Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Vancouvers
initiative
to
host
the
European
Cyclists
Federation
conference
between
June
26
and
29,
2012
provided
an
opportunity
to
shine
a
light
on
all
aspects
of
cycling
in
British
Columbia.
Island
Pathways,
a
non-governmental
organization
on
Salt
Spring
Island
that,
for
the
past
25
years,
has
been
working
to
improve
the
ease
of
use
and
safety
of
cycling,
responded
to
this
opportunity
by
hosting
a
complementary
pre-conference
event
that
featured
the
rural
cycling
experience.
Thus,
Velo
Village
was
complementary
to
Velo-City
2012.
Velo
Village
showcased
rural
and
urban
cycling
interests
working
together
to
build
safe,
seamless
cycling
capacity
within,
between
and
beyond
m unicipal,
regional
and
provincial
boundaries.
This
summary
report
describes
activities
and
identifies
key
outcomes.
Overview
Velo
Village
was
a
celebration
o f
rural
cycling.
It
highlighted
critical
human,
economic
and
cultural
relationships
that
bind
city
cyclists
with
their
country
cousins
and
proposed
a
policy
framework
for
improving
cycling
connectivity
in
British
Columbia.
A
copy
of
the
Salish
Sea
Statements
on
Cycling
&
Rural
Mobility
is
attached
a s
Appendix
A).
o Volunteers,
translated
m ulti-lingual
versions
of
the
Statements.
They
can
be
downloaded
from
the
following
URLs:
A video compilation of Velo Village activities may be viewed at the following URL: http://youtu.be/DB1ZIr650G0 The Island Pathways and Veloworks Boards co-signed a Letter of Agreement in February 2012, designating Velo Village as an official pre-conference event to Velo-City 2012 Global and identifying specific roles a nd responsibilities for their respective organizations. Main Velo Village events took place on June 21, 22 a nd 23. A complete list of activities is included below: o June 11th to June 30th: B eautiful Bikes more than 40 local businesses display bikes painted by staff and/or commissioned from local a rtists o June 18th to June 24th: Salt Spring Island Bike to Work Week
o June
19th
to
June
25th:
ArtSpring
Cycl-OH!-rama
and
SRAM
pART
Project
Velo
Village
-
a
display
of
vintage
bikes,
bike
photography
and
a
juried
Bicycle
Art
Show
and
Auction
with
proceeds
going
to
World
Bicycle
Relief
(http://www.sram.com/partproject/velo-village/overview.php)
o June
20th:
Velo
Village
Vibrations
a
community
celebration
of
long-time
local
cyclists
and
a
volunteer
briefing
with
emergency
services
and
logistics
personnel
o June
21st:
Canadian
premiere
of
Reveal
the
Path
a
75
minute
film
that
features
world
class
cyclists
engaging
people
and
terrain
in
some
of
the
worlds
most
inaccessible
places
o June
22nd:
Cycling
and
Rural
Mobility
Conference
An
international
gathering
focused
on
safe,
seamless
cycling
for
rural
and
urban
riders
(speaker
biographies
are
attached
as
Appendix
B)
Spoke
N
Song
Gala
a
variety
show
supported
by
on-
and
off- island
speakers
and
performers
and
featuring
Colin
and
Julie
Angus
(the
first
couple
to
circumnavigate
the
globe
under
human
power)
rd o June
23 :
The
BIKE
FERRY
and
FUN
RIDE
more
than
250
cyclists
sailed
from
Vancouver
to
Salt
Spring
Island
on
B ritish
Columbias
first-ever
bicycle-only
vessel.
They
were
joined
by
approximately
100
others
for
a
14km
fun
ride
along
a
dedicated
bike
lane
decorated
with
dozens
of
hand- painted
bikes
Bicycle
Valet
service
secure,
monitored
bicycle
parking
was
available
for
up
to
600
cyclists
Cycling
Workshops:
Electric
Bikes
(introductory
&
advanced);
Rural
Safe
Cycling
Practices;
Cycle
Tourism
Financing
Velo
Village
was
designed
as
an
a ffordable
and
accessible
cycling
experience.
