Episode 163
[FOCUS] Why bicycles are Best!
Episode Summary: This episode is an excerpt of a past episode where Jenn and Olabanji have a discussion with Julie about cyclable cities
Julie is an avid cyclist from Ottawa, Canada, who believes that even the smallest gesture counts and would eventually have an impact to help solve the climate crisis. An easy way for each of us to contribute is cycling (or reducing idling)
They went on to talk about urban cycling and pathways, the many health and mental benefits of cycling and how citizens and municipalities should work together to have more cyclable cities.
Similar to Europe, cycling has become more widespread in Canada: on one of her rides, Julie even saw Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau cycling on the road!
Want to join in the conversation?
Visit thecarbonalmanac.org/podcasts and send us a voice message on this episode or any other climate-related ideas and perspectives.
Don’t Take Our Word For It, Look It Up!
You can find out more on pages 166 and 244 of the Carbon Almanac and on the website you can tap the footnotes link and type in 234 and 125
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Featuring Carbon Almanac Contributors Julie, Jenn Swanson and Olabanji Stephen
From Ottawa, Canada, Julie is a mom, lawyer, educator, bilingual in French and English, Canadian, nature lover, reader, climate change activist who wants to leave a better world behind.
From Langley in British Columbia, Canada, Jenn is a Minister, Coach, Writer and Community Connector, helping people help themselves.
Olabanji is from Lagos Nigeria, he’s a Creative Director and visual designer that helps brands gain clarity, deliver meaningful experiences and build tribes through Design & Strategy. He founded Jorney - a community designed to help people stay productive, accountable, and do their best work.
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The CarbonSessions Podcast is produced and edited by Leekei Tang, Steve Heatherington and Rob Slater.
Transcript
But another thing too, I found very
interesting was I would see people
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:getting in their cars and I would see
them stuck because in morning rush
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:hour, for example, and I was thinking.
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:Wow, . I'm, I'm getting
there faster than them.
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:At least I'm not stuck.
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:I'm not idling.
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:I'm, I'm moving.
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:And it's, it's a fairly gentle
movement where you're just doing that.
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:So I think emptying your mind, it's kind
of almost mindfulness on your bicycle.
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:I think stress level will drop down
because you can leave stuff behind
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:and I'm sure, um, you're developing
different muscles that you would not use.
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:Sitting at a desk, you're
not sitting in a car.
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:So there's a lot of, um, and you
have a tendency too, when you start
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:feeling fitter, you're sleeping better.
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:Your diet changes.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:, because you need that
extra energy to keep going.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:. So I think there's a lot of benefits
and just the fact that you're not
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:just sitting and, and waiting for
the car ahead of you to move on.
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:You know, you just kind of,
so you're always moving.
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:So for me that, but I'm sure
you also would notice some
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:help benefits from cycling.
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:One thing I notice in where we are, and
Vancouver is much more friendly cycling
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:wise than where I am out in the suburbs.
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:They've got, uh, one thing I've noticed
is they've got these bikes, um, it's
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:kind of like the Evo of bicycles.
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:You can pick up a bike, un unlock it.
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:Tour around the city
and leave it elsewhere.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:, um, and lock it, you know, put it
back into the system elsewhere.
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:And they've got, uh, a number of
those stations set up and they did
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:take away part of a lane of a bridge
recently, which everyone freaked out
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:about, but, um, to put in bike lanes.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:. And that was a really, that was a really
good thing because if you were cycling
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:downtown, of course you'd wanna be.
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:in bicycle lanes.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:. Um, so, so they're doing
that for tourist reasons.
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:Like in the big Stanley Park you
can get a bicycle and tour around,
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:um, in a lot of the tourist areas.
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:You can, you can hop on a bicycle.
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:Um, but it's the suburbs, you know,
I can't even ride from my house.
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:To the little village here where
the store is without going on a
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:super busy, major road that has
zero bike lanes and no shoulder.
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:Mm-hmm.
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:. So I, I'd have to go on the sidewalk,
which you're not allowed to.
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:Mm.
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:So it's, it's really difficult for
those of us out in the, in the.
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:Suburbs to get anywhere unless
you're using back roads and
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:just taking your chances.
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:So, and, and that's a very
interesting point that you've made.
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:Well, actually two, um,
they do have the, the bikes.
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:Shares like you do, I think
it's called Bixie Bikes.
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:They have that in Ottawa as well.
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:They have that in Montreal where
you just put a coin in and then,
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:um, you rent the bike and then you
drop it off at a different location.
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:So it's great.
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:It's like those, um, oh, what's the name?
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:The, um, the net in English is tricycles.
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:Oh, no, no.
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:You, you know.
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:Um, oh, you know, scooter scooters.
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:Scooters.
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:Scooters, sorry.
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:So we have, we have, we have scooters
in Ottawa too, and I think scooters are
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:more dangerous than bicycles because
they get into the traffic and they
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:go, and I'm thinking they don't have,
you know, the same, I don't know.
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:I, I'd be worried on the scooter.
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:But the other thing too is people,
if you're gonna be cycling, you have
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:to remember it's considered a car.
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:So you have to really respect
the rule of the road and.
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:Cars also have to remember
that cyclists do exist.
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:Like I've been in situations where
if I could have hit a car, I would've
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:because they, they, they get so close
to you and you feel very unsafe.
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:So I, I think that's something
always to keep in mind is not a bad
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:idea to refresh and to know what
the, the rules of the roads are.
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:But the other point you've made
about, and I think that's where.
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:Citizens need to be involved.
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:And I always think of climate change
as a, a different, like a top down.
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:So you're looking at your government,
your major institutions, whatever,
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:to do something about climate change.
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:But I also think it's a bottom up
where citizens and in Ottawa, we
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:do have groups of citizens that
are involved and are fighting for
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:rights for, uh, to be able to cycle.
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:And I think that's also very important.
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:So, I don't know what they would do
in your situation, Jen, maybe your
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:elected representatives would say,
or a group of citizens would say, you
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:know what, we're really interested.
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:Is there a possibility to create
a section or like a path on?
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:Cuz you can do that.
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:You can, they put posts and even on
a major artery, there's still room.
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:For cyclists, but it's always,
always an uphill battle.
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:It's always the car versus
the bicycle and the car.
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:It's like, it's like,
um, mass development.
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:It's the developers versus the non, you
know, the people that want to, to ensure
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:that more people are within the city core.
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:So there's always like that fight
between, you know, the cars and the
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:bicycles and sometimes the cars win,
but it's, it's almost like the onus.
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:You know, or it's almost like
citizens have to get together
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:and say, wait a second.
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:We want things to change.
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:We want to be able to feel safe.
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:We want to be able to cycle to the
grocery store or to the corner store.
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:But it's, again, it's a systemic change
and it's, it's always an ongoing battle.
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:However, as, uh, all mans pointed
out in some European cities and
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:countries, I mean, bikes rule.
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:That's what should be this,
this should be your title.
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:Bikes rule, bike cyclists, rule . Yeah.
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:That's an amazing title.
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:I love it.
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:Cyclist rule.
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:Yeah.
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:Anyways, but um, there are a
lot of benefits to cycling.
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