Cycle Therapy Fall 2015 Edition

CycleTherapy The Triple A Issue

AAA

Cycling 60 & 70 // New board member and outreach coordinator // Health and safety Group rides // e-biking // Bogota // and more...

FAL L

(all ages and abilities)

Summer 2015

15 20 no.1 132

CycleTherapy Published by the: Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition 709 Yates St. PO Box 8586 Victoria, BC, V8W 3S2

The GVCC’s purpose is to get more people cycling more places more often in Greater Victoria by: • Improving cycling education and making it universal for cyclists, motorists, and others dealing with bicycling • Facilitating communication between cyclists, business, government, and other community groups • Improving facilities and infrastructure for bicycle use • Improving the legal climate for cyclists • Encouraging more people to ride bicycles more often • Developing a cycling information base To contribute to Cycle Therapy, please email: cycletherapy@gvcc.bc.ca Submissions are greatly encouraged. Still, we reserve the right to edit copy in the interest of clarity or where necessary. The views expressed in Cycle Therapy are not necessarily those of the GVCC. All articles, photos and graphics published in Cycle Therapy remain the intellectual property of the authors and artists.

Visit us online: gvcc.bc.ca facebook.com/GVCCbc twitter.com/gvcc Editorial Collective: Kate Berniaz, Kathleen Fraser, Celina O’Connor, Mandy Pearce Editor: Kate Berniaz Design Collective: Joseph Boutilier, Ryan Mijker, Julia Schenck Contributors: Michael Fisher, Ryan Mijker, Ed Pullman, Aislinn Sirk, Susanna Grimes, Christine Terry, Cindy Marven, Kathleen Fraser, Marty Cole, Michelle Mulder, Terri Fleming, Andrew Godon, Stacy Adam Jensen, Shannon Jamison Distribution: Brenda Boyd, Kathleen Fraser Bike Couriers: Janet Besler, Barry Edmonson, Forrest Nelson, John Perry, John Van Hoorn, Andy Robertson GVCC Board of Directors: President: Edward Pullman Vice-president: Bharat Chandramouli Treasurer: Michael Fisher Secretary: Brenda Boyd Director: Kathleen Fraser Director: Breanna Merrigan Director: Darren Marr Director: Mandy Pearce Director: Julia Schenck Director: Timothy Scolnick Director: Matthew Webb Printed by: First Choice Books & Victoria Bindery The GVCC is a proud member of the British Columbia Cycling Coalition.

On the Cover: Rebecca Sherritt and family at Willows Beach. Photo by: Kevin Light Photography

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Editor’s Message

BY KATE BERNIAZ Cycling for all ages and abilities is about making cycling safer and more comfortable through quality infrastructure, a diversity of bikes (including trikes and electric assist bikes) and a bike culture that slows down and gives room for a 5-year old and an 85-year old. It also recognizes the role bikes can play in better physical and mental health at any age.

Along with stories and interviews, we have some more stories on electric assist bikes (people love them!), a visit to the Saanich Peninsula and to Bogota, and an ode to a bike. A diversity of articles that represent the diversity of people on bikes in Victoria.

Cycle Therapy is, and always has been, a group effort. The sidebar (to your left) that names all the volunteers is testament to that. We have people who submit articles, review and copy edit submissions, spruce articles up with graphic design and photos, and a whole team that distributes the final product.

In particular, I would like to thank Celina O’Connor. She volunteered for the magazine for over a year contributing to the

organization of the magazine, great photographs, copy editing and graphic design.

Even though she has moved away, I hope we will continue to hear from her. Thank you Celina!

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer of riding. This issue highlights some of the group rides and events that happened around the city. And now that it is September it is not slowing down. Victoria truly is a yearround cycling town—both for riding and talking about cycling!

2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING NOTICE Wednesday, October 21 at 7pm James Bay New Horizons, 234 Menzies St, Victoria We will be electing several members of your Board of Directors. As a GVCC member, it is important you attend!

Please note: in order to vote, you must be a paid-up member in good standing prior to September 21, 2015

President’s Message

What’s New?

BY ED PULLMAN

separated cycling infrastructure have high percentages of children, women and seniors riding bicycles. For example, in the USA only 0.5% of seniors (age 65+) ride a bike for transportation, while in the Netherlands 23% of seniors do so.

Safety is paramount. But so is trip distance.

You ride a bike. You do it because it’s good for you: it saves you money, gives you a good workout and keeps you from being stuck in traffic. You also do it because it’s good for everyone else: less congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The list goes on.

Before moving to Victoria in 2003, I grew up in southwest Calgary, in the heart of suburbia. Single detached homes and culde-sacs were how people lived, and cars were how they got themselves around.

Building new overpasses, expanding roads and trying to make it easier for people to drive their vehicles were the underlying principles of the city’s transportation policy.

