GobyBike June 2022 Rotary Presentation by Simon Rompré

 

I am a lifelong bike commuter that loves touring on a bicycle, mountain biking to stay fit and believe that bicycling can help us solve many difficult problems, like air and noise pollution, climate change and contribute to everyone's mental and physical health. However ask anyone on a bicycle why they ride and most likely their answer will differ, we all have our personal reasons but many will agree that bikes are actually a lot of fun. I also believe that we could do a better job at taking care of ourselves and our environment. 

Many of you on Salt Spring, I am sure have heard of Island Pathways creating wonderful pedestrian paths around Ganges and beyond. This local organization came together over 30 years ago with a vision to create pedestrian paths but also safe bike lanes, unfortunately much remains to be done on that side of things. Lately a subgroup of Island Pathways called Cycling Salt Spring has been active with various kids programs in schools by providing scoot bikes, helmets as well as encouraging everyone to ride and especially important, advocate for better safety on our roads, thanks to the many volunteers who have generously given their time.

Riding a bicycle is an important part of early childhood development, it helps kids with their physical skills, gives them a sense of independence while riding and it is a very valuable learning experience, just watch any kid learning to ride and notice how focused they are.

Often as kids grow up, unfortunately many stop riding because the neighborhood they live in does not provide adequate safety, and, as we know, Salt Spring is not very safe for young children on bikes. By providing safe cycling paths around schools we can encourage children to keep cycling as they get older. This is very important because failing to provide safe cycling lanes will increase car traffic because when the new generation turns 16, they will most likely need to get around by driving their own car.

This is a segment of the Lochside bike trail on the way to Schwartz bay.

Rent and the cost of living is increasing continuously, gas and food is going up and wages are not keeping pace. Capital cost for car payments, gas, repairs and insurance make for a big proportion of a household income. I estimate this can cost at least $3000 to $4000 a year per vehicle, probably more, but since most of us drive, I am sure everyone is well aware of this.

A bicycle cost a fraction of this, even a nice one, ebikes are more costly because of the battery but if you include initial purchase and maintain it properly, replace the battery about every 4 or 5 years, you are looking at averaging $1000 a year for a good quality ebike, or less than 20 to 30 percent of the cost of driving a car and that does not take into account the money our healthcare system saves, that is all of us as a society, by remaining healthier longer.

                                                         
This picture was taken in the Netherland, as you can see, seniors ride bikes there as well as younger folks. 

I spent many years working in our local health care facilities and I witnessed a lot of chronic illnesses common to older people, to be clear and as we all know too well, old age is not optional, but how well we age is highly dependent on how much we exercise, as we say in eldercare, use or lose it. Here in BC, we have a considerable aging population with a limited health care infrastructure and biking is a good way to remain fit and may well help keep folks out of long term care facilities. For hilly places ebikes help a lot, by combining human power with electrical power, the rider can choose how much effort they are comfortable putting out. Because of this, someone does not need to be especially fit to start riding an ebike and will end up getting much fitter maybe even to the point where an ebike rider will upgrade to a regular bicycle, this is how I ended getting into mountain biking.

Often when I talk about riding a bicycle, the very first issue that comes up is bike safety. How safe is it to ride on Salt Spring? I think we all can answer this question, probably many of you have given up riding because of a lack of safety.

Currently we have a few seldom maintained bike lanes only around town and I would not say that Salt Spring is a cycling destination by any means. However in spite of this in over 30 years on Salt Spring, I have noticed a big increase in both local and visitor cyclists. I know I am one of them, so, am I crazy as many think? Maybe not so much if you take into account the things I have mentioned like quality of life, health, environmental benefits. I like to think that avoiding riding a bike is actually missing out big time in life.

I have read quite a bit on the topic and to be honest, Salt Spring is not an exception but rather part of the norm in this part of the world. Why would we bother getting on a bike when driving is so easy? Maybe we are victims of our own prosperity, cars have been readily available to the masses for many, many years and we live in a car culture, like the vast majority of North America. 

