Bike Commuters Find Enjoyment No Matter When Or Where They Ride
Wheel Life column - 22 May, 1999
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Bike to Work Week begins a week from Monday on the 31st. In case you need inspiration, today we profile two of the thousands of hard-working, respectable, otherwise normal local employees who commute by bicycle. The 1996 Census shows that 5% of all trips to work in the Capital Region are by bicycle, the highest rate in all of Canada.

Over the course of a year, Cytogeneticist, Malcolm Parslow, averages one or two bike commutes per week between Victoria General Hospital and his home in Cordova Bay.

"That's at least 20 to 40% travel other than by motor vehicle. If everyone did that, it would have one hell of an impact!" He loves the fact that he can exercise without using a gym and avoids traffic snarls.

Malcolm varies his route depending on the weather. In summer, he takes 30 to 40 minutes to cycle more than 11 kilometres on an enjoyable, tree-lined route past Beaver Lake Park. In winter, he uses a less attractive but more direct urban route that reduces his cycling time by a few minutes.

He has noticed an increase in bike commuters to the hospital with recent improvements to the Galloping Goose Trail. Easy access to the regional trail means that hospital staff can ride the Goose to commute, run errands and enjoy the scenery. VGH has outdoor bike racks, but no fully enclosed storage areas suitable for valuable commuting bicycles.

The hospital has male and female locker rooms with showers that make it easy to change for work. The lockers are only half-length, though, which makes it difficult to accommodate some clothes. Malcolm hopes the hospital will add full length lockers. In the meantime, he stores clothes in his office while cycling physicians ("Spin Doctors") use the change rooms available to medical staff.

Diana Brubaker didn't let a commute from rural Metchosin stop her from cycling to her job as an Occupational Therapist in Victoria. She carries her bike by car from her house to the Galloping Goose Trail, where she and other park-and-bike commuters ride the last stretch into town, avoiding highway traffic congestion. She must drive to see clients, but arranges her workweek to cycle the two to three days she is office bound.

Diana carries her clothes in her panniers and does "the sponge-bath thing in the bathroom" since her worksite lacks changing facilities. She's hoping that will change in late June when her office moves to a new site right on the Goose.

When Diana started, the cycling portion of her trip took about 50 minutes, resulting in a half-hour increase in her total commute time. But now she rides the route in 35 to 40 minutes, rain or shine, so the cycling trip takes just a few extra minutes, and she gets a good workout.

"I'm converted! When I leave work, I ride hard for ten minutes. After that, I don't think about work any more. It's a great stress release." She particularly enjoys the wooded areas along the Goose with wildflowers blooming. Nearby car noises just serve to remind her she's got the best of all worlds.

These examples illustrate three important points for all you budding bike commuters:

• You don't have to ride every day or even all the way to enjoy the benefits of cycling. The key is to take a flexible approach, so that you ride as long and as frequently as you can, but not so much that you become frustrated and discouraged.
• Your first few months of bike commuting are the most difficult, as you get physically stronger and develop a routine that meets your needs. Don't give up! Keep a positive attitude and find solutions to the problems you encounter.
• Employers often devote hundreds of dollars per year worth of resources to subsidize an employee's automobile parking space, yet fail to provide secure places to store bicycles or shower facilities. But this is changing as more employees demonstrate an interest in bicycle commuting, and as employers realize the benefits they can enjoy in parking cost savings and improved staff morale.

For more information call the Bike to Work Week hotline at 413-8000 or visit their website at http://www.biketoworkvictoria.ca.