I was down at Granville Island on the weekend and came across these bikes.

I hope they were still there when the owners returned.

Why is this a bad lock-up?

Look at what’s actually connected to the lock and the rack.

Only the tire. An intrepid thief with a spare front wheel, or even the brains to find another locked bike with an unlocked front wheel, could be riding away in less than a minute, simply by undoing the axle quick release, sliding the bike fork through the lock, and voila, one unlocked, AWOL bicycle, albeit in need of a front wheel. Here’s an even worse example.

How do I know this? I found out the hard way, trusting a similar locking choice would be sufficient in my underground parking at a previous residence many years ago. Nothing reinforces a lesson like a forlorn front wheel hanging uselessly from a u-lock and the realization that your two-week old Stumpjumper is gone baby gone.

photo courtesy of Mayacycle

Here’s an example of doing it right. The lock secures the frame and front wheel to the rack.

If you’re going somewhere for a while, or leaving your bike somewhere secluded, bring along a good plastic coated wire cable too, run it through your rear wheel and secure the end loops to your u-lock. Yes, I learned this lesson the hard way too. Happy, safe riding everyone!

CK

Folding bikes are quickly becoming more popular as the technology, performance, and design of these portable pedalers improves. Here’s my recent article for Granville Online, listing three folders light enough to meet Harbour Air’s weight restrictions for luggage, as well as an accompanying piece describing the Vancouver floatplane company’s carbon-offset program.

Folding bikes make travel by float plane easy and affordable

Harbour Air: North America’s first carbon-neutral airline

What direction will cycling in Vancouver take in 2012?

My latest article for Granville Online:

“It started in July 2009. The creation of a separated, protected lane for cyclists on the Burrard Bridge turned out to be just the beginning of Vision Vancouver’s ambitious plan for increasing cycling in Vancouver. In 2010, the addition of separated lanes on Dunsmuir and Hornby Streets not only created more protected routes for cyclists, they also added fuel to the fire, in what became a fractious and heated debate over the allocation of road space in the city.

Now, with the Vision Vancouver-dominated council having created a separated lane system running through the downtown core, they’re claiming it’s time to step back and take stock of the situation before launching any new initiatives. In fact, no major changes to the existing network are expected to be introduced before the next civic election. But, what might we expect after voters go to the polls, if another cycling-friendly council is installed at City Hall? Three central figures in the debate say planning, education, and communication are as important as painted lanes and concrete barriers in building the bike lane ahead.”

Complete article at Granville Online – Beyond the Vision for a pedal-happy Vancouver

(media release written for Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition)

VANCOUVER (Jan. 22, 2010) – You don’t have to go it alone if you want to get around on two wheels during the Olympic Games. These online resources are invaluable tools for new cycle commuters and give experienced urban cyclists an opportunity to share their favourite routes with colleagues, friends and neighbours. There’s also links to information on transit, bike parking, and other essential 2010 travel information.

VACC Bike to Work Commute Tracker
Track your GHG reductions, kms, and calories burned on our interactive mapping and tracking tool. It lets you compete with yourself and against other teams once you have signed in. It also lets you share mapped routes to find co-workers that you can ride in with.

City of Vancouver Bike Route Network
The City of Vancouver has an updated map of bike routes including closures and temporary bike routes here:

Bike Parking
Maps for bike parking facilities in Vancouver, at the Richmond Olympic Oval, and UBC/Thunderbird Arena can be found here:

Cycling in Cities Route Planner
Cycling in Cities is a UBC research project seeking a better understanding of the impact of the built environment on urban cycling. As part of the project, the team created an interactive map allowing users to choose a destination and find the best route to suit their needs; whether they are seeking the shortest route, least amount of air pollution, fewest hills, or even the route with the most vegetation! The map also shows important information such as 2010 security road closures, bike parking locations, and Olympic lanes.

Project Blue Sky
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have a climate goal. Project Blue Sky’s goal is to ‘race’ the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee and its partners to that goal by collecting one billion kilometres worth of carbon-cutting contributions before March 2010. You can connect with your favourite athletes, challenge your friends, tell your story and track your carbon reductions by logging the kilometres you walk, cycle, or ride on public transit.

TravelSmart 2010
A one-stop website for those seeking to stay up-to-date on travel alerts, find out about Sea to Sky highway closures and transportation to Whistler venues, ride-sharing, airport, train, and ferries information.

In addition to these online resources, the VACC is continuing to offer its Getting Around the Games cycling workshops to organizations seeking to offer employees a safe, easy, and efficient commuting option during the 2010 Games. Full details can be found online at the VACC’s website.

COPENHAGEN, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ — Counting down to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December, the people of Copenhagen will be pedalling hard to light up the traditional Christmas tree on City Hall Square.

Tradition has it that the big Christmas tree on Copenhagen’s City Hall Square is lit up with hundreds of lights. But this year it will be a different story – unless people pedal hard, that is.

During the Climate Summit, Copenhagen’s City Hall Square will be transformed into a climate-friendly city called Hopenhagen Live. Until 18 December, Copenhageners and anyone else who is concerned about the environment can jump on the bikes and pedal to light up the tree – and burn a few calories while they’re at it. This alternative way of lighting up the Christmas tree will save the environment a total of nine tonnes of CO2 compared to the traditional way of powering the lights.

photo: http://www.copenhagenmediacenter.com

Copenhagen is already known as the City of Cyclists, and the term Copenhagenize has become a catchword for a new concept – when cities work to encourage increased usage of this healthy and CO2-friendly means of transport. With more than 350 kilometres of cycle lanes and one third of all Copenhageners commuting by bike every day, Copenhagen truly is a bicycle city.

