Reports from Stanley Park (and Beach Avenue)

Peter Ladner reports:

The Stanley Park Hill Klimb (SPHK) now exists. It’s a thing. (The K is for one kilometre long but I challenge someone to prove me wrong.)

It has a Start Line and a Finish Line and piece of chalk at the top to write down if you’ve made a new record time.

So far I have the record time: 3:52. Timing for other people begins now.

Tell your friends. Do the SPHK loop in your costume on your way to the Beach Avenue Bikefest #beachavebikefest Sunday 3-4 pm, where you can win a costume prize! Share your time with your friends. Dare them to beat it, or to just come out and enjoy the ride. Remember: five-yr-old-kids can ride up it.

Be the first to set up the SPHK on Strava.

Do with it what you want. Maybe come and add some of your own art (sidewalk chalk is sold at most dollar stores). This story could just be getting started.

This will wash away in a few weeks, but perhaps some visions will be permanently chalked in.

Here’s part of a longer story by Peter Ladner on how the Stanley Park Hill Klimb has the potential to be an accessible in-town Grouse Grind. It was written as a friendly open letter to Prospect Point Cafe owner Nancy Stibbard:

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Dianna reports on the need for safe space and respect:

(Note: unconfirmed incident.  Update welcome.)

I just picked this off the Escape Velocity bike club Facebook page. Happened a couple of days ago apparently. Sounds like a hit and run.

Does anyone have news on the condition of the group of roadies that were slammed into by the BMW SUV when descending Prospect Point last week?

My friend was riding his MTB back home at the same time and got wiped out to with major road rash and broken bones on his right hand. I hope no one suffered any worse.

The account I heard was at a group of roadies were descending and, in the absence of vehicles, moved over into the left lane to safely overtake a family of four. The BMW laid on his horn and accelerated up to the group. Group moved back once past the family and the driver drove through the cones into the bike lane and the group!

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Navdeep Chhina from HUB shares a letter he received: 

I am Lanie, and I live with my partner.  Andrew is diabetic, I am a 69-year-old kidney cancer survivor.  We walk everyday.  Our alarm rings at 5:30 am, and we are out the door in the dark now.

We walk Stanley Park Drive sidewalk, but there is an interesting benefit.  We clean up the pylons.  That means we use our feet.  We stand on one leg, we flip the pylons and then we do a crossover move and get them to the centre line.

For two people in the age group of 69 years old, it is and has been a great work out.  We walk to build our Killer B and T cells, but we also get very important balance exercises in.  We will miss the pylons.

The sidewalk will remain, however you decide about bicycles.  We like the bicycles.  I am glad you have put out more counters on the roadways, thank-you.  There are many people who ride across the Lion’s Gate Bridge from North and West Vancouver.

I have studied Psychology at UBC and I do not know why changes or new signs make people act out and mess the pylons.

Thank you for the new signs.  I was tiring of asking people to stop and read the sign at the washroom at Prospect Point.  This helps:

Take Park Survey here.

Andrew and I get on well with the cyclists.  The good-morning greetings make this time of social distancing seem less isolating, and we would miss the morning congeniality that would make us feel alone.  We miss a cyclist that does not ride.  The cyclists notice if we miss a day of walking and ask if we are OK.  This has become a social outing now for us.

I know that there are too many joggers on the Seawall that cannot or do not go to gyms.  They fill the Seawall.  There would be no room for bicycles anymore.  I pray cyclists will become a permanent part of Stanley Park Drive.

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From Spokesmama:

Unofficial Beach Ave Bikefest – Sept 27 2020

Choose a costume! Organise your cargo! Bring the family! Come on down to Vancouver’s most popular and scenic cycling destination for some healthy outdoor fun!

The inaugural unofficial Beach Avenue Bikefest will be taking place on Sunday 27 September between 3.00 and 4.00 pm rain or shine!

This event will be Covid-19 compliant – there will be no gathering and no giveaways, just laughs from afar at costume-clad cyclists. All you have to do is choose a costume, and/or decorate your bike, and/or load up your trailer and ride up and down Beach Avenue. Don’t have a trailer? Just dress up and/or decorate your bike.

You can post your own photo on Twitter using #BeachAveBikefest, pause for a photo on the grass triangle where Beach Ave and Pacific Street meet at Jervis Street when you can safely distance or just smile at one of the roving photographers.

“Judging” will take place on Twitter at #BeachAveBikefest on Sunday evening or as soon as we can manage it. We will be awarding creativity and hilariousness of cyclist costumes, bike decorations, instruments played, and loads carried. Choose a theme! Make us laugh!

And if you love riding on Beach Avenue Bikeway and in Stanley Park, sign the HUB Cycling petition to Make #BeachAveBikeway Permanent and fill out the Park Board survey on Space for Cycling in Stanley Park by September 13.