Hundreds of UBC cyclists participated in the fall edition of Bike to Work Week, a regional competition celebrating bike commuting across Metro Vancouver
UBC has once again been recognized with top honours as the winner in the Best in Higher Education and Best Workplace (1000+ Employees) categories for Bike to Work Week.
The bi-annual regional competition is organized by HUB, a non-profit organization established to improve cycling and get more people cycling more often in Metro Vancouver. The competition ran from October 23 – 29, 2017, with over 650 organizations and businesses participating.
Over the week-long event, 320 UBC cyclists on 75 teams logged over 21,000 kilometers (the distance of cycling across Canada from coast to coast 4 times!), saving 4,600 kg of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
“Participating in Bike to Work Week is a great way to get more out of your commute and enjoy fresh air, improved health and a lower carbon footprint,” says Charlene Ponto, Sustainability Engagement Lead and organizer of the event at UBC. “Collectively, our actions can make a big difference and add up when multiplied across campus”.
UBC Celebration Station
Over 350 staff, faculty, students and community members attended UBC’s Celebration Station, which was held on October 25th, at Lee Square outside the UBC Bookstore. Participants enjoyed free coffee, snacks, cycling resources, music by CiTR, and giveaways donated by local companies, including UBC Food Services, the UBC Bookstore, Planet Foods, and Mobi bike share.
The event also featured free registration with Project 529, an anti-bike theft and recovery service program. At the station, 22 bikes were signed up for the service, which helps to tackle bike theft on campus and across the region. UBC Campus Security also demonstrated the best types of locks to use to keep bikes safe.
The TransLink bike rack demo continued to be a popular attraction, allowing cyclists to practice putting bikes on the racks installed on the front of buses.
“I loved the bike racks to practice putting your bike on the bus without a busload of people watching you. I thought that was brilliant! A great resource for people to practice with,” mentioned Liz Hudson, a staff member with UBC Press and event attendee.
To help keep everyone’s bike in tip-top shape, mechanics from UBC’s student-run Bike Kitchen provided 18 free bike tune-ups during the event, as well as providing cycling information and resources to students, staff and faculty. “The Bike Kitchen is a great resource for advice if you are new to biking on campus,” adds Harmony Johnson, also with UBC Press.
The Celebration Station was designed to encourage all participants, ranging from avid cyclists to those pondering incorporating cycling into their routines. Hudson provided some tips for new riders, encouraging anyone who is interested in cycling to give it a try.
“The initial first few times may be a bit challenging, but after that it’s smooth sailing” mentions Hudson, “and you do feel so much more settled when you get to work and are able to think better. The days I don’t ride my bike, I feel like something’s off.”
Johnson adds, “If you don’t feel totally comfortable to start, I would suggest just riding one way, and put the bike on the bus on the way home. Just start with half a ride and see how it is to test the waters. Baby steps.”
Thank you to all the sponsors, supporters, volunteers, and cyclists who came together to make this event a huge success!
Top 10 UBC Teams
Learn More
UBC continues to promote active transportation across campus. Check out our resources below to help keep you cycling year-round:
- New and improved bike cages across campus are now accessible with your UBC staff or student card. Find a bike cage near you and register for free.
- Learn some cycling tips and resources for making your ride safer, including the location of pedestrian priority zones across campus.
- Learn about on-campus bike share programs and UBC's discounted memberships for Mobi by Shaw Go bike share in the City of Vancouver.