In this series we stop people along the bike lanes in Vancouver and have chats with them about their thoughts on cycling, their bikes, and more. Have a look at the archive HERE.
Name?
Stephanie Williams.
Type of bike?
Linus – it came fully loaded except I added the bell.
Apparently its the law to have a bell so that's good.
Yes, it's a bylaw.
And I see that you are wearing a helmet which is also the law.
Yes I am, even though it is pretty hard on a day like today.
There seems to be a real controversy going on in Vancouver about that.
I work in the bike world so I know all about it.
Tell me about your job?
I run a program called the Bicycle Valet (BEST). Which is getting very busy this time of year.
Don't you guys have a summer permanent set up at Granville Island right now?
Yes, we get a lot of bikes. We've even gotten an inflatable dingy, a kayak, a stand up paddle board, snowboard, roller blades... pretty much anything we will take as long as it doesn't take up a lot of room and the people are nice.
Where are you off to now?
Home, to check emails and hopefully get a few more volunteers out for this weekend.
What kind of events do you have going on at the moment?
Well we're at one right now which is the Sunset Beach social. Then tomorrow is the Khatsahlano street party, a White Caps game, and we are out at UBC for the special olympics. Then Sunday is food cart fest and the kids market.
What events are excited for this summer?
Well our biggest one is the Squamish music festival where we expect to park about 1,200 bikes a day, so that will be busy. And then August long weekend is really busy. There's the celebration of light, Powell street festival, Pride, and Bard on the Beach.
So you must commute by bike quite often?
Every day I do. I live in Kits and work at Main and Broadway. It takes about the same time as the bus but is a far better commute, unless its raining.
Is there any part of Vancouver that you like cycling in the most?
I actually quite like biking downtown, especially with these new separate lanes. Our office used to be downtown so I had to take the Burrard bridge and it was killer with traffic turning right. But now with Hornby and Dunsmir bike lanes, I like cycling downtown. With the Point Grey road now, and coming off the south end of the Burrard street bridge you don't notice while you are just pedaling along until you are on this amazing dedicated roadway, you don't have to worry about traffic and it makes the world of difference. I think a lot of the reason why we are busier is that the infrastructure is better for it in Vancouver now.
* The Bicycle Valet is always looking for volunteers, so check out their website at thebicyclevalet.ca and become part of the revolution!