When I returned recently after a long hiatus to visit friends and family, it was quite something to see (and ride) the new protected bike lanes that have been installed throughout the downtown core.

The answer to both of these questions is this simple statement: Many people will choose to ride a bike if it is safe to do so, and their destination is not very far away.

Equally important to getting more people on bikes in Cowtown is the construction of many new high-density residential developments in the downtown core and near C-Train stations. Bike lanes separating traffic and bikes may encourage more people to bike, but a 20+km journey to your destination can also deter people from biking more.

In North America, many surveys have shown that people choose not to bike more because of the danger posed by motor traffic.

Cyclists willing to ride in traffic represent a small fraction of the total population. This is a critical reason for why less than one percent of all trips in North America are by bike: people are traffic intolerant.

Here in Victoria, we are very fortunate to have mild weather and shorter trip distances, compared with other North American cities. If we build a network of bike lanes protected from traffic, they will come. We have the opportunity to become the first truly All Ages and Abilities Cycling City in North America.

Conversely, every country that has invested substantially in bicycle infrastructure that separates bikes from traffic has high levels of bicycle use. More importantly, countries with thousands of kilometers of

Let’s work together to turn that opportunity into a reality.

So, why don’t more people ride bikes?

Why do so many more people ride bikes in places like Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands?

55 Hosted the Historical Tour with John Adams presenting on July 4 55 Hosted the Farm Fresh Flavour Tour on July 25 55 Hosted the 5th annual Tweed Ride in Victoria on August 8 55 Hosted two volunteer training sessions in May 55 Attended numerous Celebration Stations during Bike to Work Week May 25-31 55 Attended VicWest StreetFest (including providing bike parking) on June 7 55 Attended Douglas St. Car Free Day on June 21 55 Hired Susanna Grimes as the GVCC outreach coordinator.

Want to volunteer? Email her! outreach@gvcc.bc.ca 55 Organized bike counts for the CRD on key cycling routes 55 In early July, Victoria Council approved the installation of a two-way protected bike lane on Pandora Ave, the first in the city. This was preceded by successful lobbying efforts from the GVCC 55 Attended Cycle Celebration on July 25 55 BikeFest on Aug 26

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Focus should be education, not infrastructure After skimming your Summer 2015 issue of Cycle Therapy, I’m not sure whether you are “friend or foe”. Nowhere do I see any real reference to efforts to help cyclists be roadworthy through education. Rather it seems all about changing the road structure. Some of your suggested changes, e.g.

perfectly decent for cycling then and subsequent changes seem trivial. Capturing the abandoned railroad rights of way for multipurpose use has been great. However, road changes, unless widening the curb side lane, seem useless. A study from the UK found that cyclists received more clearance by

“I’ve been riding in Victoria since 1968 and have ridden in many other places. It was perfectly decent for cycling then and subsequent changes seem trivial.” two way totally segregated bike lanes on one way streets, make me both apprehensive and angry. I see my legally protected right to flow with the other traffic seriously eroded. For example, how could I make a left-hand turn as other vehicles, without special delay?

I’ve been riding in Victoria since 1968 and have ridden in many other places. It was

motorists on streets (of equal width) without bike lanes!

My experience is that most cyclists find their own best route from home to wherever.

In Victoria, there are probably thousands of such. For example, I go to the Thrifty grocery store in Fairfield from next to Beacon Hill Park. The posted “bike route” between the two would have me down a totally dif-

ferent route from the one that I use, partly because I’m avoiding hills. In addition, it’s shorter! Once a week, I go up the Pat B Highway to Sayward Road (Half-way to Sidney). I find the fastest way to go is on the Highway. That’s my “bike route”!

I might find you more of a “friend” than “foe” if I saw some serious effort on the part of the Coalition to give priority to cycling education, through the school system and otherwise. In addition, I’d like to see the demonstration of a number of “best practices” encouraged, e.g. seeing that Bike to Work Week t-shirts would only be issued in bright colors. We have a huge number of cyclists here who wear outfits that totally disappear in deep shade and at night.

I’m afraid that I dropped out of the Coalition several years ago over disillusionment with it’s direction. I would wish that there could be some more positive connection.

– Robert McInnes

Meet the GVCC’s new Outreach Coordinator We’re excited to have you, Susanna!

The GVCC has hired an Outreach Coordinator - Susanna Grimes - to help us keep up with all of the work involved with advocating for improved cycling infrastructure and ridership.

Susanna has been a passionate cycling advocate, educator and promoter in the CRD since 1998. In ‘99, she went car-free and has been ever since. A cycling instructor at joyriding.ca, she has worked as a bicycle tour guide, bicycle mechanic, a bicycle courier, and a manager of the Victoria Car Share Co-op.

