Event

and Key Outcomes Summary http://islandpathways.ca/island_pathways.htm August 2012

Vancouvers initiative to host the European Cyclists Federation conference between June 26 and 29, 2012 provided an opportunity to shine a light on all aspects of cycling in British Columbia. Island Pathways, a non-governmental organization on Salt Spring Island that, for the past 25 years, has been working to improve the ease of use and safety of cycling, responded to this opportunity by hosting a complementary pre-conference event that featured the rural cycling experience. Thus, Velo Village was complementary to Velo-City 2012. Velo Village showcased rural and urban cycling interests working together to build safe, seamless cycling capacity within, between and beyond m unicipal, regional and provincial boundaries. This summary report describes activities and identifies key outcomes. Overview Velo Village was a celebration o f rural cycling. It highlighted critical human, economic and cultural relationships that bind city cyclists with their country cousins and proposed a policy framework for improving cycling connectivity in British Columbia. A copy of the Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility is attached a s Appendix A). o Volunteers, translated m ulti-lingual versions of the Statements. They can be downloaded from the following URLs:

http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_Deutsch.pdf http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_Dutch.pdf http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandR_VloVillage_Franais.pdf http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_Japanese.pdf http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_Hebrew.pdf

A video compilation of Velo Village activities may be viewed at the following URL: http://youtu.be/DB1ZIr650G0 The Island Pathways and Veloworks Boards co-signed a Letter of Agreement in February 2012, designating Velo Village as an official pre-conference event to Velo-City 2012 Global and identifying specific roles a nd responsibilities for their respective organizations. Main Velo Village events took place on June 21, 22 a nd 23. A complete list of activities is included below: o June 11th to June 30th: B eautiful Bikes more than 40 local businesses display bikes painted by staff and/or commissioned from local a rtists o June 18th to June 24th: Salt Spring Island Bike to Work Week

o June 19th to June 25th: ArtSpring Cycl-OH!-rama and SRAM pART Project Velo Village - a display of vintage bikes, bike photography and a juried Bicycle Art Show and Auction with proceeds going to World Bicycle Relief (http://www.sram.com/partproject/velo-village/overview.php) o June 20th: Velo Village Vibrations a community celebration of long-time local cyclists and a volunteer briefing with emergency services and logistics personnel o June 21st: Canadian premiere of Reveal the Path a 75 minute film that features world class cyclists engaging people and terrain in some of the worlds most inaccessible places o June 22nd: Cycling and Rural Mobility Conference An international gathering focused on safe, seamless cycling for rural and urban riders (speaker biographies are attached as Appendix B) Spoke N Song Gala a variety show supported by on- and off- island speakers and performers and featuring Colin and Julie Angus (the first couple to circumnavigate the globe under human power) rd o June 23 : The BIKE FERRY and FUN RIDE more than 250 cyclists sailed from Vancouver to Salt Spring Island on B ritish Columbias first-ever bicycle-only vessel. They were joined by approximately 100 others for a 14km fun ride along a dedicated bike lane decorated with dozens of hand- painted bikes Bicycle Valet service secure, monitored bicycle parking was available for up to 600 cyclists Cycling Workshops: Electric Bikes (introductory & advanced); Rural Safe Cycling Practices; Cycle Tourism Financing Velo Village was designed as an a ffordable and accessible cycling experience. Participation fees a re listed in Table 1. Table 1: Participation Fees Art Spring Cycl- Reveal the Rural Cycling Bicycle Valet Spoke N Bike Ferry & OH!-rama Path Conference & Workshops Song Gala Fun Ride by donation $10.00 $75.00 by donation $15.00 $20.00

The financial and in-kind support of public and private sector sponsors, partners and benefactors established a broadly-based foundation for success. A high level breakdown of festival revenues describes this relationship (Table 2).

Private Sector

Table 2: Velo Village Sources of Revenue $ 6,500.00 Public Sector $ 8,450.00 Sales & Donations 21.6% 28.2%

