Vancouver Critical Mass

Mostly event announcements, news, and bicycle related activist opinions...
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Yes, we ride the last Friday of every month!

28.5.07

Car-Free Commercial Drive Days needs HELP!

Please read carefully and forward to all friendly folks, lists and websites....

*****************
Car-Free Commercial Drive Days
Sunday, June 17
(Fathers Day) & Sunday, July 22
Come play in the street, East Van style.

Hey all!

Hey people big news! Due to popular demand, the peculiar and magnificent Commercial Drive Festival is now evolving into Car-Free Commercial Drive Days -- TWO of them! This represents a huge shift in civic consciousness...it will not be  long before the 'hood, the City, the entire planet recognizes the massive potential for global salvation and FREE FUN that Car-Free streets represent. Hallelujah.

Please help us reclaim the street, and start creating the urban paradise we know is possible.

The first shutdown is June 17, that's less than three weeks away, and WE NEED MORE HELPERS! PLEASE STEP UP NOW.Fun, friends, gifts, connections, snacks & coddling, karma, a stylish t-shirt, and a rockin' volunteer appreciation party are among the sundry rewards for helping to create this festival.

WE ESPECIALLY NEED BARRICADE MARSHALS FOR JUNE 17. These are the people who hold up the perimeters of the party, and we can't shut down the street without them. 130 barricade superheroes are needed to make each day happen. It's not tough work -- a 2-hr shift requires donning a stylish reflective vest (and maybe a superhero cape!), directing car traffic, answering inquiries, and keeping a general eye on the festivities.

If you can take a barricade shift on either or both days (June 17 and/or July 22), please choose a first, second, and third-choice shift from the following:

9:30am to noon
noon to 2pm
2pm to 4pm
4pm to 6pm
6pm to 8pm

Helpers are also needed for:

•  Volunteer support:  3 hour Green Room shifts between 9am and 8pm.
•   Info and T-shirt tent staff: answer questions, sell t-shirts, hand out flyers, etc.
•    Donation Fairies & Fools:  Wow the crowds and help raise funds to keep the party rollin.
•    Set-Up, Tear-down and Site Crew: Suitable for featherweights or bench-lifters...
•    Photo/videographers: record the event, pref. w/digital media
•   Kidzone: help out the little ones
•    Helpers At Large: "whatever you need me to do"...we will slot you in. If you have specific skills, resources or contacts to offer, please let us know.

ALSO, pre-fest duties to be done include:
•    Postering or flyer distribution
•    Pickup/chore runners (w/car, truck, van, or industrial bike trailer)


Please email (or phone) with your name, contact info, and preference for duty and time

Also let us know if you have any special interests, needs or physical abilities or limitations.

Volunteer Orientations (you only need to attend one session) will take place:
Saturday, June 9 at 2pm in the Britannia Library basement
Sunday, June 10 at 2pm in the Britannia Library basement

NOTE: if you want to volunteer but can't attend either Orientation Session, let us  know and we will work around it! But please come to one session if you can, because that is where you'll get the lowdown, meet the crew, and get first pick of funky new t-shirts at a special cheap volunteer price.

So there you go...the time is NOW...please join our superstar crew, and help to co-create our urban paradise!

Looking forward to working/playing with you soon,

Viva!  Viva!
Andrea Curtis,
Coordinating Volunteers
volunteers@commercialdrivefestival.org
cell :: 778.549.7874

Drive Fest info:
www.commercialdrivefestival.org

24.5.07

Pirate Cirtical Mass


Shiver me timbers, tis t'Pirate Critical Mass Ride!

'Tis Bike Month a comin' an' to kick off ta month we good pirates will be ridin' the streets O'Vancouver! Yarrrrr...

Ye Friday the five and twenty days of May -- as we here know it to be the last Friday of t'month -- 'tis it. So then it shall be a Pirate Critical Mass. Ridin' for one and all to join in or walk t'plank!

