It’s been called “running with the bulls”. It is one of the most feared and loathed places to cycle in the region. Many simply refuse to subject themselves to it. Yet - it is a vital and unavoidable link to downtown.

It’s the Johnson Street Bridge.

From a cyclist’s point of view, getting over the bridge is a choice between a rock and a hard place. Those riding to and from the Goose must ride over sidewalk curbs or through hazardous fence gaps, negotiate convoluted access points, and encounter impractical on-again off-again signs to dismount. Cyclists braving the roadway find themselves squeezed with cars into suddenly narrowing and merging on-ramp lanes, and once on the uneven and slippery bridge deck, face intimidating streams of vehicle traffic in close quarters. 

A bridge to the City’s downtown core must encourage cyclists - and pedestrians - by being safe, convenient and inviting. Parity demands it.

In warm weather, there are nearly 4000 trips per day over the Johnson Street Bridge and nearly one million trips per year (Graphs #1 and 3). And this is only the beginning.

Cycling has been growing faster in the CRD than many anticipated, at ~8% annually. As far as bridge traffic is concerned, there also exists significant latent demand.

First, there are those who will only cycle over the bridge if it is made safer (and it will be soon!). Second, completion of the E&N Rail Trail will create a noticeable surge in bike traffic. Add to this cyclists streaming from the various residential developments under construction in Vic West, and we will have an unstoppable tsunami of bicycles over the bridge within a few short years.

The same trends apply to pedestrian bridge traffic, which is equal in volume to that of bicycles. Currently, active transportation (cyclists & pedestrians) comprises 25% to 30% of all bridge traffic (during peak volumes). That works out to 8000 trips per day and 2 million trips per year. In fact by 2026, active transportation could become the dominant mode (Graph #2).

Based on 7% growth, summer volumes

Needless to say, the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition (GVCC) has been advocating for a better bridge for many years. So - in 2009, when the City of Victoria announced its intent to substantially improve the bridge for cyclists and pedestrians - while simultaneously addressing other structural and mechanical deficiencies - the GVCC and all cyclists rejoiced.

The GVCC’s recommendations for a bike-friendly bridge are:  

- Bike lanes on the roadway

- Multi-use path for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorized transport

- Separate pedestrian-only paths/sidewalks that also accommodate wheelchairs and electric scooters

- Approaches to the bridge that are seamless, safe and easy to use.

- Clear and highly visible directional signage

- Road surfaces that are safe for bicycles 

The Coalition envisions a future where cycling is a safe and convenient transportation choice – for fun, commuting and doing errands, for everyone from children to grandmothers.

A look at regional bike traffic volumes  

The Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition has compiled all currently available cycling data as it pertains to the Johnson Street Bridge, as well as relevant regional statistics. These numbers and trends are illustrated in the graphs that follow. Data has been drawn from the CRD Origin and Destination Household Travel Surveys, CRD and GVCC traffic counts and Census Canada, and is freely available by request.

In 2001 and 2006, the CRD conducted detailed Origin and Destination (O&D) surveys, looking at resident travel patterns and modes (another survey is planned for 2011). The results were incorporated into the TravelChoices Strategy, which was part of the CRD Regional Growth Strategy (RGS).

The first O&D survey of 2001 estimated that ~28,000 bicycle trips were made each day in the region out of a total of 1.16 million trips, for a mode share of 2.4%. Based on that starting point, the TravelChoices Strategy target was set to double the # of cycling trips by 2026 (the RGS planning horizon) – to 56,000 trips per day.

While it may have seemed an ambitious target at the time, the # of bike trips had already rocketed to ~40,000 per day five years later (O&D survey of 2006). Trips had increased 7.4% per year, significantly faster than the 2.8% predicted by the CRD.

As a result, the CRD revised its 2026 goal for bicycle trips to 80,000 per day. Again, this doubled the # of trips, for a growth rate of 3.5% per year. These three projections (2.8%, 3.5%, 7.4%) can be seen in Graph #4. If the observed growth rate of 7.4% continues, there will be 170,000 bicycle trips per day by 2026, representing 10% of all trips by all modes!

Based on the growing popularity of cycling in Greater Victoria, we have good reason to be optimistic. Targets that are easy to achieve because they are low, do not serve us best.

Shifting car trips to bike trips

The TravelChoices Strategy indicates that bicycles have the greatest potential to replace cars for the many short trips that residents make.

Graph #5 shows the distribution of bicycle trips made in the region, by trip length (2006). The yellow bar (trips of 5 to 9 km in length) includes the average length of all trips in the region by all modes: 6.7 km. This distance can be easily accomplished by a fair-weather cyclist within ~30 minutes.