InFocus Magazine

If you could look into the future, what would be the outlook for cycling in the Comox Valley? The Comox Valley Cycling Coalition has a clear vision. In fact, a 20/20 vision—by the year 2020 to see 20 per cent of the transportation budget spent on cycling infrastructure, with the goal to get cycling up to 20 per cent of all the modes of transportation.

On a perfect day for cycling, sunny and warm, Ed Schum, founder of the newly-formed Coalition, leads members along a recreation and reconnaissance ride. The Coalition has 173 members from all walks of life, many who give time, talents and expertise to help make conditions for cycling in the Comox Valley safer and more convenient.

Today’s diverse group includes a trio of three generations of cyclists—Melissa, a competitive cyclist once coached by Ed, with her 16-month old son as a passenger in a trailer behind, and her mother Terry. Another member of the group, Brian, a flight instructor at CFB Comox who commutes to work along Ryan Road, contributes electronic support. With a combination of GPS, iPhone, and other wizardry, he can map the route, take photographs, and calculate distance and elevation gain, to be posted on the Coalition’s website at www.cyclecv.ca

Schum is a grandfather himself, and has been cycling for most of his life, racing and coaching. After retiring as owner of the former Mountain Meadows Sports in Downtown Courtenay, he began touring by bicycle and blogging about it at www.crazyguyonabike.com.

“Now that I am over 65, I thought it was time to slow down,” he says as an introduction. “Get into some touring and see more of the beautiful Canada I live in.” His online journals include Grandpa Cycles across Canada, 2007 and Grandpa Cycles Europe, 2008.

“I went across Canada to see how safe or unsafe cycling is in Canada, and saw a lot that could be improved,” Schum says. “So I went all over Europe to find what they’ve done there to make cycling safer and more popular—and now we’re putting the two together.”

Pink plum-tree flower petals scatter over the roads as the group leaves Downtown Courtenay over the Condensory Bridge. Along the way, Schum provides helpful tips about cycling safety. The mission of the Comox Valley Cycling Coalition is to create a safe environment for cycling in the region, and encourage cycling as an effective, economical, healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transportation.

The group’s regular rides scout problem areas. “Try to stay about one metre off the edge of the pavement,” he advises Melissa, with the wide trailer behind her bike, as the road shoulder disappears. “That way the trailer won’t catch the edge.”

The group rides in single file and turns onto Cessford, a quieter road. The paving surface changes noticeably—the coarse surface Schum calls chip seal is an inexpensive re-paving method used by the Ministry of Transportation, but is quite dangerous to cyclists. “Part of Headquarters Road and Coleman Road—very popular cycling routes—were freshly done in this surface last year,” Schum says. “If anybody ever went down on that, they would be very badly injured.” It is ironic that over a century ago roads were originally paved to accommodate bicyclists, but now the needs of cars dominate. The Coalition has reached an agreement with the Ministry that all chip sealing will be put on hold, until an acceptable surface for cycling is decided upon.

Luckily the rough section is short, and the smooth surface resumes— in time for an uphill incline along Piercy Road. The pace slows, and the temptation is to stop and smell the roses—or here, the scent of cedar from the nearby sawmill. Everyone gears down but soon the grade flattens and the group turns north onto the Inland Highway. The shoulder is wide and the rumble strip that separates the car traffic allows plenty of room for cyclists.

“The rumble strips here are not bad,” Schum says. “The shoulder is still wide enough for cyclists.” His neon-yellow cycling vest is highly visible and traffic gives the group a wide berth. At the Dove Creek interchange there is a pause for a group photo by Brian. After the turn, the group continues to complete the ride, some exploring a longer route before heading back to town for a sociable coffee.

“The Comox Valley is very well suited for cycle commuting,” says Schum after the ride. “If you draw a five kilometer circle around the hub—say the Superstore—it encompasses just about the whole Comox Valley. Cumberland would be a little bit outside of that. Many more people here could ride their bikes to go shopping, to go to and from work, to ride to school, and so on. We do have a relatively high ‘cycling mode share’ of people traveling by bike—just over four per cent here, which is fairly large for North America. There are so many more people who would like to ride their bikes, but they just find it too dangerous.”

The Coalition initiated a survey to learn the community’s thoughts about cycling in the Comox Valley. “We have about 650 survey responses by now,” Schum says, “and the number one issue is not enough safe cycling routes—specifically too many cars and the traffic is too fast. The other major issue is that the bridges are unsafe to cross.”