Uytae: I'm Uytae, from Vancouver on Canada's west coast. The best coast!
Byung Jun: I'm Byung Jun Brendan: And I'm Brendan, from the East Coast, the.. the..
Byung Jun: ...the better cost. Brendan: Yeah!
Uytae: Uh, yea, great flow guys. So anyway, I think Vancouver's great,
unlike some cities, we're known for more than our donairs and a lighthouse? So with that in mind, I think there are a lot of lessons Halifax could learn froma city like this.
Brendan: We happen to think that Halifax is pretty darn great, and I’ll take my donair and affordable rent over your endless yoga class and overpriced cappuccinos anyday.
Uytae: How dare you trash the good name of yoga! Why, if I were there right now, I would...
Byung Jun: Okay, hold up hold up guys, let’s settle this like adults. By making videos on the internet!
Uytae: Alright, round one is on me guys. I think it goes without saying that Vancouver is clearly the better city to cycle in and the numbers don’t lie.
Uytae: Here are the figures for cycling in Vancouver, and here are the figures for cycling in Halifax.
Brendan: Hey, size doesn't always matter, you know.
Uytae: Uhh sure. But you know what, I agree, the numbers aren't that important here. What I would like to talk about is methodology.
Uytae: How Vancouver makes cycling enjoyable and not a life-threatening experience.
Uytae: Because I think there's something Vancouver does really well when it comes to cycling and I'm using it right now.
Uytae: This is the Adanac Bikeway.
Brendan: That's just an empty street. It's not a bike lane, it's not a greenway.
Brendan: Here in Halifax, we are really stepping up our infrastructure game, adding bike lanes and this cool sky ramp to the Macdonald bridge.
Uytae: Hey now, we've got those too. But don't let looks fool you, these bikeways are very very popular.
Byung Jun: It doesn't seem all that special. You are just describing our Local Street Bikeways and the IMP Bike Network is full of them.
Uytae: Well on principle sure, but Vancouver’s bikeways have a lot more than just share the road signs.
Uytae: All along Vancouver's bikeway streets, there are these small barriers that block the road for cars but let cyclists through.
Uytae: A mix of these barriers as well as speed bumps every few blocks make these streets practically useless if you're a driver trying to get across town so most cars that use these roads are just people trying to find parking or getting to their house.
Uytae: All that, means very little traffic, very slow traffic, and perfect conditions for cycling.
Byung Jun: I'll give you that it sounds nice, but why would any politician push for these? You can't cut a ribbon on a local street. It's way cooler to have something like this!
Uytae: Sure, protected bike lanes and bike skyways might look cool. But I think Vancouver's Bikeways demonstrate that bike infrastructure doesn't have to be fancy to be effective.
Uytae: You see, bike lanes tend to be really really controversial. Vancouver gets a lot of pushback when bike lanes are being introduced.
Uytae: People really don’t like it when Bike infrastructure means taking away a traffic lane or parking spaces.
Uytae: But a local bikeway do a whole lot of good for cyclists by changing very little. And the result of all that are roads where anyone can bike.
Uytae: Kids, adults, beginners, pros in spandex, and weirdos like myself that like to film on a bicycle.
Uytae: There are other perks too. For example, the stop signs along Vancouver's bikeways favour cyclists to continue through intersections.
Uytae: And when there's a busier intersection to cross, cyclists get their own crossing button. Owen Wilson: Wow...
Brendan: We aren't going to lie, these seem like a really good idea, creating a safe and connected cycling network that doesn't remove parking or require expensive infrastructure.
Byung Jun: Don't get us wrong, those things help and are definitely necessary in places, but Halifax and Dartmouth already has dozens of small quiet communities and narrow streets right in the heart of the city. Perfect for future Bikeways.
Uytae: And I have to add that this doesn't just work on any street, the main thing that the Adanac Bikeway has going for is that this thing is LONG and connected.
Uytae: The Adanac Bikeway will take you from downtown Vancouver to Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, and many other bikeways and bike lanes connect directly onto its path.
Brendan: We admit it. When it comes to cycling, we are no Vancouver, but I think you just pointed out our one advantage. One you can only get in a small city.
Brendan: The Adanac Bikeway is 18 kilometres long. In comparison, the Halifax peninsula is only 7 and a half kilometres long from tip to tail.
Brendan: The distance it takes to travel just part of the way across Vancouver is longer than a round-trip all the way across the peninsula, with some room for a detour or a coffee.
Byung Jun: And thanks to a new set of policies like those in the Centre Plan, we are moving towards increasing the city's density to protect existing natural spaces,
Byung Jun: preserving dozens of mountain bike, park and community trails.
Uytae: So what do you guys think? Who won this round? Vancouver or Halifax? Please leave a comment down below and if you think of another idea for a future episode, feel free to let us know as well.