12 minute read
I SAW YOU
CYCLING Cycle highways seen as future solution to gridlock
by Charlie Smith
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Try to imagine what it would be like to go all the way from the North Shore to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal on a bicycle.
Sure, there are some very fit cycling keeners who can make this trip under current circumstances. But they are few and far between.
But what if there were a separated pathway where there would be no interactions with pedestrians or motor vehicles? And what if people were able to make this journey on an ebike?
That’s one of the possibilities outlined in a Hub Cycling report that will soon be released. It makes a case for “cycle highways” in Metro Vancouver.
Navdeep Chhina, director of campaigns and inclusion with HUB Cycling, told the Straight by phone that cycle highways have potential to offer tremendous benefits for improving the community’s health. Not only that, but they could also promote more tourism.
“What the study is looking at is what are the corridors between different municipalities?” Chhina told the Straight by phone.
HUB Cycling mapped segments across the region, stretching deep into the northeast sector and South Surrey. Chhina said that it’s conceivable that within Vancouver, a cycling highway could include the Arbutus Greenway, which could be part of the segment going toward the ferry terminal.
> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < PINK HAIRED GIRL AT CHURCHES I SAW A: r I AM A: s WHEN: MARCH 26, 2022 WHERE: Churches on Nanaimo// Hastings We made small talk about the wait times on orders and buying bus passes. Very intricate stuff. I wish I could have thought of something more interesting to say at the time, but there it was-my poor attempt at flirting. Here’s hoping you see this and I get a second chance. IKEA ORDER PICK UP I SAW A: s I AM A: r WHEN: MARCH 12, 2022 WHERE: Ikea Pick Up Warehouse Coquitlam You said your name was Daniel. I can’t believe I just let you drive away. I wished I talked with you more. I was frazzled from my day, lol. You shook my hand when I asked your name and again when we parted. Your thoughtfulness to help me won’t be forgotten. It made my whole day. I couldn’t imagine a more handsome man with a beautiful smile to have helped me, and now I can’t stop thinking about you. Who are you? SEAWALL - YOU STOPPED ME TO ASK IF WE HAD WORKED TOGETHER I SAW A: s I AM A: r WHEN: MARCH 12, 2022 WHERE: Vancouver Seawall You stopped me on the Seawall today (Saturday March 12) to ask if we had worked together in the past. I said no, waved bye and then we went in opposite directions. You caught me off guard and as I was walking away I regretted not taking the time to talk some more. If you feel the same, write me back and let me know any detail of our brief interaction so I know it’s you :) AT PARADISE MARCH 19 I SAW A: s I AM A: r WHEN: MARCH 19, 2022 WHERE: Paradise We danced for a while and tried to talk over the loud music. We agreed it was so nice to finally be out again and how much we'd missed it. You are Piedro from Brazil, you told me my hair was intense and you liked it. I regret that we didn't exchange phone numbers. Want to get together and talk some more? IN THE LINE AT WINNERS BUYING A TOY DINOSAUR NOT FOT MY KIDS I SAW A: r I AM A: s WHEN: MARCH 18, 2022 WHERE: Winners I saw you in the lineup at Winners. You knew that toy dinosaur wasn't for either of my two boys. I am drawn by your personality. I'm usually not shy but I knew my face was red and I was super instant crush shy. I wanted to ask you your name, and for coffee. I was still embarrassed about the dinosaur. But at least you know I have good taste in candles. PETRO CAN NEW WEST 12TH AND STEWARDSON I SAW A: r I AM A: s WHEN: MARCH 11, 2022 WHERE: Petro Can New West 12th and Stewardson I missed what I believe may have been a wonderful opportunity. I was filling my car and you pulled up the pump behind me with a beautiful smile. Once you got out I commented about getting through a global pandemic to segue to getting gouged at the pumps. You laughed and said but now we can see each other's grimace. A bit more conversation and I said have a great day. I pulled away... then I came back but you had already gone. Contact me? SEXY MARRIED GUY I SAW A: s I AM A: r WHEN: MARCH 4, 2022 WHERE: West Vancouver You were at the Squarerigger Pub in West Vancouver. You were wearing all black and were with one buddy. I kept finding myself looking over at you because I thought you were really adorable and had a very sexy vibe about you... Cute voice and gestures. However I didn’t go over and talk to you because I saw you had a wedding ring. I’m posting this on the off chance you read this and can revel in the compliment. I am brunette and was wearing black jeans and a tan cardigan, having a beer with a guy friend. IT’S A STRETCH I SAW A: s I AM A: r WHEN: MARCH 2, 2022 WHERE: Gastown Tattooed East Van yogi with a silver bike at One Yoga for the People last fall. Come back & share that peaceful warrior energy! CUTE LADY @ CARIBOU EARLY SHOW I SAW A: r I AM A: s WHEN: FEBRUARY 19, 2022 WHERE: Commodore Ballroom Saw you with your friends dancing beside me in front of the railing during the Caribou show on Saturday, the early performance. Me: 5”11 ish, black hoodie, green hat. You: Cute, green dress, light shoulder length hair and pretty earrings hanging out with I believe 2 female friends and 1 male friend wearing a MOOG merchandise. We were facing the Strobe Lights off to the left of the stage with a bouncer looking towards us. I should have asked you to dance with me or at least asked to exchange numbers. Maybe we will meet again someday! Hopefully another show is in the cards.
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Copenhagen has highways reserved for cyclists who commute longer distances, and HUB Cycling thinks they’re a good idea for the region’s residents who ride ebikes. Photo by Koldo Studios/Getty.
