Local Election Affects Cycling
Wheel Life column - 13 November, 1999
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Public decisions have a big effect on your travel choices and conditions. That's because governments plan and manage most transportation facilities. You can't travel far without a public pathway, road, airport, or dock.

Transportation requires sharing these public spaces. When doing so you become more than just an observer, you are part of the landscape, a participant in the environment, and a member of the community of fellow-travelers.

Author David Engwicht argues that the spontaneous exchanges which occur on public paths and roads are critical to a healthy community. People meet friends and acquaintances, window shop, stop to make a purchase, or just smile at other bypassers. These little social and commercial interactions weave relationships among people who live and work in a neighborhood.

But increased motor vehicle traffic, he believes, degrades this public realm because motorists are isolated from their environment and automobile traffic crowds out other street uses. As a result, we lose the fabric of our community.

Engwicht describes how neighborhoods can recreate streets that are more conducive to human interaction. For information, read his delightful new book, Street Reclaiming; Creating Livable Streets and Vibrant Communities, or visit http://www.lesstraffic.com.

There is no shortage of great ideas. Traffic calming, public trails, neighborhood parks, road diets (reducing street widths where appropriate), ridesharing, flexible parking requirements, reduced automobile traffic, and neighborhoods that contain more of the services we need, such as local shops and schools.

Pedestrian and bicycle friendly environments are good for the economy, too. What do visitors do after traveling halfway around the world to visit Victoria? They stroll around downtown, explore the inner harbor, and perhaps walk or bike along a trail. They love it, and they'll come again if we can make it an enjoyable experience.

And it's not just here. What do tourists do in Christchurch, New Zealand? They explore the city's lovely walking trails. What do tourists do in Amsterdam? They cycle along the canals. What do tourists do in San Antonio, Texas? They stroll down the Riverwalk. And along the way they spend good money.

These strategies are not "anti-automobile" as some critics claim. They simply allow each mode to be used for what it does best. Encouraging walking, cycling, ridesharing, transit use, and neighborhood shopping does not prevent people from driving when they need to. Motorists should welcome the reduced congestion, and the increased travel choices they can make use of in the future.

So here's our point: To cycle and walk in safety and comfort, and accomplish more daily activities without using a car, we need more than just a bicycle and a comfortable pair of shoes. We need better planning, more pedestrian and cycling facilities, safer streets, good bike parking, and traffic law enforcement that protects pedestrian and cyclist rights. We need attention to details in our public realm. To get these we need local officials who take walking and cycling seriously.

After the last municipal election the mayor and council disbanded Victoria's bicycle advisory committee, which ended most of the city's bicycle planning activities. It was a bad decision, like a wrong turn on the Tour de France. The money and effort wasted on the arena fiasco could have gone a long way toward making our community a walking and cycling paradise.

Don't let it happen again. It's up to citizens to elect officials who care as much about people walking and bicycling as they do about people in motor vehicles or professional sports teams. The election is a week from today. Vote.

In many municipalities, the election includes an advisory vote on new funding for parks and trails in the CRD. It's an opportunity to protect valuable greenspace and create the Sea-to-Sea Green Blue Belt which includes a network of trails.

You can find the nearest polling station in today's paper. If you are not currently registered but are eligible to vote, walk or cycle to the polling site with two pieces of identification (one with your signature and one with your residential address) next Saturday, November 20th and register there.