October 1, 2025 • 36 mins
Imagine riding along dedicated trails through ancient forests and pristine valleys, stopping at local cafes and wineries along the way. This vision of cycle tourism isn't just a cyclist's dream – it's a billion-dollar economic opportunity, as Let's Go Biking author Colleen MacDonald reveals in our captivating conversation.
Colleen brings unparalleled expertise to the discussion, having completed 150 cycling trips across 44 countries and authored three definitive guidebooks on cycling in British Columbia. Her philosophy is refreshingly practical: build cycling infrastructure for locals first, then connect communities, and finally invite the world to experience what BC has to offer.
Whether you're a cycling enthusiast planning your next adventure, a community planner interested in sustainable tourism, or simply someone who appreciates BC's natural beauty, this episode offers a compelling vision of how cycle tourism could transform our province while preserving what makes it special.
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To read more about Colleen's adventures, order her books, or connect with her about Cycle Tourism, visit www.letsgobiking.net
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The Bike Sense podcast with Peter Ladner is produced by the BC Cycling Coalition – your voice for safer and more accessible cycling and active transportation in British Columbia. Membership in the BCCC is now FREE! The future of this podcast depends on people like you becoming members at BCCycling.ca. Please join us.
Got feedback or ideas for future episodes? Please drop us an email at admin@bccycling.ca.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Welcome to Bike Sense , the BC Cycling Coalition's
podcast, where we talk about allthings related to active
transportation advocacy in BC.
I'm your host, peter Ladner,chair of the Board of the BC
Cycling Coalition.
I hope you enjoy the show ofthe BC Cycling Coalition.
(00:49):
I hope you enjoy the show.
Colleen MacDonald is one of themost active grandmothers I know
.
She's written three books oncycle touring.
She's got a new one in theworks, she's taken 150 cycling
trips in 44 countries and I'mvery happy to say she's recently
joined the BC Cycling Coalitionas a board member.
And I'm very happy to say she'srecently joined the BC Cycling
Coalition as a board member soshe can work on cycle tourism
(01:09):
and that is something we'regoing to talk about what it is,
why we like it, what it takes tomake it happen and what are the
next steps in BC to realize itsfull potential.
Welcome, colleen.
Hi, thank you Great to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
First question tell me the last bike trip you took.
Well, we were in Spain andPortugal.
We actually did two trips backto back and discovered the Costa
Brava, and then we did Porto toLisbon.
So that was very fun to exploreover there.
Do you ride an e-bike or aregular bike.
Both my husband and I are inour 70s now, and e-bikes came
(01:49):
along at just the right time forus.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
So you're an e-bike rider?
Yes, so these rides that you'reenamored of and writing about
and describing these, aresuitable for people who are not
super serious, you know, trainedup Fondo type riders, but just
regular people who can ridee-bikes or whatever kind of bike
.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Exactly, and all the rides I like to do are smell the
roses kinds of rides.
So something fun and easy.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So, other than giving you an opportunity to smell the
roses, why do we want cycletourism?
What's the big deal?
Why are you so interested in it?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, I love cycle touring around the world.
I'd like to do more in BC andactually we have a lot here, but
it is fun to go to othercountries because their networks
are so organized and it's easyto travel around.
It's fun to go to restaurantsand things like that.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What are the lessons when you go to other countries
and you go to some of theseplaces?
What are you thinking about?
Oh, we should be doing this inBC, we should.
We should do X, we should do Y.
What are some of the thingsthat you think about that we
could do relatively easily?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Oh, it's just amazing what we could do here in BC and
we're already doing quite a bit.
But you know I get tired oftaking plane rides places and I
just like to go right out thefront door or in my neighborhood
or take a ferry and explore ourown world.
Here we have so much to offerfor locals and tourists.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Where do you live, Colleen I?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
live in the Lower Mainland near Port Moody.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And do you have a favorite route out your back
door that you like?
Well?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
we love the Poco Trail.
It's an amazing route and I cango right from my house around
the Poco Trail and connect allkinds of places.
There's so many great things,places to explore in the lower
mainland.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tell us about some of your favorite rides around BC,
because I know you've writtenbooks about just about rides in
BC.
Tell us about some of them andmake me want to go on it.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh, there are so many favorite rides.
I just love the Okanagan,especially what they're up to.
They're connecting all theirroutes.
The island is an amazing placeto ride, Even just locally here
in the Lower Mainland it'sfabulous.
And of course, Whistler is justone of my favorite places.
So we have a lot to offer.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Now it seems that one of the secrets of successful
cycle touring routes is acircular route that people can
do.
Can you describe circularroutes we already have in BC and
some that we could have, shouldhave circular?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
routes we already have in BC and some that we
could have should have.
Well, one of the most popularcircular routes is on the South
Island.
Goes from Victoria up toCowichan and then over to the
Gulf Islands, so that's a verypopular route.
We have other larger circularroutes that are popular, mostly
with road bikers because theinfrastructure is not there for
(04:46):
the kind of riding that I like.
But yeah, loops are good butlinear is fun too.
Like the Okanagan Rail Trail isone of my favorites.
It goes from Kelowna to Vernonbut the Okanagan is getting very
, very connected all the wayalong.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
What does it take to connect these routes, because I
know, and I'm thinking aboutroutes that are not just for
people who are willing to bravethe highways.
But you mentioned the Cowichanto Gulf Islands route and I know
that there's a section on SaltSpring Island that's not
protected and maybe the lastsection of that route that isn't
.
Have you talked to those peoplein Salt Spring Island or
(05:25):
figured out what it would taketo make it all protected or
somehow more attractive toregular, safety conscious
cyclists?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Definitely.
I'm really in contact with SaltSpring Island and they're very
excited to know that the CRD isplanning a route across Salt
Spring.
It's going to be a two-phaseroute.
It's going to be a two-phaseroute.
It's going to be one part donein one year and the next part
done in the next year and thatwill really close the gap on the
Three Ferries route, which is areally popular route on the
(05:55):
island.
Most people who live on theisland do that route at least
once or twice a year.
Now the big complaint is thedangerous riding across Salt
Spring Island.
But with the CRD planning toput in safe, separated cycling
across there, it's going to beone of the key routes in BC that
would be a circular route.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Say that near big centres of population that you
can point to, that.
Say, if we could just get towork on this, we could really
have a showcase example.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, the Sunshine Coast is working on the Connect
the Coast.
They have done theirpreliminary studies.
They know it's doable.
They're working on gettingfunding for their completed plan
and their vision is to connectthe Sunshine Coast from the
Langdale Ferry to the EgmontFerry, which will be a huge,
huge boost to cycle tourism forthe links that we have on the
(06:57):
South Island.
A lot of people like to do thatroute now, but they're mostly
road cyclists who are reallyconfident riding with big trucks
and cars not something that Icould ever do.
When the Connect the Coast safe, separated cycling route is
created, it will attract a lotmore visitors visitors like me
(07:17):
who like slow biking but it willalso connect the local
communities.
So again, we start with thelocals and then we move on to
connecting the communities.
It's going to be a fabulous,fabulous project.
Now they just need a little bitof funding.
Like a lot of funding.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
They actually need a lot of funding.
There are no shoulders on thatroute and you'd have to cut into
cliffs and stuff.
But what about the rail linefrom Squamish North to Prince
George that has recently beenabandoned?
There's the routes alreadythere.
