Vol. 26 Issue 2
Images: Garth Campbell & Morgan Chow
Government & Policy
What we found out at the BC Budget lockup March 4, 2025
Image: Garth Campbell
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The Punchline: The latest BC budget maintains, but doesn’t increase Active Transportation spending, but many questions remain unanswered.
BCCC board chair Peter Ladner attended the BC budget lockup (along with HUB Cycling ED Rose Gardner) to find out what it offers for cyclists.
Short answer: continued spending on AT, but nothing like the $300m/year urged by UBCM and BCCC and a group of provincial cycling advocates - and New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone.
Positives: I did get to meet the Deputy Minister at the new Ministry of Transportation and Transit, Heather Wood, and her Associate Deputy and ask them about a full accounting of AT spending, so we could celebrate, monitor and track it. Full amounts are difficult to come by, but we were promised an answer.
AT spending that I could figure out is essentially unchanged:
$20m for municipalities and First Nations- up to $500k per project
$4m for education and safety (including HUB's school education programs, walking school bus etc.)
$40m for capital spending (eg Cycle 16 in Smithers): $285m over five years
$120m (guesstimate) for AT infrastructure on the new Patullo Bridge and Broadway subway stations)
unknown spending in mandated (but not necessarily delivered) upgrades to highways around the province.
I was told there would be no expansion or repeat of the highly successful e-bike rebate program (add link to e-bike rebate podcast here), although there are rumours that there will be another round.
It’s confusing: the initial round of provincial E-bike rebates came from the then-Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, while EV car rebates, still continuing, are under the new Energy Ministry that has swallowed up the Climate Action Secretariat.
The apparent loss of interest in CleanBC mode shift goals was reflected in an answer from an official at Energy, who said they did track changes to Vehicle Kilometers Travelled, but not mode shifts.
Gossip nugget: Blair Qualey of the New Car Dealers Association of BC told me some car dealers are now selling bikes and e-bikes. eg BMW has its own line of bikes/e-bikes.
Program Updates
BCCC & MoTT Launch Second Year of Bike Valet Grant Program!
Image: Emma DalSanto
BCCC and the Ministry of Transportation and Transit (MoTT) are excited to announce the second year of our Bike Valet Grant Program. Application materials are now available on the 2025 Bike Valet Grant webpage.
Announcements
The 2025 Active Transportation Summit is coming!
Let’s keep BC moving forward together! Stay in the loop - register your interest today!
Annual General Meeting Notice
May 15, 2025 7-8:30pm VIA Zoom
BCCC is seeking Director candidates for our 2025/26 Board!
Passionate about making cycling safer, more accessible, and more equitable? Join the BC Cycling Coalition’s Board of Directors and help shape the future of active transportation in our province.
Application deadline is May 2, 2025.
Catch the latest episodes of BikeSense!
The End of Bike Theft Anxiety: New insurance solutions for cyclists
Nick van Egmond, CEO of Bicycle Broker, introduces 'Sundays' — a comprehensive insurance solution designed specifically for cyclists, that covers theft and damage for all types of bikes across Canada.
Traditional home and tenant insurance typically demands a high deductible and leaves gaps in bicycle coverage. This new product provides 24/7 protection both on and off your property, with much lower deductibles. Nick also offers a few pro tips on new ways to keep your bike safe and recover a stolen bike.
Find out all about Sundays specialist bike insurance at sundaysinsurance.ca. You can also visit bicyclebroker.ca to learn more about bicycle insurance options.
Cycling Without Age: How trishaws are reconnecting seniors to community life
Find out how the simple act of feeling wind in your hair can transform a day of isolation into one filled with joy, connection, and even awakened memories.
Jennifer Reid, Co-Founder and Director of Vancouver Cycling Without Age Society, joins us to explore how specialized three-wheeled 'trishaws' are creating magical moments for seniors across British Columbia. What began with one bike named after Jennifer's mother has grown into a fleet of six trishaws serving 12 partner facilities throughout Vancouver, and chapters operating in 14 communities across BC. The program, which started in Denmark, now thrives in 41 countries with 3,500 chapters worldwide.
Exciting changes afoot on the Sunshine Coast!
Gibsons residents get new stop sign after years of advocacy
Image: Stephen Forgacs
In Gibsons, where a 2024 Community Cycling grant from BCCC supported 2 traffic studies (see Q&A with project lead Stephen Forgacs, from our Issue 24 Vol. 7), years of emailed appeals and phone calls have resulted in new stop signs at the intersection of Pratt and Chaster.
Seemingly overnight, a long-overdue four-way stop was installed on March 1st at the busy Chaster & Pratt intersection in Gibsons.
Previously a two-way stop, the intersection posed serious safety risks. The 4-way stop now punctuates a 2-km stretch of Pratt/Payne, the longest straight road on the Sunshine Coast. For years, it was too easy for motorists to pick up inappropriate speed as they approached Cedar Grove Elementary. Vehicle speeds also vexed the Route 1 BC Transit bus, which turns left from Chaster onto Pratt en route to Langdale.
Local advocacy efforts spanned years, with support from TraC, the Elphinstone Community Association, the school’s Parent Advisory Committee (PAC), and Vancouver Coastal Health’s Healthy Communities team. Despite pushback from the Ministry of Transportation, which cited traffic volume requirements, persistent efforts—including regular meetings and letters—finally led to action.
With a major development set to increase traffic in the area, the new stop sign is a crucial step toward making the community safer for all road users.
For more information, visit: the Elphinstone News
Powell River’s Mid-Level Connector Multiuse Pathway
Source: Participate Powell River
Meanwhile, in Powell River, after years of collaboration with grant funders, the Agricultural Land Commission, and the School District, construction is officially underway on the much-anticipated 1.5 km Mid-Level Connector Multiuse Pathway. This new route will provide a crucial link between Westview, Brooks Secondary School, and the Historic Townsite, making cycling and walking safer and more accessible.
BCCC board member and Sustainability Planner Ana Lukyanova describes the project as a game-changer for active transportation:
It’s like one of those bicycle bridges in Copenhagen—biking will become the fastest way to get around for many trips! I hope this marks a turning point for cycling in Powell River.
With completion expected by the end of April, this pathway is set to make active transportation a more viable and efficient choice to connect Powell River residents and will be a vital link to connect the coast!
For more information, visit: Participate Powell River
Social Media Highlights
Attention ‘No Fault’ Skeptics!
It’s a way to get closer to enforcing BC’s new safe passing distance legislation that BCCC (and other cycling advocates) worked so hard on.
Handlebar and helmet-mounted camera footage is providing vital, money-saving evidence for cyclists involved in vehicle crashes. According to BCCC member Peter Lake:
I was struck by the trailer of a truck [which was] making an unsafe pass as I rode 26 km/hr through a school zone, and suffered a concussion and 3 pelvic fractures.
Thankfully I had my Cycliq front and rear flasher cams videoing, since the driver claimed to police that I’d “swerved in front of him.”
The video put that one to bed and ICBC asked me for permission to show the video to the truck owner! This Cycliq stuff has now paid for itself!
To see how it works, check out some recent videos submitted to video-cam makers Cycliq.
Warning: viewing may trigger fear and outrage!