$ 15,065.00 50.2%

Outcomes Financial: V elo Village had a net positive financial impact for Island Pathways Volunteerism: More than 225 volunteers supported the d evelopment and d elivery of Velo Village Small B usiness Participation: approximately 100 small businesses supported the V elo Village event. Participation included major cash sponsorships of $1000 or more (n=2), sponsorship of a gift bag coupon (n=30), donation of an in-kind service or product (n=35), commissioning and/or showcasing a beautiful (painted) bike (n=40+) Islands Trust participation: Salt Spring and Island Trust Councils endorsed t he V elo Village resolution calling for increased investment in rural cycling infrastructure. Capital R egional District Participation: supported Velo Village in many ways: the CRD Director supported the Island Pathways application for a Grant-in-Aid, the SSI Transportation Commission and the CRD B oard supported our call for increased provincial investment in rural cycling infrastructure and the Communications group leveraged key partnerships to optimize distribution and uptake of Velo Village marketing and messaging leading up to the June event BCFerries Participation: B CF corporate, operations and advisory committee structures enabled cyclist-only access to the MV Skeena Queen on June 23rd. Specifically, BCF operations managers and staff provided excellent planning and delivery support for the entire event rd Cyclist Participation: cyclist volumes peaked on Saturday, June 23 when b etween 400 and 500 cyclists were present in Ganges. Bike to Work Week Participation: 23 individuals and five t eams cycled more than 1260 km between June 18 and 24, 2012. Salt Spring cyclists registered the second highest average commute distance (approx 11km return) in British Columbia. Film Night: more than 80 theatre goers attended the Canadian premiere of R eveal the Path http://revealthepath.com/ Cycl-O H!-rama & pART Project Show: more than 1,000 people came to Art Spring to enjoy the vintage bike displays, the bike photo exhibit and the 23 original works of art created for the pART Project in collaboration with SRAM & World Bicycle Relief

Cycling and R ural Mobility C onference: 60 persons registered for the day long conference. More than 90 percent of delegates stayed one or more night on Salt Spring Island. A program is attached a s Appendix C. Conference presentations can be downloaded from the Island Pathways Bicycle Working Group Blog page: http://ssi- bicycleworkinggroup.blogspot.ca/. Table 3 provides a breakdown of where delegates traveled from: Table 3: Where Delegates Reside Vancouver Other Canada1 14% 6%

Rural BC 44%

Victoria 19%

Other International 2 17%

Bike Ferry/Fun Ride R egistrants: a total of 259 p ersons pre-registered for this event.3 Demographic information follows: o 50.2% of the registrants were female o Average a ge was 44.9 years o More than three-quarters of registrants began their journey in the Greater Victoria (46%) or Greater Vancouver (31%) areas o 59% of registrants stayed one or more night on Salt Spring Island o The event attracted a wide spectrum of cyclists. A breakdown of skill levels is provided in Table 4. Table 4: Self-identified Skill Levels Bike Ferry Registrants Expert Commuter Recreational Beginner 17% 30% 41% 12% Satisfaction: Participant response to the event was positive and a high level of enjoyment and satisfaction was registered by participants. A sample of typical participant comments follows:

o o o o o o o

Fun and inspiring Just blown away A Wonderful Day! What a ride, thank you Salt Spring Outstanding event, Congratulations! Spectacular, surpassed my expectations Bravo it was very emotional watching the bikes disembark at Fulford with my young son!

1 2

Ottawa, Ontario; Moncton, New Brunswick, Calgary, Alberta. Australia, Germany, Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington 3 Approximately 100 additional persons joined the Fun Ride o n Salt Spring b etween Fulford and Ganges.

Advocacy: representatives from 35 rural British Columbia communities supported the Velo Village resolution for increased investment in rural cycling infrastructure, see Table 5. The resolution is attached as Appendix D. School District 64 adopted the Salish Sea Statements on Cycling and R ural Mobility and has a sked other School Districts in B C to follow suit. Table 5: Local Support for Provincial Funding for Rural Cycling Infrastructure Bowen Thetis Ladysmith Denman Lumby Metchosin Gabriola District of Mackenzie Fruitvale Galiano Fernie Powell River Gambier Lions Bay Cumberland Hornby Gold River District of Wells Lasqueti Sidney Quesnel Mayne North Saanich Tofino North Pender Creston Vernon South Pender District of North Cowichan Chilliwack Saturna Village of Kaslo Salt Spring Village of Port Clements Cycling Safety and Security: no cyclist injuries were reported and no hospital admissions were recorded. No bicycles or bicycle accessories were reported vandalized or stolen. Developing World B enefits: Velo Village raised m ore than $22,000.00 for World Bicycle R elief and their campaign to make cycling m ore accessible and affordable in Africa. Follow-up: Velo Village organizers m et with emergency services and communications personnel following the event to identify delivery challenges and share lessons learned. Other: Images and commentary about the Velo Village event are documented at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Velo-Village-2012/264472010258378

Appendix A: The Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility

Preamble
Cycling is a sustainable rural mobility solution. Improving our understanding of rural mobility issues and cycling safety, engaging and supporting local citizens and community-based groups in the development and promotion of cycling services, and connecting rural places with adjacent regional and metropolitan cycling networks will accelerate the availability of cycling opportunities for commuter, recreational and competitive cyclists, enable individual, economic and societal benefits and increase the volume of city a nd country cyclists riding in rural areas.