Oh, my goodness what does ittake to turn that into a cycle?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
How many years have I driven up and seen that empty
train track?
It hasn't been used for acouple of years.
And I just think, if we had therail trail as a rail trail, as
an active transportationcorridor, well, I think more
than that.
I think it would provide egress, like they have done in the
(08:14):
Miller Creek Trail in Whistler.
That is emergency egress, andthis Sea to Sky Trail could be
emergency egress and also activetransportation.
I think, oh my goodness, itwould be a dream come true if
that happened.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
That's an interesting angle to think of these as
escape routes.
In the case of a forest fire,for example, which would be a
very big problem at Whistler andI know some people who've
already envisioned themselvesescaping on their e-bikes.
They've got extra batteries anda go bag ready and imagine a
(08:51):
lot of people streaming downthat railroad track and another
way to pitch it to justifyfunding as well.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Well, I think it's a natural fit, and you know, but
some people want to get the railservice up and running, and if
that's a possibility, that wouldbe nice too.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
But if that is not a possibility, then I would be.
Oh, I couldn't wait to ridethat trail.
Well, that'll be an ongoingdebate, because that debate is
going on in the Vancouver Islandas well.
And do we give up on the trains, or do we try to accommodate
trains and cycles, or just makeit cycling?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Well back to the island.
The E&N Rail Trail is just anatural spine for connecting
communities up and down theisland and will also be an
amazing cycle tourism draw, Iknow, and also someplace in
eastern US which you see assomewhat comparable to BC where
(09:54):
tell us in New Zealand whatthey've done and what the impact
has been on their economy?
Well, new Zealand.
We went on a bike ride about ayear and a half to New Zealand
and we were absolutely delightedwith what we found.
The cycling network there isabsolutely off the charts and a
real role model for us in BC.
Now, in 2002, they started withone rail trail in Otago by
2009,.
(10:14):
They were looking for somediversification away from the
mining industry, and so thegovernment seeded a $50 million
fund to grow cycle tourism,cycling and hiking tourism in
New Zealand.
Well now, fast forward to now,they have over 2,800 kilometers
of rides and their economy theircycle tourism economy is worth
(10:38):
$1 billion annually.
So for them that's a 1 to 20return on investment.
But beyond all the numbers, asa rider, the trails are fun,
they're accessible for all skilllevels.
They've solved gaps creativelywith shuttles, ferries,
suspension bridge, even a jetboat through part of the
Roxborough Gorge.
(10:58):
We just couldn't believe whatthey have done and are doing in
New Zealand, and we're soexcited about it.
We're actually going to go backnext year and see some of the
new connections that they havebuilt.
So we're pretty excited aboutthe role model that New Zealand
offers for BC.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, the fact that you want to go back there is a
pretty strong indicator thatthese are tourism attractors.
But you've also made the pointthat they work best for tourists
when they work for the locals.
Can you just describe why thatmakes sense?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well, I feel that you build first for the locals.
You can go right out your doorand connect to local trails,
either leisurely trails or liketransportation, active
transportation links.
I feel you should go right fromyour door and then, when we
have people who can go rightfrom our own door, then we can
(11:57):
invite others to come and visitour communities.
And then you start connectingcommunities and pretty soon you
have a cycle tourism network.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You start connecting communities and pretty soon you
have a cycle tourism network.
Now I expect that New Zealandhas a pretty active and
sophisticated marketing system.
If they've got that kind ofmoney flowing into the country,
what do they do to coordinatepromotion of all these routes?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Oh, it's absolutely fabulous their marketing and
their infrastructure.
You can go and find any trailthat you want to explore.
You can find service providersfrom that website.
They make it fun.
All the trails have great namesthat make it really enticing.
The West Coast Wilderness Trailand their marketing is just
(12:40):
world class.
But we're doing similar kindsof marketing in BC.
We just have to get a littlebit more coordinated and really
promote what we actually have.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I think Colleen, what role do fondos and organized
events, bike festivals, if thereare any play in all of this?
Because I would think, forexample, there's a fondo in
Kimberley around the time of ourconference and I imagine there
will be hundreds of peoplecoming there, many of them from
out of town, because somebody'sorganized something for them.
(13:11):
Is that important?
Is that useful?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Well, I think the events are hugely important.
The events and the bike parksbring a lot of cycle tourists to
BC.
I don't personally go in theGrand Fondo, but a lot of people
do and they're coming to BC.
They're saying, okay, I'm goingto do the Fondo, but what else
is here for cycling?
And you know, we had Crankworxin Whistler recently that brings
(13:34):
people from all over the world.
There's the BC Bike Race, eventhe slow food rides that we see
in communities.
These all showcase ourneighborhoods and they showcase
BC around the world.
So this is an important part ofour cycle tourism.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I love those slow food rides.
I did one by Pemberton one timeand one around Chilliwack and
you get to stop and eat and justwatch cows getting milked and
find out about cheeses and beerand potato vodka and all this
kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Slow food rides are fabulous.
That's my favorite kind ofriding kind of writing.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Well, in some ways you're a one-person marketing
machine because you have writtenthree books about.
Your three books are all aboutBC.
Did I get that right?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, Vancouver first , Okanagan next and then, just
in the last two years, I wroteVancouver Island.
So I'll tell you somethingabout my books.
I wrote the book I wanted tobuy.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Ah, so domestic market first, and then the
outsiders will come and read it.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I wanted to know where I could go writing.
So I found out where I could gowriting and then I figured if I
needed a book to find, or a mapand a route and a book, then
other people might too.
And so I do my book writing andmy blog as my volunteer work.
It's not for profit.
Any money that is made frombook sales I put back into
(15:09):
cycling advocacy with donationsto BC Cycling Coalition Hub,
cycling and Trails BC and otherlocal groups.
So I really believe that youknow, it's just a way of sharing
the great things that we havehere in the cycle world.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So if we wanted to promote cycle tourism, why don't
we just tell people to go buyyour books and go to your
website?
They're called let's Go Biking.
And are we done?
Is that it?
What more do we need to do?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
No, no, no, no.
There's so much more we coulddo.
Since I've written theVancouver book, there's been so
much infrastructure that's putin place that I am actually
working on a rewrite of that.
It takes a couple of years towrite a book, but I'm working on
a rewrite to show theconnections that we have.
I'll just give an example.
Out in Langley, I had astandalone ride here, a
standalone ride there, and nowLangley has built so many
(15:59):
connecting routes and trailsthat I'm going to be able to
link them all together.
So I'm excited about theprogress that we've made that I
see personally in the last 10years all over BC.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, I like that your books go out of date,
Colleen, because it means we'remaking progress.
Someone told me that Chilliwackis now laced with all sorts of
impressive bike trails.
Have you been there?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Oh yeah, the Vedder Trail loop in Chilliwack is one
of my favorite rides.
They have many other connectingthe Canyon to Coast Trail,
which is one of the BC routesthat we're all working on here
in BC, has a great first sectionright there out of Chilliwack.
So yeah, I love the Chilliwackarea and Hope and Harrison and
(16:43):
Agassiz and Abbotsford Just getme excited on the great things
that we're doing here in theFraser Valley.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And why can you tell us about how First Nations are
involved in these projects?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, I am really excited about the First Nations
aspect of trails.
