From Ron Richings:
Here’s a link to Portland’s “Sunday Parkways” events for 2015. These public mass rides, are now offered in many American cities, are notable by their absence here in Vancouver. We are missing out on a great way to generate mass use of bike routes/ways and likewise mass appreciation of those facilities by ordinary people who mostly don’t identify as ‘cyclists’, but who nonetheless happily incorporate these recreational activities into their lives. I have volunteered with at least one of these events for the last three or four years, so I have some personal experience with them. And have seen the value that they can have.
I understand that there were some discussions several years ago between HUB and the City about doing something vaguely similar here, albeit with no result. It is way past time to have make something like Sunday Parkways a reality here in Vancouver.
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Agreed. I attended many of these mass rides in NYC and they are a great way to introduce new cyclists to the city and explore new areas. Having also planned the first two ‘Tour De Queens’ routes while with NYCDOT, I can attest that the logistics are manageable. I’m curious if anyone knows the story with HUB and the City and why this never happened here.