Happy Trails!
Wheel Life column - 26 February, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Today's recommended bike ride is a 33-kilometre scenic route developed by the Saanich Bicycle Advisory Committee and the Saanich Planning Department. It includes parts of both Lochside and Galloping Goose Trails, and stretches of various rural roads, including Burnside, Prospect Lake Road, Oldfield, and Brookleigh.

The Sunday morning sport ride followed part of this route last week on our way to lunch at a restaurant in Brentwood Bay. It was a fun ride, particularly since our seven-year-old son, Raviv, joined in on his trail-a-bike. These sport rides leave Sunday morning at 10 a.m. from the Cook Street Village Moka House coffee shop. They are open to anybody who enjoys a 40-60 kilometre, medium-pace group ride. We usually stop for lunch at a restaurant along the way, or some participants bring a snack instead.

The Saanich route is being marked with yellow stickers on signposts. Some of these stickers have already been attached, and the rest should be completed over the next few weeks. A more detailed map of the route is posted at the District of Saanich's website (http://www.gov.saanich.bc.ca).

There are several trail projects percolating in engineers offices throughout this region. Part of the Lochside Trail included in this route is scheduled for a major improvement this summer, when a trestle will be built across Blenkinsop Lake. When that is completed users will be able to avoid riding on Blenkinsop Road.

There is also work underway to develop the Trans Canada Trail, a 16,100 kilometre shared-use trail system from Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories, to St. John's in New Brunswick. It is considered the world's longest trail.

In April, the Trans Canada Relay 2000 begins its southwestern leg along the Galloping Goose Trail. Victoria's relay team will be one of the first among many to travel by bicycle, foot, snowshoe, cross-country ski, horseback or snowmobile across the country. Each team carries water samples to symbolically connect Canada's three oceans. The trail is expected to be about 80% complete by the time the relay begins. For more information, or to purchase a metre of trail, call 1-800-465-3636.

The CRD is planning to spend $160,000 for improvements to Cecelia Ravine Park adjacent to the Galloping Goose. This will include landscaping, environmental improvements, and 12 new parking spaces to provide better regional trail access. The project is being designed now, and work is scheduled to begin this spring. For more information call Dean Fortin at the Burnside/Gorge Community Centre at 388-5251.

When riding on public trails, please be courteous: don't go faster than is safe; yield to pedestrians, equestrians and pets; announce your presence when approaching others from behind; wear bright-coloured clothing and use a light at night to be conspicuous. Make an effort to be friendly, especially to non-cyclists. A smile and a few cordial words are the lubrication that keeps trails operating smoothly.