The 24th annual Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week saw more children, youth and adults cycling than ever before. The week-long event organized by the Greater Victoria Bike to Work Society encouraged 7,279 people, including 1,301 new participants, to travel to school or work by bike.
New to this year's event was the emphasis on encouraging schools to participate, with 160 registered in this first year. A major highlight was the first school celebration station at Fairfield and Moss Streets.
"The momentum towards cycling in Greater Victoria has been building over the years with events like Bike to Work and School Week combined with new infrastructure" says Greater Victoria Bike to Work Week President Andrew Cripps. He adds "The recently released CRD Household Travel Study shows biking continues to grow in the region, with more than 50,000 trips by bike in the Fall of 2017."
The event originated in Victoria 24 years ago and has grown to include 51 communities across B.C. Creating teams in the workplace has been its guiding organizing principle and success. The event brings communities together and contributes to greater health while decreasing commuter costs and greenhouse gases.
The goal is to celebrate existing cyclists while encouraging new people to try it and continue. Since its inception, Bike to Work Week and School Week in Greater Victoria has celebrated with over 100,000 cyclists and has introduced more than 15,000 new riders to commuter cycling, many of which continue biking after the event.