a little more prominent.
People complain that car traffic is nuts in this city, but rush hour in the bike lanes can be pretty busy too! Great to see people getting around by bike.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think that we would ever have those nifty little bike traffic lights like they have in Holland. Now the city just needs to institute some training in “the rules of the road”—for cyclists.