A thank you to the Bike Kitchen

The purpose of this project is to help promote commuting to UBC via bicycle. This requires that the blog actually be seen and utilized. So in an effort to do this I contacted the UBC Bike Kitchen to see if they would be willing to add a link to my blog on their blog site. They were more than willing to do this and even offered to help me with any gear that I might need. I’d like to thank them for assisting me in this project and kindly offering anything I might need to make my riding experience more enjoyable.

 

Here’s a link to their blog:

http://thebikekitchen.com/blog/

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  1. I biked home (Richmond) from UBC last year, pretty enjoyable experience. Sometimes you even beat the 480, which gets stuck in traffic.

    Nowadays, I’m on a work term in downtown, so I’ve been biking home from there. 1 hour trip. More people need to do this man.

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the 6th/7th/8th mess!

Start: N. Grandview highway and Commercial Drive

End: UBC

Time to UBC: 42 minutes                Distance: 14.8 km

Time to return: 37 minutes           Distance: 14.6 km

Safety: 4 stars

Difficulty: moderate

Route: N. Grandview highway -> Woodland -> B.C. Parkway/7th -> St. George st. -> 6th -> Yukon -> 7th -> Yew -> 8th -> Blanca -> University Blvd

This route was all over the map! I followed bike routes on the north side of Broadway street as a comparison to the 10th route, but didn’t like it nearly as much. One of the biggest difficulties was the amount of undulation during the first portion of the ride. Usually it’s nice to ease into a long ride like this, but that wasn’t the case. I especially didn’t like the portion between Clark and Cambie. This part required had many elevation changes and forced me to alternated between 7th and 6th quite frequently which broke up my ride due to multiple turns and stops. The ride did get better however after Cambie st. where I was able to ride along 7th quite easily and then get on to 8th at Yew. From a safety perspective I felt pretty at ease for most  of the ride. The most notable safety hazard was when I was riding between Main and Cambie along 6th, as there quite a bit of north-south traffic as well as Yukon being a busy street to transfer back to 7th.

The ride back was much more enjoyable and was comparable to taking the 10th route home. So if you are someone that likes to commute next to broadway, this route is a good alternative return route instead of 10th.

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On Campus Facilities

Possibly the greatest struggle with biking to school is the actually bike storage, appropriate clothes, and transporting all your school supplies. I was very fortunate in this regard as I was able to use my dad’s office who is currently on sabbatical. This meant that I could keep extra clothes at school and keep my bike safely locked up. However there are some great options at UBC that can make your biking experience manageable.

1.) Bike storage

Most of the building around campus have bike racks that allow you to lock-up your bike. This certainly a quick and easy option if you aren’t to concerned about your bike, or if you have quality locking systems.

Another options is to obtain free access to the UBC secure bike storage facilities located around campus. This requires you to fill out a form that is required to be dropped off at the UBC Bike Kitchen/UBC Bike COOP located in the SUB. The link for the form is given below:

http://trek.ubc.ca/files/2011/09/Consent_Form_Sept_2011.pdf

If you are still apprehensive about either of these options then there are private bike lockers that can be rented for $10.00 per month (includes a $35.00 deposit). The link to apply for these lockers is provided below:

http://planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/transportation-planning/transportation-options/cycling/bicycle-lockers

 

2.) Lockers

One of the troubles with riding to school is the limit to how much stuff you can pack to bring out (the heavier your bags the harder the ride). You may decide that it is good to have a locker on campus that allows you to have spare cloths on campus or keep some of your textbooks just to lighten the load when you’re commuting. If you’re interested in renting a locker for the semester there are different sizes available through the Student Recreation Centre. Rates and locations can be found at the following link:

http://www.recreation.ubc.ca/locker-rentals/

 

3.) Showers

For those of you who get a little overheated on your ride to school taking a shower might be necessary for both you and your classmates. Probably the easiest place to do this is the Student Recreation Centre directly across from the Bird Coop. If you are going to get a locker this is one of the locations you might choose to make things more easy with keeping towels and toiletries.

 

4.) Bike repairs

The UBC Bike Kitchen/COOP is a great spot on campus to take your bike if you have any problems. The staff there are very friendly and always willing to help with any issues. They even offered to provide me with some gear for this project! Here’s a link to their websites:

http://thebikekitchen.com/

http://bikecoop.ca/

 

 

 

 

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10th/8th (the express route)

great view from 8th Avenue

 

Start: 10th and Commercial

End: UBC

Time to UBC: 40 minutes                Distance: 14.3 km

Time to return: 32 minutes           Distance: 13.6 km

Safety: 4 stars

Difficulty: easy to moderate

Route: 10th and Commercial drive -> trafalger -> 8th -> Blanca -> University Blvd

This was the fastest route by far! It is also a great spot to start if you decide you have to skytrain to broadway and are tired of taking the cramped B-line. The route is very straight forward and doesn’t feature many elevation changes until you get to Alma. Compared to the hill on 4th, the hill on 8th was easier and more enjoyable as there were some great views of the North Shore mountains and downtown Vancouver. I also though that University Blvd was easier and safer compared to Chancellor Blvd. The only time that I felt unsafe during the ride was at many of the intersections along 10th, as there were quite a few roundabouts that did not have stop signs. So if you do decide to take this route be sure to be alert passing cross streets.

As for the ride home, the time speaks for itself. University Blvd is an easy ride followed by a downhill segment on 8th all the way to Alma (reached speeds of 45 km/hr). The rest of the ride is fairly flat and easy.