WHEREAS, a cycling body of knowledge tells us

that access to bicycles and cycle transport increases well-being; yet access is limited b y social d eterminants such as poverty that promotion of cycling best practices among children increases acceptance and use of bicycles in later life that cycling improves both individual and population h ealth outcomes and reduces the population h ealth impacts of carbon emissions that vibrant, welcoming cycling cultures are the result of, and an input to, community- directed initiatives that technological innovation is increasing the ease-of-use, utility and cost-benefit of cycling that the largest metropolitan areas on our p lanet are investing in cycling n etworks and facilities that increase the safety of their cyclist citizens and complement efforts to encourage walking and use of public transit that p eople who adopt cycling as a mode of urban transport will use bicycles to travel to other places that those who ride b eyond cycling n etwork boundaries will have no a lternative but to ride on rural roads, and; that rural roads are the least safe p laces for cyclists to ride THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT _________________________________________________ advises that first mile investments be made in rural places to advance and sustain an interconnected cycling n etwork which leverages safety in numbers optimizes b uild out of cycle-tourism opportunities positively contributes to climate change challenges complements rural transportation d emand management enhances local capacity to improve community well-being and population h ealth enables small b usiness access to n ew commercial corridors and markets; and, binds the interests of city cyclists with those of their country cousins

Appendix B: Conference Speaker Biographies Welcoming Group Murray Coell was first elected to represent the riding of Saanich North and the Islands in 1996, and was re-elected in 2001, 2005 and 2009. Before his election to the Legislative Assembly, Coell sat on Saanich Municipal Council for 12 years, six of them as Mayor. Peter Grove is one of two representatives elected to the Islands Trust. Peter encourages bikes on the island and advocates for programs, which facilitate their use, including enhanced pathways, road safety and education. He is a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Mediator. Brenda Guiled is the Chair of Island Pathways. She also heads its Bicycle Working Group, started in 2009 to work with the SSI Transportation Commission. Brenda grew up in Jasper National Park has worked in environmental education, completing a M.Sc. in curriculum development. Shes a writer, graphic artist/illustrator, and runs her own karate school. Wayne McIntyre is a lifelong westcoaster and the Capital Regional Director for the Salt Spring Electoral District. Wayne has had a long business career, including as a corporate executive and running several of his own businesses. An active biker when visiting family and friends on the lower mainland, he is a supporter of better and safer access for bikers on Salt Spring with all the attendant community benefits. Speakers Christina Benty is the Mayor of the Town of Golden, a small, rural community nestled in the Rocky Mountains and located 200 km west of Calgary along the TransCanada Hwy. She served two terms on council before running for mayor. Christina studied political science in university and has a long term interest in governance/governance structures. She moved to Golden 17 years ago and is married to a local teacher. They have three adult children in university. When she is not acting in her role as mayor, Chistina enjoys running, reading, cycling, cross-country skiing and spending time with family and friends. Christina has the honour of leading the implementation of the first municipal kiosk-based bike share program in British Columbia. Dr. Michael Brauer is a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. He is recognized internationally for his research on air

