E&N now on track
A third phase of a new trail is in progress. The E&N trail will connect downtown Victoria to Goldstream Park at the western edge of the capital region.
Phase One saw the paving of the Galloping Goose in View Royal and Colwood where the Goose and E&N are close. Commuters targeted by the E&N project get a clean and quick bypass around tougher sections of the rail corridor and Colwood bumps up its trail a level for local travelers.
Phase Two: Langford awaits unfunded next steps: E&N Langford
Phase Three: Three new bridges will anchor the new trail at key crossings between Victoria and View Royal. Trestles will be at Hereward at the Esquimalt border, alongside the Trackside Gallery, over Helmcken and at 4 Mile Hill.
What a bridge can be: Greenway Bridge
Media
Had some email from a media person in Quebec asking for help. He wanted a scenic route, was looking at taking some ferries, and asking about riding to Tofino. All this and he’s bringing along T.V. cameras. Let’s see what I’ve got for scenery for starters: A break from the ride
Travel media covers
Victoria & Vancouver c.1936.
Even then, it looked like there were more bikes on the road here in Victoria.
Engineers’ Corner:
On the road again. One or another task, conference, or holiday will get me on the road. 2009 wrapped up with my mileage somewhere around the 4,500–5,000 km mark. One of my 20-year-old or so bike computers went through its final crashes. Give or take a few thousand clicks, the computer at least had 75 km on my current rig, after a few years of service on its predecessor.
The significance of the mileage is worth a thought or two. I’m using numbers I found in Bicycling Magazine in 1988 for a cyclist of my weight (don’t ask) and my average speed. I figure my fuel budget at about 20/1 (20 calories per kilometer). Give or take, it’s about 100,000 calories a year. More bakeries, fewer gas stations.
Last year I ate my way to:
in Vancouver, Canada Line bike and pedestrian bridge
New green lanes around downtown Portland:
Trails with rails in Nanaimo:
Maps:
‘Haven’t done this trail, but Port Alberni—the gateway to the west coast of the Island by boat or by road—is home to the 20 km (give or take), dirty, off-road “Log Train Trail”.
E&N: Examples far and near
E&N: Fresh pavement
2.8 km of new asphalt has stirred up a little angst among some cycling buddies. The asphalt covers the Galloping Goose from the Atkins Rd. parking lot—a crossroads of the Goose—west to Wale Rd. in neighbouring Colwood where a stretch of on-road bike lanes will carry E&N trail users back to the rail line further west in Langford. The trail does lose some of its rustic character, but supports regional objectives to grow commuter cycling.
Fresh trail in Langford gives the suburbs their own piece of the project and, closer to town, trail bridges have been tendered and construction should start soon. Here are glimpses of the changing face of the Galloping Goose and the first new pieces of the E&N rail with trail.
Park your bike:
You can stop right there for one (1) only, Lighthouse Beer, at the 6 Mile Pub. It’s the oldest in BC and they’ll give you a bike lock if you don’t have one. Says so right here:
Ghosts of Christmas past:
I'm too late to promote the Christmas Lights Ride, but the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition has been doing it for 11 years now. It’s in memory of local cyclist Terry van Fleet, struck down by a drunk driver in 1998. The memory is painful, but the ride is a more joyful celebration to remind drivers to watch for cyclists in all seasons. We’re out there in any weather.
A local shop, Riders Cycles, is pushing weather preparations in their latest newsletter.
Polo Scores in Victoria
Newly emerging cycling subcultures are adding colourful fun to Victoria’s local scene. Bicycle polo jockeys from Vancouver, Edmonton, and who knows where else around the U.S. Pacific Northwest, took over the local lacrosse courts of nearby Esquimalt to appropriate the sport of kings and generate repair business for local bike shops. Check out the action
Dear John,
Would you please send me any information you might have on road cycling events / tours on Victoria Island? (I’m sure she meant Vancouver Island, but since the question came from North Carolina, I’ll forgive a little unfamiliarity with local place names.) I am planning a trip to your area in fall of 2010.
-Kathleen
Building the calendar:
Actually, I’m happy when people don’t quite get the geography yet. It gives me something to talk about when I answer their emails and, once they’ve heard a little more, a bike trip to the Island usually becomes even more appealing.
Dates aren’t set for many 2010 events, though the always popular
“Grape Escape” bike ride for the MS Society will celebrate its 10th Anniversary with a ride on August 14 and 15.
Walk:
The Blue Whale project is steps away from downtown Victoria. Open houses are coming January 23 and a couple of more dates in February before the reconstructed skeleton heads to Vancouver. Blue Whale
Our Walking Map will help you find your way.
Parting Shot:
Phyllis, from the Squamish First Nation, and Layla, from Russia, are key to making roads safer for cyclists. Happy Flaggers
Many thanks to our sponsors...
Lighthouse Breweries Found in pubs and restaurants across Vancouver Island and select locations on mainland BC. Also available in
6-pac cans in liquor stores, cold beer and wine stores.
Schwalbe tires, Some fresh rubber will fit well on the bombproof wheels Fairfield Bicycle Shop put together for my Kona. Logged more than 5,000 km last year, mostly working, mostly on Schwalbes. Thanks for the support.
And, Cottage Pirouette Cyclist friendly accommodation near the heart of Victoria.
Cycling + Walking Matters is also sponsored by, indvidual donations from friends of Cycling and Walking.
Cycling + Walking Matters is written by John Luton.