City considers $250k for mass bike rides
The city of Vancouver will consider Wednesday whether to earmark $250,000 to launch two mass participation bicycle rides this summer.
Vancouver’s head of engineering services has submitted a report recommending council support a total of up to $250,000 in combined sponsorship funding and city services, such as policing and traffic control, to support the rides as a pilot project.
The two events this summer, Our City Ride and Bike the Night, are intended to involve more than 10,000 cyclists each for mass bike rides through neighbourhoods in and near downtown.
A smaller version of Bike the Night, organized by HUB Cycling, was held last September and drew about 700 riders for a nighttime ride along the Arbutus Greenway. Laura Jane, HUB’s director of corporate engagement and events, said the city’s support would be crucial to making a large-scale event successful, accessible and affordable for participants.
The plan is for the city, through a sponsorship agreement, to help launch the two events this year, with the hope they would eventually become successful and sustainable over time, said city spokeswoman Amanda McCuaig.
The city staff report notes that “cities around the world hold non-sport, all ages and abilities bike rides to celebrate and encourage cycling and active living,” citing similar events in Montreal and London, which “began with significant support and funding from municipal and regional bodies and have sustainably grown and diversified over time.”
NPA Coun. George Affleck, who has been a critic of Vision Vancouver’s approach to bike lanes, said Tuesday he plans to support funding for the cycling events.
“It’s a bit of a lightning rod because it’s bikes, given my history with my opinion about how we build out our infrastructure,” he said. “But I think this has to be treated separately from that, given that it’s an event of potential significance in our city as far as raising our profile in North America. …”
“I’ve seen similar things in Paris, and it’s quite exciting,” he said. “For me, startup funding for something that could generate revenue for small businesses in the city, for restaurants and for tourism, it’s all good.”