Pitt Meadows Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan public meeting

Pitt Meadows is holding a public meeting on June 20, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, in the Meadows Room at Pitt Meadows City Hall, to get residents' input on its Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan. For more information visit the City's website.

Bike to the Maple Ridge Farmer's Market

Stop putting needs of cars first

Latest article of HUB Maple Ridge/Pitt Meadows in the Maple Ridge News: 

Many of us are already frustrated driving on our congested roads, as more car-dependent subdivisions are added east and north in Maple Ridge.

Long gone are the days that the drive home gave us the opportunity to relax after a busy day’s work. Not only do we have to deal with  traffic back and forth to work and shop and play, but also on the streets where we live –  the car is now king.

Read more...

Vancouver to San Diego by bike - blog

Here is a link to a very interesting blog written by one of two women just starting off on a bike tour southward from Vancouver to San Diego. I believe the ride started, Monday June 4, so we can follow the "story" and ride from the beginning.
Enjoy...
FREESPIRITBICYCLES blog

'Sea change' in car culture means fewer parking stalls

New 112-unit condo development on Cordova Street 

furnished with just 13 parking spaces

By Randy Shore, Vancouver Sun June 6, 2012

The freshly completed condominium building at 60 West Cordova has 112 living units, but only 13 parking stalls - the lowest amount of parking required for a residential building in the city's recent history.
"A lot of the people buying here weren't interested in any form of vehicle ownership or use," said Michael Braun, sales and marketing manager for Westbank, which developed the building.
The parking situation at the new building reflects what Vancouver city Coun. Geoff Meggs calls a "sea change" in the car culture that has led the city to cut requirements for parking stalls for new buildings.
READ MORE:

Survey Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan Pitt Meadows/Pitt Meadows Day

The City of Pitt Meadows is in the process of developing a Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan and wants your input. Please go to the City of Pitt Meadows' website, where you will find a link to a survey.

If you're planning to attend Pitt Meadows Day on June 2, Urban Systems will have a booth (I believe together with the HUB/BAC booth/bike parking near or at the baseball diamond) where you can get more information on the Plan and hard copies of the survey will be available as well.

Bike parking will be available at Pitt Meadows Day from 11:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. I'm not sure what the hours are for the Urban Systems booth.

Welcome to "downtown" Chameleon!

A little bit of "fine urban texture" coming to the fabric of downtown Maple Ridge on 224th Street next to HSBC Bank. Best of luck to Chameleon restaurant.

It's time to ride!!

If you have not yet hit the roadways and pathways of the regions on your bike, here are a few photos to get you in the mood. All were taken in Vancouver over the gloriously sunny last weekend.
If you don't know it already, Vancouver enjoys a wonderful network of traffic-calmed residential streets and dedicated pathways that make it a very safe and enjoyable city to ride.
To direct your urban cycling adventures, I would recommend you get the "Bike Vancouver - Bicycle route map and info guide". It is a credit-card sized foldout map detailing the entire cycling network for Vancouver city. It is available at the bike repair desk at the Mountain Equipment Co-op  on West Broadway Avenue (among other places).

Stanley Park Seawall at Coal Harbour.
Remember, bikes go counter-clockwise around the park

10th Avenue Bikeway. Great riding!

Stanley Park Seawall bikeway at Siwash Rock.

Glorious treelined street (perhaps 7th Avenue) Kitsilano. 

Doesn't get much nicer!

Vancouver, Montreal, Portland, Minneapolis all get high “BikeScore” marks with new measuring tool

This just out from UBC

University of British Columbia researchers are making bikeability research easily accessible to consumers and city planners by introducing bikeability “heat maps” in partnership with Seattle-based Walk Score® at www.walkscore.com/bike.

Combining data on availability of cycling infrastructure (bike lanes and trails), topography (hilliness), desirable destinations (attractions, shops and restaurants) and road connectivity, researchers from UBC’s School of Population and Public Health and Simon Fraser University worked with web developers from Walk Score® to develop algorithms to make the information easily accessible online.

Heat maps of Bike Score™ for 10 Canadian and 10 U.S. cities were launched today during National Bike Month in the U.S. and in advance of Bike Month in Canada. Victoria, Vancouver and Montreal rate highest in bikeability for Canadian cities; while Minneapolis, Portland and San Francisco lead in the U.S.

Link to complete story at Frances Bula blog.

A great day for a ride around Barnston Island!

A lovely little ferry ride over to the island.
A few other cyclists had the same idea to tour the island.

A 9.8 kilometer circle of virtually carless, pastoral bliss.

Take the whole lane... both of them!

Along the route... reminds us of a Saltspring Island scene.