Participation
fees
a re
listed
in
Table
1.
Table
1:
Participation
Fees Art
Spring
Cycl- Reveal
the
Rural
Cycling
Bicycle
Valet
Spoke
N
Bike
Ferry
&
OH!-rama Path Conference &
Workshops Song
Gala Fun
Ride by
donation $10.00 $75.00 by
donation $15.00 $20.00
The
financial
and
in-kind
support
of
public
and
private
sector
sponsors,
partners
and
benefactors
established
a
broadly-based
foundation
for
success.
A
high
level
breakdown
of
festival
revenues
describes
this
relationship
(Table
2).
Private Sector
Table 2: Velo Village Sources of Revenue $ 6,500.00 Public Sector $ 8,450.00 Sales & Donations 21.6% 28.2%
$ 15,065.00 50.2%
Outcomes Financial: V elo Village had a net positive financial impact for Island Pathways Volunteerism: More than 225 volunteers supported the d evelopment and d elivery of Velo Village Small B usiness Participation: approximately 100 small businesses supported the V elo Village event. Participation included major cash sponsorships of $1000 or more (n=2), sponsorship of a gift bag coupon (n=30), donation of an in-kind service or product (n=35), commissioning and/or showcasing a beautiful (painted) bike (n=40+) Islands Trust participation: Salt Spring and Island Trust Councils endorsed t he V elo Village resolution calling for increased investment in rural cycling infrastructure. Capital R egional District Participation: supported Velo Village in many ways: the CRD Director supported the Island Pathways application for a Grant-in-Aid, the SSI Transportation Commission and the CRD B oard supported our call for increased provincial investment in rural cycling infrastructure and the Communications group leveraged key partnerships to optimize distribution and uptake of Velo Village marketing and messaging leading up to the June event BCFerries Participation: B CF corporate, operations and advisory committee structures enabled cyclist-only access to the MV Skeena Queen on June 23rd. Specifically, BCF operations managers and staff provided excellent planning and delivery support for the entire event rd Cyclist Participation: cyclist volumes peaked on Saturday, June 23 when b etween 400 and 500 cyclists were present in Ganges. Bike to Work Week Participation: 23 individuals and five t eams cycled more than 1260 km between June 18 and 24, 2012. Salt Spring cyclists registered the second highest average commute distance (approx 11km return) in British Columbia. Film Night: more than 80 theatre goers attended the Canadian premiere of R eveal the Path http://revealthepath.com/ Cycl-O H!-rama & pART Project Show: more than 1,000 people came to Art Spring to enjoy the vintage bike displays, the bike photo exhibit and the 23 original works of art created for the pART Project in collaboration with SRAM & World Bicycle Relief
Cycling and R ural Mobility C onference: 60 persons registered for the day long conference. More than 90 percent of delegates stayed one or more night on Salt Spring Island. A program is attached a s Appendix C. Conference presentations can be downloaded from the Island Pathways Bicycle Working Group Blog page: http://ssi- bicycleworkinggroup.blogspot.ca/. Table 3 provides a breakdown of where delegates traveled from: Table 3: Where Delegates Reside Vancouver Other Canada1 14% 6%
Rural BC 44%
Victoria 19%
Bike
Ferry/Fun
Ride
R egistrants:
a
total
of
259
p ersons
pre-registered
for
this
event.3
Demographic
information
follows:
o 50.2%
of
the
registrants
were
female
o Average
a ge
was
44.9
years
o More
than
three-quarters
of
registrants
began
their
journey
in
the
Greater
Victoria
(46%)
or
Greater
Vancouver
(31%)
areas
o 59%
of
registrants
stayed
one
or
more
night
on
Salt
Spring
Island
o The
event
attracted
a
wide
spectrum
of
cyclists.
