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Learn Who’s Making Biking Better Across Metro Vancouver

With more people cycling every day, here’s who pushed for the infrastructure to make a difference.

HUB Cycling 28 Feb 2023TheTyee.ca

A woman with long curly hair stands holds a wooden award next to a row of Mobi bikes parked along a Vancouver street.
Mia Kohout, general manager at the bike share Mobi by Shaw Go won a cycling champion of the year award at the 10th Annual HUB Bike Awards. Image via HUB Cycling.

There’s much to celebrate in terms of cycling achievements in Metro Vancouver. As we face new housing challenges and deal with record-breaking inflation, many Metro Vancouver residents save on their commutes by continuing to choose cycling as a preferred mode of transportation.

A lot has happened since local charitable non-profit HUB Cycling was founded in 1998, and started hosting the annual Bike Awards 10 years ago.

Separated bike lanes on Hornby and Dunsmuir streets in downtown Vancouver, as well as along the viaduct, were temporary infrastructure in 2012. Today, they are permanent routes for commuters on bikes. The Central Valley Greenway and Burrard Street Bridge bike lanes opened in 2009 — and they’re now both heavily trafficked by people cycling daily.

In 2013, Surrey committed to reaching all 100 elementary schools with in-school cycling education. With the exception of recently opened schools, HUB Cycling has proudly delivered programs to all of Surrey’s elementary schools.

Last week, HUB Cycling hosted its 10th Annual Bike Awards to celebrate the organizations and individuals that are making biking better across the Lower Mainland.

More than 400 people came together to hear how community members from Maple Ridge to government officials in Victoria worked to make cycling safer and more accessible in 2022.

Steve Tornes, creator of The Trip Diary, a podcast series about examining how we move through urban spaces emceed the event, and Colin Stein, author of Vanbikes, a blog on cycling advocacy, shared thoughts on making biking more accessible.

Fourteen elected officials from across the region shared their commitment to improving cycling within their communities, including Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, Transportation Minister Rob Fleming, Trade Minister Jagrup Brar, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth and Post-Secondary Education Minister Selina Robinson.

Here are some highlights of the individuals, municipalities and organizations from Metro Vancouver that took home awards for their recent cycling accomplishments.

Community volunteer Heather Drugge also won an award for her work as one of the founding members of the HUB North Shore committee.

To find out the full list of winners, you can watch HUB Cycling’s 10th Annual Bike Awards full event. To stay up to date on cycling related news and updates on this year’s events, follow HUB Cycling’s Facebook, Instagram @hubcycling and Twitter @WeAreHUB, or subscribe to their newsletter.

About HUB Cycling

HUB Cycling is a charitable not-for-profit that has spent over two decades removing barriers to cycling in Metro Vancouver, while cultivating the health, environmental and economic benefits that active transportation can bring.

HUB Cycling has educated thousands of people, motivated thousands more, and championed improvements that benefit people currently cycling and those that would like to. HUB Cycling’s mission is to get more people cycling, more often. For more information, visit their website. [Tyee]

This article is part of a Tyee Presents initiative. Tyee Presents is the special sponsored content section within The Tyee where we highlight contests, events and other initiatives that are either put on by us or by our select partners. The Tyee does not and cannot vouch for or endorse products advertised on The Tyee. We choose our partners carefully and consciously, to fit with The Tyee’s reputation as B.C.’s Home for News, Culture and Solutions. Learn more about Tyee Presents here.

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