If Vancouver Island was a classroom for cycling, Victoria would be the star student.
The surrounding communities in the Capital Regional District would get passing grades.
And the communities to the north?
Most would be looking for ways to hide their report cards from their moms and dads.
But the question facing Island communities is not whether they could earn straight As from the cycling community. It is how much of a priority an A grade should be. With the limited resources communities have, how much time and effort does cyclefication deserve?
From the perspective of many cyclists, there are two Vancouver Islands.
If you cycle for fun, there is plenty of opportunity. The Island is dappled with many low-traffic, rural roads suitable for Sunday sojourns. Backwoods trails, old logging roads and mountain bike courses are plentiful for the adventure seeker. And several communities have put a lot of effort in recent years into developing multi-use hiking and biking trails.
But if you want to cycle for transportation, in most major Vancouver Island towns you are probably left wanting more.
At least thatB次元官网网址檚 the verdict from Leo Boon, a Nanaimo-based cycling advocate and director with the B.C. Cycling Coalition.
B次元官网网址�If we apply European standards to the communities on Vancouver Island we would be handing out nothing but Fs except an E for Victoria,B次元官网网址� Boon said.
In the opinion of Boon and other cycling advocates, too many communities lack the cycling infrastructure and culture to make going from point A to point B a comfortable ride.
The main streets are full of cars moving too fast, and they lack safe cycling spaces. Quieter designated bike routes are scarce, as are bike-friendly facilities at destinations. Public cycling education and promotion initiatives B次元官网网址� for both riders and non-riders B次元官网网址� are infrequent. Bike-friendly laws and bylaws are not a priority and their enforcement is spotty at best.
B次元官网网址淵ou need a bike network so you have an easy way to get into town; designate certain streets as bike lanes,B次元官网网址� Boon (left) said. B次元官网网址淐ars need to go 30 or 40 kilometres per hour, not 40 or 50. It doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean you have to pull up the street, just put down some lines, or planters.B次元官网网址�
The process of cyclefication is already underway in Greater Victoria through the Capital Regional District Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan.
Under this ambitious document, the CRD hopes to elevate its amount of regular cyclists to 15 per cent of the population B次元官网网址� and up to 25 per cent in the most densely populated areas B次元官网网址� by 2038.
To make this happen, it has endorsed a $275-million, 775-kilometre cycling network, including 125 kilometres of multi-use trails and 650 kilometres of on-street lanes. The plan takes into account commuter patterns, the accessibility of common destinations, and transit tie-ins.
The cost is being lumped in with existing municipal roads, regional trails and provincial highways budgets and, ideally, fed through grant applications. The plan was adopted in 2011. More than one-half of the route is now complete.
Other Island communities have dabbled with bike lanes and cycling plans but only Greater Victoria has adopted a comprehensive plan based on the five Es of sustainable transportation B次元官网网址� engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation B次元官网网址� and hired a co-ordinator to put it into action.
That co-ordinator, Sarah Webb, doesnB次元官网网址檛 argue when it is suggested sheB次元官网网址檚 engaged in an experiment in social engineering.
The point of VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 plan is to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gases by getting people out of their cars, and increase health by encouraging a more active lifestyle.
B次元官网网址淢ake it easier to choose cycling,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a cost-effective solution to many of our problems. The cost of continuing to spend money on automobile infrastructure will only get higher.B次元官网网址�
Others are less certain.
Courtenay Mayor Larry Jangula is not sure the taxpayer can afford a social engineering experiment.
ItB次元官网网址檚 not that he doesnB次元官网网址檛 want to help cyclists, or see the positives of the cycling mantra for the greater community. ItB次元官网网址檚 just that he is skeptical they will be felt as widely as advocates suggest. What works in Holland, or in a Mediterranean community, or even Victoria, wonB次元官网网址檛 necessarily work elsewhere.
Weather, terrain, population density, peopleB次元官网网址檚 workplaces and daily schedules, their age, safety concerns B次元官网网址� many factors are at play when residents decide whether cycling is a good option for them. HeB次元官网网址檚 not convinced the cost of addressing them all is worth the return on investment.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a one-size fits all. They donB次元官网网址檛 work for me and they donB次元官网网址檛 work for a lot of other people, but if you donB次元官网网址檛 believe it, you are a flat-earther,B次元官网网址� he said.
He said while there is a group of activists lobbying hard for improvements, he is not hearing the same call from the larger community. From them he is hearing about the need to control costs and in that context cycling infrastructure looks like a significant investment to benefit a relatively small group.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e pushed to spend more and more on it. WeB次元官网网址檙e spending a disproportionate amount of money on cycling,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he reality is they are probably only one or two per cent (of how people commute).B次元官网网址�
His estimate may not be far off.
At the implementation of its plan, the CRD pegged its cyclist community as one of the most active in the country at 9 per cent of its population in some areas, and 3.2 per cent overall.
Industry studies used in Portland and Vancouver determined about a third of the general population will never be interested in riding B次元官网网址� no way, no how. Seven or eight per cent are dedicated and enthusiastic cyclists ready to tackle the main roads. ItB次元官网网址檚 the other 60 per cent of B次元官网网址渋nterested but concernedB次元官网网址� people that cycling advocates say can be encouraged to get out of their cars with the right infrastructure.
B次元官网网址淲hen you build it, they will come,B次元官网网址� Webb said.
Port Alberni councillor Jack McLeman is not so certain, not in hilly communities where it rains much of the year. He sees some demand for cycling infrastructure, but it is a small demand that has to be addressed in a way that makes sense to the community.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 got to be co-ordinated and it canB次元官网网址檛 cost a fortune,B次元官网网址� he said.
He supports the idea of cycle lanes and paths but he thinks the foremost concern should be safety. Ideally, cycle routes should not be incorporated into major arteries where they battle with automobile traffic, but designated through existing quieter areas away from that traffic. The discussion about bike lanes is relatively new to Alberni, but he considers what he has seen in communities where cars and bikes share busy streets to be an accident waiting to happen.
B次元官网网址淭o me, cycle lanes and cycle trails should be off the main streets,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎 lot of cyclists, in my view think they are safe because of their lanes.B次元官网网址�
Safety comes up repeatedly in conversations about this topic, with both cyclists and drivers relaying anecdotes about the other sideB次元官网网址檚 lack of courtesy. Part of the problem is differing views on what is appropriate behaviour.
Boon acknowledged much education is needed in order to help cyclists and cars share the road safely. He said that is one of the areas Island communities need to address in order to earn passing grades.
He also said that not everyone is ready to accept the need to shift behaviour from cars to walking and cycling. He pointed to the health and environmental benefits, compared it to smoking, and said politicians may need to take unpopular stands for the good of the community.
He cited a report from Discourse Media that calculated a five-kilometre Vancouver commute in a car costs society $2.78. The same five-kilometre commute on a bike saves society $.75.
Webb said even the smaller communities in the CRD are also seeing the benefits of the master plan as it rolls out.
B次元官网网址淭he return on investment is there in those communities,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲e all have a vested interest.B次元官网网址�
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Five Es for excellence
Cycling advocates judge a communityB次元官网网址檚 effectiveness in creating a bike-friendly climate on the following B次元官网网址淔ive EB次元官网网址� set of criteria
ENGINEERING: Creates safe and convenient places to ride and park
EDUCATION: Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride
ENCOURAGEMENT: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling
ENFORCEMENT & SAFETY: Ensuring safe roads for all users
EVALUATION & PLANNING: Planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option
B次元官网网址� BC Cycling Coalition
