Metro Vancouver has a lot of safe bike lanes, but no one uses them. Why? HUB cycling: bikehub.ca/abo... TransLink Transport 2050: www.translink.... Advocate: bikehub.ca/get...
It takes time. Car infrastructure has been in place for many decades, and new roads have high priority. Bike lanes have a young lifespan. The transition is slow but will get there. We are in a transitional phase. Thx for the vid.
nice video! as a vancouverite, i can certainly appreciate this. oh the times ive nearly been killed by speeding pickup trucks in shareways lol... subscribed :)
Having visited Vancouver multiple times, the key thing I notice is that bike paths seem to be built parallel to the skytrain, but there are few (if any) protected bike lanes perpendicular to the skytrain. This means both modes compete with each other rather than work together as a cohesive system. A better solution would be to have perpendicular bike lanes which feed into the skytrain, with ample bike parking near each station. That would enable more multimodal commutes and increase the effective catchment area of the skytrain stations.
The only way to survive Vancouver traffic is on a bike. And the only way to make biking effective is to ride on both bike lanes and on regular surface roads as needed. You have to get comfortable in both situations and cars have to learn to share the road. In my experience as a bike commuter in Vancouver for many years I found that cars slowed me down way more than I slowed cars down but many people were resentful of me riding on the road anyway. Bikes don't interfere with traffic, they are traffic, and they make everyone get to where they are going quicker, even if it hurts some drivers' egos if the bike has to take a lane just to survive. As a cyclist you have to know when it's safe to share a lane with a motor vehicle and when it's best to take the whole lane. And you have to remember to always pass busses on the left. Not every cyclist is comfortable with that and not every driver likes that but it is both legal and effective. Bikes have the same rights and responsibilities as motor vehicles. And that includes stopping at stop signs and red lights, and signalling. Nott every cyclist does, which makes motorists think that all cyclists are cheating when they're not. The more bikes on the road the faster everyone gets to where they are going, not to mention better for air quality and personal health as well.
