Vancouver scores high in global bike-friendly cities

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Vancouver may be among the most bike-friendly cities in the world, according to a new study, but getting between cities in the Lower Mainland is a different story.

Vancouver ranked 18 in the world in the Copenhagenize Index, scoring high for its progress in cycling.

But the report only includes the City of Vancouver and not the surrounding region.

District of North Vancouver Councillor Matthew Bond does believe Vancouver is doing a good job at promoting cycling and can act as an example for other municipalities.

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“I think Vancouver is leading the way in the region in terms of prioritizing infrastructure for people when they want to ride their bikes,” says Bond. “I think that a lot of the neighbouring municipalities do look to Vancouver and other cities for that inspiration and to take the lead because it is more natural in the downtown and the urban setting to install these types of facilities.”

However, the report acknowledges that protected infrastructure on major corridors is “practically non-existent” outside of downtown.

“I think that protection and connected routes are the thing that’s going to make a big difference. If you think of a car, if the road just ended or it turned into gravel or is blocked by boulders or you have to share the road with a train, that’s the analogy of not having that safe continuous route.”

Vancouver is tied with Montreal on the index.