A
breakdown
of
skill
levels
is
provided
in
Table
4.
Table
4:
Self-identified
Skill
Levels
Bike
Ferry
Registrants Expert Commuter Recreational Beginner 17% 30% 41% 12% Satisfaction:
Participant
response
to
the
event
was
positive
and
a
high
level
of
enjoyment
and
satisfaction
was
registered
by
participants.
A
sample
of
typical
participant
comments
follows:
o o o o o o o
Fun and inspiring Just blown away A Wonderful Day! What a ride, thank you Salt Spring Outstanding event, Congratulations! Spectacular, surpassed my expectations Bravo it was very emotional watching the bikes disembark at Fulford with my young son!
1 2
Ottawa, Ontario; Moncton, New Brunswick, Calgary, Alberta. Australia, Germany, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington 3 Approximately 100 additional persons joined the Fun Ride o n Salt Spring b etween Fulford and Ganges.
Advocacy: representatives from 35 rural British Columbia communities supported the Velo Village resolution for increased investment in rural cycling infrastructure, see Table 5. The resolution is attached as Appendix D. School District 64 adopted the Salish Sea Statements on Cycling and R ural Mobility and has a sked other School Districts in B C to follow suit. Table 5: Local Support for Provincial Funding for Rural Cycling Infrastructure Bowen Thetis Ladysmith Denman Lumby Metchosin Gabriola District of Mackenzie Fruitvale Galiano Fernie Powell River Gambier Lions Bay Cumberland Hornby Gold River District of Wells Lasqueti Sidney Quesnel Mayne North Saanich Tofino North Pender Creston Vernon South Pender District of North Cowichan Chilliwack Saturna Village of Kaslo Salt Spring Village of Port Clements Cycling Safety and Security: no cyclist injuries were reported and no hospital admissions were recorded. No bicycles or bicycle accessories were reported vandalized or stolen. Developing World B enefits: Velo Village raised m ore than $22,000.00 for World Bicycle R elief and their campaign to make cycling m ore accessible and affordable in Africa. Follow-up: Velo Village organizers m et with emergency services and communications personnel following the event to identify delivery challenges and share lessons learned. Other: Images and commentary about the Velo Village event are documented at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Velo-Village-2012/264472010258378
Preamble
Cycling
is
a
sustainable
rural
mobility
solution.
Improving
our
understanding
of
rural
mobility
issues
and
cycling
safety,
engaging
and
supporting
local
citizens
and
community-based
groups
in
the
development
and
promotion
of
cycling
services,
and
connecting
rural
places
with
adjacent
regional
and
metropolitan
cycling
networks
will
accelerate
the
availability
of
cycling
opportunities
for
commuter,
recreational
and
competitive
cyclists,
enable
individual,
economic
and
societal
benefits
and
increase
the
volume
of
city
a nd
country
cyclists
riding
in
rural
areas.
