ose out of the wind, then on the last lap, they attacked again, Amy went for it and followed too, I tried but the gap was slowly getting bigger, shifted gear and then felt the wind coming in… ahh… feeling it hard, then TADA! Right beside me coming to my rescue, dEVa Anita, said “hop on my wheel” thank god… Thanks Anita, you saved me right there. Then I take the time to catch my breath and then come to the left of Anita to sprint for the finish (match #2 - Lisa). At that point I lost track of who was where, it was only between Anita and I, and just for the fun of it… What a trill! Hahaha… It was so much fun… Amy; 4th place, you rock! and thanks for all the pulls, Anita, thanks for saving me. Melissa, we missed you at the end, next time stick around for a group photo. All dEVas; great job! :~) See the video
Long-time rider and member of Escape-Velocity and Burnaby Velodrome cycling clubs Doug Preston passed away February 18 as a result of injuries received in an MVA while on a training ride. Doug was an enthusiast rider and a tireless volunteer in the cycling community. We will be holding a gathering to remember Doug's Life early next week with specific details to follow.Hello everyone,
Some of you may have heard the sad news that fellow member Doug Preston was killed in an MVA on Wednesday in Surrey. Best reports are that Doug was heading out on a training ride around 4:15 and descending 108 Ave. between 128St. and Scott Rd. when he was struck head on by a vehicle that crossed the centerline.
Doug had by all accounts been racing in one form or another since the mid 80’s with teams like Norco Anglia, River Road CC, Soliton and most recently Escape Velocity. I had the privilege of knowing Doug as a team mate and a friend for all those years. He was an enthusiastic volunteer and was responsible for organizing many races over the years. Doug never gave up his love of racing and will be remembered as a fixture in racing in BC.
Doug’s family is understandably in shock and has not yet set a date for a service. I will pass this information along once I have confirmation.
Steve Fenning,
Escape Velocity
The loss of 698 lives in bicycle/motor vehicle crashes in 2007, just under two people every day of the year in the U.S., is a terrible toll. While lower than the 814 fatalities in 1997, bicycling crash were on the rise just a few years ago. These numbers represent 2 percent of the total number of people killed and injured in traffic crashes in 2007. The number of reported injuries involving bicyclists has followed a similar trend, from 68,000 in 1993 to 41,000 in 2003, only to rise again in 2005. Fortunately, the 43,000 reported injuries in 2007 represents another decline. However, we know from research into hospital records that only a fraction of bicycle crashes causing injury are ever recorded by the police, possibly as low as ten percent.
http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/facts/crash-facts.cfm
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
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 7th 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.
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/
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.
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
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 ContactsVancouver 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/
* 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/
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/
Good ol’ Wiki for reference!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Reports
http://vancouver.ca/ctyclerk/
http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/
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.
Vancouver Area Cycling Collision. Get involved – make a difference!
http://www.vacc.bc.ca/bike_to_
Cycling in Cities Research Centre at UBC
