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Report finds Metro Vancouver’s cycling network has tripled in last decade

Cyclists use a separated bike lane on Dunsmuir Street in downtown Vancouver in this undated photo. Simon Little / Global News

A group that advocates for cyclists and bicycle infrastructure in the Lower Mainland says the region’s cycling network has tripled over the last decade.

Hub Cycling and TransLink reported the data as a part of their inaugural State of Cycling Report for Metro Vancouver.

According to the report, Metro Vancouver’s bike network has grown from 1,700 kilometres in 2009 to 4,600 kilometres in 2019.

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Hub project manager Gavin Davidson said that expansion has come with tangible benefits for people looking at cycling as a travel alternative.

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“About 46 per cent of the routes in this region are comfortable for most and 65 per cent of residents live within 400 metres of a route comfortable for most,” he said.

“We’ve seen a 64-per cent increase in the rates of cycling between 2006 and 2016. Cycling is the fastest growing mode of transport in the region.”

Report finds Metro Vancouver’s cycling network has tripled in last decade - image

The report found the share of commuters choosing a bicycle climbed form 24 per cent in 2011 to 27 per cent in 2017.

Other encouraging findings included an increase in the share of female cyclists in the region from 33 per cent of riders to 35 per cent of riders between 2006 and 2016.

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It also found that the rate of collisions involving cyclists was below the regional average in areas such as Vancouver, UBC, Burnaby and New Westmisnter, which have more developed infrastructure, while other regions were above the average.

The collision rate inched up slowly over the period the report covered from 21 collisions per million to about 23 collisions per million.

TransLink and Hub say the report has allowed them to standardize the classification and comfort levels for bike route types, while looking at ways to improve infrastructure and safety.

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