Triggering lights in Oak Bay

It does not seem to be widely known by motorists or cyclists that cyclists can trigger lights intersections or that many intersections are set up with this equipment. These triggers (called inductive loop detectors) are designed to set off an advanced left turn light or simply a green light. Sometimes they don't work because of a malfunction, but most often they don't work because the cyclist has no idea where to position his or her bike in order to activate the trigger. 


A painted symbol on the road lets cyclists know where to position their bikes, but without that, many would not know that this option exists. Some might simply venture out into the intersection without bothering to wait for the light to turn—an obviously unsafe and unwanted situation. 


In Oak Bay recently, a member of the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, set out to discover which intersection inductive loop detectors were working and which were not. He checked out eight intersections and found some worked and some did not. The results of his survey can be seen here. 


The survey results were presented to the municipal engineering department recently, which agreed that the intersections needed attention. Oak Bay staff are now painting bike symbols at all triggered intersections to indicate the correct place to position your bike. The Active Transportation Advisory Committee is pleased with the cooperation that took place on this item and invites all cyclists to watch for and test Oak Bay's newly painted intersections over the next few weeks and let us know how this the inductive loop detectors are working. 

a little cycling tourism please

Not long ago, while at an Oak Bay Council meeting, I heard the mayor comment—based on his observation some weeks earlier of a large group of bikes parked at Ottavio's—that we should give more thought to the economic benefits of cycle tourism.


This is a topic I have been curious about ever since I attended a conference that my husband helped to organize in Victoria last year. While there, I struck up a conversation with an attendee from Seattle; he had his bike with him and was planning to go for a ride the next day but didn't seem to know any good routes. Neither the conference organizers nor the hotel had thought to include cycling-related information in the registration packages. This is not a good sign for a region that considers itself to be Canada's cycling capital. 


So with both encounters in mind, I went looking for information. Turns out that the economic benefit of cycling is not a new concept, but it is certainly drawing more attention these days. 


One Cycle (an international cycling non-profit organization) says that cycle tourism received little attention in the past because vendors assumed that tourists with bikes were not wealthy enough to target; other service providers, such as transit operators, thought cyclists were a hassle. 


These perspectives have started to change with the retirement of the baby boom generation. They are for the most part healthy and/or looking for ways to stay healthy, and—guess what!—cycling, it turns out, is a big draw. According to a One Cycle study, cycling tourists have more money/higher incomes than most tourists. They are realizing that bikes are both good for their health, and a good way to explore the country


Another study, by Bike on Tours Consulting in Ontario, concluded that there are several things that help attract cyclists to an area, including the following:  

• bicycle-friendly streets and paths, wide enough for bicycles and other users
• access to scenic roads, natural areas, waterfront, cultural and historic attractions
• good restaurants
• accommodation with a hearty breakfast, either provided or nearby
• bicycle repair shops and other interesting stores
• adequate and secure bicycle parking
• theatre, music and arts festivals
• route maps and effective advertising

Oak Bay has the scenery, bike shops, restaurants, and interesting stores, but needs to make some focused efforts if it is to become a full-fledged biking destination. Can we do it? What else do we need? How do we engage Tourism Oak Bay in making this a priority?

I wanted a car; I got a bike

When I turned 16, I wanted a driver's licence and a car. What I got instead was a bike and a suggestion that I find a job. To the surprise of everyone, myself included, I actually rode that bike—admittedly not often, since my high school was 12 kilometres away. 


Sadly, regular physical activity has become increasingly difficult to achieve for adults and children alike. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity is now the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (WHO, 2010). 


Governments, politicians, and health officials around the world are struggling to find ways to combat this trend. For example, in Melbourne Australia, 55.3% of young people walked to school or higher education in 1970, compared with 22.2% in 1994. Parents' fear about road safety is one of the contributing factors.  


