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?
Genny.
What are you doing on Granville Island today?
I'm at the Fringe Festival, seeing shows and also volunteering for a couple of performances.
How many years have you been volunteering with the Fringe for?
This is my third year.
What do you like about the festival?
I like that all of the shows are random, where you never know what you're going to see. Sometimes as a volunteer you can't get into certain shows when they're busy so you see a different one and then it ends up being really good.
Are there any shows that you saw today that you really enjoyed?
I just saw “Dead Air” at the Waterfront, which I really liked.
And are there any this week that you're still looking forward to seeing?
I hope to get into the “Human Body Project” and also “Industry: The Food Must Go Out”, but that one is apparently going to be tricky to get into.
So you biked down to Granville Island, do you like biking around here, or do you find it kinda stressful with tourists?
I like biking along the seawall because it's very pretty, but you do have to go around a lot of joggers, tourists and families. I still like to do it though.
Tell me about your commute to work with your bike?
I work in Gastown, so I go along a route that has about 5 different construction zones. I go along Glen, down a huge hill, to the Great Northern Way where I bike along for a while till I make it onto Quebec Street. Then I go straight for a few blocks til I get to Columbia, which takes me into the Downtown Eastside area, which is where I have to be really careful with all the people walking because the stop walk sign doesn't seem to apply to them there. Then on my way back home at the end of the day I take Carroll Street, which a lot of people don't know is a bike route, or even some bikers don't know that they are supposed to be on the other side of the street.
When you get to work, are there facilities to support bicycle commuting?
Yes, we have the basement area for archives where I can lock my bike up and the building over from us has an area for showers and lockers. I don't personally need it, but I could see people who have longer commutes might.
Do you have any favourite bike events in Vancouver that you attend?
I like Critical Mass but I haven't been in a bit, as well as the Bike Rave. But I find that both of those events are a little slow-paced because you have to account for all the people there.
Do you have a favourite bike shop in Vancouver?
I kind of go all over. Originally I went to Union Cycles, because I had a flat tire and they actually gave me a lender bike because I was on my way to Anime Revolution and I needed a bike because I was going to be back and forth all day, which was really nice of them.
Do you have a favourite childhood biking story?
When I was a kid, I was learning how to pedal backwards to stop with my Dad, and we were going down this hill by the library in my hometown. At the bottom of the hill there were all these ducks in a pond, and when I went down I forgot to break and went straight into the water. What made matters worse was there was this older couple on a bench nearby who just burst into laughter.
What do you like about cycling?
The best thing about cycling is that it's like having a car so you don't have to wait for the bus, and you don't have to go on a schedule. You can decide when you want to leave, or how fast or slow you want to go, or where you want to stop along the way.
