Mill Bay Ride
Wheel Life column - 29 July, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

The Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition (GVCC) sponsors a 30-60 km sport ride that leaves 10 a.m. each Sunday morning from the Cook Street Village Moka House (345 Cook Street). Tomorrow's ride will be special. Please consider coming along.

These rides are lots of fun. We cycle for a couple hours, stop at a restaurant for lunch (some riders bring their own food), and then return to town by mid-afternoon. There are usually about a dozen participants, some on mountain bikes and others on road bikes, with a range of riding abilities.

Destinations vary. Sometimes the group follows the shoreline or the Lochside Trail up the Saanich Peninsula. Other times it goes west on the Galloping Goose trail to Metchosin. It's a great way to find new places to ride and meet other cyclists.

Tomorrow (July 30) we will ride to Brentwood Bay, and from there take the Mill Bay ferry. This ride is intended to draw attention to the ferry as an important component of our region's cycling network.

BC Ferries is considering shutting down the Mill Bay ferry service soon to avoid future maintenance expenses. The GVCC is lobbying to maintain it. This ferry provides a valuable service for travelers heading north from Victoria who want to avoid the extra distance and congestion on the Malahat, or when the highway is restricted by repairs, snow or a traffic accident. It is particularly important for cyclists, although cyclists are not the only people who rely on it.

The ferry leaves Brentwood Bay at 11:00 am and 1:15 pm. We hope to have an extra large group. We may split into a faster and slower group to catch both sailings. If you live outside of Victoria, you may prefer to simply join the group at the ferry dock and ride with the group from there.

There are lots of great places to cycle on the West side of Saanich Inlet, including Shawnigan Lake, Cobble Hill and Cowichan Bay. Bring ten dollars for the ferry fare ($5 each way), plus money for lunch and perhaps a bottle at one of the wineries in the area.

In last week's column we discussed the benefits of maintaining a diverse transportation system that provides viable travel choices. We pointed out that even if you do not currently ride a bicycle, a scooter or public transit, you may value having these travel modes available for possible use in the future. Economists call this "option value".

Similarly, there is a value to having a choice of travel routes. You may seldom ride the Mill Bay ferry, but you can still value having it as an option for possible use in the future.

The benefits of having route alternatives was illustrated recently when the Malahat highway was closed for a day because of a major crash. Many people suddenly discovered how few routes there are connecting Victoria with areas north on our Island. Hundreds of vehicles used the Mill Bay ferry during this emergency.

Although some people might argue that it is wasteful to keep small ferries or minor highways operating, it is really no different from having a lifeboat. We have never had to use a lifeboat in an emergency, but we are glad to know they are available when we travel by ship. Similarly, we may seldom use a particular ferry or byway, but that doesn't mean that we don't value having them available, just in case.

Don't miss this great ride, and let's show BC Ferries we want the ferry saved.