TransLink sponsors Global Bicycling Conference

June 25, 2012

Integrating with bikes, technical tour, part of Velo-city 2012

Making bicycles a more viable transportation option is the ongoing theme of Velo-city Global 2012, opening June 26 in Vancouver. A number of TransLink staff members will speak at the conference, and will provide a technical tour for delegates, showing many of Metro Vancouver’s unique features, including the integration of cycling with public transit.

“Co-hosting Velo-city expands on the commitment we made when TransLink signed the Charter of Seville at last year’s Velo-city in Spain,” says Bob Paddon, Executive Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Public Affairs, who signed the document on TransLink’s behalf. “The technical tour we’ll be hosting for delegates will take them all over – including the North Shore via SeaBus – so they can see the unique challenges – and successes – Metro Vancouver faces in developing cycling infrastructure.”

TransLink Board Chair Nancy Olewiler agrees. “We have a large and diverse region, so we have to think about the region as a whole in making cycling accessible. That’s why we’ve spent over $50 million in the past ten years on cycling infrastructure, working with the local municipalities on such projects as the North Shore Spirit Trail, the Central Valley Greenway east of downtown and the bike-pedestrian bridge over the Fraser River, adjacent to the Canada Line.” Ms Olewiler will speak at the opening and closing day events.

TransLink unveiled its Regional Cycling Strategy last summer, which calls for the cycling “mode share” – the number of trips taken by bicycle – to increase from 2 per cent now to 10 per cent by 2040. Implementing that strategy will be a focus of other discussions at Velo-city and one of TransLink’s presentations will cover ways of bringing together stakeholders with wide-ranging interests to work through the changes needed to make it happen.

As the City of Vancouver recently announced plans for a public bike-sharing service, TransLink will provide perspective on bike-sharing as an extension of transit. Another TransLink presentation will look at how to integrate cycling with transit. Also, the hundreds of conference delegates are arriving just as TransLink releases its updated print and online versions of the Metro Vancouver Cycling Map./

The Charter of Seville calls on governments to improve cycling infrastructure and expand the range of alternatives to private autos. For more information about TransLink’s Cycling programs check out http://www.translink.ca/en/Cycling.aspx; to learn more about the European Cycling Federation Velo-city conference: http://www.Velo-city2012.com.