Smart Employers Encourage Cycling Year Round
Wheel Life column - 5 June, 1999
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Bicycle commuting is a great way for anybody raised on comic books to act out heroic fantasies. Sure, you spend your working hours disguised as a mild-mannered office serf, but change into a snazzy lycra costume and you become ROADWARRIOR, able to use super powers to fly across town, protect the earth from evil pollution, and defend society from mindless consumerism.

Bicycling is definitely cool. Just ask our 6-year-old son, Raviv. He was the youngest participant and the power behind our household's winning entry in last Monday's race between cyclists and drivers, which kicked off Bike-to-Work-Week. He rode his trail-a-bike (which attaches to an adult bike) from our Fernwood home to the race finish and celebration in downtown Victoria, and then continued on to school. It was a fun event for everybody who participated, heroes one and all.

Bicycling for transportation is a personal decision. Some people are committed to it. Others either cannot ride a bicycle or have no desire to do so. But most people are probably in between - they would like to ride to work or for errands at least occasionally but they need a little encouragement and support.

Bike-to-Work-Week is an opportunity to get people thinking about bicycle transportation for themselves and others. Participation doubled this year, and many may choose to continue cycling after the contest is over. Some have it easier than others, depending on what their communities and employers are doing to become "bike-friendly." Here's a sample of some ongoing efforts to better accommodate cycling.

We were delighted to hear last Sunday's announcement of funding for a trestle across Blenkinsop Lake that will fill in a missing link between the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails. This will encourage bicycle commuting from the Saanich Peninsula to Victoria and other parts of the region.

Cycle commuters and lunch time runners who work for the provincial government flock to the employee fitness centre at the Ministry of Health at 1515 Blanshard. The building has showers and a secure bike lock-up in the parkade. The lock-up is well used all year round, and overflowed during Bike-to-Work-Week. One of the ministry's smaller branches at 914 Yates has its own bike room.

The new St. Andrew's building on View Street also has showers, lockers and covered bike parking, as does the 83-year-old Yarrow Building at 645 Fort Street. The main library building has covered bike racks in its courtyard and parkade as well as a bike cage for ministry employees. The Victoria Police Station provides bike storage and shower facilities for their employees.

Some long distance cyclo-commuters 'park and ride' by using bike lockers at the McTavish or Western Exchanges. The McTavish lockers are almost full, mostly with commuters to the Ocean Sciences Institute who bus to their bikes instead of the other way round. The Western Exchange at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre has five lockers still available and the Sooke Park & Ride has two. Lockers rent for $10 per month on a quarterly basis. For information call John Grazley at 595-0682.

Cyclists who take bikes with them on the bus will find this easier in a few months when all low-floor buses will be equipped with bike racks. Virtually all downtown public parkades have bicycle racks where you can leave a bike for free protected from the weather. Most of these racks are within view of the cashiers, offering good security during the day, although you probably wouldn't want to leave a valuable bicycle overnight.

Parking your bike at Chain Chain Chain (behind 1410 Broad Street) is as easy as checking your coat at a restaurant. For $1 an hour, $3 a day, or $35 a month you can hang your bike in their locked compound before heading off to your day job. They also provide bike repairs, and host bike maintenance and CanBike courses. Call 385-1739 for more information.

After seeing all the cyclists rush to work through downtown, a Pemberton Holmes property manager decided to set up secure bike storage at the Broughton/Langley Street Parkade. "(We) had the space and thought this would be a great way to use it," explained assistant property manager, Betty Polsky. Key cards costs $25 per month. For more information, ask for the Property Management Department at 384-8124.