We are now finding out the damage this overuse of cars has created, climate change being the latest threat looming. We also have to recognize that the automotive industry is a huge part of the economy and it will take some figuring out to create bike friendly roads and public places.

This is part of the Galloping Goose bike trail close to Sooke.

Maybe there is a part of you that very much remembers having enjoyed riding a bicycle in your youth, or maybe you feel inspired to do something beneficial for health, community and environment. Whatever the reason, I invite you to listen to this part of you, not because I say so but rather because this is in you already.

A fine ride in Southern Germany on a bike path going through farmland in one of the more populated part of the country, good bike infrastructure benefits everyone. 

Here in BC, in areas with poor bicycle infrastructure, many people are just waiting to get riding for the day some road engineers working for the ministry of highway out of the kindness of their heart decide to do something about this. The problem with this approach is that in spite of having been on the political agenda on Salt Spring for many decades, it has had very very limited results.

Another problem with this may be even more pernicious, while we are waiting, many of us are missing out big time, kids grow up, never learn how to ride a bike, air and noise pollution get worse and our lovely island turns exactly into what we were getting away from when moving here.

I encourage everyone wanting to ride to not wait any longer, advocacy is absolutely necessary to get bike safety but pushing for the creation of safe bike paths and lanes while nobody rides is going to be very difficult. We have to get on a bike and figure out how to do it safely and here are a few tips on how to do it.

1- Pick a quiet road, especially the first times you get out, Island Pathways has a great map that indicates the best rides on the island. We have hundreds of km of quiet rural roads, if you can't think of any please ask anyone who cycles. Often there is an alternate way that may be longer but much nicer, always keep that in mind.

2- If you can help it, stay away from busy roads, they can be ok, but while preparing for a ride, be mindful of the time of the day. Usually the worst time is when everyone is getting to and from work or school, once that is done, it is much better. 

3- When riding always be mindful of others, slower is better and wear visibility vests and have rear lights on. If possible, use a rear view mirror to see who is coming and never assume that drivers are seeing you, unfortunately, cyclists are on the losing end when accidents occur, no matter whose mistake.

 

4- If you have not been on a bike in many years, don't be too ambitious at first, that may mean ride only a few minutes a day until you feel more comfortable, you want it to be an enjoyable experience, but don't give up, the benefits are well worth it providing it is done safely.

5- Join a local bicycling organization and advocate for safety.

6- Ride a well maintained bike or ebike.

This is a workshop we are hoping to offer again on Salt Spring aiming at anyone who is older and wants to start riding an ebike. These are a game changer for riding on Salt Spring but it is good to get familiar before starting to use one especially if you have not been on a bike in decades.

                                                           

This is part of the Trans Canada trail East of Grant Forks, this is a gem that goes from the Kootenays pretty much all the way to the coast. 

Once you start riding, pick a destination, probably a close one at first but eventually you can start exploring. In the same way we love getting away on a vacation, riding a bike somewhere nice is a great way to relax. This is what I do whenever I have some time off, I get on my bike and explore this beautiful country we live in. On a bike, because we go slower, we see things better, all those things we usually miss because we are going too fast in a car.

This whole area we live in is considered a destination for tourism, people come from all over the world to see it and one of the nicest ways to discover it is on a bike. There is currently a bike path that goes from Sooke to Victoria (The Galloping Goose), then up the Saanich Peninsula (the Lochside Trail) all the way to Scwartz bay, it is an old railroad bed for the most part, easy to ride and cherished by everyone in the area. Kids and families use  it, commuters, seniors, pedestrians and their dogs, I don't think anyone questions the validity of having such an incredible resource.

There is new link that now joins the Victoria area to the Duncan area away from main roads by going through the Sooke Hills all the way to Shawinigan lake.

The Duncan area  also has many beautiful bike trails in many place, for example, you can go from Duncan all the way to Cowichan Lake, both on the South and North side of the river, then up to Shawnigan Lake where an old Trestle has been restored (Kinsol Trestle, below), lately the town of Duncan has also added a new bike path along Indian road. We often go riding on Vancouver island, it is so relaxing to ride away from the traffic on trails that go through forests and fields.

