Thursday, November 24, 2011

Call for Directors - Help Us Move Cycling Forward in BC


The British Columbia Cycling Coalition (BCCC) is seeking individuals to stand for nomination to our board of directors at the Annual General Meeting on December 11, 2011. With Velo-city Global, the world’s premier cycling conference coming to BC in June 2012, this is an exciting time to be involved in cycling. With your help, the BCCC will be able to leverage this great opportunity to move cycling forward in the province. 

About the BCCC
The British Columbia Cycling Coalition (BCCC) is a registered Non-Profit Society whose members are individuals and cycling organization throughout the province.
Specifically, the BCCC:
 Advocates for improved cycling funding, policies, laws and education at the provincial level
-  Supports local cycling coalitions and chapters throughout British Columbia

The organization is currently volunteer run with the majority of work being performed by members of the board of directors. The current board recognizes that the growth and effectiveness of the organization is limited under this model. The intent is to transition to a model where day-to-day operations are managed by staff and volunteers while the board provides organizational and advocacy leadership and governance. This transition, however, will likely consume a significant amount of board time over the next two years.

A Great Opportunity

The change in political leadership in BC presents an idea opportunity to increase support for cycling including:
 Increase in funding for cycling infrastructure, education and promotion
- Policies ensuring good cycling facilities on new and existing roads and bridges
- Updates to the Motor Vehicle Act to improve cycling safety and encourage more people to cycle

Experience and Skills
We are looking for individuals who are passionate about cycling with experience in one or more of the following areas.


Fundraising 
· Foundation and corporate grants, donations and memberships
· Individual memberships and donations

Organizational Development
· Development strategies
· Reorganization and measures needed to support staff
· Support for chapters and coalitions
· Assist in the creation of new chapters and cycling groups in communities around BC
· Support for advocacy efforts
· Volunteer coordination

Membership Development
· The development of a membership strategy
· Corporate and individual membership recruitment

Communications
· Redesign of website based on a content management system
· On-line donations and membership payment
· Forums, wikis and other information sharing mechanisms
· Integration of social media
· Electronic newsletter
· A good writer and storyteller

Advocacy
· Government relations
· Organizing and coordinating grassroots campaigns

Networking
· Contacts in governments and bicycle industry
· Ability to quickly make new contacts and connections

Insurance
· Negotiating with insurance providers


President
As our president has served his two-year term, we are looking for an individual that can step into this leadership role.

Time Requirements
Board business - Basic board business will require an average of one hour per week and consist mainly of responding to email messages on organizational business.
Additional Responsibilities - In addition, we encourage board members to undertake further organizational responsibilities as detailed above that may require up to an additional five hours per week.
Board Meetings – Monthly electronic meetings using Skype. Three to four meetings including the AGM per year on weekends in communities around BC.

Board nominees are encouraged but not required to attend the AGM.

Contact
If you are interested or would like more information, please contact:
Richard Campbell
Chair
Board Recruitment Committee
604-733-1764
Email

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Vote for Cycling on November 19

Please vote and encourage 10 of your friends to vote in the civic elections on November 19th. Phone them, text them, email them, buy them brunch or dinner or for that special friend, invite them on a vote date. Nothing says love like voting for improved cycling and safety.

Go to your city's web site to find out more about where and when to vote.

Several BCCC member cycling organizations have done an excellent job of surveying candidates on cycling issues.

