Bike to Work and School Week and Bike to Shop Days Break New Records in Metro Vancouver

Last week (May 27-31, 2019) saw some truly record breaking numbers, as Bike to Work Week, Bike to School Week and Bike to Shop Days encouraged Metro Vancouver residents to hop on bikes! The events, hosted by non-profit HUB Cycling, aim to showcase the fun, ease, and convenience of commuting by bike for trips to school, work, shopping and more!

Thousands of riders stopped at 82 celebration stations set up across Metro Vancouver.

Highlights from Bike to Work and School Week + Bike to Shop Days.

"The continued growth in participation shows that the ongoing investment in cycling infrastructure and education across the region is having a direct impact on the number of people commuting by bike. It’s really great to see such a measurable increase (+87%) in the number of participants who are brand new to biking this year" explains Rowena Farr,  Bike to Work Week Manager.

Families biking to school also enjoyed the benefits of investments in cycling across the region during their biking, walking, and rolling trips to school last week. HUB Cycling kicked off the week by inviting Deputy Mayor of Vancouver Lisa Dominato and School Board Trustee Janet Fraser to ‘ride-along’ with families to Selkirk Elementary school on Monday morning, allowing them to experience the joy of biking together along a safe route to school.  Schools organized morning celebrations, breakfasts, cycling skills events, bike parades and more with the goal of celebrating using active travel. 

As part of wanting to connect directly with students riding to school to hear about their experiences, HUB Cycling hosted the inaugural Bike Reels: Student Video Contest as part of Bike to School Week this year. Winning student videos in all age categories to be announced next week at bikehub.ca/btsw! thousands of riders stopped at 82 celebration stations set up across Metro Vancouver.

School results are still coming in, so keep an eye out for those as well on the Bike to School Week page. HUB Cycling anticipates that students took over 33,000 trips last week, and that winning schools will report participation rates of up to 71% of school population participating, and up to 55% cycling mode share throughout the week.

Bike to Work and School Week successfully encourage people to try alternate modes of transportation and the hope is that participants continue to use their bikes to get around beyond these events. “Our surveys show that more than 70% of people who hadn’t biked to work before Bike to Work Week are still biking to work two months later,” adds Rowena Farr. “We encourage people to continue using their bike for all sorts of trips - not just the commute to work, but trips to the store, to visit friends - it all helps! Getting around by bike saves money, supports an active lifestyle, and helps us connect with our communities.”

Bike to Shop Days was linked with Bike to Work Week for the first time this year and participation increased 34% since last year.

Bike to Work Week, Bike to School Week, and Bike to Shop Days celebrate and support getting people on bikes, and this results in happier, healthier and more connected communities for everyone.