pollution exposure and health impacts. He has participated in studies throughout the world and served on advisory committees to the World Health Organization, the US National Academy of Sciences, the International Joint Commission and governments in North America and Asia. He has been conducting cycling-related research for the past 5 years and has commuted by bike for as long as he can remember. Joanna Brown is originally from Sussex NB and is happy to have found her way back to such a culturally and ecologically rich province. Her vagabond lifestyle has led her to study social geography and environmental studies at the University of Victoria, to travel with a backpack or a bike, as well, as work on community development projects in a number of Canadian cities. Since returning to NB Joanna co-founded, with Graham Waugh, the Corn Hill Bicycle Festival, which is a rural education and cycling event focused on the average cyclist. Currently, Joanna is involved in the establishment of La Bikery Co-operative the first community bicycle centre in Moncton while day to day working for the New Brunswick Environmental Network. (see also Graham Waugh) Alan Callander has a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in Geography and Economics, from the University of Victoria. He has also earned a diploma in Construction Engineering Technology from the College of New Caledonia in Prince George. Alan joined the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in 1992 and took on the Ministrys cycling portfolio in 1994. In this role Alan successfully directed the consultation process, which led to the adoption of a Ministry Cycling Policy in 2000. Alan also has developed and administered several cost-sharing programs directed at providing assistance to local governments to accelerate the construction of cycling facilities, including the current BikeBC program. Recently, Alan has also taken on the ministrys climate action program, which supports BCs Climate Action Plan; a roadmap to a new, prosperous, green economy for the province. Christine Grant recently returned to the Cascadia Consulting Group after completing a six month Stevens Fellowship to research active transportation throughout Europe and Japan. Her research focused on infrastructure, policy, and cultural influences that reduce car dependency and increase walking and cycling rates. She travelled between her European destinations by bicycle making use of EuroVelo routes, Schweiz Mobil tracks, Dutch Knooppuntroutes, and other bicycle highways. As part of her Fellowship, she worked for Copenhagenize Consulting and supported a commercial cargo bike demonstration project, developed a cost benefit analysis tool for analyzing cycling infrastructure investments, and researched effective cycling marketing campaigns. Christines blog Shift documents her travels and research.

Sue Hallatt is an urban planner with a special focus on transportation planning due to its crucial role in addressing such divergent issues as health, happiness, changing demographics, social equity, economic development, land use, air and water quality and climate change. For these reasons, Sue is working to firmly pull the field of transportation planning out of its professional isolation chamber and into its rightful place among inter-disciplinary practices. Sue works for the Capital Regional District as a Regional Planner, and is currently overseeing the development and implementation of the regions first Pedestrian and Cycling Master plan. Sue is also on the Board of the Victoria Carshare Coop. She credits her beloved dog for her recently acquired love for walking. As for transit she insists that some of her best friends regularly take the bus. Although Sue purports to love all the modes equally she is shameless in her obvious affection for cycling. Michael Kollins is the Chief Operating Officer of World Bicycle Relief. Mike spent the last two years living in Kenya where he was primarily responsible for establishing World Bicycle Reliefs presence in East Africa. Prior to joining WBR, Mike was the Chief Operating Officer of Morgan Stanley Investment Management Asia based in Hong Kong with responsibility for operations in East and South Asia, Japan, and Australia. World Bicycle Relief is dedicated to providing access to independence and livelihood through the power of bicycles. Founded by SRAM Corporation in 2005 and supported by leaders in the bicycle industry, World Bicycle Relief specializes in large-scale, comprehensive bicycle programs by providing supply chain management, technical knowledge and logistics expertise to poverty relief and disaster recovery initiatives. Todd Litman is founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transport problems. His work helps expand the range of impacts and options considered in transportation decision-making, improve evaluation methods, and make specialized technical concepts accessible to a larger audience. His research is used worldwide in transport planning and policy analysis. Mr. Litman regularly blogs on the Planetizen website. He is active in several professional organizations including the Institute of Transportation Engineers and the Transportation Research Board (TRB, a section of U.S. National Academy of Sciences). He currently chairs the TRB Sustainable Transportation Indicators Subcommittee. In addition to technical writing, Todd has co-authored two travel books (Washington; Off the Beaten Path and Best Bike Rides in the Pacific Northwest) with his wife, Shoshana Litman. They reside in Victoria, British Columbia. Bruce Mol has been leading cycling skills and awareness courses for almost 20 years. Bruce is a Canadian Cycling Association certified CAN-BIKE cycling instructor of the highest level who has developed, or co-developed, most of the current transportation