I'll give an example in Tofino,from Tofino to Euclid, the
First Nations there was givenfunding to create the
Upscheek-Tashee Trail whichconnects Tofino to Euclid and
honestly I think it is one ofthe best trails in the world.
(17:18):
The construction, the planningis just outstanding.
It's fun.
It's like riding awhoop-dee-doo ride.
If you haven't gone to Tofino,you better go, because it is an
amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I've wanted to do that.
We did a podcast with JosieOsborne, who's the former mayor
of Tofino, about that route andI haven't been on it but I'd
sure like to have you done any.
Tell us what you know about theGreat Blue Heron Way.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Oh, I'm so excited about the Great Blue Heron Way.
This is Elder Ruth Adams fromthe Tawasin First Nations and
she's working together withTrails BC and First Nations, and
she's working together withTrails BC and a route has been
planned and now they're lookingfor funding to connect sections
of the route.
It's mostly on greenwaysthroughout BC and she's worked
extensively with the team fromTrails BC.
(18:07):
Leon LeBrun is one of the keypeople who have created the
route for the Great Blue HeronWay and now we're just looking
for some support from thegovernment, some encouragement,
some funding to get thisunderway.
This will be a fabulous drawfor people locally and from
(18:27):
around the world and the storiesthat they're telling along the
way.
That's the key thing.
Her vision was to connect FirstNations back together the ones
that have been severed byhighways and trains and things
like this and to provide a linkfor First Nations people, but
other people too, to tell thestories of the Stolo, the Salish
(18:50):
Sea and the islands.
I'm so excited about the GreatBlue Heron Way.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
How close is it to completion?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Oh, no, no, Not close to completion.
They're at the mapping stageand the identifying stage.
Now we need some signage, weneed some encouragement, some
connections on something Likethe biggest drawback there is
the Delta Port how they havesevered the crossing from the
Tuasen over to the.
(19:19):
It used to be called BrunswickPoint, it's called Canoe Pass,
now named Ladner.
You know there's things likethat, that you know a pedestrian
bridge or a tunnel there couldquickly solve that problem and
allow the connection of thetrails.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Colleen, does your book just deal with trails for
road bikers?
Where do mountain bikers fitinto this?
Because I know there are a lotof somewhat more rugged or
demanding trails that will takeyou ever more places, and I know
the mountain bike situationseen in BC is so alive.
Do you tell people about or doyou see those as tourism
(19:54):
potential?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Well, for me personally, most of the mountain
bike trails that are in bikeparks and things like that are
too difficult, so that wouldn'tbe my first choice of riding.
But it does have a very largedraw and a large cycle tourism
draw.
Mostly the kind of routes Ifind are easy, like Whistler
(20:15):
Valley Trail, around StanleyPark kind of thing, the Okanagan
Rail Trail.
I mostly look for the kinds ofrides that I can do and there's
a large market of I call themslow riders, slow bikers.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Is there a municipality or region that you
think really gets it in BC andis showing the way for others to
follow?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Oh man, there are so many.
The Galloping Goose and theLockside has been an amazing
accomplishment.
And that one for people whodon't know it goes from From
Schwartz Bay Ferry to Victoriaand then out to Souk, the
Galloping Goose.
Galloping Goose was one of ourfirst cycle tourism kinds of
(21:04):
routes and what I'm talkingabout there is the highest
searched route on my blog.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Wow, so you are the data source on this.
I was just going to say do wehave data on how many people,
how many tourists let's talkabout tourists how many tourists
come and what they add to thelocal economy?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Well, I don't actually have the data on that.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Well, your searches.
Wouldn't that be like some kindof data point?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, Well, I'm just searching for rides that I would
like to ride.
Now I'll tell you a little bitabout my process on that.
I can't know where all therides are in the Okanagan or on
the island, because I'm notthere very often.
So what I did when I waswriting the books was connect
with the local groups.
Ribbons of Green in Vernon hasan amazing resource and I
(21:54):
connected with Ingrid Newmanfrom Ribbons of Green and
together we put Vernon on themap in terms of routes, and
they've done a lot since thebook was written and Ribbons of
Green has all the routes thatthey need.
Over on the island, in Comox, Imet with the group of riders
over there.
(22:14):
We did a lot of Zoom calls.
They would tell me their littlesecret routes and where they
like to ride and together withall these groups all over BC, I
found where the locals like toride.
So it started for me from thelocal base and then we invite
our neighbors and then maybefrom there we invite the world,
who knows?
Speaker 1 (22:34):
So, from a provincial point of view, other other than
you, who seem to be pulling alot of these people together,
who else, if anybody is, istrying to coordinate all this?
And maybe you can say somethingabout what you're planning to
do at the our conference inkimberly in september 10th to
12th, which will be happeningafter?
(22:55):
Some people will be listeningto this, so I'm not just using
this as a promo for theconference, but what needs to be
done to get beyond yourpersonal efforts to link people
together and show these roots tothe world.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Okay, well, I will tell you, most of the grassroots
level, or the wheels on theground level, want cycle tourism
here in our province because,like I say, we just want to go
out the door, we want to beclose, we want to just be able
to explore our communities, wewant to go and visit other
communities and connect withthem and then after that, as I
(23:28):
said, we would invite the world.
But what we need, the people inthe communities know what needs
to be done, they know what theyneed to enhance the gaps they
need to improve and they'reready to go.
They have their answers, butthey need some help with the
funding.
And this is where I believe thegovernment needs to step in,
(23:51):
like the New Zealand governmentdid, and create a board that
actually works to work with thelocal groups to create a cycling
network in BC.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Who do you see being on that board?
Was it the Ministry of Tourism?
The Ministry of Transportationand Transit?
I don't know, somebody from theUBCM.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Well, yeah, all of those people need to be there.
We met on Salt Spring Islandwith Lana Popham At the time she
was the Minister of Tourism andSport and she was so
encouraging and so enthusiasticand said that you know they were
going to be doing some cyclingroutes, or at least signing some
cycling routes in time for FIFA.
(24:33):
But we haven't seen solidevidence of that yet.
So we're about a year out.
So maybe some miracle willhappen and those routes will be
at least signed and created.
But you know, we just reallyneed to work together, pull
together and make this happen,and I really feel the time is
right.
I feel that we have the marketfor it, we have the desire for
(24:58):
it, we have the need for it foractive transportation, and I
think we can do it.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Can you just say what impact you think the upsurge in
e-bike use and ownership has onall of this?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Absolutely humongous.
It's been a game changer, forfor myself.
I've been riding an e-bike forabout 10 years, and not so much
from a physical need but formore of an exploring need.
I can go farther, I can goplaces that I wouldn't be able
to go on just a regular bike,but it really opens up doors.
So, for example, there areroutes that I might have put in
(25:34):
my vancouver book initially, butthey were too hilly.
Well, now they're going in thenext book for sure, because now
they're great e-bike routes andI have seen so many people over
the years who have rediscoveredthe fun of cycle tourism or
cycling even in theirneighborhood.
With the advancement of e-bikesthey're just really opening up
(25:57):
possibilities.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Tell me if you know about any chambers of commerce
or tourism businesses that areactive on this, because I see
cycle tourism as getting beyondyour usual cyclist constituency
into an economic developmentzone that I would think would be
of some great interest tochambers of commerce destination
(26:21):
promoting organizations.
Do you see them stepping up?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It's been my experience that most chambers of
commerce and tourism really arein favor of cycle tourism,
really are in favor of cycletourism.