Metro Vancouver
The Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) has surveyed candidates in Metro Vancouver and placed the results at:
http://vacc.bc.ca/content/news

Greater Victoria
The Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition has prepared a great website on candidates cycling positions around the region:
http://gvcc.bc.ca/2011VictoriaMunicipalElection.html

Abbotsford
The Abbotsford Cycling Action Group (ACAG) has posted survey results for cycling and other issues at:
http://abbotsfordmatters.blogspot.com/

Comox
The Comox Valley Cycling Coalition has posted candidate surveys for Comox here:
http://cyclecv.squarespace.com/candidate-question-2011-comox/

Courtney
The Comox Valley Cycling Coalition has posted candidate surveys for Courtney here:

Conservation Voters of BC
The Conservation Voters of BC have endorsed candidates around BC including long-time BCCC members and champions of cycling David Cubberley who is running for Mayor of Saanich and Victoria Councillor John Luton.
http://conservationvoters.ca/bc-municipal-election-2011

Other Candidate Surveys?
Please let us know in the comment section if there are any other candidate cycling surveys or information that you would like included.


Get Your Vote on encourages young people to vote:
http://www.getyourvoteon.ca/

Election Updates
Follow the BCCC on Twitter and Facebook for ongoing election coverage:
http://twitter.com/bccycle
http://www.facebook.com/bccycle


Friday, October 7, 2011

Mayors Approve Cycling and Transit Funding!


Great news! Metro Vancouver mayors voted overwhelmingly in favour of funding for improved transit and cycling with 16 voting for and only 6 voting against. Thanks to the mayors who supported the funding; those of you who emailed and phoned them; and to the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition for spreading the word to their members!

Support the Mayors Who Voted for the Funding
Especially with an election coming up soon, it is important to support these mayors who showed bold leadership by volunteering and donating to their campaigns. I suspect the provincial government will be watching the municipal elections carefully. If the mayors who voted for the funding are reelected, this will help give both provincial and regional politicians the mandate they need to provide further funding for the other transit and cycling improvements that the region so badly needs. This includes increasing cycling funding to at least $23 million a year, the UBC Line and rapid transit in Surrey.

Good News for the Whole Province
This decision is also important to the rest of the province where cycling and transit improvements are also badly needed. With success in the Lower Mainland, the province will likely be more inclined to give other regions the funding sources that they need to improve sustainable transportation.

Email Premier Clark
As the next step, the approval of the 2 cent gas tax, is up to the provincial government, it is a good idea to send a message of support to Premier Clark who has said her government will approve the tax and work with the mayors to find an alternative to the property tax:
Hon. Christy Clark Premier@gov.bc.ca  and cc: adrian.dix.MLA@leg.bc.ca
For
The mayors, chief and councilors who supported the funding are:
Anmore - Mayor Heather Anderson, howard.carley@anmore.com 
Belcarra - Mayor Ralph Drew, rdrew@belcarra.ca 
Bowen Island - Councillor Peter Frinton, bim@bimbc.ca
Coquitlam - Mayor Richard Stewart, rstewart@coquitlam.ca
Langley City - Mayor Peter Fassbender, mayor@langleycity.ca
Lion's Bay - Mayor Brenda Broughton, bbroughton@telus.net
Maple Ridge - Mayor Ernie Daykin, daykin@mapleridge.ca
North Vancouver City - Councillor Bob Fearnley, bfearnley@cnv.org
North Vancouver District - Mayor Richard Walton, waltonr@dnv.org
Port Coquitlam - Mayor Greg Moore, mooreg@portcoquitlam.ca
Port Moody - Mayor Joe Trasolini joe.trasolini@cityofportmoody.com 
Surrey - Mayor Dianne Watts, dlwatts@surrey.ca
Tsawwassen First Nation - Chief Kim Baird, kbaird@tsawwassenfirstnation.com 
Vancouver -  Mayor Gregor Robertson, gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca
West Vancouver - Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, goldsmith-jones@westvancouver.ca
White Rock - Mayor Catherine Ferguson, ferguson@city.whiterock.bc.ca

Against
Those who voted against the funding are:
Burnaby - Mayor Derek Corrigan, mayor.corrigan@burnaby.ca
Richmond - Mayor Malcolm Brodie, mbrodie@richmond.ca
Langley Township - Rick Green, rgreen@tol.bc.ca
Delta - Mayor Lois Jackson, LJackson@corp.delta.bc.ca
Pitt Meadows - Mayor Don MacLean, dmaclean@pittmeadows.bc.ca
New Westminster - Mayor Wayne, Wright, wright@city.new-westminster.bc.ca

Media Coverage
As usual, the anti-tax anti-everything crowd is busy in the comment sections. Never hurts to throw some pro transit and cycling comments into the mix.