We shall meet at t'Vancouver Art Gallery, downtown, between the mighty lions and where t'water spills from t'earth on the Georgia Street side. We shall parley there around 5:00 to 5:30 p.m., Pacific seaboard time. But I reckon we won't be leavin' until six that eve. We'll be ridin' to the Cape of Good Pedalling, with our bounty o'safe and comfortable cycling, where Car-Free Island will be freed at last.

Aye! Elp'us spread the good word by leafletting or postern' in your neck o'th woods!
Posters and 1/4 page leaflets can be printed from here:

www.velolove.bc.ca/cm-pirate2007.pdf
www.velolove.bc.ca/cm-pirate2007_4up.pdf

We recin' ther'll be tallbikes, an' puny bikes, an eberytin' in betwe'en.

So come as ye will! Festooned in pirate gear for all to see! Bring flute or drum or any noisey thin' you can muster t'inspire the imaginatin'. Not just ye bicycles but all those who sail under their own wind are welcome abord -- be that skateboards, wheelchairs, rollerskates, or as it'may. We set out rain or shine -- so ye best come prepaaared!

Avast, Ye Scurvy Dogs!
We Arn't Blockn' Traffick!
We ARRRRRRRRRRRRRR Traffick!!!

After th' ride te scallywag C.R. Avery -- peg leg en' ol -- will be puin' on e show for all ti' see. Startin' eight in the eve, pillagin' an plunderin' late onto ta night, at the club te coll ta ANZA, three 8th ave in the West, where the Ontario Bike Route meets the 8th.

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park, 1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Celebrated around the world, Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of public space -- on the last Friday of the month -- which allows cyclists and other self-propelled people to move safely and comfortably through city streets in a car-free space. Non-polluting forms of transportation are promoted.

16.5.07

[CallToAction] ooohlala.. ... . . . this is exciting. . .

In this Call to .... . .  .

1.    Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival Call to Volunteer, www.commercialdrivefestival.org
2.    In the House Festival Call to Volunteer, www.inthehousefestival.com
3.    Katimavik Billeting and Job Posting, http://www.katimavik.org/Subsection/index/id/232
4.    Five Job Postings:  Public Dreams Society Mentee Program, http://www.allianceforarts.com/artcetera/jobs.php3
5.    OneWorld Arts Productions call to street performers, artists http://vancouver.craigslist.org/tlg/331028764.html
6.    Upcomin events

__________________________________________________________


1. Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival Call to Volunteer

Big news: due to popular demand, the quirky and magnificent Commercial Drive Festival is now evolving into Car-Free Commercial Drive Days -- TWO of them! This represents a huge shift in civic consciousness...it will not be  long before the 'hood, the City, the entire planet recognizes the massive potential for global salvation and FREE FUN that Car-Free streets represent. Hallelujah!

So here's the lowdown: Sunday, June 17 (fathers day) and Sunday, July 22...Car-Free Commercial Drive Days invite everyone out to play in the street, East Van style.

This is your party.  Your neighbourhood.  It is run by the locals, giving their time in exchange for the fruits of creative collaboration. 

This is a call out for folks to help get the show on the road -- PLEASE STEP UP NOW! Fun, friends, connections, snacks & coddling, karma, a stylish t-shirt, and a rockin' volunteer afterparty are among the sundry rewards for making it happen.

CAR-FREE DRIVE DAYS needs:

Pre-Fest: 
•    Help with Community Outreach (reel 'em in!) or Business Liason (a great way to get to know the Drive businesses)
•    Spend a couple of hours doing some postering or flyer distribution
•    Do you have a car, van,  truck or industrial bike trailer at your disposal? Get some carbon credits! Pickup/chore runners needed.

Festival Day:
•    Barricade Superheros: Hold up the perimeters of the party!  (2-hr shifts any time between 9am and 8pm.)
•    Volunteer Support:  Heart of the production – the gathering place and the waterhole.  (Coordinator sought.  3 hour Green Room shifts between 9am and 8pm -- only a few left!)
•    Info People: Staffing the Info Tent, hand out flyers, etc. – great for hardcore Drive residents who know the scene.
•    Donation Fairies & Fools :  Wow the crowds and help raise funds to keep the party rollin.  Roving performers, donation fairies, face painters, clowns, etc.
•    Set-Up, Tear-down and Greeners : The festival emerges, as if from thin air and then disappears without a trace…suitable for featherweights or bench-lifters...
•    Photo/videographers: record the event
•   Kidzone: facepainters and craftmakers needed!
•    Helpers At Large: "whatever you need me to do"...we will slot you in. If you have specific skills, resources or contacts to offer, please let us know.

