Challenge shows bikes and transit more convenient than cars
Challenge shows bikes and transit more convenient than cars: Bike to Work Week starts Monday
Six people on bikes arrived first and in some cases were twice as fast as their car commuting colleagues
Vancouver, BC / May 24, 2017 - Spring Bike to Work Week starts Monday, and HUB Cycling celebrated the event today by challenging cars and transit users to commute more quickly than their biking friends.
Ahead of Bike to Work Week, which is happening from May 29-June 4, ten teams of people on bikes, on transit and in cars took part in the annual Rush Hour Challenge with people racing to the finish line at London Drugs downtown from as far away as New Westminster.
The results? Six of the people biking and four of the people taking transit arrived first and clocked some impressive times compared to the cars. City of New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Cote and two of his colleagues commuted from New Westminster City Hall with the Mayor the first across the line after commuting by transit in just 34 minutes. Councillor Johnstone biked the 21.6km in just 49 minutes beating Councillor Williams, who got stuck in a traffic jam, by 26 minutes!
Vancity's rider also claimed bragging rights when he completed the 4.2km from their 4th and Yew Branch first, while Richards Buell Sutton LLP's bike representative was the first of her team to cover the 2.1km from the West End.
Out of the ten teams, which also included The City of Vancouver, Bike Doctor, The Georgia Straight and Reckless Bike Stores, only one of the car drivers came close to victory and he had to share first place with his transit riding colleague.
“Biking to work is not only a healthy, enjoyable and sustainable way to get around cities. As today's event showed, it is often even more convenient than driving in traffic where you encounter congestion and a frustrating search for parking,” explained Emma Cunnington, HUB’s Bike to Work Week Manager. “When cities create safe and protected infrastructure for active transportation, it becomes even more convenient to choose healthier ways to travel."
This year's Spring Bike to Work Week is set to be the biggest and best yet with more than 75 celebration events being held along major bike routes, at local businesses and at transit stations, providing people cycling with free coffee, snacks, cycling maps and bike repairs.
Registration for Bike to Work Week is free, and participants can create teams, map routes, log trips and see their calories burned online as they pedal towards prizes. HUB Cycling will be giving away six brand new bikes and a trip for two to Croatia with Exodus Travels. Participants are entered into these competitions by logging their bike trips on the HUB Cycling website during the event week: May 29-June 4.
For the first time ever, HUB Cycling will be kickstarting Bike to Work Week with a free open-air movie screening of E.T. at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza from 8pm on Saturday, May 27.
Visit bikehub.ca/btww for more information. On Monday May 29th, HUB Cycling will be set up at 10th Ave and Willow from 7:00am-9:30am to kick off the week with free coffee, snacks, bike repair. Celebration stations are located around Metro Vancouver throughout the week. The map and schedule can be found here.
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Rush Hour Challenge Team Results:
Photos of The Rush Hour Challenge for Media Use
Media may download and use any photos in this folder.
Media Contacts:
Emma Cunnington
Bike to Work Week Manager
Laura Jane
Director of Corporate Engagement and Events
Ellie Lambert
Director of Communications
ABOUT HUB CYCLING:
HUB is a charitable nonprofit that has spent nearly two decades removing barriers to cycling in Metro Vancouver, while cultivating the health, environmental and economic benefits that active transportation can bring. HUB has educated thousands of people, motivated thousands more, and championed improvements that benefit current and future cyclists. HUB Cycling’s mission is to get more people cycling more often. For more information, visit bikehub.ca.
