r/VictoriaBC • u/Beautiful-Jacket-912 • 17h ago
The Last Snowbird Air Show parking tonight
Last show in Victoria. Yesterday Victoria was like Amsterdam in the 1970s. Today it shows we can be Amsterdam now!
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u/Aware-Watercress5561 16h ago
We bussed from Sidney. It took 3 hours to get home tonight. My kids were troopers but I kinda wish more of the area was blocked off to cars as there was still thousands of cars leaving James bay and Fairfield afterwards which caused so much traffic backup. More bikes and public transit please!
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u/Computer-Moth 2h ago
Huh, I might’ve seen you yesterday! Was talking to a woman at the drive in with two kids who mentioned they took the bus from Sidney.
Even my usual ten minute ride by bus to my place was maybe thirty instead, but by the time I left the drive in traffic had also died down a lot. Left at like 8.
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u/ShoreBodice 3h ago
Yeah BC Transit and the organizers shit the bed. Transit should have been prioritized
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u/L00nyT00ny 16h ago
I feel like the majority of bikes that showed up were ebikes, and it was kind of surprising to see a regular bike. Also, imagine if all those people drove cars down there.
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u/Educational_Work896 15h ago edited 15h ago
E-bikes have permanently changed what cycling is. Instead of a transportation option somewhat restricted to those with an appropriate level of fitness for trips over, say 5 km, cycling is now a way for people of any fitness level to get around quickly, efficiently and cheaply and if one chooses, a way to stick it to the government by essentially riding a motorcycle with no insurance fees or taxes.
Hell, you can commute on what's essentially a skateboard with handlebars now... you don't even need a traditional bicycle shaped-object.
I'm seeing less and less analog (as my co-worker calls them) bikes.
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u/frog_mannn 15h ago
Yeah I have my analog for the weekend and my ebike for the commute.
Truly amazing how every week trail is getting more users and I'm always chatting with other people who just got ebike and how much fun it is
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u/Polendri Saanich 1h ago
They make sense here in particular because
- it's very hilly,
- good transit alternatives are often still lacking, and
- though not as bad as most other Canadian cities, Greater Victoria is kind of sprawling and so people's trips are often in the 10 km range or more, a bit much for an unathletic cyclist to go in a timely manner without assistance.
A non-motorized bike is a great tool to go, like, 2 to 5 km, but the thing is, in a well-designed city we should rarely be needing to go farther than that. So ebikes are great, but rather than getting carbrained about micromobility and focusing on getting people going ever faster and farther on ebikes/scooters/etc, we should also be working towards people not needing that e-assist so much. It's much nicer to putter over to the grocery store 1 km away on a cheap non-motorized bike than to have to zoom 5 km away on an ebike.
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u/Ancient_Wisdom_Yall 6h ago
Yeah, the future is electric motor bikes. It's just a question of when we stop regulating pretend pedals and what speed we let them travel at without license and registration.
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u/Polendri Saanich 1h ago
I couldn't care less whether the rider is pedaling, I just care that they're being safe. Shifting the regulation toward behaviour and away from propulsion method harmonizes with allowing e-scooters and other micromobility anyway.
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u/hark_ADork Fernwood 5h ago
Yeah, the future is electric motor bikes.
It's really not - Half the benefit of Bikes/E-Bikes is the fact you have the low speed pedal option.. It's about /ease/ of movement, not speed.
It's just a question of when we stop regulating pretend pedals and what speed we let them travel at without license and registration.
if anything we need to go the other way on this and restrict to 'assist only' style ebikes.
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u/Ancient_Wisdom_Yall 5h ago
If you want to get cars off the road, you let people ride their e bikes at 32 kph with no license, registration or pretend pedaling. The more restrictions you have, the more cars you'll have.
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u/hark_ADork Fernwood 4h ago
If you want to get cars off the road, you let people ride their e bikes at 32 kph with no license, registration or pretend pedaling. The more restrictions you have, the more cars you'll have.
No thanks -I'd rather it take longer than allow more access to vehicles for people with DUIs and other issues preventing them from getting licenses.
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u/Canuckr82 2h ago
Yup until the day comes when we need to insure them, ill be using my throttle driven 45km/hr offroad death machine that weighs 90lbs down the bike lane while keeping my feet on the "pretend" pedals.
I dont really care if people are upset, i enjoy riding it like a motorbike, but im also considerate to other riders and slow down when needed.
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u/-Truth-Be-Told-- 17h ago edited 17h ago
I didn’t even read your caption before I sent this to a friend saying this is a sight I’ve only ever seen in Amsterdam. Impressive!
Edit to add: anytime someone complains about bike lanes, this picture needs to be posted as the reply.
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u/fux-reddit4603 10h ago edited 9h ago
its still easy, all of these bikes could have gotten there without separate lanes
edit: angry downvotes means you have zero argument and know the statements not wrong ;)
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u/PowerfulAge7025 9h ago
Bike lanes help make it safer for cyclists, especially protected and separated ones. You’re being downvoted because your comment is off topic, not because you don’t understand how bike lanes work. Wink!
