The streets around city hall will have a few more cyclists than normal riding around on May 25.
That's because Burnaby HUB, a charity that represents the local cycling community, is organizing a five-kilometre ride for Bike Day in Canada.
The second annual event is a national initiative started by advocacy group Canada Bikes and John Weston, the MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country. The goal, according to Burnaby HUB member Cathy Griffin, is not only to celebrate this mode of transportation, but to bring politicians from all levels of government together and have them strap on a helmet, take part in the ride and see first hand some of the barriers facing local cyclists.
"We've invited Mayor (Derek) Corrigan, all of his councillors, city staff, as well as Kennedy Stewart. We want to get politicians aware that people are keen and interested in cycling," Griffin, who rides a bike every day to work, told the NOW.
With the Central Valley Greenway and the Burnaby Mountain urban trail, Griffin said Burnaby fares “OK” when it comes to being cyclist-friendly, but there’s still work to be done.
"We'll have a great path, and then all of a sudden, it ends and you're on the road," she explained. "Families really want to get out there and bike, but if you're not confident, riding with cars is not the thing you want to do."
The city also needs to have more separated bike paths and better signage, Griffin said. Riding on bridges is another concern for her, as some have just a "skinny plastic pole" to separate cars from cyclists.
"Part of that relates to, the city doesn't own the bridges; it's the province, so they can't touch the bridges and the province isn't interested in spending $75,000," she pointed out.
The dialogue municipalities are having with each other also needs to be clearer, Griffin noted, because what's happening elsewhere doesn't always perfectly align with what Burnaby's doing.
"We're all volunteers, right? So unless we ask, 'What are they doing out in Surrey?' or 'What are they doing out in Coquitlam?' we don't really know what's going on."
With the City of Burnaby revisiting and tweaking its master transportation plan this fall, Griffin is optimistic HUB's concerns won't fall on deaf ears.
For her personally, riding a bike is the "best money on therapy you'll ever spend."
2014's Bike Day in Canada attracted eight people locally, but Griffin is hoping that number is closer to 20 this year.
The ride, which has a square-shaped route, starts at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 25 at city hall. Cyclists will go west on Deer Lake Parkway, north on Wayburne, east on Hardwick and Sprott, and south on Kensington back to city hall.
Depending on the size of the group, quieter streets may be chosen. All ages are welcome, but children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Refreshments will be served and there will be a couple of speeches from city staff.
Bike Day Canada also falls on the first day of Bike to Work Week, May 25 to 31.
