This is Marj and Dennis, two dedicated cyclists we met on the Lochside Trail on Vancouver Island. A retired couple living in Sidney on Vancouver Island, they cycle the Lochside Trail every day for exercise, and also use their trikes for shopping trips. The Lochside Trail is clearly marked and relatively safe, making it an ideal cycling route.

Every time we cycle the Lochside Trail we see this couple – they seem to always be out there. They are a lucky couple to be living in an area with such great cycle trails that they can cycle in relative safety, despite their relative slowness. Both Dennis and Marj glow with the vitality that comes from cycling in the fresh air, in beautiful surroundings beside the Strait of Georgia.
I wish my own mother could cycle, but she could never negotiate the busy, unfriendly roads that lie between us and the nearest safe bike route in New Westminster.
This is how all streets should look – safe space for pedestrians, #cyclists and motorists in downtown #Vancouver! pic.twitter.com/SDr4CZY91L
— Average Joe Cyclist (@AvrgeJoeCyclist) June 19, 2016
Related popular content: 3 Reasons why we Need Separated Bike Lanes
We need safe bike routes in every city, so that many more seniors (and children) can cycle in safety. All the money spent on cycling infrastructure would be more than made up by the money saved in the healthcare system if more people could safely exercise every day.
Marj and Dennis are an inspiring couple, cycling every day to stay fit. I look forward to the day when couples like them are a common sight, even in our biggest, busiest cities.

The last few years in Vancouver have seen some impressive improvements, notably in downtown Vancouver on Hornby and Dunsmuir Streets.

I now see people of all ages cycling in downtown Vancouver. It’s still not safe enough to be the norm, but the cycling infrastructure in Vancouver has improved enough that I do more and more see sights such as this – parents transporting their children on bikes in a major city.



In fact, the last few years have seen impressive improvements in cycling infrastructure all around the world, such as in London, where they are building bike superhighways.


But we still have a long way to go. Still, I am hopeful that this will be the century when we create the same level of cycling infrastructure that we created for cars in the 20th century! In this regard, I am not willing to settle for anything less than the separate, high quality bike lanes one sees all over the Netherlands. We cyclists should not be content with a little bit of paint on the road.
Here, I made a GIF on how well sharrows work pic.twitter.com/3M7WeKjuPa
— BikeView.CA (@bikeviewca) August 21, 2016
It’s up to us to make it happen. It does not happen by accident. If you live in BC, you can help to make it happen by signing the petition for more cycling infrastructure here. Wherever you live, there are ways to make it happen!
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