REPORT - Pedaling Towards Equity

HUB Cycling has released a report titled Pedaling Towards Equity - Analyzing Transportation Access in Metro Vancouver's Cycling Network. HUB Cycling is a charitable not-for-profit organization that has spent over 25 years removing barriers to cycling in Metro Vancouver while cultivating the health, environmental, and economic benefits that active transportation can bring.

The Executive Summary of the document explains:

This report examines the current state of cycling infrastructure in Metro Vancouver, identifies areas of inequity, and provides recommendations for improving access to quality cycling infrastructure.

Key findings presented in the report are:

• Social equity factors, such as household economics, transit dependency among specific populations (youth and seniors), and racial/ethnic minority and Indigenous populations, notably impact transportation choices and accessibility in Metro Vancouver.
• Spatial equity, mainly related to car accessibility, transit access, and bike infrastructure/path access, is crucial in determining regional transportation equity. Areas with limited car ownership, lack of transit access, and inadequate bike infrastructure face higher levels of transportation inequity.
• The analysis revealed notable disparities in transportation equity across Metro Vancouver. Certain dissemination areas showed a disproportionately high concentration of equity-seeking groups, indicating a need for targeted interventions to improve transportation access and options for these communities.
• The combination of social and spatial equity considerations helped identify areas with higher transportation inequity, highlighting the areas that would benefit from implementing high-quality cycling facilities, including cycle highways.
• Disadvantaged areas in Metro Vancouver have less access to Comfortable for Most facilities compared to more advantaged areas, indicating a concentration of comfortable cycling infrastructure in the latter. This finding underscores the need for a more equitable distribution of high-quality cycling infrastructure across the region to address transportation inequality.