The Changes

Just over two years ago we here at Vancity conducted a social experiment: we wanted to know what would happen if we chose to spend some of our marketing dollars a little differently with a view to combining our marketing efforts with community building.

Rather surprisingly, I have taken up cycling in the city after many years of swearing NEVER to do it. My experience has been very positive. The traffic was not nearly as bad as I had imagined, as long as I stuck to the cycling routes.

I just took my car off the road and have dedicated myself to improving using my 2 feet in whichever way I can to get around the city. I am rollerblading right now but really want to trying biking in the city as a faster alternative.

Can someone let me know when they have a bike to share?

Pretty Pleeeaase

I was listening to my coworkers talking today about how many bicycles are stolen every day in Vancouver, and how it is often homeless people or street people, and how the police don't bother to do much about it because if they take the bike back, the thief will just steal another one.

So, I got to thinking, why not have free bikes downtown, in various locations that ANYONE could use any time of the day? There is a program like this somewhere in Europe that apparrently works very well. I think it would be a great anti-theft initiative because then the people who need a bike can borrow one, and just use it, instead of taking transit, or resorting to theft. Of course, there would be some loss through attrition, but what business or program doesn't have loss, but I think most people would respect the program and use it appropriately.

Being a motorcyclist for close to 15 years now, I felt I had to comment too.  I agree that "hogs" or any other bike with a loud exhaust is obnoxious if used as a "noise pollution" device in our environment.  These few make the rest of us bikers look bad.

As an avid biker, I am careful with how I ride my bike in high-density community areas.  After all, I live in one too.  The vast majority of bikers are careful with how they ride in and around high-density housing , but unfortunately, there are a few who purposely seem to get a kick out of creating "noise pollution" in the environment as they pass through like a tornado...