CYCLING in the North Shore is about to become a lot easier.
The North Shore committee of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition has received a $14,026 grant from Mountain Equipment Co-op to organize and produce a regional bike map for North and West Vancouver.
Bike map co-ordinator Antje Wahl said the map would include routes approved by municipalities.
"The map will be really useful because we have a number of bike routes and it's a bit difficult to find your way around here because of the highway and the amount of creeks here," Wahl said.
"Even for people that ride their bikes regularly it's difficult to find good routes without a map."
The committee is encouraging cyclists from the North Shore to submit their favourite routes, including short cuts and long cuts around obstacles.
"The idea is to make a map for a range of people," she said. "We have people who maybe want to ride a bike but aren't sure where to go without running into major traffic. The map is also for people who want to bike to work everyday but don't know the best route."
While Vancouver and other municipalities already have bike maps, the North Shore has never had an official bike map of any kind.
The map will be double sided on paper the size of a credit card and will include routes with streets that have designated bike lanes.
There are a few issues with the cycling infrastructure in North and West Vancouver according to Wahl.
"All the municipalities are working on improving cycling, but they provide very little funding for it. It's very limited as to how fast they can move ahead," she said. "I think that's the biggest issue because it (road improvements) is the most expensive way to improve cycling."
Fellow coalition member David Perfitt said in an email interview that the terrain on the North Shore makes it difficult for all modes of transportation.
"There are a limited number of east-west roads on the North Shore. Large ravines and canyons such as Capilano, MacKay, Mosquito, Lynn and Seymour are major obstacles to adding east-west routes."
Perfitt acknowledges there have been improvements over the last 20 years, including a new deck on the Lions Gate Bridge.
"The new deck included physically separated sidewalks that were also increased in width. The sidewalks on the old deck were only one-metre wide or less and that was much scarier to ride or walk on than today's set-up," he said.
Perfitt notes "The North Shore was the last Metro Vancouver area to get bike racks on buses."
Wahl points out that all three municipalities support the bike map project and said it's an excellent example of how citizen groups, businesses and municipal governments can work together.
The North Shore committee is made up of 10 members who live in different areas but all share a similar passion for cycling.
Residents have until the end of February to submit their routes and the map is expected to be ready by May or June. Email your favourite route to [email protected].