Please email (or phone) with your name and contact info.  Tell us how you'd like to contribute your time (if you have a preference), on either or both days...and any special interests, needs or physical abilities or limitations you might have.

Volunteer Orientations (you only need to attend one session) will take place:
Saturday, June 9 at 7pm in the Britannia Library basement
Sunday, June 10 at 2pm in the Britannia Library basement

You'll especially want to be at one of the orientations to order your very own Car-Free Commercial Drive Festival T-Shirt, at a very cheap volunteer price.

So there you go...the time is NOW...please step up and help co-create our urban paradise.

Looking forward to working/playing with you soon,

Viva!  Viva!
Andrea Curtis,
Coordinating Volunteers
volunteers@commercialdrivefestival.org
cell :: 778.549.7874

Drive Fest info:
www.commercialdrivefestival.org

__________________________________________________________

2.    In the House Festival Call to Volunteer

The In the House Festival is looking for volunteers for June 2nd and 3rd. This is for our big festival – 15 shows in 2 days! All kinds of performances. It all takes place on Semlin, Napier, and William just east of Victoria Dr.

Duties include box office, venues (set-up, ticket taking, security, tear-down), green room, street marshall, photography,  video, mc, flyering, postering, and much more.

If you're interested please contact Myriam at 604-874-9325 or info@inthehousefestival.com.

The schedule of events is on the website at www.inthehousefestival.com

There will be a volunteer meeting near the end of May to meet all friendly, funky and like minded folks and get acquainted with the responsibilities of throwing down such a fine set of shows!

__________________________________________________________

3. Katimavik Billeting and Job Posting

I got this from my friend, Martin.  If you haven't heard of Katimavik.. pretty interesting organization.  Have a click.  I hosted one of the young participants to live at my place for... what was it, a week?  Anyways... sign up as a billeting house!  And check out this job posting (for the sufficiently mad..)

If you know anyone that like to be challenged and that would be interest to invest 10 months of their life into this great youth program, please send them this job posting...You have to be a bit crazy, but trust me, its the best ''school'' I ever been to!!

http://www.katimavik.org/Subsection/index/id/232



__________________________________________________________

4.    Five Job Postings:  Public Dreams Society Mentee Program

Hola!  I'm super excited about this.  Public Dreams Society (Illuminares Lantern Festival and Parade of the Lost Souls) is hiring five folks for a 6 month contract to work alongside the festivals' coordinators.  The positions were created through a mentorship program that aims to open doors for folks looking to explore careers in the arts/culture/not for profit sector.  No accreditation, age or totally relevant experience required.  Job descriptions are posted on the Alliance for Arts & Culture website (which, if you haven't clicked while job huntin before, keep this site on your radar.  There are some very stellar postings that get tossed up there.  The site is worth a navigation too.  Amazing resources, workshops, etc... focused on mobilizing Vancouver's creative community -- getting them money, employment, grant, info, networked, involved.)  Ok.. the link:

http://www.allianceforarts.com/artcetera/jobs.php3

Meanwhile... Check out www.publicdreams.org.  You can sign up online ot volunteer and stay in the loop to find out when lanter making workshops are, et all.  (Yes, by the way, I'm back on as volunteer coordinator for Illuminares and Parade of the Lost Souls.  Reelin 'em in.  Ah!  What fun.  I have so much faith.. East Van takes great pride and ownership of it's fine, fine celebrations.  We can't do it without you.)

__________________________________________________________

5.    OneWorld Arts Productions Call to street performers, artists

( http://vancouver.craigslist.org/tlg/331028764.html)

Call for Street Performers/ Artists
Reply to: gigs-331028764@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-05-14, 7:14PM PDT

CALL FOR ARTISTS: STREET PERFORMERS 

WHO?
OneWorld Arts Productions has been appointed to produce and launch the first annual downtown Vancouver street performer program during the months of July and August.

