Increases in the number of people cycling and walking in BC communities including Victoria, Whistler, North Vancouver, Kelowna and Vancouver, demonstrate that cycling and walking are mass transportation solutions worthy of substantial investment.

To help enable everyone to cycle and walk for their daily trips, we recommend that the Provincial Government accelerate its cycling and walking investment to $100 million per year. This, along with investment from communities and the Federal Government, will enable communities to build out their cycling networks thus enabling the benefits including GHG emissions reductions and health care cost savings to be realized sooner. This funding would be used to upgrade Provincial roads and bridges; complete cycling and walking networks in communities; provide Safe and Healthy Routes to School; and for paths used by visitors and residents.

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This investment will help address the deficit estimated to be $2 billion for cycling and $2.6 billion for walking. Around $7 billion will be invested in B.C. over the next 3 years in transportation and the Government is projecting surpluses of over $200 million per year so there is plenty of funding available.

Cycling and walking are popular activities that many people in B.C. want to do more often

• Almost 70% of adults in B.C. ride a bicycle at least once a year, 42% at least once a month and 25% at least once a week.

• Cycling and walking are especially popular among young people (18-35) with 8% cycling and 10% walking to work.

• Many people want to cycle more, with 65% indicating they would ride more if there were separated bike lanes that protected them from traffic.

• 14% of adults 18-35 years old say cycling would be their ideal commute.

• 34% of B.C. residents say walking (23%) or cycling (11%) would be their ideal commute.

Cycling and walking are popular activities that many people in B.C. want to do more often

• Almost 70% of adults in B.C. ride a bicycle at least once a year, 42% at least once a month and 25% at least once a week.

• Cycling and walking are especially popular among young people (18-35) with 8% cycling and 10% walking to work.

• Many people want to cycle more, with 65% indicating they would ride more if there were separated bike lanes that protected them from traffic.

• 14% of adults 18-35 years old say cycling would be their ideal commute.

• 34% of B.C. residents say walking (23%) or cycling (11%) would be their ideal commute.

There is broad public support for cycling improvements

• 72% of B.C. On the Move Engagement Survey respondents supported enhancing cycling infrastructure.

Where significant investments have been made, cycling has increased dramatically

• Between 2008 and 2015, daily cycling trips by City of Vancouver residents increased from 50,000 to 131,000. In 2015, 10% of Vancouver residents cycled to work, up from 4.4% in 2011.

• In the Central Okanagan, daily cycling trips increased by 43% to 15,400 between 2007 and 2013.

• Whistler’s cycling commute mode share was 8% in 2011, an increase of 31% since 2006.

Many trips are within reasonable cycling distance

• In the Netherlands, electrically assisted bicycle trips average a distance of 9.8 km each way, while regular bicycle trips average 6.3 km.

• According to the 2011 National Household Survey, 42% of commutes are under 5 km.

• In B.C. 65% of all commutes are under 10 km, making them practical using an electric bicycle.

Inadequate Investment - Active Transportation Deficit

Regions and communities across the province have produced extensive cycling network plans. Unfortunately, due to lack of investment, these cycling networks may not be complete for 30 to 50 years unless senior levels of government dramatically increase funding. The BC Communities Road Safety Survey identified pedestrian and cyclist safety as top issues. For the the 81 municipalities that responded, “The most commonly reported challenges to implementing road safety activities were funding and staff with expertise.”

• TheCapital Regional District’s  Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan estimated the cost of upgrading the bike network to attract people of all ages and abilities is around $275 million.

• In order to meet its target of 10%, TransLink has estimated that completing all-ages cycling networks around the Metro Vancouver region will cost at least $850 million.

• Kelowna’s cycling and walking Plan is estimated to cost $267 million. While the city is currently putting money aside for the program, staff have warned that at the current level of funding, the city will only have approximately $90 million to fund the plan.

• Squamish’s recently approved active transportation plan is estimated to cost $36 million.  

• Surrey’s cycling plan includes over 400 km of additional bike lanes and paths. With current funding, it plans on completing around 12 km per year, but has indicated that additional funding from senior levels of government would speed-up the implementation of the plan.

Internationally, other jurisdictions are committing to significant increases in cycling. Norway, whose population is only slightly larger than B.C.’s, is planning to invest $1.25 billion in Cycling Highways to link suburbs to city centres.

More Information

Budget Submission - 2017 (includes references for information above)

Communities on the Move recommending investing $100 million per year in active transportation.{{action?html=I Want Bike Paths EVERYWHERE!&anchor=#mailer}}

A new study revealed that people who rode their bicycle habitually are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to those who do not cycle on daily basis.