My sense is they don't have themoney either and they're busy
supporting so many other aspectsof the tourism industry.
But I feel that cycle touristsjust add so much to the travel
(26:51):
in a community.
For one thing, they're out oftheir cars it's a slower pace.
You're stopping by more storesand restaurants and coffee shops
, wineries, this kind of thing.
They're out of their cars, it'sa slower pace.
You're stopping by more storesand restaurants and coffee shops
, wineries, this kind of thing.
When you're out and you're onthe ground.
And even businesses inVancouver have found, when a
cycle path goes in front oftheir businesses, like the ones
(27:13):
along Union Street, that theirbusiness has increased.
So my sense of it is withoutactual numbers to back that up
is that, yeah, absolutely,communities want a cycle tourist
.
A cycle tourist is a low-impact, high-economic-benefit type of
(27:34):
tourist.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Are there any provinces in Canada that are
setting an example, Because Iknow so often if somebody in a
policy or financialdecision-making position can see
it working somewhere, maybeeven visit there and see the
impact?
We've talked about New Zealand,but something closer to home
that we could sort of find iscomparable.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Well, quebec started about 15 years ago doing exactly
what New Zealand has done overthe last few years, and their
routes now are connected routesover 5,000 kilometers all
throughout the province and it'sspilling into the bordering
area along Ontario.
(28:17):
Ontario now has what's calledthe Waterfront Trail which goes
on many sections of the GreatLakes, and they're also using
the same kind of fundinggovernment funding, government
support, government marketing.
That the Route Vert is doing soit makes for easy visiting.
That the route Baird is doingso it makes for easy visiting,
(28:38):
easy access, easy travel.
And this is why I'm saying Ireally feel the BC government
has a huge opportunity here toenhance cycle tourism and, let's
say, active transportationtourism.
So it's just one more componentto make to show BC off.
(28:58):
Bc is so amazing.
Let's just show it off indifferent ways.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
You've identified in some cases, businesses that grow
up to or have grown up toservice this not just hotels or
cafes, but actually people whotake guided tours or rent bikes
and can you talk a little bitabout that whole aspect?
Because that would both createjobs and investment, but it
(29:24):
would also make it easier fortourists.
They don't have to bring a bikeor perhaps research the routes,
they just go to some tour guideor store somewhere and off they
go, it's all figured out forthem.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
We'll have a great example of that.
Paul Taplin from Ireland saw BCas just a great place to show
off and he married a woman fromVictoria so they moved together
here and he had the vision totake people on tours.
So he started off just pickingpeople up at their hotel in
(29:57):
Vancouver, taking them over toLynn Canyon for a hike, telling
them about the trees and thewildlife and everything over
there.
Then he'd take them in hisshuttle van out to Pit Meadows
and take them for a cycle touraround Pit Meadows, have lunch
out at one of the localrestaurants and make a real day
of it, showing people an aspectof Vancouver that was different
(30:19):
than Gastown or Granville Islandor Stanley Park around the park
kind of loop.
And so he started about 10years ago and now he's grown
that business.
He takes people from all overthe world on cycle trips to
Vancouver Island, the Okanaganand the Kootenays, but more than
that trips to Vancouver Island,the Okanagan and the Kootenays,
(30:40):
but more than that he's fun andhe actually has become quite a
good friend of ours and we wentwith him on a cycle tour back to
his native Ireland and his momand dad helped drive the shuttle
van and we had a group of about15 of our friends along and we
just had the most fun.
Anyways, that's an example ofsomeone who saw the opportunity
here in BC and has grown into afantastic business and he offers
(31:03):
guided and self-guided toursand it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
You have mentioned that signage is important and
I'm thinking about quick wins.
I mean, it would be great tospend the $600,000 per kilometer
which I understand it wouldtake to take the E&N rail into a
fully functional cycle route.
But are there some quick winswith just better signage where
the routes are there but peoplejust don't know about them?
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Absolutely, and I feel that maps and signage are
our first thing.
We do Map signage and alsoputting a technology on an app,
just letting people know wherethey can go.
There was a little yellowsticker with a little black
(31:55):
arrow and that was enough for usto know we were on the right
track.
We weren't deviating from wherewe should be.
So signage can be simple orsignage could be more complex.
Now, when we look at the canyonto coast route, that starts out
well.
It continues throughout theLower Mainland.
You can see sections throughoutthe Lower Mainland, but the
start section out in Chilliwackhas great signage, a real nice
(32:19):
logo, and it's really clear whenyou're riding the route that
you're on the route.
So I think signage is one ofthe first things we could do to
make more routes accessible.
I just want to say somethingabout that too.
In New Zealand, they have agreat route called the Alp to
Ocean, so they start at MountCook and they go right down to
the ocean.
It's quite a few days.
You can ride this route or youcan do it in pieces if you like,
(32:41):
but they have signage all theway.
Now, this is not a designated,ready-to-go mop cycling trail.
This is a route, and so whatwe're talking about here in
creating cycling tourism in BCis not so much the actual
infrastructure like the OkanaganRail Trail, but signing a route
(33:01):
, but making sure along theroute that there are nice
shoulders and things like that.
So we could get started withsigned routes, I would think
next year.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Colleen, you've done a great service to this province
and to this cause.
Well, you've done a greatservice to this province and to
this cause and I just have tocommend you for that and
encourage you to keep going, andI really would love to see you.
Your new book is about cyclingaround the world, is that right?
Yeah so then I would want to goto Albania or something.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
We've been to Albania I bet you have.
Yeah, so there are so manyplaces to ride around the world,
but you know we've got it heretoo and, uh, I just love making
maps.
I'm pretty excited to get goingon the cycle tourism bigger
maps to encourage people toconnect our communities and, uh,
(33:52):
and find their way around bcwould you be open to people
contacting you directly who wantto follow up on this?
Speaker 1 (33:59):
get more involved, do something in their area.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Oh, absolutely, I get so many emails from people all
over the world.
In fact, I had someone fromdown in the southern states,
carolina I think, this morning,say I'm coming to the island,
would you help me decide whereto go?
I said, oh, absolutely, thatsounds like fun.
So, yeah, I am really keen.
I hear from people all over andI'm always glad to know that
(34:22):
they have found a fun place toride, walk or roll?
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Is there a role for a more institutionalized response
to those emails, like agovernment website or a I don't
know Velo BC website orsomething where people could go
and find out all this stuff?
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Well, I think we're going to do that on the BC
Cycling Coalition website,aren't we?
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Okay, let's do it.
Anything else you want to addor tell us about?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Well, I'll just summarize by saying I truly
believe cycle tourism in BC isdoable, it's practical and it
pays off.
And I hope the government islistening because I think they
could have a nice profit segmentif they paid attention to the
cycle tourism which they aredoing with active transportation
(35:15):
.
But we could always do a littlebit more and then, once that's
in place, we're going to have toshare our story and then more
people will come to ourneighborhoods and more people
will come from internationalplaces.
And when people explore aroundand visit communities,
businesses grow, communitiesthrive and BC will become an
(35:38):
even better global cyclingdestination.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Thanks, colleen.
You've been listening to BikeSense, an original podcast from
the BC Cycling Coalition.
If you like the podcast, we'dbe grateful if you could leave
us a rating.
On whatever platform you use,you can also subscribe, so you
(36:03):
don't miss future episodes.