While the UN Climate Summit is taking place in Bella Center from 7 – 18 December, the whole city will be booming with international cultural events. At City Hall Square there will be music, exhibitions and happenings. Al Gore and Bishop Desmond Tutu will be in town, and more than 65 heads of state and government will take part in the official COP15 in Bella Center – not to mention the 100 mayors from all over the world invited to City Hall Square during the summit.

Follow the cyclists lighting up the tree at http://www.hopenhagenlive.dk/

Beat 2010 Traffic. Bike To Work!

Getting around the city? It may end up being the toughest event of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Metro Vancouver commuters are facing nearly two months of road closures and traffic challenges.  But, there’s one way to avoid the chaos. Consider biking to work. It’s easier than you think and way more fun than fuming in traffic! Join MEC and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) Thursday, Dec. 3rd, 7pm at the Vancouver store (130 West Broadway) for great advice on:

Getting Your bike Ready
The Best Gear for Winter Riding
Safe routes in the City
Riding in Traffic
Realistic Expectations

The one hour presentation will be followed by a short question and answer session.

Are you going to be stuck in traffic, jammed onto overcrowded transit, or enjoying the peaceful, healthy experience of biking to work? Get the information you need to make the best choice for your daily commute.

My latest article is online at the Tyee. Find out who’s behind the Big Apple’s transportation system reboot.

Why New York Enticed Translink Chief
When Translink CEO Tom Prendergast starts running NYC’s transit system, he’ll have a visionary ally in Janette Sadik-Khan.
By Chris Keam

Translink’s challenges are once again in the spotlight, with a damning ministry report preceded by last week’s announcement that CEO Tom Prendergast is leaving Vancouver to become the president of New York City Transit. The reasons for Prendergast’s decision, rumored and official, include Translink troubles and Big Apple opportunities. But one largely unmentioned reality that surely played a role in Prendergast’s decision is the powerful compatriot he will have in Janette Sadik-Khan. (Read the full article)

Paris has long been known as the City of Light. But increasingly, it’s becoming the City of Bikes. The famous French city was at the forefront of the public bike movement with its successful and much-emulated velib program. Now, a subsidy for e-scooters has been extended to e-bikes as part of the city’s strategy to promote cycling for transportation. Parisians can get up to € 400 from the Paris Council when they buy an e-bike. And, unlike some of the North American cash-for-clunkers programs which quickly blew through their budgets, this French initiative currently has no end date or limit on how much will be spent for the program.

I wrote an editorial appearing in today’s edition of the Vancouver Sun. Although it carries my byline, I must acknowledge the help of Mary Sherlock and Arno Schortinghuis for their help with the raw materials, and Richard Campbell and Rob Wynen for advice and direction with the tone and tack of the piece.

Here’s the first paragraph:

One month after the opening of bike lanes on the Burrard Bridge, it’s a little hard to remember what all the fuss was about. Drivers haven’t suffered from the change. Communications efforts before the trial began, publicizing the upcoming change and suggesting alternate routes clearly paid off. Unsurprisingly, cyclists and pedestrians are lauding the new arrangement. The increased safety both user groups now enjoy has turned uneasy confrontations into peaceful coexistence. Hopefully, these outcomes will spur further initiatives to create the separated, protected facilities that make walking and biking in the city a safe option for people of all ages and abilities.

And a link to the full article

June 23, 2009 – City of Vancouver communications and neighbourhood transportation staff gave a special media briefing Tuesday, explaining some of the details and logistics surrounding the upcoming $1.4 million cycling lane reallocation trial on the Burrard Bridge.

Here are seven things about the upcoming trial cyclists and pedestrians should know. Feel free to post questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. If you’d like to know more, read the media briefing for more detail on the plans at this Vancouver Sun link, take a look at the city’s lane reallocation technical details web page, or keep it brief with this summary backgrounder. (All images below are from the City of Vancouver reports)

1. Monday, July 13 is the big day. Barriers, lane painting, and roadwork will be done the weekend previous. Expect the bridge to be ready for your morning commute unless bad weather the previous week delays roadwork. Banners reminding drivers of the change will go up on the bridge at the end of the month and a three week media blitz will commence.

2. A particularly nasty section of road where northbound cyclists currently leave the bridge and merge with eastbound traffic on the north side of the bridge should see some improvements — with the addition of a bike lane and bike boxes on the stretch between Burrard and Hornby making it easier for cyclists to use the Hornby Street bike lanes as a route into the downtown core. A slip lane will allow bikers to cross over the eastbound car lane and continue north on Burrard, but extreme caution will be the order of the day as this problematic intersection may yet retain some of its inherent dangers.

3. All pedestrians will be using the west sidewalk. Apparently, city data suggests two-thirds of walkers already use this side, perhaps because of the ocean view. The best place to get over to the east side of Burrard before you get to the bridge itself is at First Ave.

4. Cyclists will have the benefit of barriers on both their protected lanes. With the lack of pedestrians to act as deterrents to excess speed, it will be instructive to see if any new safety issues related to cyclists passing each other arise.

5. Bike lanes on Pacific and Burrard on the northwest side of the bridge should give cyclists a clear route onto their new protected lane of southbound road space on the bridge deck.

6. There was no commitment to an end date, meaning that an unsuccessful trial can be abandoned early, despite assurances from the City that a report will be prepared after three months.

7. Buses heading south on the bridge will see their bus lane extended past Pacific Boulevard, so that buses will have some measure of priority when getting onto the bridge. If transit experiences severe and prolonged congestion problems, engineers may implement special transit phasing of traffic lights at the intersection to keep buses moving.