For several years, Susanna coordinated the CRD’s Bike to Work Week as well

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as educational programs for the Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society. She was the original coordinator of the Cycling Tourism Advisory Committee and the coordinator of Victoria’s International Car Free Day events. For several years, she served on the board of the GVCC and on the City of Victoria’s Cycling Advisory Committee. She was instrumental in the GVCC’s bicycle count program and the Johnson Street Bridge campaign.

You can contact her at outreach@gvcc.bc.ca.

Susanna Grimes Photo: Susanna leads the “Do Not Pass” campaign during Bike to Work Week 2011.

Credit: Felicity Perryman

New GVCC Board Member “When I moved to Victoria almost four years ago, cycling became my main form of transportation. I love that it’s a healthy, fun, environmentally-friendly, low-cost and convenient way to get around the city and surrounding areas. With its mild weather and relatively flat terrain, Victoria is a great place to cycle- but there is room for improvement.

I would like to see Victoria join the ranks of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, like Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Essential

to this transformation is significant investment in cycling infrastructure and facilities, and I joined the GVCC Board to get involved in the organization’s work advocating for these improvements. As the new Chair of the Communications Committee, I want to spread the word that cycling in Greater Victoria is great…

But the GVCC is working to make it even better!”

- Breanna Merrigan

Exercise Your Passion There are a multitude of ways to help the GVCC advocate for cycling and get more people cycling more places more often!

A gifted writer?

• Contribute to Cycle Therapy (CT) • Write news releases or copy for brochures • Help with grant-writing A researcher?

• Research advocacy issues • Gather information for grant-writing • Investigate Social Enterprise ideas A photographer?

• Take photos for the web and CT • Be a roving photographer at GVCC events A born organizer?

• Help plan & coordinate events • Help organize distribution of CT • Help out the Organization Tools Team A social butterfly?

• Staff a GVCC booth at a public event • Staff GVCC valet parking • Call GVCC members about renewal A handy person?

• Help build a canopy for the GVCC booth • Design and build a bike-powered blender for public events An avid cyclist?

• Become a Ride Marshal • Deliver Cycle Therapy • Deliver posters or flyers Detail-oriented?

• Enter data from petitions, surveys, counts • Count bicycles for the ongoing statistics • Proofread CT or the GVCC website

Breanna Merrigan

Multi-talented?

• Join any committee • Assist our Outreach Coordinator • Consider joining the board Continued on Page Summer 2015 7 5

CYCLING AT 60

BY CINDY MARVEN

Describe your riding experience. Are you new to riding? Newly returned to riding?

Kathleen: I was a bicycle commuter for most of my 40 year working life and I started touring by bicycle in my late 30s once my sons were old enough (12 and 13) to enjoy a good ride and a bit of adventure.

Now that I’m retired, I ride for fun, exercise and errands. My goal is to drive as little as possible and I find that the Victoria area offers lots of opportunities to do all things by bike. I also regularly use a bus/ bike combination approach to my trips, as I find it enables me to travel further if necessary and prevents me from becoming overtired. When you are tired, it just isn’t fun anymore.

Linda: When I turned six my dad bought me a three speed red bike. It was way too big for a first-grader. I was the only kid in my grade one class who had such a big, shiny, red bike. I remember falling and falling but nothing kept me from getting back on it and riding it. I didn’t ask for help. I was determined. I remember picking myself up, brushing the pebbles from the skin jutting out of my torn pants, wiping the blood on my ragged sleeve, pushing back my unruly hair and trying again. Since then, almost 64 years ago, riding my bike has given me the confidence to explore, to seek new adventures and the courage to be independent.

WEB LINKS 6

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What do you enjoy most about riding your bicycle?

Kathleen: I like to be outside and on my own. Riding a bike enables me to do this.

It’s fun!

Most of us learn to ride a bike as kids, but for various reasons we often stop cycling as we reach adulthood. Recently I taught two daylong cycling skills courses to a group of women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. It was fascinating and inspiring to hear their stories of what cycling meant to them and how it had changed over the course of their lives. Two women from the course, aged 61 (Kathleen) and aged 70 (Linda), share their experiences here.

relate to my touring. Probably my favorite is still the fun of riding onto the ferry alone, ahead of all the vehicles.

Linda: I love the Kettle Valley Rails to Trails and I have cycled each section.

“Since then, almost 64 years ago, riding my bike has given me the confidence to explore, to seek new adventures and the courage to be independent.”

Linda: Sense of freedom.

Are there any changes you’d like to see regarding bicycling in our community?

Kathleen: I think Victoria is relatively responsive to cyclists. Most drivers are courteous; however, we could all use updates on rules of the road. Taking the skills course made me realize that I have developed a number of bad cycling habits and also made me realize that there are rules regarding cyclists that as a driver I did not know and should.

Linda: More designated bike lanes in the city. Pro-active education for car drivers and cyclists.

What is your favorite experience or accomplishment on your bicycle?

Kathleen: Most of my best experiences

When I lived in Cairo, I cycled each Friday along the Pyramid Fields across the Nile.