that access to bicycles and cycle transport increases well-being; yet access is limited b y social d eterminants such as poverty that promotion of cycling best practices among children increases acceptance and use of bicycles in later life that cycling improves both individual and population h ealth outcomes and reduces the population h ealth impacts of carbon emissions that vibrant, welcoming cycling cultures are the result of, and an input to, community- directed initiatives that technological innovation is increasing the ease-of-use, utility and cost-benefit of cycling that the largest metropolitan areas on our p lanet are investing in cycling n etworks and facilities that increase the safety of their cyclist citizens and complement efforts to encourage walking and use of public transit that p eople who adopt cycling as a mode of urban transport will use bicycles to travel to other places that those who ride b eyond cycling n etwork boundaries will have no a lternative but to ride on rural roads, and; that rural roads are the least safe p laces for cyclists to ride THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT _________________________________________________ advises that first mile investments be made in rural places to advance and sustain an interconnected cycling n etwork which leverages safety in numbers optimizes b uild out of cycle-tourism opportunities positively contributes to climate change challenges complements rural transportation d emand management enhances local capacity to improve community well-being and population h ealth enables small b usiness access to n ew commercial corridors and markets; and, binds the interests of city cyclists with those of their country cousins
Appendix B: Conference Speaker Biographies Welcoming Group Murray Coell was first elected to represent the riding of Saanich North and the Islands in 1996, and was re-elected in 2001, 2005 and 2009. Before his election to the Legislative Assembly, Coell sat on Saanich Municipal Council for 12 years, six of them as Mayor. Peter Grove is one of two representatives elected to the Islands Trust. Peter encourages bikes on the island and advocates for programs, which facilitate their use, including enhanced pathways, road safety and education. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Mediator. Brenda Guiled is the Chair of Island Pathways. She also heads its Bicycle Working Group, started in 2009 to work with the SSI Transportation Commission. Brenda grew up in Jasper National Park has worked in environmental education, completing a M.Sc. in curriculum development. Shes a writer, graphic artist/illustrator, and runs her own karate school. Wayne McIntyre is a lifelong westcoaster and the Capital Regional Director for the Salt Spring Electoral District. Wayne has had a long business career, including as a corporate executive and running several of his own businesses. An active biker when visiting family and friends on the lower mainland, he is a supporter of better and safer access for bikers on Salt Spring with all the attendant community benefits. Speakers Christina Benty is the Mayor of the Town of Golden, a small, rural community nestled in the Rocky Mountains and located 200 km west of Calgary along the TransCanada Hwy. She served two terms on council before running for mayor. Christina studied political science in university and has a long term interest in governance/governance structures. She moved to Golden 17 years ago and is married to a local teacher. They have three adult children in university. When she is not acting in her role as mayor, Chistina enjoys running, reading, cycling, cross-country skiing and spending time with family and friends. Christina has the honour of leading the implementation of the first municipal kiosk-based bike share program in British Columbia. Dr. Michael Brauer is a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. He is recognized internationally for his research on air
pollution exposure and health impacts. He has participated in studies throughout the world and served on advisory committees to the World Health Organization, the US National Academy of Sciences, the International Joint Commission and governments in North America and Asia. He has been conducting cycling-related research for the past 5 years and has commuted by bike for as long as he can remember. Joanna Brown is originally from Sussex NB and is happy to have found her way back to such a culturally and ecologically rich province. Her vagabond lifestyle has led her to study social geography and environmental studies at the University of Victoria, to travel with a backpack or a bike, as well, as work on community development projects in a number of Canadian cities. Since returning to NB Joanna co-founded, with Graham Waugh, the Corn Hill Bicycle Festival, which is a rural education and cycling event focused on the average cyclist. Currently, Joanna is involved in the establishment of La Bikery Co-operative the first community bicycle centre in Moncton while day to day working for the New Brunswick Environmental Network. (see also Graham Waugh) Alan Callander has a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in Geography and Economics, from the University of Victoria. He has also earned a diploma in Construction Engineering Technology from the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. Alan joined the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in 1992 and took on the Ministrys cycling portfolio in 1994. In this role Alan successfully directed the consultation process, which led to the adoption of a Ministry Cycling Policy in 2000. Alan also has developed and administered several cost-sharing programs directed at providing assistance to local governments to accelerate the construction of cycling facilities, including the current BikeBC program. Recently, Alan has also taken on the ministrys climate action program, which supports BCs Climate Action Plan; a roadmap to a new, prosperous, green economy for the province. Christine Grant recently returned to the Cascadia Consulting Group after completing a six month Stevens Fellowship to research active transportation throughout Europe and Japan. Her research focused on infrastructure, policy, and cultural influences that reduce car dependency and increase walking and cycling rates. She travelled between her European destinations by bicycle making use of EuroVelo routes, Schweiz Mobil tracks, Dutch Knooppuntroutes, and other bicycle highways. As part of her Fellowship, she worked for Copenhagenize Consulting and supported a commercial cargo bike demonstration project, developed a cost benefit analysis tool for analyzing cycling infrastructure investments, and researched effective cycling marketing campaigns. Christines blog Shift documents her travels and research.