                                     The Kinsol Tressle by Shawinigan Lake, well worth the visit.

I also need to mention that many towns on Vancouver Island have good mountain biking areas. While it may appear that mountain bikers are in a different category, I would like to point out that mountain bikers are also on 2 wheels and also use their bike to exercise and explore. Because I tour, commute and ride a mountain bike, I really think that all those activities are related. As a matter of fact, one of my dreams would be to explore the back country all over Southwest BC on a mountain bike. There are so many options to consider, why travel halfway around the globe when so much remains to be discovered right here within a couple of hundred km radius.

At first glance Salt Spring appears like a dangerous place to cycle, considering the wonderful bike paths on Southern Vancouver Island i just mentioned, in contrast, this area may appear like a big disappointment to anyone looking for a safe cycling destination. However if we keep in mind some of the things I mentioned earlier, there are ways to improve our island cycling experience.

For example Island Pathways has posted some signs indicating safe alternate bike routes, like, from the Fulford ferry terminal up Beaver Point to Stewart rd all the way to Beddis and into town. Once out of Ganges, you can go up UpperGanges road to Robinson rd all the way to North Beach then North End rd to Sunset all the way to Vesuvius. Of course this is not a commuting route but perfect for touring , it is beautiful and well worth coming to Salt Spring for.

This does not mean we don't need bike lanes along our busy roads but it offers an option to anyone wanting to visit and tour safely away from traffic. Currently there are reasons to be optimistic with plans to widened the road along the Ganges Hill in the next year or two but we have to keep reminding our local government that something needs to be done about this soon so it does not get delayed even more, it is long overdue.

Please consider joining Cycling Salt Spring to help support bike safe roads on the island, we really need the community to come together for this to happen.

One of the most beneficial aspects of developing better bicycling infrastructure is that it will draw a new kind of tourism. In the same amount of space used to park a couple of cars, you can fit many bicycles wether on a ferry or parking lot.

Salt Spring has reached a point where we can't have more visitors on weekends because there is not enough space for more motor vehicles on our ferries. Visitors on bicycles allow for more growth without destroying our island at the same time and we have a lot to gain from developing safe cycling infrastructure, both economically and socially. 

                                                           

This is Copenhagen, notice if all those people were driving instead of cycling, how much traffic that would create.

Covid 19 pandemic has seen a big increase in bike usage, everyone is becoming aware of climate change, gas is getting expensive and we all are getting older. There is a movement happening, ebikes and LEV, light electric vehicles, are also offering new ways of getting around, and it is good to remind ourselves that change is in the air everywhere.

This is one of the first critical mass rally in Amsterdam in the seventies to create awareness for bike safety. Holland today is at the forefront of the bicycle movement, mostly because they started advocating for safe bike paths many years ago. However, prior to that, it was not so good. Much of it started when a famous journalist lost his young daughter when she was hit by a car while riding a bike. They had many protests and major campaigns were started which is why today Dutch have arguably the best network of bicycle paths in the world.

 

This is Dutch high school parking lot, notice how many bicycles!

Nowadays you can ride safely on a bike in most of the Netherlands, this is a real inspiration for anyone seeking a simpler and healthier life. Children can commute on their own to school or get out to visit friends or just go shopping without parents having to worry about driving them places. Think how much time, money and energy hard working parents can save that way.

This is in Germersheim, Germany, at the special bike show, a yearly event where new and unusual bike designs are displayed, this is a fascinating place that we discovered by luck while riding in Germany a couple of years ago.

We have grown to think of cars and bicycles as separate entities, you have cars and trucks used by the majority on one side. In general, motor vehicles are relatively big, on four wheels, go fast, are considered a necessity by most, no one thinks much of using them for everything and they use a large amount of resources and public spaces without anyone blinking an eye or questioning how it got that way.

Bikes in comparison are lumped in a category, they are considered for the most part as leisure, we buy them as toys for our kids and if children keep riding them into adulthood, it is often considered a sport or a hobby, which is fantastic, but we often dismiss them as non essential. Maybe this is why most people who don't ride a bike are unable to shift their perception of cyclists, as if someone on a bike was a kid who never grew up, perceived of as always in the way while we are driving our cars deeply involved in some important grown up business.