In China, I cycled in rural areas where villagers had never seen a non-Asian, especially a woman on a bike.

Any other comments?

Kathleen: For all you women out there that remember the joy of riding your bike as a kid, but now feel too uncertain or afraid to start again, please make the effort to give it a try. Cycling is good for all of us on so many levels and the fun and joy it brings is so worth it!

Linda: My goal is to try and raise $2000 by riding from Campbell River to Victoria in the Grandmothers for Africa Cycle. slf.akaraisin.com/GrandmothersPledges/ lindabreault

Grandmothers for Africa – Victoria: http://www.victoriagrandmothersforafrica.ca/ Women’s Everyday Bicycling Meetup: http://www.meetup.com/WomensEverydayBicycling-WeBike/ Women’s Everyday Bicycling Webpage: http://webike.ca/ CAN-BIKE: http://canbikecanada.ca/

A National Cycling Strategy: Call for Action Election campaigns are great opportunities to talk to candidates about supporting a national cycling strategy for Canada. There are also many ways to volunteer on their campaigns.

Canada Bikes calls on the federal government to support cycling with: The development of a National Cycling Strategy Funding for cycling infrastructure and programs (education, training and promotion) An investment of $10/person/ year, matched by the provinces and municipalities Research and promotion of best practices for building and maintaining cycling infrastructure Mandatory inclusion of high q ­uality bicycle facilities in all road, bridge, transit and rail projects that receive federal funding Regulations streamlining the process for building bicycle paths next to active rail lines Regulations that require abandoned rail lines to be retained in perpetuity for use as Active Transportation (cycling, walking and riding) paths Tax rebates for companies which provide facilities for bicycle commuters Safety standards for motor vehicles, to reduce both collisions with bicycles and the severity of injuries to cyclists National standards for electric­assist bicycles

The development and promotion of cycle tourism in Canada The actions outlined above can benefit Canada tremendously. Canada Bikes, as well as the cycling and business communities and the public, look forward to hearing from our federal political parties on their national vision for cycling.

Canada Bikes (http://canadabikes.org) is the national voice for commuter, touring and recreational cycling. We work with cycling interests, industry and all three levels of government across Canada to improve conditions for those who choose to take their next trip by bicycle as part of healthy, economical and sustainable transportation systems and communities.

VicPD Bike Registry Program On Wednesday, July 15th VicPD launched a new Bike Registry program as part of our work to help reduce bike theft in Victoria and Esquimalt. This year alone, we have seen nearly 400 bikes being reported stolen. Thanks to new measures initiated by our Crime Prevention Section, we have returned nearly 50% of those. This new registry will help our officers and staff locate and return found or seized bikes.

Registration needs to be done in person and the form can be picked up at any community event in which VicPD is participating, at VicPD Headquarters or the Esquimalt Public Safety Building.

Exercise Your Passion

Continued from Page 5

Passionate about local cycling issues?

• Be a “municipal watchdog” for the GVCC • Join the Advocacy Committee • Consider joining the board Too busy?

• Provide storage space for our bikebooth; central location needed • Upgrade your membership to a higher level, to help us accomplish more • Donate to our Outreach Fund to support GVCC volunteer coordination and outreach efforts, and to help us coordinate our volunteer resources Not sure what you want to do? Our Outreach Coordinator can give you a call to explore options.

Email outreach@gvcc.bc.ca to join one of our active committees!

• Advocacy • Communications • Cycle Therapy Editorial Collective • Cycle Therapy Distribution • Membership • Rides • Outreach • Fundraising • Organizational Tools

Summer 2015

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RIDE FOR YOUR HEALTH

BY MICHAEL FISHER

1 IN 5 WILL HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS //ANXIETY, DEPRESSION OR EXTREME SADNESS CAN BE HELPED // MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT CONTAGIOUS // HELP IS AVAILABLE June 21—Father’s Day 2015—what a day it was. Car Free Day in the downtown and glorious sunshine glowing over the more than 120 riders who came out to support Ride Don’t Hide.

This ride is about supporting mental health and was started by a Vancouver school teacher who was bipolar and decided he would not be ashamed of his medical issue. I was asked to help out during the first Victoria ride 3 years ago and jumped at the opportunity as my sister and daughter are

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bipolar so I have firsthand experience. Volunteering for community events is often enjoyable and when it means something to you, it’s even more so.

The immediate message from Ride Don’t Hide is that one in 5 people will have a mental health crisis during their life. The Canadian Mental Health Association is one of many organizations trying to do something about this, so that those affected are not ostracized and helpless.

In the lead up to this year’s event, stories were shared of people like you and me who faced a crisis. Sometimes they knew what the trigger was, and sometimes not. Those stories resonate with many as we realize that the plastic characters we see on TV sitcoms are not real. What is real is ordinary people dealing with tremendous stresses and cycling has been one way to help them deal with stress issues.

