Cyclists throw birthday party for Victoria bike lanes
It’s been 8 years since Pandora Avenue has had a two-way protected bike lane, and locals are grateful for it
A group of cyclists gathered on Pandora Avenue in downtown Victoria on Sunday to celebrate the eighth anniversary of the city’s first two-way protected bike lane. The lane, which opened in 2017, marked the beginning of Victoria’s network of protected cycling routes built to the AAA — all ages and abilities — standard.
That network now stretches about 30 km across the city.
“I grew up in Victoria and I’ve been riding bikes here my whole life, and I’ve had a lot of scary, scary close calls,” Aidan Knight said in an interview with CHEK News. “Ever since I became a dad and wanted to ride with my kids, it’s just been a game changer for us here, just having a safe place to ride with our whole family.”
The original plan for Victoria
CHEK News said the original plan to build the network began in 2016 with an estimated cost of $33 million. According to the City of Victoria, that figure has nearly doubled to $65.5 million due to inflation, sidewalk and crosswalk upgrades, new traffic signals, and underground utility work completed during construction.
While some drivers have raised concerns about the impact of bike lanes on vehicle traffic, Knight said projects like Pandora are necessary in a growing city with limited space.
“When you live in a place that has great weather year-round and all the amenities that we have here, people are going to want to come and move here,” Knight said. “Eventually we’re just going to run out of space if everyone wants to drive around in a single-occupancy vehicle.”
He said he’s also noticed more families using the cycling network.
“Every single month, there’s a new family that’s showing up with a cargo bike to pick their kids up from daycare,” Knight said. “So I think it’s something that is spreading.”
Victoria is largely regarded as a very cycling-friendly city. Many national team riders over the years have used it as a place to train, whether on the road or off. It has hosted notable events over the years, including national championships on the track and in cyclocross, as well as the 1994 Commonwealth Games. However, despite its pro-cycling status, Victoria, like so many cities in Canada, has also experienced tragedies involving cyclists. So the celebration of the bike lanes — which make riding safer — is a good reminder of the importance of infrastructure.