An increase in participation for Bike to Work Week
Posted November 6, 2013 8:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Vancouver cycling group HUB says more people took part in their fall Bike to Work Week than ever before.
A total of 3,243 people biked to work between October 28th and November 3rd.
That’s good for a 28 per cent increase from last year and up 38 per cent from 2011.
Just under 270 people biked to work for the first time, while just over 660 tried it during the wet fall weather for the first time.
Laura Jane with the group says dedicated bike lanes are a big reason for the jump. “Particularly for new bike commuters. They might not know that there is a bike lane that goes all the way to their work. They might think that they have to bike along a busy road and they wouldn’t probably be very inclined to do it.”
She’s encouraged by the expansion of the bike lane network. “There is a really great system of safe bike lanes in the city and, that more and more are coming really is making people feel more confident about trying it out. Once they do try it, most people love it.”
She says most people who tried it, stuck with it. “You hear stories all the time from people who tell us they tried Bike to Work Week because a co-worker was telling they should try biking to work and they’ve tried it and they love it and they’ve continued to do it ever since.”
The group’s next Bike to Work Week is this Spring.