The RDH 2015 ride was led by Olympic cyclist Gillian Carleton who shared her challenges with depression while winning

medals at the Olympics. Conversations during the event often touched on the struggles that everyday people have had in dealing with mental health issues. Videos of volunteers speaking out about mental health helped galvanize the participants and drove this year’s event to the best ever

in terms of participation and funds raised.

Mental Health Association.

If you or a loved one needs help, ASK NOW and do not be afraid. You may need to persist, but help is available through workplace support programs, your GP, mental health professional or the Canadian

Michael is a long time board member, treasurer and has been unafraid of asking for help when he needed it.

SUMMER CYCLING CENSUS

BY SUSANNA GRIMES

% OF THE POPULATION THAT CYCLES TO WORK Greater Victoria 5.9% Kelowna 2.6% Ottawa 2.4% Vancouver 1.8% Montreal 1.7% Calgary 1.2% Toronto 1.2% Canada 1.3%

COMPARE THIS TO...

Copenhagen 36% Counting bicycles is very labour-intensive; tedious to some and fascinating to others.

It is also vitally important, as it generates valuable data used to inform policy makers on gaps in cycling infrastructure, and to make the case for better cycling facilities.

The GVCC has conducted bicycle counts for many years, usually tied to a specific campaign e.g. the Johnson Street Bridge.

Municipalities and the CRD have also collected data on bicycle travel, including

With the GVCC

the CRD’s exemplary Origin & Destination Survey series of 2001, 2006 and 2011, designed to parallel the Census. However, no region-wide, consistent and detailed bicycle counts were done. Then - in 2011 - the CRD launched its Regional Cycling Counts program, which soon expanded to quarterly counts, that also captured gender.

The GVCC has been an avid partner with the CRD on its recent program, providing many of the volunteer counters. The CRD in turn allocates the count honorarium to the GVCC upon request.

However, in early July of this year, the GVCC learned that the scheduled CRD summer count was cancelled. So, their

Would you really like to ride to work, but find the trip a bit too long? Well, problem solved: bus part-way - lock up your bike and ride the rest of the way (or vice-versa) with the GVCC’s bike locker program!

In partnership with BC Transit, lockable bike lockers are available at three handy Park ‘n Ride locations: McTavish Road near the airport Western Exchange at the Juan de Fuca Rec Centre - by the Goose Langford Exchange on Station

dedicated membership of 400, offered to step in and manage the quarterly cycling census. The offer was accepted, and within days, a small army of volunteers was deployed to twenty locations throughout the region. Priority was given to roads and intersections where cycling infrastructure had been recently installed, or was about to be installed.

It was a sunny (albeit slightly smoky) day and all went well. Many thanks to the keeners who came out on Wed. June 8th: Darcie Martinson, Brent Densmore, John Holland, Liz Hansen, Peter Rooney, Rey Carr, Barb Wolfe , Oliver Meyer, Dwayne Rowe, John Rogers, Lesley Ewing, Brian MacDonald, Shannon Jamison, Anitra Puangsuwan, Adam McLean, Yeshua Moser, Colin McKinnon, Andrew Godon, Anne Drummond and Ron Fownes.

Avenue - by the new E&N Rail Trail!

Lockers rent for a mere $10 per month with a $30 refundable key deposit.

(Locker revenue helps to fund all of the good work that the GVCC does on behalf of cyclists.) Three-month rentals are preferred but not mandatory. If you are interested, or for more information, email us at info@gvcc.bc.ca Many thanks to GVCC volunteer Ron Fownes for his dedication in managing our program for the past three years! And – welcome to Anne Drummond, who has taken over the reins.

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Travels with Myrtle Myrtle, you lean your sturdy bones against the apple tree, outstretched handle bars, pedals poised, wheels rounded to perfection.

You wait to hum me through

FARM FRESH FLAVOUR TRAIL

fields of fattened corn and dappled glens, up fragrant hills, to soaring choir of birds, through teasing breezes and salty air.

I dine on the taste of sunshine, song sparrow, rising harvest moon.

Myrtle, you take me to places that render my tongue dumb.

BY CHRISTINE TERRY

PHOTOS BY REX FROST

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THE TWEED RIDE

PHOTOS BY JASON WEEDMARK

EXPLORING THE SAANICH PENNINSULA

Muse

LUNCH AT THE

BY KATHLEEN FRASER

Cyclists Have Rights.

Get Fair Results.

Max Durando, Injury Lawyer Cyclist/Car Collisions ICBC Injury Claims Car Accident Injuries Pedestrian/Car Collisions Slip/Trip-and-Fall Injuries Air/Bus/Rail/Marine Injuries Free Initial Consultation.

Contingency Fees based on results.