WHY?
We want to wake up/shake up Vancouverites and smother them with random acts of: 
gutwrenching laughter, unusual entertainment, kindness, unique mindblowing experiences - just damn good entertainment! 
We want to give the folks pleasant surprises while they saunter around the downtown core.
We want to show Vancouver the great (and often hidden) talent this city has to offer!

WHAT?
We are seeking original, high energy musicians/bands, daredevil and magic acts, interactive acts,street artists, percussionists,dancers/break dancers, astonishing acrobats, absurdly funny comedy acts/divas/characters - you get the jist??

What's in it for me? 
The successful performers will be paid a base honorarium and can accept donations and sell cd's or merchandise. 
The performers will be promoted through an extensive downtown publicity and marketing program to more than 8,000 businesses 
and the residents in downtown Vancouver. . Media coverage is highly likely. The opportunities for recognition (or fame?) and future gigs should not be ignored!

Criteria?
You have a solid, polished act.
You are engaging. 
Your act has unique qualities and can be intriguing to watch.
Your act is edgy.
Your act is clean and appropriate for all ages.
You have above average technical skills.
Your equipment and sound is in good working order.
You can captivate an audience within the first 5 minutes (acts can be up to 1 hour long). 
You perform on the street in an assigned area.
You are punctual.
All accepted performers must abide by the City bylaws and produce a current city permit. 

How do I apply?
Please send us your promotion package by email complete with visual and/or audio, website links, contact details and bios.
Deadline for application is May 31, 2007.


__________________________________________________________

6.  A few events around the hood....

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Movement
Vancouver's new eco-club night
May 18th, Waldorf Hotel (1489 E Hastings)
$10 advance tickets from Highlife, Zulu and Boomtown
$12 at the door

9pm Global Television Documentary showing -- Thin Ice
Dub n Reggae heavyweights, the Third Eye Tribe, featuring Jacob Cino, will be rinsing out the Waldorf in an event to help bring about positive environmental change. DJ Timothy Wisdom, Vancouver's master of the funk, will be opening up the evening with his excellent selection of bombs and party rockers. Plus there's a 2nd room with the Prime Collective DJs.

http://www.timothywisdom.com/events/events.php

*************************************************************************************

Creeps and cougarS
May 19th, Anza Club, kicks off 9pm.  10 bucks.
All proceeds go to the Inner-City Commune, a la Burning Man

DJ Timothy Wisdom :: East Van's favorite booty shakin' turntable wizard!
DJ Steamboat Fattie :: His seamless flow of sexy beats will surely channel your inner creep and cougar repertoire
The Downlow :: Live Dub, evoking inner grit to get you riled up for an evening of pleasure
Your Little Pony Burlesque :: A creatively sexy and stunning striptease
Poetry by Jesse :: A Madhatter of laughter and wit

Come explore your sexy side.  Are you predator or prey?
It's spring, it's hot. Come out and drink cheap booze, dance and dress as
your "sexiest" self. Is there an experienced, wordly, sexy man or woman
inside of you, waiting to bust out and cavort with other wild ones? Or
perhaps you are young, fresh, a little wet-behind-the-ears, and open to
explorative fun?

Let's celebrate our inner creeps and cougars, our inner predator and prey by
wearing the most outrageous, silliest, sexiest and hilarious getups. Think
animal print, stillettos, bowties, gold chains, open Vneck shirts....ha!
whatever turns you on! ;-)

You don't have to dress up to come out and dance and drink with us but the
hot, playful Cougars behind the bar may just give you a free beer if you
do!!!