If you have comments orsuggestions for future episodes,
email me at peterladner atbccyclingca.
Cyclingca.
(36:24):
You can help us amplify BCcycling coalition's voice by
simply becoming a free member atbccyclingca.
(36:46):
Thank you.
Welcome to Bike Sense , the BC Cycling Coalition's
podcast, where we talk about allthings related to active
transportation advocacy in BC.
I'm your host, peter Ladner,chair of the Board of the BC
Cycling Coalition.
I hope you enjoy the show ofthe BC Cycling Coalition.
(00:49):
I hope you enjoy the show.
Colleen MacDonald is one of themost active grandmothers I know
.
She's written three books oncycle touring.
She's got a new one in theworks, she's taken 150 cycling
trips in 44 countries and I'mvery happy to say she's recently
joined the BC Cycling Coalitionas a board member.
And I'm very happy to say she'srecently joined the BC Cycling
Coalition as a board member soshe can work on cycle tourism
(01:09):
and that is something we'regoing to talk about what it is,
why we like it, what it takes tomake it happen and what are the
next steps in BC to realize itsfull potential.
Welcome, colleen.
Hi, thank you Great to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
First question tell me the last bike trip you took.
Well, we were in Spain andPortugal.
We actually did two trips backto back and discovered the Costa
Brava, and then we did Porto toLisbon.
So that was very fun to exploreover there.
Do you ride an e-bike or aregular bike.
Both my husband and I are inour 70s now, and e-bikes came
(01:49):
along at just the right time forus.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
So you're an e-bike rider?
Yes, so these rides that you'reenamored of and writing about
and describing these, aresuitable for people who are not
super serious, you know, trainedup Fondo type riders, but just
regular people who can ridee-bikes or whatever kind of bike
.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Exactly, and all the rides I like to do are smell the
roses kinds of rides.
So something fun and easy.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So, other than giving you an opportunity to smell the
roses, why do we want cycletourism?
What's the big deal?
Why are you so interested in it?
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Well, I love cycle touring around the world.
I'd like to do more in BC andactually we have a lot here, but
it is fun to go to othercountries because their networks
are so organized and it's easyto travel around.
It's fun to go to restaurantsand things like that.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
What are the lessons when you go to other countries
and you go to some of theseplaces?
What are you thinking about?
Oh, we should be doing this inBC, we should.
We should do X, we should do Y.
What are some of the thingsthat you think about that we
could do relatively easily?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
Oh, it's just amazing what we could do here in BC and
we're already doing quite a bit.
But you know I get tired oftaking plane rides places and I
just like to go right out thefront door or in my neighborhood
or take a ferry and explore ourown world.
Here we have so much to offerfor locals and tourists.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Where do you live, Colleen I?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
live in the Lower Mainland near Port Moody.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
And do you have a favorite route out your back
door that you like?
Well?
Speaker 2 (03:25):
we love the Poco Trail.
It's an amazing route and I cango right from my house around
the Poco Trail and connect allkinds of places.
There's so many great things,places to explore in the lower
mainland.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
Tell us about some of your favorite rides around BC,
because I know you've writtenbooks about just about rides in
BC.
Tell us about some of them andmake me want to go on it.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Oh, there are so many favorite rides.
I just love the Okanagan,especially what they're up to.
They're connecting all theirroutes.
The island is an amazing placeto ride, Even just locally here
in the Lower Mainland it'sfabulous.
And of course, Whistler is justone of my favorite places.
So we have a lot to offer.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Now it seems that one of the secrets of successful
cycle touring routes is acircular route that people can
do.
Can you describe circularroutes we already have in BC and
some that we could have, shouldhave circular?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
routes we already have in BC and some that we
could have should have.
Well, one of the most popularcircular routes is on the South
Island.
Goes from Victoria up toCowichan and then over to the
Gulf Islands, so that's a verypopular route.
We have other larger circularroutes that are popular, mostly
with road bikers because theinfrastructure is not there for
(04:46):
the kind of riding that I like.
But yeah, loops are good butlinear is fun too.
Like the Okanagan Rail Trail isone of my favorites.
It goes from Kelowna to Vernonbut the Okanagan is getting very
, very connected all the wayalong.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
What does it take to connect these routes, because I
know, and I'm thinking aboutroutes that are not just for
people who are willing to bravethe highways.
But you mentioned the Cowichanto Gulf Islands route and I know
that there's a section on SaltSpring Island that's not
protected and maybe the lastsection of that route that isn't
.
Have you talked to those peoplein Salt Spring Island or
(05:25):
figured out what it would taketo make it all protected or
somehow more attractive toregular, safety conscious
cyclists?
Speaker 2 (05:34):
Definitely.
I'm really in contact with SaltSpring Island and they're very
excited to know that the CRD isplanning a route across Salt
Spring.
It's going to be a two-phaseroute.
It's going to be a two-phaseroute.
It's going to be one part donein one year and the next part
done in the next year and thatwill really close the gap on the
Three Ferries route, which is areally popular route on the
(05:55):
island.
Most people who live on theisland do that route at least
once or twice a year.
Now the big complaint is thedangerous riding across Salt
Spring Island.
But with the CRD planning toput in safe, separated cycling
across there, it's going to beone of the key routes in BC that
would be a circular route.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Say that near big centres of population that you
can point to, that.
Say, if we could just get towork on this, we could really
have a showcase example.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Well, the Sunshine Coast is working on the Connect
the Coast.
They have done theirpreliminary studies.
They know it's doable.
They're working on gettingfunding for their completed plan
and their vision is to connectthe Sunshine Coast from the
Langdale Ferry to the EgmontFerry, which will be a huge,
huge boost to cycle tourism forthe links that we have on the
(06:57):
South Island.
A lot of people like to do thatroute now, but they're mostly
road cyclists who are reallyconfident riding with big trucks
and cars not something that Icould ever do.
When the Connect the Coast safe, separated cycling route is
created, it will attract a lotmore visitors visitors like me
(07:17):
who like slow biking but it willalso connect the local
communities.
So again, we start with thelocals and then we move on to
connecting the communities.
It's going to be a fabulous,fabulous project.
Now they just need a little bitof funding.
Like a lot of funding.
Speaker 1 (07:33):
They actually need a lot of funding.
There are no shoulders on thatroute and you'd have to cut into
cliffs and stuff.
But what about the rail linefrom Squamish North to Prince
George that has recently beenabandoned?
There's the routes alreadythere.
Oh, my goodness what does ittake to turn that into a cycle?
Speaker 2 (07:53):
How many years have I driven up and seen that empty
train track?
It hasn't been used for acouple of years.
And I just think, if we had therail trail as a rail trail, as
an active transportationcorridor, well, I think more
than that.
I think it would provide egress, like they have done in the
(08:14):
Miller Creek Trail in Whistler.
That is emergency egress, andthis Sea to Sky Trail could be
emergency egress and also activetransportation.
I think, oh my goodness, itwould be a dream come true if
that happened.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
That's an interesting angle to think of these as
escape routes.
In the case of a forest fire,for example, which would be a
very big problem at Whistler andI know some people who've
already envisioned themselvesescaping on their e-bikes.
They've got extra batteries anda go bag ready and imagine a
(08:51):
lot of people streaming downthat railroad track and another
way to pitch it to justifyfunding as well.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
Well, I think it's a natural fit, and you know, but
some people want to get the railservice up and running, and if
that's a possibility, that wouldbe nice too.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
But if that is not a possibility, then I would be.