Located at Shoal Point in James Bay Free Bike and Car Parking MDurando@PearlmanLindholm.com 250-388-4433

Now that I’m retired and not biking to work anymore, I’m always looking for little adventures for me and my bike. As my adventures are now less about “doing” the distance and more about “enjoying” the distance, I look for routes which are low stress, close to my home in Brentwood Bay, and provide a treat such as food, drink, art or a view.

One such adventure is a loop from Sidney, around Land’s End Road to the Muse Winery, and back. The ride offers beautiful views, delicious food, wine, and is neither long nor difficult. It’s equally enjoyable on your own or with a group of friends.

Land’s End is a low traffic road that starts at the Swartz Bay ferry terminal, the end of the Lochside trail, and wanders around the north end of the peninsula passing fabulous estates with beautiful gardens and sea views. Even in hot weather, the shade and sea breezes allow for pleasant cycling.

Land’s End eventually turns south and becomes Chalet road, where you will find the Muse Winery.

Since I’m all about enjoyment, a stop at the winery is a must. They are open Tuesdays through Sundays in the summer and serve lovely lunches outside on a patio situated

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among the grapes. If it’s too late for lunch, there’s always dessert and a coffee. Wine tasting is available and local gifts and art can be purchased in their gift shop. A visit to the Muse is a delightful way to pass an hour or so on an afternoon ride.

If the Winery is closed (Mondays) or you are looking for different, more casual fare, not too far away is the Deep Cove Market. Situated on the corner of West Saanich and Birch, it offers great coffee, hearty soups, sandwiches, and a wide variety of goods. It’s also worth a stop. To reach the Market from the winery, head south on Chalet road and east on Birch to West Saanich Road.

To complete the route back to Sidney, Tatlow Road to Wain to the Lochside trail offers a quiet, shady level ride. Alternatively, you can take Tatlow or Birch to West Saanich, then follow busy West Saanich south to Mills Road where the airport Flight Path trail to Sidney connects.

Cycling the northern end of the peninsula offers a pleasant ride for all abilities, with lots to see, do and taste.

If you go, check the Winery website for events, bistro info and tasting hours. Reservations recommended.. www.musewinery.ca

BEWARE THE STROBE Living in Victoria has many advantages, including being able to cycle most of the year. I commute by bicycle 19 km each way two or three times a week, making use of the fantastic Galloping Goose trail for about 12 km of my journey. When the days got shorter I upgraded my headlights to 305 lumens and I’m very thankful for their brightness at 5:30 am. Good lighting is important but using those headlights incorrectly can be a hazard, especially when used on a very fast “strobe” setting.

As a cyclist I completely understand the need to be seen by others road-users, both for our safety and for theirs. But as a person with epilepsy, using the strobe or ‘flashing’ setting is disturbing to me because

BY TERRI FLEMING

strobe lights can trigger seizures. It hasn’t happened to me (yet) on the Galloping Goose because I am aware of my sensitivity to strobe lights, but I learned this the hard way when I suffered a seizure at a concert.

I can’t help but think of the injuries that might happen if I were to collapse on the Galloping Goose in the dark—not only to me but to anyone who rides the same path.

‘daytime running lights’ for your bike.

Here are some tips for making the best use of your headlights to keep yourself and others safe during your ride:

Ensure that you do not use flashing headlights when on a dedicated bicycle path; you might be blinding fellow cyclists and putting people who live with epilepsy at risk of seizures.

Daytime riding: Due to the amount of ambient light in broad daylight, you are more noticeable to other road-users if you keep your headlight on full. Think of it as

Riding in the dark: High-intensity bike headlights over 200 lumens should not be on flashing or strobe mode at night.

These lights can disorient oncoming traffic (whether on 2 or 4 wheels) and make it difficult to estimate your position and speed.

Avoid extreme strobe patterns.

I thank you in advance for your consideration and hope to see you on the Goose!

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LOCAL PROFILE

BY MICHAEL FISHER

N

orth Park Bicycles epitomizes what a community bike store should be. The store is located at the corner of Quadra and North Park Street in the lovely neighbourhood of North Park adjacent to Fernwood. Before meeting the staff and owners, I fueled myself with a beverage and cookie from the Wild Fire Bakery which is just down the road from them. Now I was properly in character to enjoy our meeting.

Walking into the store, I was overwhelmed with the sense of energy as customers bustled in and out and staff quickly greeted me and asked if they could help. Eventually coowner Christine was able to finish delightful dealings with a family and their 3 year old to talk to me.

Christine’s husband Joe started as a mechanic in the business in 2002 and so en-

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joyed the location that he and Christine purchased the business in 2003. Christine commented that they had just celebrated their 12th shop anniversary on May 27th.

When asked why that location, Christine smiled and said that it was a great community and a great location. Judging by the traffic I saw during my visit, that is very true.

