Bike to Work Weeks are popular celebrations of cycling in the city, with special outreach to first-time cyclists. The 21st annual Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week is being celebrated from May 25-31. This year, Bike to Work Week has some exciting cycling-focused community and placemaking events to attend.
The Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society is hosting a series of Urban Bike Skills Courses. These courses seek to empower new or novice riders who may feel hesitant to cycle in traffic. Registration is a must, and this can be completed at their website here. The Society is also teaming up with the District of Saanich to offer three workshops in Saanich’s new bike-repair sites. At these workshops, participants will learn basic bicycle maintenance skills such as brake tightening and fixing a flat tire. These sessions are hosted Thursday May 21st from 5-6 pm at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre, Saturday May 23rd from 10-11 am at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific, and Wednesday May 27th from 4-5 pm at Saanich Municipal Hall.
bike lane concept
The City of Victoria recently dedicated $7.75 million over five years for new protected bike lanes to emphasize safe cycling commutes for citizens. The City recently released a survey comparing two proposals for protected lanes — either a two-way protected bicycle lane on Pandora Avenue, or a one-way protected lane on Pandora Avenue and another on Johnson Street. Learn more and have your say here.
On May 26th from 12-7 pm, the City of Victoria will be hosting an on-street open house to encourage citizens to interact with proposals for Victoria’s first protected bike lanes. From Douglas Street to Broad Street, Pandora Avenue will have a temporary two-way protected bike lane. The bike lane will feature different types of dividers to educate cyclists and passersby on the possibilities for Victoria’s future bike lanes. Bring your bicycle to test it out, or walk by and discuss the project with City of Victoria employees who will be onsite to answer any questions you may have.
With these workshops and open-houses, Bike to Work Week is sure to be another successful event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Guest Author Bio
Rayleen Lister is the coordinator of Jane’s Walks in Victoria BC.
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