November 15, 2023 - As the volunteer board chair of the British Columbia Cycling Coalition (BCCC), I’m reaching out for your support for our annual fund-raising campaign, where we can double your impact with a matched donation from a generous anonymous donor.
The BCCC has worked for 25 years to support and engage cycling advocacy and education across the province, with a goal of safer and more accessible cycling and active transportation for all of BC.
Recently, we have achieved remarkable milestones:
Thanks to your support in our last campaign and the combined efforts of B.C. cycling and public safety advocates, the B.C. government passed Bill 23, the first step in enabling cars and trucks to leave a safe passing distance between themselves and vulnerable road users. (Exact distance still TBD- we’re pushing for 1.5m).
Funding for active transportation infrastructure has increased by $100 million over 3 years. Our work on Safe Routes Now is revealing that this amount is a small fraction of what is needed: so far we’ve mapped the Active Transportation Plans of 54 communities across BC, primarily rural and smaller communities such as Courtenay, Fort St. John, Invermere, among others. With your support, we look forward to figuring out exactly how much needs to be invested to realize B.C.’s ambitious CleanBC transportation goals.
Our lobbying helped deliver B.C.’s first e-bike rebate program– so successful that the website crashed with the onslaught of requests. We’re pushing to have it expanded and renewed in 2024.
Worked with ICBC on improved service to cyclists.
Helped over 350 preschool children in learning how to ride using balance bikes through our Kids on Wheels program, the only bike training program in BC designed for preschool-aged children.
Launched BikeSense Podcast in April. With 5 episodes and 1,000+ downloads, the success of the podcast has surpassed our wildest expectations. Don’t miss the nepotism episode (our most popular so far) with my son Brendan and daughter-in-law Amanda in Whistler explaining how they manage their lives with two children, two e-bikes and no car, year-round!
Educated thousands of cyclists about how to ride safely with our Bike Sense online safety manual, the exclusive source of rules, laws and regulations for cyclists in B.C.
In addition, we are
— lobbying hard for the biggest single improvement to the safety of vulnerable road users- a 30 km/hr default residential speed limit throughout the province
— working with B.C. Ferries on improved services for cyclists,
— pushing for a B.C. Active Transportation Summit next year,
— administering cycling grants for active transportation improvements and bike valets in communities around B.C.
— bringing cycling advocates around B.C. together with regular peer-to-peer online learning opportunities.
For more details on our latest work, please read our blog.
And we’ve done all this with part-time staff and volunteers!
While we take great pride in these accomplishments, there is still much to be done.
I am writing today to kindly ask for your support for the Double Your Impact fundraising campaign.
From now until November 30, all monthly donations of $10 or more, or one-time donations of $100 or more (up to $15,000) will be matched by a generous supporter.
That means we can achieve twice as much with your support!
Our goal for the Fundraiser: $50,000. Your contributions of any amount directly fuel our efforts, and allow us to provide increased staff time and resources to our programs, and a stronger voice to advocate for infrastructure improvements to communities across BC.
To make a gift, please visit our donation page here. With BCCC now a registered charity, all donations are eligible for a tax receipt.
And if you can only lend your voice, please become a BCCC member– it’s now free!
Thank you for your support in helping us forge safer routes for vulnerable road users in communities across British Columbia.
Peter Ladner
Board Chair
BC Cycling Coalition