Interestingly, when we moved to Oak Bay, our son decided that he wasn't ready to change schools. We gave him a bike and told him he had to get himself to school—we were not driving. The most dangerous part of his daily commute? Riding past the local school, which was clogged every morning with cars dropping off children. 


Active lifestyles can start at any age but it sure helps to start off young. I credit my parents active use of the word "no" ("we are not driving") to my walking and cycling habits today. 

Oak Bay adopts Complete Streets

Oak Bay Committee of the Whole was unanimous on June 18th in approving the Complete Streets policy put forward by the Active Transportation Advisory Committee. The policy now goes to Council for final approval. 


Complete streets are streets, trails, and multiple use paths that work for everybody from 8 to 98. 


Oak Bay now joins a number of other municipalities in the region—Saanich, Esquimalt, Victoria, Colwood, View Royal, and Langford, as well as hundreds of cities across Canada and the USA—in taking a progressive approach to active transportation planning. 


Here is the link to the presentation that the ATAC made to Council.

Secret Passageways of Oak Bay

Did you know there are a couple of dozen unmarked, mostly paved pathways throughout Oak Bay? These pathways link to destination areas such as Mt. Tolmie (3), Camosun College, UVic, the Uplands, beaches and neighbouring streets. 

Secrets of the city: Brighton passageway

Unlike the Oak Bay Trails map, which mainly suggests walking routes on typical streets, the Secret Passageways of Oak Bay are for walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and other non-vehicular travelers looking for real trails and paths – ones that take you on rambles and shortcuts and provide additional views of our community. 

The passageways are located throughout Oak Bay—from the north Henderson area, the Uplands, Estevan area, around the Oak Bay High School and Rec Centres, and throughout south Oak Bay.   

But do they really need to be so secret? Some of these public accesses even look like private driveways. Do you support adding signage to mark these public passageways?

Know of any that we’ve missed? If you have photos of additional secret trails in Oak Bay, email activeoakbay@gmail.com and we’ll update the photo gallery.

- Lesley Ewing

Urban bushwhacking not required

There is more to our built environment than streets. There are also sidewalks and pathways—both highly important in the efforts to making our urban areas accessible and inclusive. (Vancouver comes to mind in their efforts to reduce barriers to walking as part of their overall strategy of creating alternate transportation options.)

Take a look at this view of Elgin Street in Oak Bay. Between the overgrown bushes and telephone poles, half the sidewalk is missing. Pedestrians and anyone pushing a stroller or using a walker or scooter would have a hard time here. Two people couldn't walk comfortably together; if one was pushing a stroller and the other wasn't, someone would have to step out into the street to pass through this area. 

Machete needed to walk on Elgin Street

Removing barriers that get in the way of people of all ages and mobility is not only important, it is part of making active transportation choices (such as walking) feel safe, convenient, and comfortable. Bushwhacking is not!

Is being active also economic?

The other day, I walked to the bank. On my return home, I decided to try a different route. I ended up going past a little neighbourhood store I hadn't previously seen. I had a lovely conversation with the owner, bought some food I hadn't been planning to buy, took his card, and sent a note around to friends in the area telling them about my find. 

So was my experience part of the economic benefits of active transportation? Have a look at the website for the Population Health Improvement Research Network based at the University of Ottawa. CHNET hosts free weekly fireside chats—aka "webinars". 

Coming up on July 6th is a discussion on the economic benefits of active transportation, described as an important part of the toolbox used to make communities healthy and liveable. 

By the way, part of encouraging active transportation is having a "complete streets" policy that says, in effect, that decisions regarding streets must be inclusive. That means inverting the pyramid and thinking about street usage first from the perspective of pedestrians, cyclists, and public transportation.


Okay, here in Oak Bay, we may not be the first to think about this stuff. Turns out that most of the other municipalities in the region—such as Langford, View Royal, Esquimalt, and Saanich—already have a complete streets policy. But we may be able to catch up, if citizens make their voices heard.