Richard Campbell: Include cycling in economic-stimulus plans

I think BC is making head ways for cyclists...

Richard Campbell: Include cycling in economic-stimulus plans

By Charlie Smith

Vancouver cycling activist Richard Campbell wants the public to badger politicians to include cycling infrastructure in any economic-stimulus packages.

Shortly before Christmas, Campbell wrote a thoughtful blog posting with a headline, “billions for bikes beats band-aids”.

“In a world shaken to the core by climate change, volatile fuel prices, rising obesity rates and a collapsing economy, there has never been a better time for cycling,” Campbell noted. “What is possible will only be limited by our vision and execution.”

He wrote that transit and rail projects are necessary, but they also take years to plan. Cycling infrastructure, on the other hand, can be done now when the economy needs a jump-start.

Campbell correctly pointed out that politicians aren’t interested in small projects that nobody will notice.

“Be sure to push for high-quality cycling facilities that people want and will use,” he stated on his posting. “This tends to be paths and cycle tracks, like in Amsterdam and Copenhagen that are separated from cars. There is little evidence that even bike lanes are effective at encouraging more people to cycle. By pushing for what people actually want, you will find that politicians are likely to be more receptive in spite or even because of the additional cost.”

In October, the British Columbia Cycling Coalition submitted a four-page brief to the legislature's finance and government services committee calling for accelerated investments in cycling infrastructure.

"While the recent commitment of $31 million in Bike BC funding over 3 years is a significant improvement over previous funding levels for cycling, it will only begin to address the cycling facilities deficit that has resulted from the lack of investment over the last few decades," the document states.

Campbell is vice president of a cycling-consulting company, Third Wave Cycling Group, a director of the B.C. Cycling Coalition, and he's a founder of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition and Better Environmentally Sound Transportation.

Third Wave Cycling Group’s president is veteran cycling activist Jack Becker; the vice president and secretary is Paul Dragan, a former competitive cyclist and the founder of Reckless Bike Stores.

Found on Georgia Straight website at:

http://www.straight.com/article-177691/richard-campbell-include-cycling-economicstimulus-plans

Concerned Citizen of Vancouver - Template PLEASE SEND TO LIST BELOW

Concerned Citizen of Vancouver

Bicycle safety

Enter your addressA

Enter your address

Enter your address

DATE

Name of person or people you are sending this to A

Dear Sir or Madam:A

Subject: Bicycle safety on the Burrard Bridge.

On Sunday September 7^th there was another serious bicycle accident on the Burrard Bridge. A friend Aof mine was forced off the elevated sidewalk and into oncoming traffic by a pedestrian who had entered the bicycle lane. Despite the fact that she was wearing a helmet she fractured her skull and suffered a concussion. She was admitted to the neural-ICU at Vancouver General Hospital and was released a few days later. She is currently managing the side effects of her injuries.

Primary concerns as a cyclist in VancouverA.

Safety: The Burrard Bridge is a safety risk to its users.

• With no structural division of lane ways, not only are cyclists at risk of collision with pedestrians and vehicles, but pedestrians are at risk of being hit by cyclists and vehicles are at risk of hitting cyclists and pedestrians who are forced off their path ways and into traffic.
• The Burrard Bridge does not meet Canadian safety guidelines. A shared multidirectional bicycle and pedestrian path way paralleling a road should be at least 3-4 meters in width. The path way on the Burrard Bridge measures up to a mere 2.6 meters. If there was more room on the bridge this recent accident, and many others, may have been avoided.

Research: There are multiple accidents and near accidents that take place on the Burrard Bridge each year. Many of them go unreported, so the magnitude of safety risk of the bridge may be underestimated. There are two research studies currently being conducted at the University of British Columbia with support from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research: 1) Impact if the Built Environment on Decisions to Cycle; and 2) Bicyclists Injuries and the Cycling Environment. You may want to consider the preliminary and final results of these studies in your future plans for cycling safety on the Burrard Bridge and Vancouver in general. For more information see www.cher.ubc.ca/cyclingincities.

Green choices: The City of Vancouver continues to make Green choices, including the allocation of funds to cycling infrastructure; however, the Burrard Bridge has been continuously neglected despite the fact that it has been on the City’s agenda for many years.

• It is time for the City make a Green commitment to the Burrard Bridge. Reallocate vehicle lanes to bicycle traffic. This solution would align with the concerns of Heritage Vancouver, an organization that does not want the bridge altered for historical reasons. Unlike bridge reconstruction, lane reallocation would not cost upwards of $63 million City dollars.
• As stated in the 2005 report to Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic - Burrard Bridge Sidewalk Capacity Improvements for Pedestrians and Cyclists ~9% of the 8000-9000 people crossing the bridge are on bike or foot. That’s 720-810 citizens of Vancouver – they deserve a safe path way to commute. Further, if it was safer to commute over the Burrard Bridge by foot or bike more people would.
• According to the same report, walking, cycling, and transit use have seen significant growth on the Burrard Bridge with volumes increasing 30-40% between 1996 and 2001. I am sure that trend has continued into 2008.
• With the completion of the Canada Line, it is conceivable that the number of people commuting in and out of the downtown core by vehicle will be reduced. With the Cambie Bridge construction completed, the vehicle traffic demands on Burrard Bridge could be reduced.