Nature World News reports:

The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, suggests that individuals who started to ride their bike regularly have 20 percent reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who do not practice the habit.

"Because cycling can be included in everyday activities, it may be appealing to a large part of the population. This includes people who due to lack of time, would not otherwise have the resources to engage in physical activity," explained Martin Rasmussen of the University of Southern Denmark, in a statement.

AJMC.com reports:

The best news of all? Those who started cycling regularly after the study began—meaning after age 50—still had lower risk of T2D than those who didn’t bike.

The authors note that one of the challenges of replacing commuting by car with cycling is having the infrastructure to support the change. A population health strategy that sought to promote cycling for diabetes prevention would have to address this issue. 

Yet another reason for the Province to enable everyone to cycle for their daily trips by investing $1 billion over 10 years. Please sign and share the petition.

Olso is planning on increasing its cycling mode share to 16% by 2025 by investing to $2.1 Billion (Kr13.8 billion) to create a network of 510km of cycling infrastructure.

From Cycling Industry News:

Once completed, the updated network will place 85% of citizens within 200 metres of a cycle path.

Within the inner city, eight key routes will cover 50 km and will form key commuter arteries. The announcement adds that the bulk of these will be suitable for riders aged 2 to 80 years, suggesting that these will be segregated from traffic flows.

More here.

Norway is also planning on investing $1.25 billion on cycling highways. Clearly, Norway is setting a great example that BC and Canada should follow. 

Please sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Congratulations to new London Mayor Sadiq Khan on his historic victory. During the campaign he promised to double the annual cycling budget to £164m ($305 million CAN). Cycling is a form mass transport that requires serious investment.

As London's population was 8.4 million in 2012, that amounts to around $36 per person per year, almost the $40 per person per year invested in the Netherlands. If BC was to invest at the same rate, that would amount to around $165 million per year. Time for British Columbia to follow the lead of the British and invest in cycling for everyone.

Please sign the Billon for Bikes petition and donate so we can reach a lot more people.

London is investing relatively large amounts in cycling is because it is really their only near term option. They are expanding transit capacity but these efforts are both very expensive and can take decades to complete. TfL commissioner, Peter Hendy states:

capacity on London's transport network would be improved far more quickly and cheaply, and with positive effects on the cycle routes, than other schemes on the horizon such as Crossrail 2.

Even back in 2013, bicycles accounted for 24% of vehicles in London's morning rush hour. London's cycling commissioner, Andrew Gilligan, told the Guardian:

Cycling is clearly a mass mode of transport in central London and until now it hasn't been treated as such.

Nearly all provision for cycling is based on the presumption that hardly anyone cycles, that you can make do with shoving cyclists to the side of the road and that just clearly is wrong.

Sadiq Khan has also said:

"I am committed to continuing the investment in the Cycle Superhighways programme and upgrading existing segregated cycle ways to a higher standard. I also want to roll out more 20mph zones in residential areas, having long campaigned for their introduction in my own constituency of Tooting. Moreover, I would be strongly in favour of adopting a variant of the Idaho Law and I have pledged to revise the list of junctions in need of immediate attention, prioritising improving those where the most deaths and accidents have occurred. Doing this is absolutely essential because Londoners must be able to move around their city with confidence and as safely and efficiently as possible.

More here. 

Advocates are calling for 10% of the 40 year $120 billion sales tax proposal on L.A. County's November ballot to be spent on cycling and walking Currently, only $5.4 billion is being proposed for cycling and walking.

Research from other counties and Metro's own "Strategic Plan" for active transportation estimates a funding need of $740 million to $1.7 billion per year for biking and walking projects, Butler said.

Walking and biking combined make up almost a fifth of all trips taken in the county and disproportionately account for nearly 40 percent of traffic fatalities.

Metro's ballot measure proposal would fund completion of the L.A. River bike path between downtown L.A. and the west San Fernando Valley and the City of San Fernando bike path along the Pacoima Wash.

More here.

$12 billion US is $15 billion Canadian. The population of L.A. County is 10 million or around 2.5 times greater than BC's making $6 billion the equivalent amount per person. Over 10 years, that would be $1.25 billion. Currently only 1% of people in L.A. cycle work, less than half the 2.1% in BC.

So, lets make the same kind of bold investment in cycling. Please sign the Billion for Cycling and Walking petition to help everyone in BC cycle for their daily trips. And please help us reach more cycling supporters by donating to our campaign!