Sue Hallatt is an urban planner with a special focus on transportation planning due to its crucial role in addressing such divergent issues as health, happiness, changing demographics, social equity, economic development, land use, air and water quality and climate change. For these reasons, Sue is working to firmly pull the field of transportation planning out of its professional isolation chamber and into its rightful place among inter-disciplinary practices. Sue works for the Capital Regional District as a Regional Planner, and is currently overseeing the development and implementation of the regions first Pedestrian and Cycling Master plan. Sue is also on the Board of the Victoria Carshare Coop. She credits her beloved dog for her recently acquired love for walking. As for transit she insists that some of her best friends regularly take the bus. Although Sue purports to love all the modes equally she is shameless in her obvious affection for cycling. Michael Kollins is the Chief Operating Officer of World Bicycle Relief. Mike spent the last two years living in Kenya where he was primarily responsible for establishing World Bicycle Reliefs presence in East Africa. Prior to joining WBR, Mike was the Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Investment Management Asia based in Hong Kong with responsibility for operations in East and South Asia, Japan, and Australia. World Bicycle Relief is dedicated to providing access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles. Founded by SRAM Corporation in 2005 and supported by leaders in the bicycle industry, World Bicycle Relief specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle programs by providing supply chain management, technical knowledge and logistics expertise to poverty relief and disaster recovery initiatives. Todd Litman is founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems. His work helps expand the range of impacts and options considered in transportation decision-making, improve evaluation methods, and make specialized technical concepts accessible to a larger audience. His research is used worldwide in transport planning and policy analysis. Mr. Litman regularly blogs on the Planetizen website. He is active in several professional organizations including the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Transportation Research Board (TRB, a section of U.S. National Academy of Sciences). He currently chairs the TRB Sustainable Transportation Indicators Subcommittee. In addition to technical writing, Todd has co-authored two travel books (Washington; Off the Beaten Path and Best Bike Rides in the Pacific Northwest) with his wife, Shoshana Litman. They reside in Victoria, British Columbia. Bruce Mol has been leading cycling skills and awareness courses for almost 20 years. Bruce is a Canadian Cycling Association certified CAN-BIKE cycling instructor of the highest level who has developed, or co-developed, most of the current transportation
cycling and safety curriculum used in Canada; including RURAL CYCLING. Bruce earned his Master in Education from SFU in 2004 specializing in Curriculum Design and Educational Leadership. When he lived in the Lower Mainland, Bruces daily, year round, bike commute was never less than 50km round trip. Bruce and his wife Maureen have cycle camped much of BC and across Canada and now resides in Vernon. Alex Phillips has the great joy and honor to serve as the Oregon Parks and Recreation Departments Statewide Bicycle Recreation Coordinator. In charge of the State Scenic Bikeway Program, which gives formal state designation to the best recreational road, bike rides highlighting the beauty of Oregon. Alex developed the Scenic Bikeway Program from the initial single bikeway to a system of nine bikeways covering 700 miles. All the information needed for a visitor to plan a one day ride or a multi-day trip is available at Oregon Scenic Bikeways. Additionally, she works to fully integrate bicycle recreation into the comprehensive planning process for State Parks. Previously Alex worked as a community organizer for a conservation organization and served as chair on the Bozeman, Montana Bicycle Advisory Board, where she was instrumental in growing Bozemans bike lanes from one lonely lane to a network covering the city. Colin Rankin has worked on six continents supporting organizational development and program delivery with institutions, NGOs and government agencies, as well as the private sector. His work includes: developing strategic plans for the Environmental Council of Zambia and Simon Fraser University; program evaluations of Save the Children Canada, Bhutan Education Support Project and the Fraser Basin Council; public engagement and conflict resolution of land and marine resource issues; and project design and management. Over three decades of professional practice, Colin has facilitated several hundred workshops and meetings in the health, education, environment and communications sectors. He is looking forward to learning from and supporting the participants of Velo Village. Becky Smith has lived on Lopez Island for 28 years after growing up in the Seattle area. She has been actively involved in the community sitting on various boards and committees and has been on the board for the Lopez Chamber of Commerce for 10 years. Becky has worked a combination of jobs over the years but has been involved with tourism information for 20 years. She is one of two coordinators who created the Tour De Lopez bike tour, which is now in its 9th year. This has been a very successful fundraising event for the Island and the Chamber of Commerce. Graham Waugh is a co-organizer of two Cornhill Bicycle Festivals. Born in New Brunswick, Graham now lives in Calgary where he works as a Water Resources Engineer.