As a concerned citizen of I would like to see the City of Vancouver address the safety issues of the Burrard Bridge in light of the risks it posses to its users. I want to see the City make a commitment improving the safety of the Burrard Bridge for all its users.

Sincerely,

[Click here and type your name]A

[Click here and type job title]A

Safety Risks on the Burrard Bridge

Important message from Sarah - Jane Lusina who was also a crash victim

As most of you know, I was in a bike accident a month ago on the Burrard Bridge. I fractured my skull and had a pretty bad concussion. I am recovering well and look forward to reclaiming my active lifestyle again when I am symptom free.

In my research of the Burrard Bridge, I have discovered that it poses huge safety risks for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers. It is a throughway that many of us use everyday – and we should be aware of those risks (as I was not). We should also take action to evoke change in our communities, especially when safety is the issue. To this end, I am asking you to contact the City of Vancouver and tell them that as a citizen of Vancouver you are concerned about the safety risks of the Burrard Bridge and that you want them to address this concern.

I have attached a letter to this email that you may use to contact the City about this issue. Feel free to make changes as you see fit, or based on your opinions (whatever they may be). See the comments in the attached Word document where you will be asked to insert your own information. Be sure to remove the comments before you send it along. Below, I have provided you a the names, street address, email addresses of City Hall, City councilors, the mayor. You may chose to send it to one or all of them. Feel free to pass letter and email request along to others. The more support we get, the stronger our voice!

Also, for your reference and interest, I have included a list of links so that you can use to educate yourself about the bridge and how you can support positive change.

I hope that this request is not too imposing. I feel compelled to do something for two reasons: One, there needs to be something positive that comes out of this accident; and two, I care about the safety of my friends and community who use this bridge.

Many thanks – and happy riding. - Sarah

City Contacts

Vancouver City Hall
453 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver, BC V5Y 1V4

Mayor Sam Sullivan - sam.sullivan@vancouver.ca

Councilors: clranton@vancouver.ca, clrball@vancouver.ca, clrcadman@vancouver.ca, clrcapri@vancouver.ca, clrchow@vancouver.ca, clrdeal@vancouver.ca, clrladner@vancouver.ca, clrlee@vancouver.ca, clrlouie@vancouver.ca, clrstevenson@vancouver.ca

Today’s article in the Province

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=caba4dbc-1c38-4140-a998-3443fd7bd597

* Look for an article in the next Momentum, a clip on tonight’s CTV News, and a radio interview on Talk 1410 at 11:15am today.

Past News Articles

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/bikepaths/

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/04/29/bc-burrard-bike-lanes-costs.html

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2005/12/20/bc_burrard-bridge20051220.html

Good ol’ Wiki for reference!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrard_Street_Bridge

Reports

http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/cclerk/documents/tt1burrardbridge.pdf

http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/files/health/bikepaths/guidelines.html

Current City of Vancouver Capital Plan for 2009-2011. Only $20 million is allocated to the bridge – enough to fix old railings and patch come broken concrete.

http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/corpsvcs/financial/capital/pdf/RTS07341FPPlebiscite.pdf

Vancouver Area Cycling Collision. Get involved – make a difference!

http://www.vacc.bc.ca/bike_to_work/workshops.php

Cycling in Cities Research Centre at UBC

http://www.cher.ubc.ca/cyclingincities/

MEC HO has raised over $1000 for Vancouver Cycling Coalition

MEC Head Office has raised over $1000 at our WR sale today; all profits are going to the Vancouver Cycling Coalition... Thanks MEC!
;~)

BC Cycling Coalition's - Bike Sense Operator's Manual

Did you know that the BC Cycling Coalition's got this Bike Sense Operator's Manual, check it out...
http://www.bikesense.bc.ca/Bike_Sense-Nov05.pdf

Motorists and Cyclists in Harmony List Updated

How to be a better driver in 4 easy steps?
1- Give cyclists plenty of room
2- Check for cyclists in your mirrors prior to turning or opening doors
3- Give way to cyclists
4- Bikes can't stop as fast as a car.

How to be a better and safer cyclist in three easy steps?
1- Just follow the road rules
2- Never EVER ride in the "door zone"
3- Always ride to be highly predictable for drivers of motor vehicles.

Two more "ways to be a better cyclist" by Tobin

Tobin's reply has great points to add to our list... and great links worth reading and watching Thanks Tobin... I really appreciate everyone's input...