Thursday, September 22, 2011

Urge Your Mayor to Vote for Transit and Cycling Funding

On October 7, the Metro Vancouver Mayors Council will be voting on the funding package for TransLink’s Moving Forward Plan. This package includes an increase in cycling funding from $3 million to $6 million per year, a key step to the $23 million per year that TransLink is proposing to met regional transportation goals. Please email or phone them (contact information is below) and urge them to vote for this plan.

It also includes badly needed transit improvements all over the region that will benefit cyclists. In particular, the Evergreen Line will make it much easier to access the TriCities from other parts of the region. According to TransLink "By 2014, annual bus and SeaBus service will increase by 415,000 hours, or 7%, providing more service around the region to improve reliability, reduce crowding and serve new demand from population growth and the expanded U-Pass BC program."

As an interim measure to allow these improvements to go ahead, the Moving Forward funding package contains a provisional small increase in property taxes that will go into effect next spring if other sources of revenue are not found. Even if new sources are not found, the property tax increase involves only a commitment for 2012 and 2013.
Source: TransLink

As shown in the chart in red as New Revenue Source, this represents only 13% of the total revenue. While this is a concern, the Provincial Government has committed to working with the mayors to develop alternate funding sources including road pricing, tolls on existing bridges vehicle levies and carbon tax revenue. Depending on the implementation, in addition to raising revenue to fund better transportation choices, these funding measures can reduce demand for driving and thus help existing roads to be used more efficiently thus reducing pollution and congestion.

Transit is Good for the Whole Region
While not all cities in the region get the same levels of transit improvement, these improvements benefit everyone in the region. Pollution and greenhouse gas emissions do not observe city boundaries. Residents of the region also travel between cities in their daily lives. The region’s economy depends on cost effective sustainable transportation to give people transportation choices and to enable for the efficient movement of goods by reducing the need for travel by automobile. As well, the cities whose mayors haven’t yet committed to voting for Moving Forward have benefited more from past improvements paid for by all taxpayers.

Email or Phone Your Mayor
Please email or phone your mayor and urge them to vote for the Moving Forward funding package. Consider including:
-       What transit and cycling improvements mean for you, your family and community
-       A statement that you will encourage the province to work with the mayors find other sources of revenue

Letter Writing Tips
Mayor Derek Corrigan, mayor.corrigan@burnaby.ca
Mayor Malcolm Brodie, mbrodie@richmond.ca
Langley Township - Rick Green, rgreen@tol.bc.ca
Delta - Mayor Lois Jackson, LJackson@corp.delta.bc.ca
Mayor Darrell Mussatto, dmussatto@cnv.org
Pitt Meadows - Mayor Don MacLean, dmaclean@pittmeadows.bc.ca
Lion's Bay - Mayor Brenda Broughton, bbroughton@telus.net
New Westminster - Mayor Wayne, Wright wright@city.new-westminster.bc.ca
Port Coquitlam - Mayor Greg Moore, mooreg@portcoquitlam.ca
White Rock - Mayor Catherine Ferguson, ferguson@city.whiterock.bc.ca
Maple Ridge - Mayor Ernie Daykin, daykin@mapleridge.ca
Surrey - Mayor Dianne Watts, dlwatts@surrey.ca
Coquitlam - Mayor Richard Stewart, rstewart@coquitlam.ca
Vancouver -  Mayor Gregor Robertson, gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca
W. Van - Mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, goldsmith-jones@westvancouver.ca
Langley City - Mayor Peter Fassbender, mayor@langleycity.ca
N. Van District - Mayor Richard Walton, waltonr@dnv.org

Join the Facebook Page Supporting Moving Forward
More Info
TransLink’s Moving Forward website:

Details on the Moving Forward Plan can be found at:

Media and BLOG Coverage

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Writing Letters to Elected Officials

Letters can be a very effective way of convincing public officials to address an issue. For each letter received, They often assume that several hundred other people feel the same about the issue. Here are a few tips.