10
Appendix
C:
Conference
Program
0900
to
0925
-
Welcoming
Art
Spring
Galleries
Brenda
Guiled,
Chair,
Island
Pathways
Alayne
Crawford,
Canadian
Automobile
Association
Peter
Grove,
Trustee,
Salt
Spring
Trust
Council
Wayne
McIntyre,
Director,
Capital
Regional
District
Opening
Remarks
Murray
Coell,
MLA,
Saanich
North
and
the
Islands 0925
to
1005
-
Morning
Keynote
Address:
Bikes
with
benefits:
Cycling
and
population
health
Dr.
Michael
Brauer,
UBC
School
of
Population
and
Public
Health 10:05
to
10:25
Nutrition
Break 10:0
to
1200
-
Community
Capacity
Art
Spring
Galleries
Becky Smith, Tour de Lopez Michael Kollins, World Bicycle Relief Joanna Brown & Graham Waugh, Cornhill Bicycle Festival
Bruce Mol, CANBIKE Christina Benty, Golden Bike Share Alan Callendar, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
1200 to 1240 - Delegate Lunch 1245 to 1325 - Afternoon Keynote Address We Have Solutions - Win Win Strategies for Healthier Communities Todd Litman, Executive Director, Victoria Transport Policy Institute 1300 to 1500 - Community Connectivity
Sue Hallat, Capital Regional District, Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan Alexandra Phillips, Oregon, Bicycle Recreation Coordinator Christine Grant, Cascadia Consulting, Seattle 1505 to 1545 Facilitated Roundtable Colin Rankin, C Rankin Associates, Victoria
11
Appendix
D:
Resolution
to
Support
Investment
in
Rural
Cycling
Infrastructure
PROVINCIAL FUNDING FOR CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE WHEREAS the Union of British Columbia Municipalities has consistently endorsed resolutions calling for development, improvement and augmentation of cycling infrastructure, including but not limited to:
frequent sweeping of bike lanes (2011-B19); increased width and refurbished road shoulders to accommodate cycling (2010-B16, 2007-B14, 2007-B99); a BC Cycling Development Program (2010-B17); revenue sharing for cycling infrastructure intersecting provincial highways (2009-B83); safer cycling conditions to encourage ridership (2008-B108); bicycle lane funding (2007-B100, 2006-B140); and infrastructure for non-greenhouse gas emitting transportation (2006-B110);
increasing the safety of cycling on rural roads; supporting the growth of cycle tourism; addressing local climate change challenges; providing transportation and recreation alternatives; establishing links with existing urban and regional cycling networks; and enabling small business access to new commercial corridors and markets:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that [My Local Government] urges the Province of British Columbia to invest in cycling infrastructure in rural communities, in order to accelerate the availability and broaden the range of cycling opportunities for commuter, recreational and competitive cyclists living in and visiting rural and urban areas. Reference Documents: Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_English.pdf Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility Body of Knowledge http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandR_BOK.pdf 12