Cycling in Metro Vancouver getting safer as network expands, TransLink report concludes

TransLink released its first 'State of Cycling in Metro Vancouver' report since 2019 Tuesday. (TransLink)

Nearly 70 per cent of Metro Vancouver residents live within 400 metres of a bike lane considered "comfortable for most" riders, and almost 400,000 adults ride a bicycle at least once a week during the summer.

The percentage of people who commute to work by bike, however, has declined.

These are some of the findings of TransLink's 2024 "State of Cycling" report, which was compiled in partnership with the cycling advocacy group HUB Cycling and made public Tuesday. 

Across the region, 1.9 per cent of commuter trips were made by bicycle in 2021, which the report notes is lower than the percentage seen in its first State of Cycling report back in 2019.

The report attributes the downturn in bicycle-based commuting to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We believe this will be a temporary change, reversed through further investment in 'comfortable for most' bikeways in urban centres and on the Major Bikeway Network, along with the growth in use of e-bikes and shared micromobility," the report reads.

"Comfortable for most" bikeways are either fully protected from motor vehicle traffic or on shared roadways with posted speed limits of 30 km/h or less and low daily traffic volumes. According to the report, 46 per cent of Metro Vancouver's 4,870 lane kilometres of bikeways meet this definition, and 69 per cent of the region's residents live within 400 metres of such a route.

In the cities of Vancouver, North Vancouver and New Westminster, the percentage of people living within 400 metres of a "comfortable for most" bikeway rises to more than 90 per cent, the report indicates.

The City of Vancouver also has a significantly higher share of bike-based commuters, with 5.3 per cent of residents biking to work regularly. That's the second-highest share in the region, behind Electoral Area A – which includes the University of British Columbia – where the bikes account for 8.3 per cent of commuter trips.

"Many people remain 'interested but concerned,' cycling infrequently or not at all," the report reads. "Safety is often a major concern preventing people from cycling."

Expanding the network of "comfortable for most" bikeways is a key step toward addressing this concern, according to the report, which notes that the rate of serious collisions involving bicycles has declined in recent years.

There were 25.1 collisions resulting in serious injury or death per million bike trips from 2013 to 2017, according to the report. From 2018 to 2022, there were 22.4 such collisions per million trips.

"The declining collision rate indicates a positive increase in cycling safety," the report reads. "Collision rates vary across the region, with Burnaby/New Westminster and Vancouver/UBC, having rates that are lower than the regional rate. These areas also have higher percentages of population within 400 metres of a 'comfortable for most' bikeway."

Other findings noted in the report include that an estimated 375,000 to 400,000 adults cycle at least once a week during the summer, and almost 70 per cent of those who have cycled in the summer months want to cycle more.

"Since 2019, we have built 466 lane kilometers of traffic-separated bikeways, making it safer and easier for people to choose cycling," said TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn, in a news release announcing the report.

"That means fewer cars on the road, less congestion on our streets, and healthier communities at home."