[raisethehammer]

It looks like a big year for bicycles
1

High gas prices accelerate change
July 04, 2008
Rob Faulkner
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jul 4, 2008)
It's a two-wheel twist on park 'n' ride when Al Fletcher and his wife drop off their kids at a southwest Mountain day care and go to work for the City of Hamilton.

They park the family van, with a bike rack attached, at the day care in the morning. Jill takes her bike off and rides downtown. Al rides, too. When he picks up the kids, he puts his bike on the rack.

And then drives home.

"I have turned in my parking pass for City Hall," the manager of zoning bylaw reform says as he dons his helmet and unlocks his mountain bike from the new secure bike lock-up in the York Boulevard parkade across from the Farmers' Market.

"Yesterday I had to fill up my car," Fletcher said. "I drive a little Mazda and it was $66 to fill it up. It's starting to make a difference. You adjust your habits."

He rides from home at Garth and Mohawk two or three days a week.

Fletcher is among the Hamiltonians insulating themselves from $1.35 per litre gas prices. Bike shops are reporting new customers and new models arriving each day.

And the city continues to invest in cycling-related infrastructure, at a time when two wheels certainly beat four at the pump.

Today, new bike lanes will open up a portion of the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail along North Service Road, Stoney Creek.

Politicians, cyclists and others will meet at Millen Road north of the QEW at 2 p.m. for the 12-kilometre addition of on-street bike lanes. Hamilton will now have more than 100 kilometres of bike lanes.

Daryl Bender, city project manager for alternative transportation (which includes cycling), said that with new bike lockups, work on a cycling link over the 403 via a CP Rail trail, and a new cycling master plan in the works, it's a big year for bikes.

He said the city is even working with employers to get things like workplace bike storage areas, workplace showers and lockers in place. It's not mandated, but it's moving along nicely, he said.

Hamilton's Transportation Master Plan aims to see a 20 per cent reduction in one-person car trips by 2031.

Statistics Canada reports that the years 1996-2006 saw a 40 per cent rise in the share of Hamilton workers commuting by bike. About 2,905 locals did so in 2006.

A few trends are converging in 2008 to make it a good year for bikes: high gas prices, a provincial tax break on some bikes and the introduction of new commuter bikes aimed at the cyclist who has to get to work or ride on errands.

"We are definitely selling more bikes with bike racks, more hybrid-style bikes that are good for commuting," said Elaine Pierik of Pieriks Cycle in Westdale.

For new buyers, it's part of a wave of new models with easier shifting, softer saddles and a more upright position that can turn a fitness tool into a practical way to get around.

The Bicycle Trade Association of Canada reports that bike commuting is growing, led by workers under 35 in large cities, especially Montreal and Vancouver. BTAC says the number of bikes sold in Canada in first-quarter 2008 is up 6 per cent over the same period in 2007.

Zoning Reform?? Now, THESE are the types I want to see getting onto bikes and buses in this city. Great news!