Flyer URL:
http://www.timothywisdom.com/images/flyers/creepsAndCougars2_webColor.jpg

*************************************************************************************
Beats Without Borders in association with Asian Heritage Month present:
 
Delhi Nights 2
bhangrabollyfunk
 
With Special Guests from San Francisco
DJ Jimmy Love (www.nonstopbhangra.com )
Dholrhythms Dance Troupe (www.dholrhythms.com )

Thursday May 24, 8:30 pm
The Waldorf (1489 E Hastings)
Tickets $15 advance at Highlife, Zulu, Boomtown, Kamal. 20$ Door
 
www.beatswithoutborders.com, www.explorasian.org
 
 
On May 24, 2007, Vancouver's Beats Without Borders Collective will host one of the most unique South Asian events the city has ever seen. Bringing together top artists and performers from across North America, Delhi Nights 2 will showcase the best in contemporary South Asian club culture. Celebrate Asian Heritage Month and dance the night away in 3 rooms of steamy bollywood, bouncin' bhangra, and good old-fashioned funk.
 
DJ Jimmy Love (SF) Jimmy Love rocks the dancefloor with his winning combination of Punjabi Bhangra music and hip-hop, funk and reggae. He is the resident DJ and founder of NonStop Bhangra, SF's hottest South Asian night (recently winning the Guradian's Top 5 Global Nights). He is also a resident at Surya Dub, and runs the weekly "Nickel Bag of Funk" at SF's Make Out Room. While dedicated to bringing Bhangra-Love to the masses, his years of dj'ing and deep understanding of mixing many different styles of music together allow him to give a dance floor all the energy it needs.
 
Dholrhythms Dance Troupe (SF) With a strong passion for Bhangra and Giddha (folk dances from the Punjab), founders Vicki Virk, Suman Raj-Grewal and their crew have become a Bay Area phenomenon. Their high-energy performances, colorful costumes, and infectious smiles have led to performances at some of SF's biggest venues, including  Pier 39, DeYoung Museum, Golden Gate Park, Fillmore, and Sterngrove; with some of the biggest names in the business, including Michael Franti, Karsh Kale and Cheb I Sabbah. Dholrhythms also co-hosts the NonStop Bhangra monthly.
 
Also playing will be DJ Reminisce (the saucy sounds of Bollywood), BPM (live bhangra/hip-hop), DJ Nils (smooth Asian grooves), and Tspoon + the Suga Dhollies (bhangra mashup explosion with live dhol). The evening will also feature an Indian Classical recital with sarod maestro Anupam Shobhakar, direct from Mumbai. Marcus Murray will be creating live art, and Suez is on visuals.


*************************************************************************************

The Revolutionary Knitting Front
The next meeting is June 1, 7:30 p.m. at The Veggie Resource Centre, 2250 Commercial - or if the weather is nice, in Grandview Park.
Email Heather at true_stitches@yahoo.ca for more info, additional information available at www.worklessparty.org

*************************************************************************************

YOU NEVER BIKE ALONE DVD UPDATE AND BIKE MONTH SCREENING

Bike Month is soon upon us in Vancouver and to mark the occasion Moving
Pictures Film Festival and ICYCLE.CA Productions are presenting a screening of
You Never Bike Alone at TinselTown. Here's the details:

Show time: Friday 1st June 2007, 7pm. Screening followed by Q&A with director
Robert Alstead and Richard Campbell of B.E.S.T. (and formerly the Bicycle
People).

Venue: Cinemark TinselTown, 88 West Pender, Vancouver. Cinema is in the
International Village complex opposite Stadium Skytrain station.

Tickets: $8 ($2 discount to Moving Pictures members). Advanced tickets
available at TinselTown box office.

www.youneverbikealone.com

*************************************************************************************

The World NAKED Bike Ride!
June 9th, 2007
www.worldnakedbikeride.org

Stay in the loop.  It's gettin hot.  Nothin like a crazy group of hundreds of cyclists at all stages of undress -- nude to nekkid -- taking to the streets of Vancouver.  Not ... I do say .. NOT to be missed.  (More details to be unveiled.  Hang out around that website.  I'll send out some more deets soon, too!)



_____________________________________________________________

A Call to Action ::  Sign up for movin-en-shakin mail list for notices, postings, job and volunteer ops.  Send me your postings if you'd like to seem them in circulation.  A Call to Action is just that... with a mandate to community mindedness and grassroots activation.
http://lists.worklessparty.org/listinfo.cgi/calltoaction-worklessparty.org

10.5.07

Pirate Critical Mass Ride

Public Service Announcement

Pirate Critical Mass Ride
Friday, May 25, 2007

Shiver me timbers, tis t'Pirate Critical Mass Ride!