“A cycle highway would be a route where people don’t have to stop and they can go on a hard speed without having to worry about conflicts with people walking or people driving,” Chhina explained. “This is something that has been very successfully done in Copenhagen.”
Moreover, he noted, Copenhagen shares something in common with Vancouver: both cities are in regions that are comprised of many municipalities.
The lure of cycle highways increases with the rise of ebikes and other electric forms of active transportation. Chhina said that there are also more cargo bikes being sold to people who need transportation that can carry goods but who don’t want to buy a car. And Chhina believes that if municipalities provide more cycling infrastructure, it will encourage even more utilization of sustainable transportation that will not only keep the air cleaner but also cut down on traffic congestion.
“It becomes even more important with electric-assist bikes because they can go faster than the regular bikes,” he said. “It’s a lot more dangerous if they are on the roads with cars. So we need to move faster in reallocating our road space, especially when it comes to neighbourhood streets. We need to reallocate to walking and cycling.”
A 2020 UBC research project gives credence to what Chhina is saying if policymakers want to encourage more people to use ebikes. Jimin Park, a transportation planner at Watt Consulting Group, was part of a team that studied barriers to ebike use when she was a master’s student in the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning. The university asked nearly 400 staff and faculty to try an ebike for 24 hours. The study found that 43 of them ultimately rented an ebike for 24 hours and 17 ended up purchasing discounted ebikes. This was not an impressive number if the goal is to get more faculty and staff to commute via ebike. “In our focus group, we found that lack of separated bike paths was the greatest barrier,” Park told the Straight by phone. The next biggest barrier was the lack of infrastructure on campus, whether that was high-quality parking or charging capabilities. The third biggest barrier was cost— ebikes can sell for $2,000 and there’s not a deep secondary market of used products. The group of researchers had four recommendations. The first was to increase the quantity and quality of bike parking infrastructure on the UBC campus. Secondly, they urged the university to provide “high-quality, integrated end-of-trip facilities on campus”. The third recommendation was for financial incentives for faculty and staff to buy ebikes. And, finally, the researchers encouraged an education and awareness campaign on campus. Park believes that the barriers to ebike use on campus likely mirror those in much of the region. Then there’s the issue of faster electric-assist bikes operating in the same separated cycling lanes as old-fashioned pedalpower bikes. Park said that she’s noticing more vehicles of varying speeds when she’s out on her bike in places like Stanley Park. “The biggest thing as a transportation planner I would recommend is wider separated facilities,” she said. Chhina also pointed out another glaring public-policy issue related to ebikes. And that’s the lack of financial incentives from senior levels of government. “There is no rebate to buy electric-assist bikes but you get rebates to buy expensive electric cars,” Chhina said. “That is not equitable. If you’re giving rebates on cars, give rebates on bikes.” g
OUTSIDE Great gardeners make good customers at Hunters
by Carlito Pablo
Gardening has taught Miles Hunter an important virtue: patience.
“Planting and growing anything takes patience,” the owner of Hunters Garden Centre told the Straight in a phone interview.
“When you’re growing something from seed,” the avid gardener said, “you put a seed in the ground and it can be two weeks before that seed might show itself and pop up. And so you have to learn to wait and be patient.
“When you’re growing something that’s going to produce food—like, say, you’re going to grow a fruit tree, an apple tree or cherry tree—you’re probably waiting two to three years before you’re going to get your first reasonable crop out of it,” he continued. “So you have to learn to wait.”
Flowers are another example. “You can plant a small plant in the early spring, like right now—you can plant some geraniums and petunias and things like that—but you’re not really going to see a big show until June or July, when those plants are going to produce their big show of flowers.”
Hunters Garden Centre has been in business for almost 69 years. It was started in the
Third-generation gardening retailer Mike Hunter suggests that rookies start small. autumn of 1953 by Hunter’s grandparents David and Margaret, who had their first store in Vancouver on Kingsway and Rupert Street.
Hunter’s parents, Ron and Deni, eventually took over. Hunter is the third generation in the family to run the business.
Asked how young he was when he first got involved in the company, Hunter said, laughing, “As soon as I could walk.”
“Officially, I didn’t get put in the payroll until I was 14, but I certainly worked at the stores before then,” he said. “We used to have a nursery, and I worked at the nursery probably since I was eight years old.”
He has been the general manager since 2010 and became the owner in 2015. Hunters Garden Centre has two locations: at 2560 West Broadway in Vancouver, and 15175 72nd Avenue in Surrey.
“The people of Vancouver and Greater Vancouver definitely love their gardens,” Hunter said about how the family business has thrived through the years.
“They’ve always had a really great gardening community, and they’ve always supported us very well,” he added. “From the early days of the business, we’ve had lots of great gardeners as customers.”
On March 22 this year, the Canadian Garden Council announced that it has proclaimed 2022 as the country’s Year of the Garden. The CGC was founded as a nonprofit in 2014 in collaboration with the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association.
Hunter’s grandfather David was active for many years in the CNLA, which is marking its 100-year anniversary in 2022.
Hunter said that the Year of the Garden 2022 is a great way to celebrate the beauty and bounty that nature provides.
“I would like to see people continue to enjoy spending time outdoors in their garden, making the world a more colourful place,” Hunter said. “I would like to see people growing their own fresh herbs and vegetables on their patio or in their backyard, so they can experience the taste of fresh produce.”
For people wanting to get into gardening, Hunter suggests starting small.
“For indoor plants, I would start with two to three plants. For outdoors, just three to five,” he said.
For a beginner’s vegetable garden, Hunter recommended a small plot of just four feet by eight feet. When you can manage that, it’s time to expand.
In other words—as Hunter said he has learned from his long years of gardening— be patient. g
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