The business has changed over the years as they tried out different types of bikes to see what their customers wanted. Currently, they are dealers for Rocky Mountain, Marin, Surly and a number of other brands. Christine and Joe are helped by another 3-4 employees to provide sales and service for everything they sell. What is noteworthy is that they provide 2 years of free service (excluding wear and tear items) for each bike they sell.

The store has been a hive of activity during my last 2 visits. Customers and staff are bustling around and questions are answered quickly. The store is crowded with bikes and accessories; bicycles even hang from the ceiling so it can be almost overwhelming in a nice way. Christine spoke of how North Park cooperates with other bike stores to obtain and provide what a customer needs. For evidence of this, the

GVCC cargo bike has recently been retrofitted with better gearing at North Park.

Park within the last year both speak highly of the sales and service received from this quintessential Local Bike Store. We highly recommend paying Christine, Joe and their friendly staff a call next time you are looking for a bike, accessories or service to your pride and joy.

North Park Bicycles has been a strong community supporter over the years, providing gift certificates to organizations such as the GVCC to award as prizes. North Park recognizes the value of the GVCC and currently offers a 10% discount on parts and accessories to those members who can show their membership card. Two members who purchased bicycles from North

AT A GLANCE • Years in Business: 12 • GVCC Member Discount: 10% • On the Net: northparkbikeshop.com

What do finicky bicycles, broken toasters, and moth-eaten sweaters have in common? You can learn to fix all of them at Repair Café Victoria! The Repair Café is a regular, free event at the Central Branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library (735 Broughton Street). Bring in your broken belongings, including bicycles, and a volunteer will work with you to get them fixed.

The Repair Café concept arose in Amsterdam in 2010, and the idea has spread around the world. Repair Café Victoria started up this past winter, and its next event is on Saturday, September 19, 2015, 9:30am-12:30pm at the Central Branch of the library.

For more information, please visit www. repaircafe.org or Repair Café Victoria at www.facebook.com/repaircafevictoria

Toss it? No way!

COLORS Orange RGB: 233-91-18 BinHex: E95B12 Blue RGB: 55-33-127 BinHex: 37217F

Summer 2015

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E-BIKE

BY AISLINN SIRK

When I ride my electric assist bicycle, I am essentially identical to Tony Stark aka Iron Man aka an Avengers superhero. Granted, I am not a multibillionaire and I can’t fly or shoot laser beams, but otherwise we are basically like twins. Every time I pedal my bicycle the electric assist amplifies all power I provide. Whereas Tony Stark may use the power amplification of his suit to pummel alien invaders, I prefer to use it to for more mundane pursuits. With my electric assist bike I can breeze up hills that previously left me red-faced, exhausted, and eventually pushing my bike slowly up the sidewalk. I can now easily travel at 30 km/hr, keeping up with the flow of traffic downtown and I

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can bike either of my daughters to school or daycare. With the seamless integration of the assist with my pedalling and the multiple levels of assist, it’s just like riding a bike. But better.

I bought the bike in recognition of my inherent laziness so that I could bike further and actually commute to work. It was an unexpected benefit to realise how much more capability and confidence the power in an electric bike provides. When I was biking up a hill with my 2 year old in the front carrier and a large truck started to back blindly from their driveway into the bike lane, I was able to accelerate up

the hill and out of the way. Similarly, I now cheerfully use car lanes for left turns, readily enter shared bike/car lanes and can bike along roads knowing that I am not obstructing traffic flow when passing the parked cars. Extra weight from groceries or children is readily dealt with and my bicycle has now started to function more like a second family car. Considering that my bike cost more than my first 3 cars combined, it is only fair that it worked out that way.

Aislinn lives in Victoria, rides a Bionx electric bicycle and owned a series of really rusty, oil burning cars. She rarely fights alien invasions.

BY MARTY COLE The 3rd and final installment introducing electric-assist bicycles. Part 1 and 2 can be found in the Spring and Summer 2015 issues of CT. As an aging baby boomer who biked a lot as a school age youngster, I had been desperately trying to get back into biking for recreational and health reasons. Over the years, after trying to use a road bike and getting very frustrated with hills and my declining abilities, I decided that there has to be a better way. I searched around and discovered e-bikes! I haven’t looked back since.

So what makes e-bikes so attractive? Lots.

Here’s a partial list.

1) Exercise on Your Terms On an e-bike, you will get loads of exercise!

You are always pedaling and your legs are constantly at work giving you a great cardio workout. The pedal assist (pedelec) system takes that tension and stress off your muscles and joints, allowing biking despite bad knees and extra weight, as well as many other problems that have kept many people off their pedal-only bikes. E-bikes allow you to ride for a much longer duration of time and actually get a longer workout!

