Mikael Colville-Andersen interviews Susan Stokhof, Bicycle Mayor of Victoria, Canada about the state of affairs for urban cycling in the city, pushback from helmet fanatics and the importance of good design when developing life-sized cities.
Victoria has a new Bicycle Mayor and she’s already setting some big goals. What does it mean and can other cities like Vancouver learn from this initiative?
Susan Stokhof, @LeVelo_Victoria, @BYCS_org and @WeAreHub weigh in on the subject.
This past January Susan Stokhof joined the global bicycle mayor network as the first Bicycle Mayor of Victoria and the first in Canada.
What started out with one Bicycle Mayor in Amsterdam has grown into a global movement. BYCS initiates and coordinates the program and works with local partners to set up Bicycle Mayors in cities around the world. Together, they are using the bicycle to address pollution crises, tackle road deaths, break down social barriers and enable people to access essential services for the first time.
What happens to a society when they interact with one another everyday on their commute? What does pulling people out of the car bubble and into the street as cyclists & pedestrians do to a sense of community? The social consequences of a normalized cycling culture are far reaching. We think it builds trust & confidence & permeates every aspect of social life.