Oh, I couldn't wait to ridethat trail.
Well, that'll be an ongoingdebate, because that debate is
going on in the Vancouver Islandas well.
And do we give up on the trains, or do we try to accommodate
trains and cycles, or just makeit cycling?
Speaker 2 (09:24):
Well back to the island.
The E&N Rail Trail is just anatural spine for connecting
communities up and down theisland and will also be an
amazing cycle tourism draw, Iknow, and also someplace in
eastern US which you see assomewhat comparable to BC where
(09:54):
tell us in New Zealand whatthey've done and what the impact
has been on their economy?
Well, new Zealand.
We went on a bike ride about ayear and a half to New Zealand
and we were absolutely delightedwith what we found.
The cycling network there isabsolutely off the charts and a
real role model for us in BC.
Now, in 2002, they started withone rail trail in Otago by
2009,.
(10:14):
They were looking for somediversification away from the
mining industry, and so thegovernment seeded a $50 million
fund to grow cycle tourism,cycling and hiking tourism in
New Zealand.
Well now, fast forward to now,they have over 2,800 kilometers
of rides and their economy theircycle tourism economy is worth
(10:38):
$1 billion annually.
So for them that's a 1 to 20return on investment.
But beyond all the numbers, asa rider, the trails are fun,
they're accessible for all skilllevels.
They've solved gaps creativelywith shuttles, ferries,
suspension bridge, even a jetboat through part of the
Roxborough Gorge.
(10:58):
We just couldn't believe whatthey have done and are doing in
New Zealand, and we're soexcited about it.
We're actually going to go backnext year and see some of the
new connections that they havebuilt.
So we're pretty excited aboutthe role model that New Zealand
offers for BC.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Well, the fact that you want to go back there is a
pretty strong indicator thatthese are tourism attractors.
But you've also made the pointthat they work best for tourists
when they work for the locals.
Can you just describe why thatmakes sense?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
Well, I feel that you build first for the locals.
You can go right out your doorand connect to local trails,
either leisurely trails or liketransportation, active
transportation links.
I feel you should go right fromyour door and then, when we
have people who can go rightfrom our own door, then we can
(11:57):
invite others to come and visitour communities.
And then you start connectingcommunities and pretty soon you
have a cycle tourism network.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You start connecting communities and pretty soon you
have a cycle tourism network.
Now I expect that New Zealandhas a pretty active and
sophisticated marketing system.
If they've got that kind ofmoney flowing into the country,
what do they do to coordinatepromotion of all these routes?
Speaker 2 (12:19):
Oh, it's absolutely fabulous their marketing and
their infrastructure.
You can go and find any trailthat you want to explore.
You can find service providersfrom that website.
They make it fun.
All the trails have great namesthat make it really enticing.
The West Coast Wilderness Trailand their marketing is just
(12:40):
world class.
But we're doing similar kindsof marketing in BC.
We just have to get a littlebit more coordinated and really
promote what we actually have.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I think Colleen, what role do fondos and organized
events, bike festivals, if thereare any play in all of this?
Because I would think, forexample, there's a fondo in
Kimberley around the time of ourconference and I imagine there
will be hundreds of peoplecoming there, many of them from
out of town, because somebody'sorganized something for them.
(13:11):
Is that important?
Is that useful?
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Well, I think the events are hugely important.
The events and the bike parksbring a lot of cycle tourists to
BC.
I don't personally go in theGrand Fondo, but a lot of people
do and they're coming to BC.
They're saying, okay, I'm goingto do the Fondo, but what else
is here for cycling?
And you know, we had Crankworxin Whistler recently that brings
(13:34):
people from all over the world.
There's the BC Bike Race, eventhe slow food rides that we see
in communities.
These all showcase ourneighborhoods and they showcase
BC around the world.
So this is an important part ofour cycle tourism.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
I love those slow food rides.
I did one by Pemberton one timeand one around Chilliwack and
you get to stop and eat and justwatch cows getting milked and
find out about cheeses and beerand potato vodka and all this
kind of stuff.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Slow food rides are fabulous.
That's my favorite kind ofriding kind of writing.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Well, in some ways you're a one-person marketing
machine because you have writtenthree books about.
Your three books are all aboutBC.
Did I get that right?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Yeah, Vancouver first , Okanagan next and then, just
in the last two years, I wroteVancouver Island.
So I'll tell you somethingabout my books.
I wrote the book I wanted tobuy.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Ah, so domestic market first, and then the
outsiders will come and read it.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I wanted to know where I could go writing.
So I found out where I could gowriting and then I figured if I
needed a book to find, or a mapand a route and a book, then
other people might too.
And so I do my book writing andmy blog as my volunteer work.
It's not for profit.
Any money that is made frombook sales I put back into
(15:09):
cycling advocacy with donationsto BC Cycling Coalition Hub,
cycling and Trails BC and otherlocal groups.
So I really believe that youknow, it's just a way of sharing
the great things that we havehere in the cycle world.
Speaker 1 (15:26):
So if we wanted to promote cycle tourism, why don't
we just tell people to go buyyour books and go to your
website?
They're called let's Go Biking.
And are we done?
Is that it?
What more do we need to do?
Speaker 2 (15:35):
No, no, no, no.
There's so much more we coulddo.
Since I've written theVancouver book, there's been so
much infrastructure that's putin place that I am actually
working on a rewrite of that.
It takes a couple of years towrite a book, but I'm working on
a rewrite to show theconnections that we have.
I'll just give an example.
Out in Langley, I had astandalone ride here, a
standalone ride there, and nowLangley has built so many
(15:59):
connecting routes and trailsthat I'm going to be able to
link them all together.
So I'm excited about theprogress that we've made that I
see personally in the last 10years all over BC.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Well, I like that your books go out of date,
Colleen, because it means we'remaking progress.
Someone told me that Chilliwackis now laced with all sorts of
impressive bike trails.
Have you been there?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
Oh yeah, the Vedder Trail loop in Chilliwack is one
of my favorite rides.
They have many other connectingthe Canyon to Coast Trail,
which is one of the BC routesthat we're all working on here
in BC, has a great first sectionright there out of Chilliwack.
So yeah, I love the Chilliwackarea and Hope and Harrison and
(16:43):
Agassiz and Abbotsford Just getme excited on the great things
that we're doing here in theFraser Valley.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
And why can you tell us about how First Nations are
involved in these projects?
Speaker 2 (16:56):
Well, I am really excited about the First Nations
aspect of trails.
I'll give an example in Tofino,from Tofino to Euclid, the
First Nations there was givenfunding to create the
Upscheek-Tashee Trail whichconnects Tofino to Euclid and
honestly I think it is one ofthe best trails in the world.
(17:18):
The construction, the planningis just outstanding.
It's fun.
It's like riding awhoop-dee-doo ride.
If you haven't gone to Tofino,you better go, because it is an
amazing experience.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
I've wanted to do that.
We did a podcast with JosieOsborne, who's the former mayor
of Tofino, about that route andI haven't been on it but I'd
sure like to have you done any.
Tell us what you know about theGreat Blue Heron Way.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
Oh, I'm so excited about the Great Blue Heron Way.