2) Climb Hills A well-designed e-bike helps you power up steep hills with little effort—especially if you’re carrying extra cargo. This was one of my biggest problems with pedal bikes (i.e. the inability to control my breathing and

heart rate on steep climbs) and the reason I converted to assisted riding. Given the choice between going cardiac, giving up biking completely, or finding an e-powered solution, the decision to go electric was a no brainer. No more feeling limited to where you can go; now you can confidently go on almost any hill ride with a grin instead of a grimace.

3) Long Distances An e-bike can take you longer distances with less effort in a shorter period of time—and without exhaustion. This pairing of an electric motor with a longrange battery gives you the freedom to ride for up to 60km or two to five hours on a single charge.

4) Keep Pace Some couples or riding partners have different fitness and stamina levels. An e-bike evens out the playing field, allowing you to comfortably ride wherever and with whomever.

5) Commute - Environmentally Friendly and No Sweat Reduce your carbon footprint by commuting with an e-bike. Regular bikes obviously fall into this category too, but when you factor in all the other electric bicycle advantages, you’ll see why electric

bikes are the choice of city commuters in many European cities. No mopping your brow or hitting the shower—just grab your pack and go.

6) Convenient Multi-modal Transportation There are efficient and affordable parking options:it fits on any normal bike rack or to a pole/railing. They are easy to use with public transportation like buses, trains and light rail systems. Be a green cog in the wheel of the regional transit network. Take that “first mile-last mile” by e-bike.

7) Less Expensive Initial cost is way less than a gas or electric powered car. This is also true with day to day operating costs, especially over the long term when using electricity vs. gasoline.

They are lighter, cleaner and more reliable than gas powered vehicles and no driver’s license or insurance is required to ride them.

8) Environmentally Friendly No exhaust is created on-site for the user to inhale. They use BC’s renewable hydroelectric power or you can easily use locally produced solar power or wind power to charge the long life battery.

As a cyclist and cycling advocate, it gives me great pleasure to support CycleTherapy.

Members of the GVCC, you are owed a debt of gratitude by all in this region for your enduring and successful efforts to create a vibrant cycling culture in our community.

Residents of Saanich South: Please contact me if you require assistance with the BC government or have concerns regarding provincial affairs.

Thank you!

250-479-4154 | lana.popham.mla.bc.ca | www.saanichsouth.ca Summer 2015

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B

IKING OGOTA

BY ANDREW GODON

W

hat comes to mind when you hear the name Bogotá, Colombia? Drugs? Violence?

Poverty? While these things do exist there, more than the city administration would wish, there is another side to Bogotá that doesn’t get nearly as much coverage: progressive transportation. I got a chance to see this firsthand during my trip to the city earlier this year.

In recent years, the creation of the TransMilenio, Bogotá’s innovative, immensely successful and widely copied bus rapid transit system brought in by former mayor, Enrique Peñalosa and his brother, Gil, has been one of the cornerstones in the efforts to solve the challenge of providing affordable transportation for this city of 8 million.

Another strategy for improving transportation has been the creation of approximately 350km of protected bike lanes, many of them in the poorest areas of the city. These Cyclorutas carry 300,000–

400,000 riders per day and offer a cheap transportation option to the poorest of citizens. To further promote cycling, Bogotá officials have held car-free days on the first Thursday of February since 2000.

But if there’s one event that can be pointed to that has paved the way for Bogotá’s commitment to progressive transportation, it’s the Cyclovia. Every Sunday and holiday from 7:00am to 2:00pm, 120km of roads and freeways are closed to cars and between one and two million people show up to cycle, jog, walk, roller blade, skateboard and just hang out. Now held in countries worldwide, Bogotá’s Cyclovia was the first, begun in 1974, and remains the biggest of them all. Stages are set up in city parks. Aerobics instructors, yoga teachers and musicians lead people through various performances along the way.

Vendors sell fresh squeezed juices and fruit.

Bike mechanics are set up on almost every block to pump up tires or fix a flat. (The only noticeable fly in the ointment was the absence of porta potties.)

Despite the popularity of cycling, there is no bike share system in Bogotá so I rented a bike in the touristy La Candelaria neighbourhood and headed down to where the action was. At first there was just a trickle of cyclists but as I made my way along the back streets to the centre, the streets got more and more packed with cyclists, walkers, joggers, and, best of all: no cars! It was thrilling and overwhelming to be in a crowd that size on major city thoroughfares. An amazing experience.

At one of the parks along the way there was a bicycle school for all ages where a bike and helmet were provided and instruction given. Lovely to see old and young learning to ride.

Colombia is not a wealthy country and Bogotá has more than its share of poverty so it is encouraging that, in spite of tight resources, they have mustered the political will to address their considerable transportation challenges.

Summer 2015

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Murray Rankin: a strong voice for Victoria’s cycling community.

Tom Mulcair

Help us advocate — Join the GVCC! Want better bike lanes? Want our region to benefit from cycle tourism? Want more sustainable transport? Your membership directly supports GVCC advocacy efforts for cycling in our community. Become a member today

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