Cycling in Canada

[shreddog]

For the past 12 months, I have been commuting to work via bike (on average about 3 wks in Brussels and 1 wk in the Hague) doing about 100kms a week. Compared to Vancouver of 12 months ago:

E-bike adoption is higher in Europe with a larger variety of bikes available. From cargo/family bikes to sleek racers, you see way more here. You also see a larger segment of the population riding them – with way more families and younger people on e-bikes than in Vancouver.

Delivery drivers are just as much a pain in the ass. They really ignore the rules and ride like the wild west and have been most of my “altercations” here. That could also be because there are way more delivery drivers here – way more.

While it is true you see lots of “city” bikes in Holland (D.H. and Amsterdam) that is mainly because people keep their good bikes inside. When you commute in a Dutch city (from residential areas into the core at 8AM) you see a greater variety of bikes than just the black citys. You also see bike diversity like you see in Canada and therefore see significant differences in speeds and skills on the bikeways. Overall the Dutch are incredibly aggressive cyclists and commuting there is not for the feint of heart. Words of caution, DO NOT ride by a high school around 3pm! Think of the 401 in rush hour at 100 kms/hr! One upside about the Dutch behaviour, is that I have seen bike delivery guys (it’s always males) accosted for disobeying the rules!

Finally, once you get out of the cities, it’s starting to be only e-bikes or “race” bikes. Just regular, pedal bikes are becoming rare. On a recent multi day tour, when I bothered to keep count, it was 50+% e-bikes. And even though Europe has had a longer culture of biking, there are many old farts here who don’t belong on an e-bike. ☹