Planning the Safest Cycling Route

Ed Pullman, Board Member

One of the most important components of safer cycling is choosing a safe route that will offer the most safety and comfort while reducing potential conflicts with motor vehicles. Routes that travel along streets with high quality cycling infrastructure, separated trails, or low traffic side streets (with safe crossings at intersections) are much more preferable to routes that lack these amenities. However, discovering these safe routes can prove challenging. Cycling wayfinding (ex: the bicycle symbol you see on street signs all over Vancouver) is severely lacking in our region. Mapping tools such as Google Maps often show you the most direct route from point A to point B but don’t show you the route with fewest cars or the best cycling infrastructure. Here are some tips when planning a safe route for getting yourself around: 1. Don’t trust Google Maps: I’ve been a cycle commuter in Greater Victoria for 15 years and I’m continually shocked at the extremely poor route advice that is offered when I type two destinations into Google

Maps. Nine times out of ten, it will provide me a route that takes me down a busy arterial with no bike lanes, crossing a busy road with no traffic signals to allow a safe crossing, or instructing me to make an uncontrolled left turn. Google will provide you with a direct route, but very rarely a safe route.

Photo: a cyclist signals a right turn at a stop sign, photo credit: John Holland.

2. Prioritize right turns and minimize uncontrolled left turns: If you need to turn left, try to do so at a traffic light or with the use of a pedestrian controlled crossing. 3. Avoid travel during rush hour: This is easier said than done but if you can avoid riding during rush hour traffic (or commuting in the opposite direction of rush hour traffic), you will save yourself the headache of having to share the road when space is at the biggest premium. Morning rush hour tends to run from 7am-9am, while afternoon is 3pm-6pm.

4. Check out the CRD’s Cycling Map: The CRD has a cycling map (print and digital) that highlights commonly used cycling routes and classifies them based on the type of cycling facilities present on the road. It’s a great resource for finding cycling routes you might not be aware of; however, it’s not without its problems. It is missing many of the cycling routes in Saanich and doesn’t differentiate between busier shared streets like Beach Drive or Oak Bay Ave and traffic-calmed side streets like Haultain or Richardson. Check it out at: www.crd. bc.ca/service/commuting-cycling/bike-maps.

5. Ask for Help! Send us an email at info@ capitalbike.ca, get on Twitter with the hashtag #yyjbike or check out the Facebook group Family Cycling Victoria.