Norway has just announced a new network of bicycle highways to fight GHG emissions. They will connect inner cities to outer suburbs enabling long distance cycling commuting.

From City Lab:

As part of a plan announced last week, the country will spend a massive 8 billion Norwegian Kroner ($1.25 billion CAN) creating 10 broad, two-lane, cross-country bike tracks in and near Norway’s nine largest cities, allowing longer-distance cyclists to travel with a speed and safety hitherto impossible. A key component of plans to slash Norway’s transit emissions by half, the bike highway scheme still faces some resistance. Not only is cycling in Norway relatively uncommon by Scandinavian standards, but the new highways will be constructed in a mountainous country that is cold and dark for much of the year.

These broad, twin-lane tracks will do more than offer protection, per se. They’ll allow cyclists to speed up safely, riding at up to 40 kilometers (25 miles) per hour and thus making longer commutes feasible. If they succeed, they should take pressure off roads and public transit and help to cut Norway’s fossil fuel use.

The investment should be worth it—if healthier Norwegians cycle around an increasingly car-free country with low- or zero-emission vehicles as a standard, schemes like the bike highway may end up paying for themselves.

Norway has around 5 million people, only around 10% more than BC. Plus the climate is similar and their current levels of cycling are not that much higher than ours.

Time for BC to follow Norway's lead and invest $1 billion in cycling including similar bicycle highways to help address Climate Change and reduce congestion. Please sign the petition and share it with your friends.

Photo Credits: Tourism Whistler / Mike Crane

The Sea to Sky corridor (Highway 99 and secondary roads) connects Horseshoe Bay, Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Mt. Currie and on to Lillooet. The natural beauty of the corridor and recent improvements to the highway and roads to Squamish Valley, Callaghan Valley, Pemberton Meadows and Portage Road to D’Arcy, has enhanced the attractiveness of the area for motorists and cyclists alike.

Widespread awareness created by GranFondo Whistler and IRONMAN Canada plus the growth of road cycling throughout Canada has resulted in a remarkable increase in the number of recreational road cyclists in the corridor. These major events and related visitors have brought significant economic benefits to corridor communities and to the province.

The Whistler Cycling Club believes that the cycling priorities in the provincial government’s recently issued B.C. on the Move – A 10-year Transportation Plan could markedly improve the safety and experience for both cyclists and motorists in the corridor. The provincial plan identifies three cycling priorities for action:

• Invest $18 million over the next three years to partner with communities to build new bike lanes and trails throughout B.C.
• Widen shoulders, double the frequency of sweeping and implement safety improvements on provincial highways in areas with a high volume of cyclists
• Develop and implement a cycling tourism signage and marketing strategy

The Whistler Cycling Club has submitted the following recommendations to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in line with the cycling priorities of the provincial plan. We believe these would help improve safety and enjoyment for all road users in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Maintenance

• Significantly increase the frequency of shoulder sweeping, especially where gravel and debris from logging trucks, etc. collect along concrete barriers and at intersections. 
• Clearly mark shoulder hazards until they can be remedied.
• Repair cracked, uneven and damaged shoulders.
• Repaint worn fog lines and bicycle pavement stencils early in the cycling season.
• Ensure high value cycling secondary roads are well maintained (e.g. Callaghan Valley Road to Whistler Olympic Park).

Regulation and Signage

• Clarify existing cycling laws, and educate cyclists and motorists on the laws and etiquette for shared road use through advertising, collateral, ICBC, driver training and cyclist training (including school-aged youth).
• Create laws to adopt a mandatory ‘minimum 1.0 to 1.5 metre’ separation between vehicles and cyclists.
• Utilize existing road signage (such as the overhead electronic signs at Alice Lake and Alta Lake Road) to encourage motorists to watch for cyclists.
• Install frequent regulatory and cycling tourism route signs to alert drivers that cyclists may be present and to legitimize and promote road cycling.
• Install large “Warning – Cyclists on Roadway” signs for areas where the shoulder width is minimal/non-existent, where sightlines are poor or where there is a high risk of vehicle/cyclist collision. Suggested new locations are at the bottom of the northbound hill from Britannia and at the bottom of the northbound Duffey Lake Road from Lillooet Lake.

Enhancements

• In specific areas where gravel and debris collects frequently, we recommend the province consider paving adjoining gravel side roads near their intersection with the highway or redesigning the shoulder to prevent debris from accumulating. This one-time cost may be less expensive than the repeated cost of sweeping, and it will provide a consistently safe shoulder for cycling.
• Replace hazardous drain grates that could cause a cyclist to crash or force a cyclist to venture into the vehicle lane.

