this street is for.
(Photos by Jonathan Maus)
Riding around Vancouver BC for the first time, I instantly felt like I was a respected part of the transportation system.
The family and I took to the city streets yesterday and experienced a pleasant, well-marked bike route. Vancouver has a network of secondary streets that are clearly signed and that prioritize bicycle traffic.
These bike streets have bicycle markings both on the roadway and on the main street name signs (I love that!). Similar in function to Portland’s small, bicycle-boulevard/wayfinding dots, Vancouver uses large bike symbols that seem to not only designate the route as bike-friendly, but end up acting like sharrows as well.
As we made our way the mile or two from the house we’re staying at to the waterfront, I saw lots of traffic diversion and plenty of “Except Bicycles” signs.
Adding to the safety and convenience of the bike streets were traffic signal activation buttons made just for bicyclists. To top it all off, when we reached our destination (Granville Island) we were welcomed with a nice, covered bike parking facility.
Another cool example of how Vancouver welcomes bicyclists are the “Cyquabus” ferries that are emblazoned with bike symbols.
Check out more photos (including a sneak peek at last night’s Bike Porn and Negligee Night Ride coverage) in my Vancouver BC photo gallery.