'Tis month good pirates will parley around 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the
Vancouver Art Gallery on the Georgia Street side -- leavin' around 6:00
p.m. to ride the streets O'Vancouver! Yarrrrr...

Come festooned in pirate gear for all to see! Bring flute or drum or any
noisy thin' you can muster t'inspire the imaginatin'. Not just ye bicycles
but all those who sail under their own wind are welcome aboard -- be that
skateboards, wheelchairs, rollerskates, or as it'may. We set out rain or
shine so ye best come prepared!

Avast Ye Scurvy Dogs!
We Arn't Blockn' Traffick!
We AARRRRRRRRRRRRR Traffick!!!

UBC riders meet at the UBC Bike Hub, on the north east end of the Student
Union Building, at 4:30 p.m. for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Phone 604-822-BIKE for details.

East Van riders meet 4:00 p.m., leaving 4:30 p.m., from Grandview Park,
1200-block Commercial Drive, for a group ride to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Celebrated around the world, Critical Mass is a grassroots reclamation of
public space -- on the last Friday of the month -- which allows cyclists
and other self-propelled people to move safely and comfortably through city
streets in a car-free space. Non-polluting forms of transportation are
promoted.

For more information:
http://www.velolove.bc.ca
http://vancouvercm.blogspot.com
velolove@velolove.bc.ca

Worldwide details may be found at:
http://criticalmassrides.info or http://www.critical-mass.org

Upload/View Vancouver Critical Mass Photos at Flickr.com:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/vancriticalmass/

8.5.07

Eden & Olive's MUSICYCLE Tour - COMING SOON!

Hello fair citizens of BC's coast and Vancouver Island!
We are coming to entertain you.

Eden & Olive's MUSICYCLE Tour 2007, a cross-Canadian music and cycling adventure promoting sustainable transportation and a healthy active lifestyle, commences in Powell River on the Sunshine Coast on Friday, May 11th at Local Loco's Music & Arts Cafe and then takes a ferry across to the island before heading down to special appearances, house concerts and performances in Qualicum Bay, on Gabriola Island, on Salt Spring Island, on Galiano Island, in Victoria and in Vancouver before we finally get a day off! Phew! That was a long sentence.

We hope to see you out, supporting two good causes: environmental friendliness and artistic survival.
Please spread the word to your friends and acquaintences. Art survives by word of mouth!

The details:

Friday, May 11th, 2007 ~ 9pm-1am
Local Loco's Music and Arts Café ~ $5
4692 Willingdon Ave ~ Powell River, BC
Contact: (604) 485-5626
www.locallocos.com



Sunday, May 13th, 2007 ~ 8-12pm
The Crown & Anchor Pub ~ free
Featured Performers @ The Sunday Jam
6120 W. Island Hwy ~ Qualicum Bay, BC
Contact: (250) 757-9444



Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 ~ 8pm (doors 7:30)
Degnen Bay House Concert ~ $10
Gabriola Island, BC
Contact: Dinah D ~ (250) 247-9432



Thursday, May 17th, 2007 ~ 7pm
The Mercer Gallery Songwriters' Cottage ~ $15
#2-111 Robinson Rd ~ Salt Spring Island, BC
Contact: (250) 537-4492
www.mercergallery.ca



Friday, May 18th, 2007 ~ 8:30pm
Grand Central Emporium ~ no cover
2470 Sturdies Bay Rd ~ Galiano Island, BC
Contact: (250) 539-9885
www.grandcentral.ca



Saturday, May 19th, 2007 ~ 8-10pm (doors 7:30)
Solstice Café ~ $10
529 Pandora Ave ~ Victoria, BC
Contact: (250) 475-0477



Sunday, May 20th, 2007 ~ 9pm (doors 8:30)
Café Deux Soleils (w/ Sarah Noni Metzner and Kyle Cameron) ~ $10
2096 Commercial Drive ~ Vancouver, BC
Contact: (604) 254-1195
cafedeuxsoleils.com

For more info, please go to www.johnnyeden.com OR www.derekolive.com OR www.musicycle.blogspot.com Johnny and Derek can also be found on MySpace at www.myspace.com/thelasttroubadour AND www.myspace.com/derekolive

Thank you for reading and all the best!
Johnny Eden

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May Mothers Ride, Vancouver



WHAT?

