Bike to Work Week: Facts, figures and tips to help you get on a roll
Rebecca Abernethy would like to know if there’s anybody who has a longer commute than her 110-kilometre pedal during Bike to Work Week — which starts Monday and runs through to May 31 to raise the profile of cycle commuting.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” said the 28-year-old when asked if she had the Longest-Cycle-To-Work title for what is usually about a five-hour trip.
Abernethy lives in Vancouver but works in Chilliwack for the Fraser Valley Regional District as an environmental services co-ordinator involved with air quality and climate change initiatives.
Normally, she makes the commute in her all-electric Nissan Leaf.
A regular bike commuter when she lived closer to her job, the lengthy trek to Chilliwack isn’t a regular activity.
“I do it every once in a while,” she said. “My goal this year is to do it 10 times.
“I enjoy how cycling makes me feel,” added Abernethy, who will try make the journey two to three times in the week ahead.
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IPS FOR BIKING TO WORK Take the small risk and reap the rewards
Abernethy has three tips for anyone thinking of participating in Bike to Work Week, In no particular order, they are:
“Just try it. A lot of people are daunted by it. Just go for it. It gets easier.” Abernethy suggests testing a route or asking a more experienced cyclist for advice.
“Make sure you have the right gear. You don’t need complicated or expensive gear.” The bike should be in good repair and a helmet is pretty critical, as is rain gear if it’s going to be wet or lights if you’re riding at night.
If you don’t think your bike route is safe or practical, do something about it. “I would encourage everyone to take an active role and write to their local council and ask them to improve cycling infrastructure, because that’s the only way infrastructure will improve.”
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RAND PRIZE A trip for two from Prague to Budapest is up for grabs
While there’s a host of prizes, there’s only one grand prize: A cycling trip for two from Prague to Budapest that includes airfare, accommodation, a trip leader, planned routes and support vehicles. The Greater Victoria region, where Bike to Work Week began in 1995, has its own prizes. But you have to register to win and all the details are available at www.biketowork.ca. Last year’s top prize was a cycling trip in Cuba won by Cam Zaremba of Prince George.
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10 COMMUNITIES JOINED A total of 44 regions and communities participated
Last year’s event welcomed 10 new communities, for a total of 44 regions/communities participating. There were about 25,000 participants, including 5,963 first-time commuter cyclists. There were more than 3,000 workplaces involved, with a total of 955,110 kilometres cycled, while 207,068 kilograms of carbon dioxide were kept from entering the atmosphere and 28,653,303 human calories burned. All that pedalling also saved $61,747 in gas.
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INJURED DAILY There is negative side to cycling, too
As beneficial as biking is to your health and the environment, there is a negative that Insurance Corporation of British Columbia pointed out: An average five cyclists are injured every day in crashes with cars from June to September every year, also averaging 670 injured cyclists and six fatalities during that period. The two biggest reasons for those crashes are distracted driving and failing to yield right-of-way, with nearly four out of five car crashes with cyclists occurring at intersections.
While there are a host of tips for drivers to be more aware of cyclists at icbc.com, the advice for cyclists is probably more pertinent because they are at greater risk than the vehicle with which they might interact.