Bike to Work Week kicks off on a somber note
Posted May 27, 2013 8:17 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A tragic crash along the Stanley Park Causeway Saturday night is renewing calls more separated bike lanes in Vancouver.
Police say a woman riding a bicycle on the sidewalk fell into traffic and was struck and killed by a West Vancouver Transit bus.
On this Bike to Work Week, advocates say aside from safety risks, there are plenty of reasons why pedal power can be preferable to polluting.
Erin O’Melinn is the executive director of HUB: Your Cycling Connection, a local non-profit group. She says there’s more to biking than just staying fit; it can save you money, too.
“On average, people spend $8,000 a year maintaining a car and on average people spend about $350 dollars maintaining a bicycle,” she points out.
O’Melinn says the aim of aim of the event is to show change is possible when you have support.
“[It] shows you your colleagues are doing it; they can show you where to park your bike at work, if there’s showers, if there’s a good route that feels really comfortable and you don’t have to share with too much fast-moving traffic.”
She also backs a push for more separated bike lanes and cycling infrastructure, especially after the deadly crash in the Causeway.
