Earlier this summer, I spent two months working in the far southeast corner of the city. This turned my regular 25-minute commute to downtown over the Burrard Bridge into a 15-kilometre, hour-long ride right across Vancouver.
I spent some time planning my new commute with the wonderful UBC Cycle Route Planner (an absolutely essential tool for any Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»cyclist at http://www.cyclevancouver.ubc.ca/cv.aspx) and settled on a route that was reasonably direct, though not particularly flat: West Eighth Avenue to Cypress; Cypress to 37th; Midtown/Ridgeway to Inverness; and then Inverness down to 54th, where I joined the regular rush-hour traffic for a few blocks to take me to Argyle Drive.
The new route was an eye-opener for me, not just because I enjoyed the ride so much but also because it was such a great way to see new neighbourhoods and get a sense of parts of the city that I really dont know that well.
In a car you tend to stick to the routes that will get you from A to B as quickly as possible; theres no motivation to leave the main thoroughfares for slower diversions through residential areas. In fact, that kind of driving is discouraged.
My schedule had me commuting at all kinds of different times through the day, but the early morning rides were my favourite.
Riding through sleepy Kitsilano up to Granville and on to Oak and then Cambie; seeing joggers and tennis players in Queen Elizabeth Park; passing groups of seniors doing Tai Chi in corner parks that I never knew existed; the momentary stillness and silence as I passed through Mountain View Cemetery.
It was an entirely different experience to my normal daily commute, which is in heavy traffic almost the whole way.
In the evenings Id try alternate routes to get home, just to see where they would take me. One night a co-worker took me for a gorgeous ride through the new and planned developments around the River District and into Burnaby; another night I rode along the railroad tracks down Kent Avenue to Marine Drive, and then home via the tree-lined trails in Pacific Spirit Park.
Bike routes are a fantastic way to explore a city. They take you off the beaten track and away from the roads where drivers sit idling in rush hour traffic. They take you into different neighbourhoods and give you glimpses of different lives. You move slowly enough to be able to take in the streets around you, and stop when something catches your eye.
Next summer I want to explore more new territory, regardless of where Im working: its worth getting up a half hour or 45 minutes early to ride a new route in the early morning sunshine, or taking a little extra time to explore on the way home.
Ive been back at my regular commute for a while now, and while its fun in a different wayI love the glimpses of ocean and the ride over the bridge toward the downtown highrisesI have to admit that as I rode Midtown/Ridgeway to a morning meeting in Burnaby last week, I did feel a pang of what is perhaps best described as bikesickness for my summer ride and the new views of the city it gave me.
Kay Cahill is a cyclist, librarian and outdoor enthusiast who believes that bikes are for life, not just for commuting. Read more at sidecut.ca, or contact Kay at [email protected].
