{"id":12424,"date":"2015-05-20T07:06:25","date_gmt":"2015-05-20T14:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/?p=12424"},"modified":"2015-06-18T19:42:45","modified_gmt":"2015-06-19T02:42:45","slug":"voting-yes-metro-vancouver-transit-referendum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/averagejoecyclist.com\/voting-yes-metro-vancouver-transit-referendum\/","title":{"rendered":"The OTHER reason I am voting YES in the Metro Vancouver Transit Referendum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week I wrote a post about why I am voting YES in the Vancouver Transit Referendum<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 because I want a better future for my children and grandchildren. This week\u2019s post is about the other reason I am voting YES \u2013 because of two potentially fatal cycling accidents I have had. The first occurred when I was a teenager. I cycled from UBC, where my parents lived, to North Vancouver to do an errand for my mother.<\/p>\n

Before I learned to drive my bike was my freedom.<\/strong> I loved cycling from my house, a couple of laps around Stanley Park and back home again. I would also cycle with friends to play tennis on many of the city\u2019s public courts. Of course, there was no such thing as cycling lanes then, so you needed good nerves and an eagle eye.<\/p>\n

Read about Great Bike Rides in Vancouver Here \u2013 Vancouver Cycling<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

On this particular summer day the weather was gorgeous and I was minimally dressed in cut-off jeans and a tee shirt (and no helmet of course). I was traveling north across the Lions Gate Bridge<\/strong> coasting with both feet on the left side pedal because there were pedestrians on the shared sidewalk. Ahead I noticed two young men leaning over the railing and taking pictures. I kept my eyes on them to ensure I could jump off the bike if they started walking again.<\/p>\n

As I passed by them, one of the men jumped back from the railing, crashing directly into my bike. My bike and I both went flying into the center lane of the bridge, into speeding traffic. I was very scratched, bruised and dazed, but luckily the motorists were able to stop and not run me over. Of course this was before cell phones, so I had no choice but to get back on my bike and ride to the nearest service station to clean up.<\/p>\n

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