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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
It’s been another fantastic year of cycling in Victoria and the Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society, with your support, has been a big part of that success. With over 20 years of shaping cycling in the city, we are proud to have celebrated another successful year with you, and we are now beginning to focus on some strategic shifts that will contin- ue the growth and interest in cycling.
This year we took a number of steps to create a year- round cycling culture in Victoria, and we will continue that trend in the years to come. Here are some of the highlights.
We ran another very successful and well-attended Bike to Work week event (May 29-June 5) promoting the fun side of cycling. Everyone loves Celebration Stations, and we added to the fun with a very cool blender bike that made smoothies using pedal-power.
We introduced allowing organizations to host their own Celebra- tion Stations. Our wonderful sponsors asked for this program and we created something very exciting. Next year your organization might also like to organize and host its own Celebration Station!
We built up our Fall celebration of cycling by extending the Fall Bike to Work Days, running extra days and extra Celebration Stations.
We introduced registration for individuals. You can be part of a team as before, but there are many who want to track their individ- ual distance, which you can now do through our website. And if you’re part of a team you can now enter your own data if you wish!
Road and trail safety is everyone’s top priority, and although you may have been cycling for many years or just got back to it, or you are concerned for your children begining a life-long cycling adventure, we have courses to build con dence and increase safety. We o er lunch-hour refresher courses for you and your colleagues as well as day-long sessions and school and summer camp visits.
In 2017 we expect to make many more changes that will give every- one the opportunity to experience cycling in this beautiful city. You are a key part of the change: Who might you be able to invite? Enjoy the Yearbook and join me in thanking all our sponsors and all our riders for helping to shape the future of cycling in Victoria.
Andrew Cripps
Commuter cycling in Greater Victoria has become a mainstream commuting option since the rst Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week in 1995. Since then, bicycle commuting trips in our region have increased exponentially, and cycling infrastructure to support this growth has improved immensely. The Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society is proud to have played a vital role in both.
I’m amazed at the number of people I meet who tell me that the promotion of Bike to Work Week is the reason they tried cycling
to work for the rst time. They also tell me that they enjoyed the experience so much that they have continued to cycle regularly, whether they are still in the workforce or not! Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week has been responsible for over 14,000 individuals trying commuting to work by bike for the rst time over the past 22 years, including the 1,102 rst time riders in 2016!
Of course, this would not be possible without the support of our incredible sponsors who provide the cash, food, refreshments, prizes and other goods and services that allow our activities to take place. Thanks also to the many volunteers who donate their time, including team leaders, set up and take down crews, and those who operate all the Celebration Stations that take place during the year. This year, thanks to sta members Lise Richard, Amelia Potvin and Marsha Petty-Johnson who did a superb job taking care of all the details
of event and prize coordination, including the third annual Online Auction. Huge thanks also to John Holland who again volunteered
a substantial amount of time helping with photography, team leader seminars, one-hour bike safety workshops, and, volunteering at nu- merous Celebration Stations. Also, thank you to Tom Sutton and Joan McIntosh, who for many years have volunteered thousands of hours providing t-shirt designs, Yearbooks and many other critical materials.
As I move on once again to enjoy my retirement, the Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society will be in good hands, with Amelia Potvin taking on the Executive Director’s responsibilities. Plans for 2017 are well underway, including Bike Skills Education, Bike to Work Week and Bike to Work Days. Amelia and her team will take the lessons learned from past years and build on our previous success.
It has been a privilege to serve you all once again. Thank you for making the Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society so very, very special.
Frank Hudson
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