GoByBike Week is a province-wide cycling initiative to encourage folks to feel comfortable biking to work, school or just for fun. SHIFTING YOUR MODE is the theme, meaning choosing to bike instead of taking motorized transport to get around.
This year’s events are hosted by Qathet Regional Cycling Association (QRCA) and sponsored by local businesses. The cycling event launched May 29, with a memorial ride and scholarship give-away at Duck Lake, which drew 74 cycling participants, their biggest public ride yet.
“Last night's ride was in honour of Ron Diprose, or Dipper, a passionate outdoorsman, founder of Powell River Cycling Association who was instrumental in the creation of multi-use trails for cyclists and walkers around the qathet region,” said QRCA director of active transportation Chris Lightfoot. “Each year, in memory of Dipper, the Ron Diprose Memorial Scholarship is awarded to a graduating grade 12 student who is going into ecology, forestry, environmental science or ecotourism; the lucky winner of this year’s scholarship was Lachlan Reed.”
Lightfoot would like to see safer places for people to ride their bikes in the region, such as physically separated or protected paths, and traffic calming [depending on the nature of the road].
“We [QRCA] would like to see the Powell River Bicycle Network Strategy 2021 implemented as part of the sustainable community plan,” said Lightfoot.
“It’s a matter of funding these improvements."
With more folks riding e-bikes and using other forms of active transportation, he sees the community as being open to the idea of creating a safer network of bike and multi-use paths through the city and region.
As for now, this week is about having fun riding a bike, and possibly winning a prize, by visiting a local celebration station and logging kilometres online. The next GoByBike celebration station will be at Monks on Marine from 4 to 6 pm on Wednesday, May 31, culminating at a cycling gathering at Townsite Brewing, called Pizza for Bikes, on Friday, June 2, from 4 to 6 pm.
To find out more, go qrca.ca and/or GoByBikeBC.ca