A BICYCLE RIDE celebrating MOTHERS.

WHO:
Everyone is welcome (Bring your Mom! Bring your kids!) WHEN: Meet at 12pm, noon. This Saturday the 12th.

WHERE: Science World Gazebo (1455 Quebec St.) We’ll ride along Vancouver’s bikeways, ending with a potluck picnic & barbeque at Jericho Beach.

Here is a preliminary route on Bikely:http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/32702

For information, contact Amy Walker at 604-->669=9850 or at self-propelled (AT) telus.net

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7.5.07

[VACC] Female cyclists and transport trucks More thoughts on the London experience

[VACC] Female cyclists and transport trucks More thoughts on the London experience


James Daley: The Cycling Column
from The Independent

Why breaking the law can save your life

A debate has been raging on cycle internet forums over the past week, following the recent revelation that 85 per cent of female cyclist fatalities in London are due to incidents involving heavy goods vehicles. Two tragic deaths in the past month alone have reinforced the fact that
this is not simply a statistical obscurity.

And, of course, it is not only women who are killed by HGVs. Some 50 per cent of male cyclist fatalities also involve lorries. Action needs to be taken to try to put an end to this.

In Benelux countries, HGVs must be fitted with special mirrors that make it much easier to see cyclists trying to over- or undertake them. As a result, their drivers tend to be much more vigilant. In the UK, however, there is no such stipulation.

While I've seen a few larger vehicles with stickers on their nearside rears that warn cyclists not to undertake, these are in a small minority. Surely, it would not take a huge effort to compel all longer vehicles to display similar warnings, or to force HGVs to have the necessary mirrors fitted. At the very least, lorry drivers could have some element of cyclist awareness
integrated into their training.

Cyclists, too, need to be educated. I very rarely undertake an HGV, unless I'm certain I can clear it (ie, it's stationary and stuck in a traffic jam). But I do see other riders do all sorts of suicidal manoeuvres.

A revamped version of Cycling Proficiency Tests, now called Bikeability, was launched last week. Most urban cyclists could probably do with taking this. But until it catches on, perhaps the Government should invest some money in public safety campaigns for cyclists - as it does with
drink-driving and motorcycle awareness.

But what interested me more than the statistic about female fatalities and HGVs, was the rather controversial suggestion on the forum that female cyclists are more likely to get in accidents than men.

According to statistics from Transport for London, 37 per cent of cycling fatalities in the capital in 2003 involved women. This, argued several of the forum members, was well in excess of the 20 per cent of London cyclists who are female.

I was instantly sceptical. Women cyclists in London tend to ride more conservatively than men. And though a less aggressive approach to city cycling could be behind the fact that, proportionally, more women are killed by HGVs, it seemed nonsensical that female cyclists would be involved in proportionally more accidents. I decided to investigate.

In fact, the male-female split of cyclists in the capital has evened out over the past few years. While it was about 73:27 at the start of the decade, statistics from TfL show that it had moved to about 60:40 by 2005. And while this is roughly in line with the split of male to female cyclist
fatalities, women have a much better record on the whole.

Only 20 per cent of serious (but not fatal) cycling accidents involved women in 2003, and only 21 per cent of lesser accidents. It is men who have proportionally more incidents on London's roads.

Striking the right balance between caution and aggression when riding through cities is the key to staying on your bike. If you always assume that the car/lorry/motorbike in front or behind of you is going to do the worst possible thing, you give yourself a much better chance of staying
alive. However, knowing when to step up the pace to get yourself out of trouble is also an important skill.

The forum members concluded that fewer women would die if more of them jumped red lights (keeping themselves out of the paths of HGVs). A controversial solution, but one I found myself sympathising with. Jumping red lights has got me out of far more sticky situations than it's got me into.

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