sillygwailo's Blog

Vancity Bike Share on CBC News Tonight

sillygwailo — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:29:03 -0700

This morning CBC TV contacted me though my contact form and then by my work's phone # (that's what I get for not publishing my personal phone #) and asked me to be interviewed for CBC News. I should be on sometime after 6 PM on Vancouver's CBC's evening news, talking about the Vancity Bike Share program. I don't do media interviews often, so it will show, but I enjoyed riding around on Roland's bike—of all the days I decide not to bike into work, I choose this one—and talking to the CBC reporter. They'll stream the story on the CBC website for 24 hours, which should give an enterprising someone the chance to 'archive' it.

I have yet to write at more length about my new bike purchase of a couple weeks ago, which was directly as a result of participating in the bike share. So far so good: it's a one hour workout each way, 10.5 KM to work and 8.5 KM back (I take different routes. I'm already pretty serious about it, having bought rain pants, back and front lights, and even weather proofing for some of my existing clothing. Still, the true test is not a bright Summer evening but cold, wet, and dark rides both ways in the Fall.

[Cross-posted from my personal blog]

Passing On a Vancity Bike

sillygwailo — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 21:20:00 -0700

My time with the Vancity Bike Share is over, and while a little overdue, it's time for me to pass mine on. First one who comments and can pick it up in the heart of Gastown gets it. I'll ride it into work and give you the bike, the lock, and the helmet. Just so you know what you're getting into, it's a one-speed cruiser, but it works just dandy if you're fine with walking it up hilly Vancouver streets.

As for me, the program inspired me to buy my own bike and commute with it to work and back at least once a week in the spring, summer and fall, less often in the winter (while cold won't stop me, rain would be very discouraging). Not required to get the bike, but I'd love it if the first commenter and therefore recipient would have a blog, or write about their experiences with it here at ChangeEverything. Like Abe Simpson said about the Super Bowl, if people don't support this thing, it might not make it!

A Welcome Change From Urban Drudgery

sillygwailo — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:16:56 -0700

This morning, instead of working from home as I had promised, I ducked out to ride around my neighbourhood for a half hour before the deluge predicted by Claire Martin. A half an hour turned into an hour and a half, and took the route that I decided will be the route to work. Mostly downhill, and not scary downhill like Union which levels off just as it crosses with Boundary. And under the Second Narrows Bridge. And next to train tracks and the Cascadia terminal. And next to New Brighton Park, which you have to go underneath the train tracks to get to. And which forces you to turn left onto Lakewood Drive then turn right onto Adanac, which is a downside, since it takes me briefly away from work.

A woman walking her dogs said hi and noted that the bike I was riding was part of the Vancity Bike Share, which she had read about in the newspaper. We have a brief conversation about it, and then ran into her on the way back home. (It's not likely that she notice I was also wearing my OK button as well, but it keeps me accountable for the times I don't want to talk to friendly strangers.) The bikes are indeed identifiable, so I was wise to call this social biking. I'm not expecting to make any friends or business contacts through it, so far saying hello to fellow trail walkers and bikers sure beats heads-down and fearing talking to those we don't know. Having grown up in a small town, I'm used to at least acknowledging others' presence on the street, so this is a welcome change from urban drudgery.

[Cross-posted from my personal blog.]

Vancity Bike Share Launch

sillygwailo — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 23:47:29 -0700

This morning, Roland, Karen and I went to the launch of Vancity Bike Share, to wait in line and eat pancakes served by Libby Davies, Gregor Robertson, and Shane Simpson, all BC MLA and pick up my shiny red, Vancity logo-emblazoned one-speed cruiser plus non-branded red bike lock and non-branded red helmet. And a Vancity logo-emblazoned red t-shirt. Pretty good score for writing a 98-word blog post. After three weeks of going who-knows-where with the bike, I'll be handing it off, likely to Karen. Photos forthcoming from me, but Roland already has a set on Flickr. This will be my first ever bike ride home from work, so I'll have to dig deep for my signals and etiquette, having lived in the Lower Mainland for 10 years but having ridden a bike two times at most in that timespan.

I'm already a Vancity member, so they're not winning a convert out of me. As far as PR campaigns go, "releasing" bikes to share then donating them to PEDAL could be a lot worse.

[Cross-posted from my personal weblog.]

Social Biking

sillygwailo — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:14:25 -0700

I haven't owned a bike in years, and never while in Vancouver. I'm a little nervous about the concept of biking to work, since I know how many hills, up and down, there are on the way. Thankfully, the bike path starts just outside my apartment, and maybe I can get some experience with the bus bike rack if it comes to it. Time for some daily low-impact exercise to add to my high-impact twice-weekly workouts. If the bikes are identifiably bike sharing bikes, then I'm not afraid of making it a conversation piece either!