Addressing Elected Officials
  • Politicians need to concern themselves more with the big picture and are interested in how your ideas will affect the larger community (and its voters)
  • Be less technical and more anecdotal 
  • Get to the point and be brief:
    • Keep letters under a page (use appendices if you really need to add some technical detail). 
    • Exceptions are when you are suggesting language for a plan or policy. In these situations, it may be necessary to spell everything out, but these are the exceptions. 
  • Try to provide something before asking for something in return. For instance, instead of protesting to raise the issue of poor cycling facilities, ask the leader(s) responsible to take a tour of the facilities in question with you. That way, you can incorporate leaders in the solution. Also, if they agree to a tour, you’ll have engaged them in the process and begun to hold them accountable.
Letter Content
  • Confine your letter to a single issue.
  • Write in a natural style.
  • Letters should be factual and polite
  • Take special care not to sound threatening, aggressive or offensive. You want to win a friend, if not now, then on other issues in the future.
  • Be positive and constructive - make a clear request and write as if the reader is open to reasoned argument.
  • Carefully plan your opening sentence; make it short and interesting. Particularly if you are communicating to criticize, it helps to start with appreciation or praise for the recipient’s past activities.
  • Don't plead.
  • For problems, personal accounts of how this issue has impacted you and your family, friends and community can be very persuasive.
  • For improvements, describe the benefits for you and your family, friends and community
  • Relate experiences elsewhere that demonstrate the effectiveness of improvements you want
  • Say a little about yourself if you want to - for example something about your occupation or background.
  • If there is a problem that requires remedial action, (if possible) request a specific action from the official and show your own willingness to work for a solution. Don't merely be critical; close with constructive suggestions and a positive tone.
  • If any follow-up is planned, let them know the time frame.
  • Use a conclusion that encourages a reply
Use Email
  • As most people have mobile devices, email tends to be more effective than pen and paper.
  • Include the text of letter in the body of the email and not as an attachment if possible. This makes it easier to read on a smart phone.

Sources:

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Urge Your Mayor and Council to Support Cycling Resolutions at UBCM

There are a couple of important cycling policy resolutions recommending bike lane sweeping and safe routes along highways that will be voted on at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) Convention September 26 - 30 in Vancouver. Thanks to Delta and the Sunshine Coast Regional District for proposing them.

Please contact your mayor and council and urge them to vote for these resolutions.

From page 101 of the Resolutions:
B116 SAFE CYCLING ROUTES ALONG HIGHWAY CORRIDORS Delta
WHEREAS highway corridors such as the South Fraser Perimeter Road provide important linkages for both commuter and recreational cyclists;
AND WHEREAS in many communities the current cycling infrastructure provided along these corridors consists of shoulders without physical separation, which is considered unsafe and discouraging to cyclists:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province be requested to provide parallel routes, physical separation, and safe facilities for cyclists along highway corridors.
This proposal proved quite popular in an on-line poll in the Georgia Straight article Union of B.C. Municipalities will look at highway bike lanes.