cycling and safety curriculum used in Canada; including RURAL CYCLING. Bruce earned his Master in Education from SFU in 2004 specializing in Curriculum Design and Educational Leadership. When he lived in the Lower Mainland, Bruces daily, year round, bike commute was never less than 50km round trip. Bruce and his wife Maureen have cycle camped much of BC and across Canada and now resides in Vernon. Alex Phillips has the great joy and honor to serve as the Oregon Parks and Recreation Departments Statewide Bicycle Recreation Coordinator. In charge of the State Scenic Bikeway Program, which gives formal state designation to the best recreational road, bike rides highlighting the beauty of Oregon. Alex developed the Scenic Bikeway Program from the initial single bikeway to a system of nine bikeways covering 700 miles. All the information needed for a visitor to plan a one day ride or a multi-day trip is available at Oregon Scenic Bikeways. Additionally, she works to fully integrate bicycle recreation into the comprehensive planning process for State Parks. Previously Alex worked as a community organizer for a conservation organization and served as chair on the Bozeman, Montana Bicycle Advisory Board, where she was instrumental in growing Bozemans bike lanes from one lonely lane to a network covering the city. Colin Rankin has worked on six continents supporting organizational development and program delivery with institutions, NGOs and government agencies, as well as the private sector. His work includes: developing strategic plans for the Environmental Council of Zambia and Simon Fraser University; program evaluations of Save the Children Canada, Bhutan Education Support Project and the Fraser Basin Council; public engagement and conflict resolution of land and marine resource issues; and project design and management. Over three decades of professional practice, Colin has facilitated several hundred workshops and meetings in the health, education, environment and communications sectors. He is looking forward to learning from and supporting the participants of Velo Village. Becky Smith has lived on Lopez Island for 28 years after growing up in the Seattle area. She has been actively involved in the community sitting on various boards and committees and has been on the board for the Lopez Chamber of Commerce for 10 years. Becky has worked a combination of jobs over the years but has been involved with tourism information for 20 years. She is one of two coordinators who created the Tour De Lopez bike tour, which is now in its 9th year. This has been a very successful fundraising event for the Island and the Chamber of Commerce. Graham Waugh is a co-organizer of two Cornhill Bicycle Festivals. Born in New Brunswick, Graham now lives in Calgary where he works as a Water Resources Engineer.

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Appendix C: Conference Program 0900 to 0925 - Welcoming Art Spring Galleries Brenda Guiled, Chair, Island Pathways Alayne Crawford, Canadian Automobile Association Peter Grove, Trustee, Salt Spring Trust Council Wayne McIntyre, Director, Capital Regional District Opening Remarks Murray Coell, MLA, Saanich North and the Islands 0925 to 1005 - Morning Keynote Address: Bikes with benefits: Cycling and population health Dr. Michael Brauer, UBC School of Population and Public Health 10:05 to 10:25 Nutrition Break 10:0 to 1200 - Community Capacity Art Spring Galleries

1030 to 1200 - Community Well-Being Art Spring Theatre

Becky Smith, Tour de Lopez Michael Kollins, World Bicycle Relief Joanna Brown & Graham Waugh, Cornhill Bicycle Festival

Bruce Mol, CANBIKE Christina Benty, Golden Bike Share Alan Callendar, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

1200 to 1240 - Delegate Lunch 1245 to 1325 - Afternoon Keynote Address We Have Solutions - Win Win Strategies for Healthier Communities Todd Litman, Executive Director, Victoria Transport Policy Institute 1300 to 1500 - Community Connectivity

Sue Hallat, Capital Regional District, Pedestrian & Cycling Master Plan Alexandra Phillips, Oregon, Bicycle Recreation Coordinator Christine Grant, Cascadia Consulting, Seattle 1505 to 1545 Facilitated Roundtable Colin Rankin, C Rankin Associates, Victoria

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Appendix D: Resolution to Support Investment in Rural Cycling Infrastructure PROVINCIAL FUNDING FOR CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE WHEREAS the Union of British Columbia Municipalities has consistently endorsed resolutions calling for development, improvement and augmentation of cycling infrastructure, including but not limited to:

frequent sweeping of bike lanes (2011-B19); increased width and refurbished road shoulders to accommodate cycling (2010-B16, 2007-B14, 2007-B99); a BC Cycling Development Program (2010-B17); revenue sharing for cycling infrastructure intersecting provincial highways (2009-B83); safer cycling conditions to encourage ridership (2008-B108); bicycle lane funding (2007-B100, 2006-B140); and infrastructure for non-greenhouse gas emitting transportation (2006-B110);

AND WHEREAS rural cycling infrastructure strengthens communities by:

increasing the safety of cycling on rural roads; supporting the growth of cycle tourism; addressing local climate change challenges; providing transportation and recreation alternatives; establishing links with existing urban and regional cycling networks; and enabling small business access to new commercial corridors and markets:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that [My Local Government] urges the Province of British Columbia to invest in cycling infrastructure in rural communities, in order to accelerate the availability and broaden the range of cycling opportunities for commuter, recreational and competitive cyclists living in and visiting rural and urban areas. Reference Documents: Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandRM_English.pdf Salish Sea Statements on Cycling & Rural Mobility Body of Knowledge http://www.velovillage.ca/wp-content/uploads/SSSOCandR_BOK.pdf 12