For a full week, CitySpaces’ own Spencer Andres committed to commuting to our downtown Vancouver office on his bike. Here are some of his reflections at the end of the week.
My first ever Bike to Work Week has come to a close. Overall, I am very glad I committed to biking every day. I was not only able to experience the opportunities and challenges that cyclists face on my particular route to work, but I was also able to speak with other riders and engage with the great cycling community that exists throughout Metro Vancouver.
I was lucky that my commute to work included 90% separated bike lanes. As a result, my interaction with cars was limited to a safe distance the majority of the time. This proved very important in the rain.
Upon reflecting on my experience, I have three “take-aways”:
- Separated bike lanes are critical: I was amazed at how much more comfortable I felt in the separated bike lanes compared to cycling within a few feet of parked cars on my right and passing vehicles on my left.
- Health and energy: Even after only 5 days of cycling to work, it was noticeable that I had more energy at work, and even more energy in the evenings. Instead of crashing at home at the end of the day, I was ready to go for long walks or get back out on my bike. Some recent studies have found that cycling has incredible net health benefits to individuals and even whole regions.[1]
- Gaps in the system: After decades of focus on car-centric planning, it was great to see how far Vancouver has come to prioritizing cycling and other forms of transportation. However, there are plenty of gaps that exist in bicycle infrastructure across Vancouver and the region. I was lucky enough to not have any dangerous encounters on the road, but I can imagine that if I did not live so close to a major cycling route, it would have taken more convincing to get me out there.
For more information on Bike to Work Week, and to read through my daily blog of my experience, check out HUB’s website and their Bike Blog: https://bikehub.ca/blog/bike-to-work-week-newbies-perspective