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We are HUB. We make cycling better through advocacy, education and celebration. More cycling means healthier, happier, more connected communities. We're leading the way in making cycling an attractive choice for everyone. Each month V.I.A. provides a platform for us to bring you something awesome involving cycling in the city! |
Hub has been out in force all week hosting Celebration Stations for all you cyclists out there enjoying your commutes. There has already been a lot of great prizes given away and even more kilometers recorded. In just three days over 4100 participants have logged over 217,479km!!
BTWW is not just about the cyclists out in droves though, it is also about showcasing some great local businesses that support cycling in the area. We have more sponsors than we can count as well as numerous businesses that are hosting their own commuter stations. I stopped by one of these on Wednesday to say hi to Boyd of The Wilder Snail, an Organizational Member and long time supporter of HUB. While watching the cyclists gobble up some homemade chocolate chip cookies (his mom’s recipe) I decide to take a moment to chat with Boyd about his cycling habits and just why it is that he is supporting cycling.
What sort of biking do you do?
I've been an avid cyclist for the last 30 years of my life. I've always ridden my bike to work but for the last 4 years having this shop I have less than a one minute walk to work. I still ride my bike to pick up the pastries, bread and various other supplies for the store on a daily basis. I have a car free lifestyle. I love getting out on my bike and often running into friends and customers on the bike routes.
Why do you bike?
I like being outside, I feel more connected with nature, with the environment, with the other people who are on the bike, be it pedestrians, cyclists or cars, when you're on your bike it's easier to connect with people. It's social, good exercise and a chance to be outside.
What is it about HUB that you like to support?
I've know a few people involved with HUB and they are always happy friendly people as many cyclists tend to be so having personal connections is nice.
I'm also a big fan of cycling advocacy. It's great to see all the changes that have been happening in Vancouver with the new bike lanes. There is often conflict between different transportation modal users and I think it's important to advocate for diplomacy between the different users and HUB does just that.
How is it that The Wilder Snail caters to cyclists?
I run commuter celebration stations during BTWW, this is the 5th or 6th one we have had in the last 4 years. I really enjoy taking this opportunity to bake some cookies and chat over coffee with the cyclists on their way home.
I also hassled the city to get these 2 bike racks installed in front of the shop. I believe a convenience store should have the necessities for cyclists so we have patch kits and inner tubes in all the major sizes and valve types. I also have a floor pump that is being made use of by my neighbour right now.
Earlier you mentioned to me that you are an engineer with some ideas for bike power in your cafe, can you explain that a bit more.
I've had this idea for I don't know how long that if you're in a cafe and working on your laptop it would be really cool if you could generate that electricity yourself. So at a Vancouver Design Nerds Open Jam back in January I pitched the idea for a pedal powered cafe counter. I got some really good ideas and feedback and put together a few proposals. I’m still waiting to hear back from one but I do already have a smaller grant from the Vancouver Foundation. So my new summer project will be to put in a station where you can sit and pedal and generate power to do things like charge your cell phone or power your laptop.
Thanks Boyd, hopefully we'll be seeing you at our Bike to Work Week Wrap-Up Party, Friday June 1st, 4:00 to 7:00pm at the Olympic Village Bird Plaza.
Not everyone may be able to install pedal powered stations at their workplaces but after such a great BTWW you may have some ideas freshly brewing regarding improvements that could be made to your building and/or workplace to facilitate cycling to work. Why not take advantage of HUB's newest program - Bikeability Assessments?! We will come to your office to assess the space and office culture to see what's working well, what could use improvement and how to become a truly "bikeable business". Vancouver and Surrey based businesses are eligible for discounts, sign up now and you could potentially win an award recognizing your business' bikeability. Please contact us at b4b@bikehub.ca for more information.
For more information on becoming an Organization Member or getting involved in Businesses for Bikes please visit bikehub.ca.