This is Elder Ruth Adams fromthe Tawasin First Nations and
she's working together withTrails BC and First Nations, and
she's working together withTrails BC and a route has been
planned and now they're lookingfor funding to connect sections
of the route.
It's mostly on greenwaysthroughout BC and she's worked
extensively with the team fromTrails BC.
(18:07):
Leon LeBrun is one of the keypeople who have created the
route for the Great Blue HeronWay and now we're just looking
for some support from thegovernment, some encouragement,
some funding to get thisunderway.
This will be a fabulous drawfor people locally and from
(18:27):
around the world and the storiesthat they're telling along the
way.
That's the key thing.
Her vision was to connect FirstNations back together the ones
that have been severed byhighways and trains and things
like this and to provide a linkfor First Nations people, but
other people too, to tell thestories of the Stolo, the Salish
(18:50):
Sea and the islands.
I'm so excited about the GreatBlue Heron Way.
Speaker 1 (18:55):
How close is it to completion?
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Oh, no, no, Not close to completion.
They're at the mapping stageand the identifying stage.
Now we need some signage, weneed some encouragement, some
connections on something Likethe biggest drawback there is
the Delta Port how they havesevered the crossing from the
Tuasen over to the.
(19:19):
It used to be called BrunswickPoint, it's called Canoe Pass,
now named Ladner.
You know there's things likethat, that you know a pedestrian
bridge or a tunnel there couldquickly solve that problem and
allow the connection of thetrails.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Colleen, does your book just deal with trails for
road bikers?
Where do mountain bikers fitinto this?
Because I know there are a lotof somewhat more rugged or
demanding trails that will takeyou ever more places, and I know
the mountain bike situationseen in BC is so alive.
Do you tell people about or doyou see those as tourism
(19:54):
potential?
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Well, for me personally, most of the mountain
bike trails that are in bikeparks and things like that are
too difficult, so that wouldn'tbe my first choice of riding.
But it does have a very largedraw and a large cycle tourism
draw.
Mostly the kind of routes Ifind are easy, like Whistler
(20:15):
Valley Trail, around StanleyPark kind of thing, the Okanagan
Rail Trail.
I mostly look for the kinds ofrides that I can do and there's
a large market of I call themslow riders, slow bikers.
Speaker 1 (20:32):
Is there a municipality or region that you
think really gets it in BC andis showing the way for others to
follow?
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Oh man, there are so many.
The Galloping Goose and theLockside has been an amazing
accomplishment.
And that one for people whodon't know it goes from From
Schwartz Bay Ferry to Victoriaand then out to Souk, the
Galloping Goose.
Galloping Goose was one of ourfirst cycle tourism kinds of
(21:04):
routes and what I'm talkingabout there is the highest
searched route on my blog.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
Wow, so you are the data source on this.
I was just going to say do wehave data on how many people,
how many tourists let's talkabout tourists how many tourists
come and what they add to thelocal economy?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Well, I don't actually have the data on that.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
Well, your searches.
Wouldn't that be like some kindof data point?
Speaker 2 (21:30):
Yeah, Well, I'm just searching for rides that I would
like to ride.
Now I'll tell you a little bitabout my process on that.
I can't know where all therides are in the Okanagan or on
the island, because I'm notthere very often.
So what I did when I waswriting the books was connect
with the local groups.
Ribbons of Green in Vernon hasan amazing resource and I
(21:54):
connected with Ingrid Newmanfrom Ribbons of Green and
together we put Vernon on themap in terms of routes, and
they've done a lot since thebook was written and Ribbons of
Green has all the routes thatthey need.
Over on the island, in Comox, Imet with the group of riders
over there.
(22:14):
We did a lot of Zoom calls.
They would tell me their littlesecret routes and where they
like to ride and together withall these groups all over BC, I
found where the locals like toride.
So it started for me from thelocal base and then we invite
our neighbors and then maybefrom there we invite the world,
who knows?
Speaker 1 (22:34):
So, from a provincial point of view, other other than
you, who seem to be pulling alot of these people together,
who else, if anybody is, istrying to coordinate all this?
And maybe you can say somethingabout what you're planning to
do at the our conference inkimberly in september 10th to
12th, which will be happeningafter?
(22:55):
Some people will be listeningto this, so I'm not just using
this as a promo for theconference, but what needs to be
done to get beyond yourpersonal efforts to link people
together and show these roots tothe world.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Okay, well, I will tell you, most of the grassroots
level, or the wheels on theground level, want cycle tourism
here in our province because,like I say, we just want to go
out the door, we want to beclose, we want to just be able
to explore our communities, wewant to go and visit other
communities and connect withthem and then after that, as I
(23:28):
said, we would invite the world.
But what we need, the people inthe communities know what needs
to be done, they know what theyneed to enhance the gaps they
need to improve and they'reready to go.
They have their answers, butthey need some help with the
funding.
And this is where I believe thegovernment needs to step in,
(23:51):
like the New Zealand governmentdid, and create a board that
actually works to work with thelocal groups to create a cycling
network in BC.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
Who do you see being on that board?
Was it the Ministry of Tourism?
The Ministry of Transportationand Transit?
I don't know, somebody from theUBCM.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Well, yeah, all of those people need to be there.
We met on Salt Spring Islandwith Lana Popham At the time she
was the Minister of Tourism andSport and she was so
encouraging and so enthusiasticand said that you know they were
going to be doing some cyclingroutes, or at least signing some
cycling routes in time for FIFA.
(24:33):
But we haven't seen solidevidence of that yet.
So we're about a year out.
So maybe some miracle willhappen and those routes will be
at least signed and created.
But you know, we just reallyneed to work together, pull
together and make this happen,and I really feel the time is
right.
I feel that we have the marketfor it, we have the desire for
(24:58):
it, we have the need for it foractive transportation, and I
think we can do it.
Speaker 1 (25:04):
Can you just say what impact you think the upsurge in
e-bike use and ownership has onall of this?
Speaker 2 (25:13):
Absolutely humongous.
It's been a game changer, forfor myself.
I've been riding an e-bike forabout 10 years, and not so much
from a physical need but formore of an exploring need.
I can go farther, I can goplaces that I wouldn't be able
to go on just a regular bike,but it really opens up doors.
So, for example, there areroutes that I might have put in
(25:34):
my vancouver book initially, butthey were too hilly.
Well, now they're going in thenext book for sure, because now
they're great e-bike routes andI have seen so many people over
the years who have rediscoveredthe fun of cycle tourism or
cycling even in theirneighborhood.
With the advancement of e-bikesthey're just really opening up
(25:57):
possibilities.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Tell me if you know about any chambers of commerce
or tourism businesses that areactive on this, because I see
cycle tourism as getting beyondyour usual cyclist constituency
into an economic developmentzone that I would think would be
of some great interest tochambers of commerce destination
(26:21):
promoting organizations.
Do you see them stepping up?
Speaker 2 (26:28):
It's been my experience that most chambers of
commerce and tourism really arein favor of cycle tourism,
really are in favor of cycletourism.
My sense is they don't have themoney either and they're busy
supporting so many other aspectsof the tourism industry.
But I feel that cycle touristsjust add so much to the travel
(26:51):
in a community.
For one thing, they're out oftheir cars it's a slower pace.
You're stopping by more storesand restaurants and coffee shops
, wineries, this kind of thing.
They're out of their cars, it'sa slower pace.