From page 28 of the Resolutions:
B19 BIKE LANE SWEEPING Sunshine Coast RD
WHEREAS governments invest in the provision of cycling lanes adjacent to provincial roadways to promote healthy lifestyles and provide alternatives to single occupancy vehicles;
AND WHEREAS gravel and other debris on the cycling paths pose a risk to cyclists and act as an impediment to the use of alternative modes of transportation:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Ministry of Transportation & Infrastructure to amend road maintenance contracts to increase the frequency of bike lane and highway shoulder sweeping.
This one from page 77 of the Resolutions is not cycling specific but as a lot of cycling collisions occur at intersections, general improvements to intersection safety should reduce cycling collisions.
B84 INTERSECTION SAFETY CAMERAS ALONG HIGHWAYS Delta
WHEREAS intersection safety cameras have the potential to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of crashes at highway intersections regardless of pavement markings;
AND WHEREAS current Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) policies do not allow for the installation of intersection safety cameras on approaches without marked crosswalks, such as the intersection of Highway 17 and Ladner Trunk Road in Delta:
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM work with the Province and ICBC to interpret and apply the current legislation to allow for intersection safety cameras to be installed at crash-prone locations where marked crosswalks are absent.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Cycling Investment Elsewhere


As summarized in the following table, jurisdictions around the world are investing significant amounts in cycling infrastructure. Some such as the Netherlands and Copenhagen already have high cycling mode shares and require investment to address capacity and safety issues. Others, such Winnipeg, Seville and Sydney, Australia, that have cycling mode shares lower than Vancouver, have committed to dramatically increase cycling in a short period of time.


Seville
Seville, the host city for Velo-city 2011, demonstrated the advantages of rapidly building cycling facilities. In four years, they invested $42 million to complete a network of 78 km separated bike lanes throughout the city. In addition, they also installed a 2,500 bicycle bike sharing system. As a result, bicycle mode share increased from 0.2% to 6.6% and cycling trips increased from 2,500 to 70,000 per day. Perhaps more importantly, it is now quite common to see children cycling in the city.[i]

The Netherlands
Dutch government expenditure on cycling has now reached an annual level of 487 million euros per year.[ii] Much money is now being spent on improving regional routes, for longer distance commuters, which leads to higher rates of cycling to work.

Munster, Germany

Munster, Germany (population 270,000) increase cycling trips up from 29% in 1981 to 43% in 1992 with an investment in cycling facilities of $112 million in today’s dollars.[1]

Sydney, Australia
The City of Sydney is investing $71 million over 4 years to build a 200km cycling network including 55km of separated cycleways.[iii]  Currently one per cent of trips into the city are made on bicycle - the city aims to increase this number by 10 per cent by 2016.

Portland, Oregon
Portland’s recently approved 20 year bicycle plan contains bicycle paths and other cycling infrastructure that is estimated to cost $613 million. Funding sources are being explored.[iv]

Winnipeg
In 2010, Winnipeg invested $20.4 million in capital funding to build an extensive active transportation network throughout the city.[v]  The funding came from the three levels of government (the City, Province and Federal governments each contributing one-third, or $6.8 million). This active transportation program involves the creation of 35 projects that range from multi-use pathways to bike boulevards. Almost all of these projects are bicycle routes.


Minneapolis
In Minneapolis, over $50 million was spent between 2000 and 2009 contributing to bicycle commute work trips more than doubling from 1.9% in 2000 to 4.3% in 2008.[vi] An additional $18 million is budgeted for bicycle facilities and programs in 2010. This includes federal investment through the Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot (NTP) program. From 2000 to 2009 total bikeway mileage in the city increased from 95.5 miles to 127.8 miles. An average of $2 million per bikeway mile was spent during this period. The 2010 Bicycle Master Plan that aims to increase mode share to 10% by 2020[vii] will require an additional $500 million to complete and an additional $300,000 per year will be needed for maintenance. Non-infrastructure programs including education and promotion will cost $2 million per year to sustain.

Copenhagen
Already Copenhagen stands out among other cities for its cycling infrastructure, counting more than 390 kilometres of bike paths. Between 2006 and 2010, it spent DKK 250 million in bike infrastructure and an extra 75 million kroner were allotted for 2011. Within the city, 55 percent of all commuters already travel by bike. Their goal is to hike the percentage of suburban commuters cycling to and from the city from the 37 percent it is today to over 50 percent by 2015.[viii]


[1] Ibid, p i.