Investment

• Repave Highway 99 from Whistler to Pemberton with minimum 1.5 m shoulder width for cyclists.
• Continue to repave and/or widen shoulders of secondary roads in the corridor (e.g. Squamish Valley, Pemberton Meadows, Portage Road).
• Repair/repave roads shoulder-to-shoulder, not just the vehicle lanes.
• Widen Highway 99 shoulders in key locations, including Britannia Beach to Murrin Park; Porteau Cove to Furry Creek and hazardous sections between Whistler and Pemberton. Where possible, the minimum useable width, not including rumble strips, should be 1.5 m. (If it is impractical to widen the shoulder in the Porteau area, consider the installation of cyclist-activated flashing lights to warn motorists that cyclists are present.)

Take Action

We at the Whistler Cycling Club believe that road cycling could be safer and more enjoyable and that cycling tourism would grow if similar improvements were made in other areas of the province. We support the BC Cycling Coalition in urging the BC Government to increase investment in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure and programs.

We encourage you to review the BC Cycling Coalition Billion for Bikes information and decide whether you wish to support their petition to the Provincial Government.

Links

• Whistler Cycling Club 
• WCC August 2015 submission to MOTI (Link to come)
• Cyclist safety on the Sea to Sky Highway Report, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University
• Road Cycling in the Sea to Sky brochure

It's a cycling dream: no red lights, no trucks, just a clear, smooth lane to zoom down with the wind in your face. Welcome to Germany's first bicycle Autobahn.

Fans hail the smooth new velo routes as the answer to urban traffic jams and air pollution, and a way to safely get nine-to-fivers outdoors.

As a glimpse of a greener urban transport future, Germany has just opened the first five-kilometre stretch of a bicycle highway that is set to span over 100 kilometres.

It will connect 10 western cities including Duisburg, Bochum and Hamm and four universities. Almost two million people live within two kilometres of the route and will be able to use sections for their daily commutes, said Martin Toennes of regional development group RVR.

Aided by booming demand for electric bikes, which take the sting out of uphill sections, the new track should take 50,000 cars off the roads every day, an RVR study predicts. 

The new type of bike routes are around four metres wide, have overtaking lanes and usually cross roads via overpasses and underpasses. The paths are lit and cleared of snow in winter.

Cycle Super Highways are also being proposed for Frankfurt, Munich and Nuremberg.

Photo: Patrik Stollarz/AFP

More at: http://www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/germany-gives-green-light-to-bicycle-autobahn-1.2721620

We need Cycle Super Highways like this in BC. Help make them happen. Please sign the Cycling and Walking for Everyone petition and share it with your friends, family and co-workers.

Not surprisingly, clean transportation including cycling, public transit and walking was the top transportation priority of people who responded to the BC Government's Climate Leadership Plan survey.

In response to Question 2: Where would you like to begin, 50% choose "Increasing use of clean, coordinated transportation such as public transit, carpooling, shared travel, bicycles and walking should be a government priority. Of course we will have to do all the measures including increasing the cost of fossil fuels and regulations & incentives to increase the use of cleaner fuels to meet our climate targets.

However, this is yet another clear signal to the government that people want increased investment in cycling, walking and transit. The B.C. on the Move had similar results.

With Premier Clark indicating that spending will increase leading up to the next election, now is an ideal time to show your support for cycling and walking.

Please sign the Cycling and Walking for Everyone petition and share it with your friends, family and co-workers.

Please Premier Clark know that you want more cycling. Let her know what greatly improved cycling would mean for your family and community. 

You can find more details on what we are proposing here.

Email [email protected] and cc: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],  [email protected],  [email protected], 

Here are our recommendations:

I call upon the Government of BC to enable everyone in BC to cycle & walk in safety as part of their daily lives by implementing an Active Transportation Strategy that includes:

• Investing $1 billion over the next ten years to:
  • Upgrade cycling & walking facilities on provincial roads & bridges
  • Complete cycling & walking networks in communities across BC
  • Provide safe routes to school for children
  • Build trails & routes for cycling & walking tourism
• Ensuring that paths & protected bike lanes can be safely shared by people using wheelchairs, skateboards & in-line skates
• Enhancing cycling education for children & adults
• Promoting cycling & walking
• Encouraging electric bike use by eliminating the PST & providing rebates