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False Creek 2

Start: Victoria & Adanac

End: UBC

Time to UBC: 50 minutes                Distance: 18.3 km

Time to return: 55 minutes           Distance: 18.3 km

Safety: 3 stars

Difficulty: moderate

Route: Adanac -> Seawall (south side) -> Seaside route through Kitsilano -> Balsam -> Point Grey Road -> 4th Avenue -> Chancellor Blvd -> UBC

For comments on the seawall portion of this ride see the False Creek tab. The only difference with this ride was that instead of biking along Jericho Beach, I took a left (after passing the royal yacht club) and got on to 4th Avenue. This was a bit risky I found, as  the traffic is fairly heavy in this hill and there is not a designated lane for bikers (although there is quite a bit of space and has marking for cyclists). Once you reach the turnoff for NW Marine Drive, you must cut across a lane to cross the lights to the bike lane going up 4th. I found this section rather dangerous and wouldn’t recommend this portion of the ride. Once past NW marine drive turnoff, the hill is quite safe, but long. I would prefer to ride up the hill on NW marine drive as that one is steep, but short lived. The 4th hill is long, drawn out, and fairly unenjoyable. At the top of the hill 4th turns into Chancellor Blvd which is also a dangerous section if you choose to remain on the road (there is a bumpy bike path on the south side of the road). All in all I would prefer the scenic and arguably easier ride along NW marine drive.

the long road ahead (4th avenue hill)

mid-hill selfie…having a hard time

 

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False Creek

Start: Victoria & Adanac

End: UBC

Time to UBC: 50 minutes                Distance: 18.6 km

Time to return: 52 minutes           Distance: 18.9 km

Safety: 5 stars

Difficulty: easy

Route: Adanac -> Seawall (south side) -> Seaside route through Kitsilano -> Balsam -> Point Grey Road -> Jericho Beach -> NW Marine Drive -> UBC

With my brother in town from the States this week I only managed to bike once to school this week, but what a great ride it was! The false creek route is for anyone that wants an easy, laid back ride out to UBC. Biking along the seawall takes traffic out of the equation as well as frequent stops from traffic lights. There are portions of the seawall that are a little bit rough, and depending on the time of the day there can be many pedestrians sharing the seawall with you, although most of the route has a designated side for biking. The ride along Jericho and Spanish banks was enjoyable as always with the challenging hill up to UBC to finish the ride (the only big climb of the ride). I would certainly recommend this ride for those who aren’t in a rush to get t school.

See false creek 2 for the same route except taking 4th up to UBC rather than NW Marine Drive.

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Passing Vancouver’s Stadiums

 

Start: Victoria & Adanac

Finish: UBC

Time to UBC: 47 minutes                   Distance: 17.3 km

Time to return: 46 minutes             Distance: 17.4 km

Safety: 4.5 stars

Difficulty: easy

Route: Adanac -> Pacific Street -> Burrard Street Bridge -> Cypress -> Balsam -> Point Grey road -> Jericho Beach -> NW Marine Drive

This was the second ride of the project, but I can see it being one of my favourites. Instead of jumping on the Georgia viaduct at main street I continued along Pacific Street through downtown. The route takes you behind B.C. Place and Rogers Arena before going through Yaletown to the Burrard Street Bridge. There was a designated bike line almost the entire way. The only time that the route was ambiguous between Richards Street to the Bridge. After this I learnt from my previous mistake of biking along Cornwall and decided to turn right on Cypress after to bridge to take a leisurely ride through the back streets of Kitsilano Beach and then through the park to Balsam Street. From here I continued down Point Grey Road which was very enjoyable with the changes to the street organization including a planned bike lane. I then continued on like my first ride (see A ride through downtown) to UBC.

What I liked the most was that there were few elevation changes. The route was also very safe.

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A Bike Through Dowtown

Start: Victoria & Adanac

Finish: UBC

Route: Adanace -> Georgia viaduct -> Dunsmuir -> Hornby -> Burrard Bridge -> Cornwall -> Balsam -> up Trafalger to seaside bike route along 3rd Avenue -> Jericho Beach -> Along Spanish Banks -> Up the hill of NW Marine Dr to the Chan Centre

Time to UBC: 55 minutes                        Distance: 17.8 km

Time to return: 50 minutes                   Distance: 18.6 km

Safety: 4 stars

Difficulty: intermediate

The first ride is complete! I started by trying one of the bike routes through downtown and then finishing through kitsilano and NW Marine Drive. The ride went very smooth until reaching the Hornby Street bike lane. Travelling North to South I found that you were working against the lights and often had to stop at every intersection. Other than it being great to have a separated bike lane through downtown, I would probably try and avoid travelling South on this route. Going through Downtown also requires you to ascend and descend adding difficulty due to elevation changes.

Once at Pacific Street the route become a little complicated. You have to turn right on Pacific street and cross Burrard Street at the pedestrian crosswalk before getting on the correct side of the bridge. After crossing the bridge there is currently construction going on where the road diverges to Cornwall and Burrard Street. This includes the addition of a bike lane that is not yet complete which will be great. I tried riding down Cornwall, but I found it very tight with the traffic so I ducked into the park before getting to Balsam Street. It then went up Trafalger Street and followed street signs on to 3rd Street. This was unnecessary as point grey road has now been made a bike route.

Jericho was a relaxing ride, but is gravel and requires proper tires. This leads to NW Marine Drive along Spanish Banks (also nice) before climbing up the hill to UBC. This was the hardest part of the ride, but went by fairly quickly with a goof pace up the hill.

 

 

 

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