(Photo © J. Maus)
An effort to form a new bicycle advocacy group in Vancouver will take another step tonight.
Todd Boulanger, a transportation planner and active participant in the bike scene on both sides of the river, says he hopes to bring concerned residents together to focus on urban transportation issues.
At the end of April, Boulanger says over 50 people showed up with enthusiasm for improving bike conditions in Vancouver (some present at the initial meeting in April were spurred into action by Vancouver City Council’s passage of an all-ages, mandatory helmet law back in February).
Attendees at the first meeting meeting had a range of opinions about what they hope the new group can accomplish. They filled out comment cards that answered the question “What do you want out of a new bike advocacy group in Vancouver?”
The responses included: “I want bikes viewed more positively as viable transportation”; “I want Vancouver to be another model city like Portland”; and “I want my kids to feel safe when they go out for a bike ride.”
As a follow-up to that meeting, Boulanger has brought in Gordon Black, executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Scott Bricker, executive director of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance to join the group and offer advice on how best to move forward.
If you are interested in creating a bicycle advocacy group that focuses on urban bicycling issues in Vancouver, you should attend tonight’s meeting (and/or stay tuned for further developments).
- Vancouver Bike Advocacy Meeting
June 9th, 5-7pm (tonight!)
Wallis Engineering Offices (215 West 4th St., Ste 200 — right off the I-5 bridge bike path in downtown Vancouver)