We are living in very exciting times, LEV's offer new ways to get around. With the advent of electric cars and ebikes, we are seeing the emergence of new vehicles that are neither cars nor bicycles. Among them are roofed vehicles very much like cars but that also have pedal assisted electric motors, that is you put out whatever physical energy you can afford to use and the electric motor does the rest, they really offer the best combination of human power and electricity. We are really at the beginning of a new era and we are seeing some amazing inventions coming out of many places, Europe and China being at the forefront of much of it but also here in our own backyards.

This is an electric vehicle that allows someone who can’t walk to get in without having to get off their wheelchair! 

This is an electrified bike trailer, the bicycle that tows it is not even motorized because the trailer does all the work, it even has regenerative braking. This is increasingly being used for delivery in urban centres where parking is tricky but they also can be used in a wide variety of situations.

                                                                  

This is a workshop that was offered on Salt Spring by David Elderton from Hilleater ebike on how to convert a regular bike into an electrified bicycle, which is a great way to get into ebikes.

Maybe some of you remember hearing stories from when our great grandparents were younger of cars being put together in people’s yards and garage.

In many ways ebike conversions take us back into the world of possibilities and creativity. Because bicycles are light, they can be handled easily. Also components, even though varied and different, are often standardized so they can fit across a wide variety of brands and style of bike frames. This is also why you rarely see the same bike twice, there is almost always different components from one bike to the other. They basically are made of many things put together and the great advantage of such a system is that anybody anywhere can order parts from all corners of the world and assemble a bicycle to their liking providing there is a decent delivery system close to home. 

Of course most people would rather just buy one already made, but anyone with a few tools and a little bit of space anywhere can assemble and repair a bicycle, maybe it is a bit similar to growing a small garden. You can always buy a head of lettuce at the grocery store as most people do but if you have a small yard or even a sunny window in your house you can grow some food.

Because of this, you can customize your own  ebike to exactly what you need whether it is for a long commute across the city or bringing a week’s worth of groceries back home up a mountain. People have ebikes with kid's seats in the back or the front so you can drop your kids off at school on the way to work and older folks have converted cushy full suspension mountain into very comfortable ebikes by adding a motor, battery, high handlebars and a wide saddle so their bums don't get sore.

These days, pretty much everything we consume is made somewhere far away, ebike components are a fine example of this. However the prospect of  creating something close to home that will help us get around is a very inspiring one. I have converted and assembles many ebikes and I always look forward to designing a new bike.

Getting around is a universal need, we always have to go somewhere and being able to fix and design your own vehicle locally is something that can be very beneficial. I can see a lot of potential, especially for people that want a hands on experience to participate in an activity with pretty much immediate results, you assemble it and fix it then you ride it, pretty cool, don't you think?

                                                           

This is my ebike trailer with a load for the recycling depot, I can pretty much fit the same amount in my trailer you could put inside a small hatchback car without having to work hard. 

As you can see, the humble bicycle is more than a toy, however if we are going to make good use of it, we have to make room. In many places around the world, it is already part of the fabric of many communities. Around here, there are more people using bikes and ebikes already but much remains to be done yet, especially around bike safety.

This is a bike community event we had on Salt Spring in June of 2022 and I would like to close this presentation with probably one aspect of biking that is most impressive, it is how it affects the community we live in.  Because cyclists are not boxed away from each other they can actually hear, see and feel each other, it may not alway be friendly greetings, but cyclists are less isolated from each other than drivers are . Studies have shown that people who live closer to their community often stay healthy longer, are more likely to participate in common projects and help each other. 

This has been a long last couple of years, with covid restrictions easing, many of us are just starting to get out again, maybe this is a good time to take on healthy new habits and I really hope that creating a more bike friendly world is something many will consider. While it is true that the future of life on the planet as we know it, is threatened by the overuse of fossil fuels and bikes can help us remedy some of the damage, you may find that the main reason for getting on a bike is just that it is a lot of fun and improves everyone’s quality of life, no need to say more.