I'm pleased to see that you're wanting to improve awareness of road safety issues for cyclists. Just a quick note to add a suggestion or two to your "ways to be a better cyclist":

2) Never EVER ride in the "door zone"

3) Always ride to be highly predictable for drivers of motor vehicles.

I take my guidance from the principles in John Forester's _Effective Cycling_. I recognize that not everyone agrees with Forester's arguments, but since I first started cycling competitively in 1981, those principles have served me well. Some links below, if you're not familiar with his approach.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effective_Cycling

http://www.amazon.ca/Effective-Cycling-6th-John-Forester/dp/0262560704

http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&id=0n2t7P1v2M8C&dq=effective+cycling&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=IChSU-hhiq&sig=hqasK_TsMF7eOiIfmkABtz5jlHg&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjCza5e1kw

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=XIr3mI96FZk

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vLu0DHPeYm8

There is no easy step: It requires to "use your brain"

Joseph's reply was brilliant,

I often find myself riding and breaking the rules too, but, yet the goal is to avoid accidents, which is a great point Joseph makes here below...

Although your goals are laudable, I can't help but feel the goal of
getting drivers to be more aware is the tail wagging the dog.

Cyclists have to make room, be more visible. In short, they have to be
proactive about their own safety: expecting drivers to look out for them
is a recipe for disaster.

Driver awareness (or lack thereof) of cyclists (and most other things)
are learned behaviours that turn into habits. If the interaction of
drivers and cyclists are rare owing to the sparsity of cyclists, human
nature will eventually take over and drivers will no longer consider
the existence of cyclists.

Vancouver is better in this regard as cycle commuters are more prevalent,
but we have not achieved a level of awareness as other places where
cycling is the main mode of travel.

This is one of the reasons I don't like residential bike paths: they
shunt cyclists off of to less visible "tourist" routes.

*How to be a better and safer cyclist in one easy step?*

1- Just follow the road rules

Blindly doing this will get you killed. All the mishaps I've been in
had me on the correct side of the law. In retrospect, if not following
the rules would increase my safety, I would do it.

I am not advocating rule breaking: most of them make sense and ought to
be followed. But the goal here is avoiding accidents, and that requires

- a recognition of danger

This comes with experience or a naturally wary nature.
Entering intersections, riding in confined spaces,
riding in poor visibility or marginal traction siutations
should all be warning signals. It is a required element to
exercise ...

- anticipatory skills

If you try to react, it's too late. Eventually, you
will not have enough time. It's better to anticipate
adverse events, and ride accordingly and defensively.

It is perhaps an irony that I sometimes ride aggressively
in traffic, which on the surface, seems contradictory.
But riding aggressively requires me to be aware: I am
actively thinking about possible outcomes and how
to deal with it. I ride aggressively to take (rather
than be given) my proper place, not for the adrenaline rush.

On the flip side, cyclists need to help other road users to be aware of you.

- being predictable.

This, I deem, to be the main advantage of following the rules.
It allows other road users to anticipate what you are going
to do. Not following established rules confuses other road
users, causing them to react in bizarre ways, sometimes to
a cyclist's detriment.

This is also why I like vehicular commuter routes: drivers
are more predictable, unlike residential neighbourhoods where
stop signs are more frequently jumped than respected. This
is weighed against congestion or higher speeds or other factors.

- being visible.

Other road users can't "do the right thing" if you're invisible.
Lights, bells, yells, reflective strips, bright clothing,
lane placement all contribute to helping drivers be aware
of you.

How to be a better and safer cyclist in one easy step? There is no
easy step. It requires an awareness that is not easily explained.
And even then, there are no guarantees. If you want to package it up
into a trite rule, "use your brain". But this is analogous to explaining
how to win an Olympic medal as "run faster than everyone".

Joseph Tam

Bikes can't stop as fast as a car - Step #4

Step #4 was added to the list, thanks to Stuart Lynne, that also recommended to get ICBC and BCAA support. Thank you to all of you... Feel free to leave your comments and or recommendations.

How to be a better driver in 4 easy steps?
1- Give cyclists plenty of room
2- Check for cyclists in your mirrors prior to turning or opening doors
3- Give way to cyclists
4. Bikes can't stop as fast as a car.

How to be a better and safer cyclist in one easy step?
1- Just follow the road rules

Atlanta Bicycle Campaign launched a Share the Road Education Program

http://atlantabike2.org/category/Topics/Share-Road

On August 26th, the City of Woodstock Police Department (WPD) and the Atlanta Bicycle Campaign launched a Share the Road Education Program in order to educate motorists and cyclists on how to legally and safely share the road.

The program was headed by the Bicycle Unit of the WPD who provided plain-clothes bike officers to ride on the street and give out warnings and information on how to share the road.

>> more at
http://atlantabike2.org/content/Woodstock-Police-Department-kicks-a-Share-Road-education-program-with-ABC

Great blog - I Bike T.O.

A great blog to look at is http://www.ibiketo.ca

Do we have something like that here in Vancouver? I could not find any on google, anyone?