You're stopping by more storesand restaurants and coffee shops
, wineries, this kind of thing.
When you're out and you're onthe ground.
And even businesses inVancouver have found, when a
cycle path goes in front oftheir businesses, like the ones
(27:13):
along Union Street, that theirbusiness has increased.
So my sense of it is withoutactual numbers to back that up
is that, yeah, absolutely,communities want a cycle tourist
.
A cycle tourist is a low-impact, high-economic-benefit type of
(27:34):
tourist.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Are there any provinces in Canada that are
setting an example, Because Iknow so often if somebody in a
policy or financialdecision-making position can see
it working somewhere, maybeeven visit there and see the
impact?
We've talked about New Zealand,but something closer to home
that we could sort of find iscomparable.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
Well, quebec started about 15 years ago doing exactly
what New Zealand has done overthe last few years, and their
routes now are connected routesover 5,000 kilometers all
throughout the province and it'sspilling into the bordering
area along Ontario.
(28:17):
Ontario now has what's calledthe Waterfront Trail which goes
on many sections of the GreatLakes, and they're also using
the same kind of fundinggovernment funding, government
support, government marketing.
That the Route Vert is doing soit makes for easy visiting.
That the route Baird is doingso it makes for easy visiting,
(28:38):
easy access, easy travel.
And this is why I'm saying Ireally feel the BC government
has a huge opportunity here toenhance cycle tourism and, let's
say, active transportationtourism.
So it's just one more componentto make to show BC off.
(28:58):
Bc is so amazing.
Let's just show it off indifferent ways.
Speaker 1 (29:03):
You've identified in some cases, businesses that grow
up to or have grown up toservice this not just hotels or
cafes, but actually people whotake guided tours or rent bikes
and can you talk a little bitabout that whole aspect?
Because that would both createjobs and investment, but it
(29:24):
would also make it easier fortourists.
They don't have to bring a bikeor perhaps research the routes,
they just go to some tour guideor store somewhere and off they
go, it's all figured out forthem.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
We'll have a great example of that.
Paul Taplin from Ireland saw BCas just a great place to show
off and he married a woman fromVictoria so they moved together
here and he had the vision totake people on tours.
So he started off just pickingpeople up at their hotel in
(29:57):
Vancouver, taking them over toLynn Canyon for a hike, telling
them about the trees and thewildlife and everything over
there.
Then he'd take them in hisshuttle van out to Pit Meadows
and take them for a cycle touraround Pit Meadows, have lunch
out at one of the localrestaurants and make a real day
of it, showing people an aspectof Vancouver that was different
(30:19):
than Gastown or Granville Islandor Stanley Park around the park
kind of loop.
And so he started about 10years ago and now he's grown
that business.
He takes people from all overthe world on cycle trips to
Vancouver Island, the Okanaganand the Kootenays, but more than
that trips to Vancouver Island,the Okanagan and the Kootenays,
(30:40):
but more than that he's fun andhe actually has become quite a
good friend of ours and we wentwith him on a cycle tour back to
his native Ireland and his momand dad helped drive the shuttle
van and we had a group of about15 of our friends along and we
just had the most fun.
Anyways, that's an example ofsomeone who saw the opportunity
here in BC and has grown into afantastic business and he offers
(31:03):
guided and self-guided toursand it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
You have mentioned that signage is important and
I'm thinking about quick wins.
I mean, it would be great tospend the $600,000 per kilometer
which I understand it wouldtake to take the E&N rail into a
fully functional cycle route.
But are there some quick winswith just better signage where
the routes are there but peoplejust don't know about them?
Speaker 2 (31:34):
Absolutely, and I feel that maps and signage are
our first thing.
We do Map signage and alsoputting a technology on an app,
just letting people know wherethey can go.
There was a little yellowsticker with a little black
(31:55):
arrow and that was enough for usto know we were on the right
track.
We weren't deviating from wherewe should be.
So signage can be simple orsignage could be more complex.
Now, when we look at the canyonto coast route, that starts out
well.
It continues throughout theLower Mainland.
You can see sections throughoutthe Lower Mainland, but the
start section out in Chilliwackhas great signage, a real nice
(32:19):
logo, and it's really clear whenyou're riding the route that
you're on the route.
So I think signage is one ofthe first things we could do to
make more routes accessible.
I just want to say somethingabout that too.
In New Zealand, they have agreat route called the Alp to
Ocean, so they start at MountCook and they go right down to
the ocean.
It's quite a few days.
You can ride this route or youcan do it in pieces if you like,
(32:41):
but they have signage all theway.
Now, this is not a designated,ready-to-go mop cycling trail.
This is a route, and so whatwe're talking about here in
creating cycling tourism in BCis not so much the actual
infrastructure like the OkanaganRail Trail, but signing a route
(33:01):
, but making sure along theroute that there are nice
shoulders and things like that.
So we could get started withsigned routes, I would think
next year.
Speaker 1 (33:12):
Colleen, you've done a great service to this province
and to this cause.
Well, you've done a greatservice to this province and to
this cause and I just have tocommend you for that and
encourage you to keep going, andI really would love to see you.
Your new book is about cyclingaround the world, is that right?
Yeah so then I would want to goto Albania or something.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
We've been to Albania I bet you have.
Yeah, so there are so manyplaces to ride around the world,
but you know we've got it heretoo and, uh, I just love making
maps.
I'm pretty excited to get goingon the cycle tourism bigger
maps to encourage people toconnect our communities and, uh,
(33:52):
and find their way around bcwould you be open to people
contacting you directly who wantto follow up on this?
Speaker 1 (33:59):
get more involved, do something in their area.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
Oh, absolutely, I get so many emails from people all
over the world.
In fact, I had someone fromdown in the southern states,
carolina I think, this morning,say I'm coming to the island,
would you help me decide whereto go?
I said, oh, absolutely, thatsounds like fun.
So, yeah, I am really keen.
I hear from people all over andI'm always glad to know that
(34:22):
they have found a fun place toride, walk or roll?
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Is there a role for a more institutionalized response
to those emails, like agovernment website or a I don't
know Velo BC website orsomething where people could go
and find out all this stuff?
Speaker 2 (34:43):
Well, I think we're going to do that on the BC
Cycling Coalition website,aren't we?
Speaker 1 (34:47):
Okay, let's do it.
Anything else you want to addor tell us about?
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Well, I'll just summarize by saying I truly
believe cycle tourism in BC isdoable, it's practical and it
pays off.
And I hope the government islistening because I think they
could have a nice profit segmentif they paid attention to the
cycle tourism which they aredoing with active transportation
(35:15):
.
But we could always do a littlebit more and then, once that's
in place, we're going to have toshare our story and then more
people will come to ourneighborhoods and more people
will come from internationalplaces.
And when people explore aroundand visit communities,
businesses grow, communitiesthrive and BC will become an
(35:38):
even better global cyclingdestination.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
Thanks, colleen.
You've been listening to BikeSense, an original podcast from
the BC Cycling Coalition.
If you like the podcast, we'dbe grateful if you could leave
us a rating.
On whatever platform you use,you can also subscribe, so you
(36:03):
don't miss future episodes.
If you have comments orsuggestions for future episodes,
email me at peterladner atbccyclingca.
Cyclingca.
(36:24):
You can help us amplify BCcycling coalition's voice by
simply becoming a free member atbccyclingca.
(36:46):
Thank you.
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