"The Discover by Bike program encourages new and existing cyclists to explore and support the communities around them"

Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition

With the recent expansion of cycling infrastructure in Vancouver's downtown core, many downtown business owners have expressed concern that these improvements are being built at the expense of their business. The Hornby and Dunsmuir separated bike lanes have come under particular scrutiny because of their displacement of storefront parking spots. Many business owners believe that cyclists are less likely to support their business than motorists.

Discover Downtown by Bike is an initiative of the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition (VACC) that aims to dispell the myth that cyling is bad for business. The program provides cyclists with themed routes which encourage them to explore the downtown community and support local businesses, and do so safely and comfortably on Vancouver's world class bicycle infrastructure. Discover Downtown by Bike intends to show local businesses that cycling is not only good for health and the environment, but is also good for business.

With these goals in mind, I have taken three themes identified by the VACC and applied GIS mapping techniques in order to develope potential routes for the Dicover Downtown by Bike program. The three themes developed were based on the type of businesses or destinations intended to be promoted. I employed a "best route" network analysis to link destinations via bike routes as efficiently as possible, creating the routes that the program is based on. Once the routes had been finalized, I developed aesthetically-pleasing, user-friendly maps highlighting each route, which could then potentially be used for public distribution.