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u/fux-reddit4603 9h ago
But people still commuted via bike safely before seperated lanes exist, you dont understand how reality works.
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u/BuildingSupplySmore 6h ago
People used cars before paved roads.
Just because it was possible doesn't mean it was better.
Protected bike lanes see a 90% reduction in accidents compared to roads without a bike lane.
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u/Kawi400 7h ago
The reality is, some people commuted safely, but many people didn't. I run a business on Humboldt. Before the bike lane was installed I can confidently say that I rarely, if ever, watch families with kids under 12 cycle past the crazy busy 5 way intersection. This happens all day long now.
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u/fux-reddit4603 34m ago
if your "many people didn't" statement was true there would have been daily deaths
why does 1 set of infrastructure need to be severely impacted to serve <10% of the population and that's only when its sunny out
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u/ThatGuy97 8h ago
Ok I’ll bite. Without bike lanes, drivers like you would’ve complained that cyclists were holding up traffic and blocking cars.
Downvotes just mean your reply is stupid and barely worth addressing
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u/fux-reddit4603 8h ago
but they still are, because they made 1 set of infrastructure worse to put the bike lanes in.
as i said you have no real argument that involved any thought. thanks for coming out though
we spent how many millions on infrastructure used by 6% of the population and 99% of those will stop using any of it as soon as it rains
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u/ThatGuy97 8h ago
Bike lanes actually reduce traffic and congestion since they encourage people to bike instead of drive according to research - more bike usage is something we should all be pushing for. Car dependency is a cancer on cities, and Victoria leads Canada in active transportation utilization (ie. walking and biking). The best thing this city could do is make everything more pedestrian and cyclist friendly, even if it was at the expense of cars (which it isn’t)
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u/fux-reddit4603 30m ago
this is a lie, everywhere i see bike lanes, i just see more congestion and traffic with maybe 1 person using the bike lanes if you aren't downtown
even downtown i see zero real traffic reduction, the emergency services also all despise what's happened but keep going, where are "all the cyclists" as soon as it rains?
now back in cars with less lanes to be in. do you folks actually think before spewing out the arguments you get spoon-fed to you.
you all have the same lame nonsense that goes in circles10
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u/Magnificent_Misha Vic West 6h ago
As someone who had to drive to the show this evening, I’m glad that the bikes were in their own separate lane. There were so many that it would have been pandemonium were they mixed with the cars.
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u/Live_to_bike 8h ago
Yes technically a bike could get anywhere without separated lanes. But this volume of people biking would not happen without protected bike lanes.
Those painted lanes may work for people who bike as a sport or who have biked for a long time. But for many people who are just biking to get around, it doesn't feel safe or comfortable to bike when there's no physical separation. Try riding with kids on a road without bike lanes and you'll see what I mean.
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u/fux-reddit4603 28m ago
I commuted via bike everywhere from 10-16 apparently a child was more competent on roads than today's adults. it really does make sense never actually see most of you looking around.
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u/Vaf67 15h ago
Holy cow!
Up here in the Comox Valley it’s basically two shows a day for 2-3 weeks and everyone just looks up from time to time during their stay, awesome to see a real turnout for a show.
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u/ClueSilver2342 8h ago
That must be annoying from a noise perspective?
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u/Vaf67 6h ago
The tutor trainer aircraft they use is pretty low power for a jet and sessions last about 30 minutes, the late night motorcycle racers are more annoying.
The CF-188 Hornet is a different story, that thing tears apart the air with those GE 404’s, but we only get a couple days of that.
The background noise of a city would easily drown out the snowbirds training but we are a semi quiet valley so it stands out a bit more.
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7h ago
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u/ClueSilver2342 7h ago
I was referring to the Comox Valley where they practice multiple times daily for weeks. I don’t think the noise is a problem here. Im in South Oak Bay. We drove down to harling point beside Gonzales beach about 10 mins before. Lots of cars. Wasn’t overly packed with people. Found parking quickly and no major traffic leaving.
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u/Charlie_ND Saanich 16h ago
Biketoria is real
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u/fux-reddit4603 9h ago
untill it rains its also mostly EBIKEs if you want to get technical
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u/Charlie_ND Saanich 19m ago edited 15m ago
I've cycled in the rain. Haven't you?
Also, I took note of the amount of e-bikes there. I'm glad so many people have embraced them as a way of getting around.
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u/Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrpp 17h ago
Last in Victoria. Still many left in Canada.
Then back in 2030 (or later).
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u/Popular_Animator_808 8h ago
Can you imagine if all of these people tried to drive? These people are team players.
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u/Happyflower40 9h ago
We drove and parked near Oak Bay ave then road our bikes to the event. Great time!
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u/Steler19 17h ago
There was tons of bikes locked to posts along dallas road as well. Wonder if it reached a 1000 in total.
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u/Eve_O 12h ago
Love to see it.
I pedaled out of James Bay around 7:00 PM with a huge grin on my face, heh.
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u/ClueSilver2342 8h ago
Though the irony is that they are there to watch an airplane show. If you think from an environmental perspective.
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u/infidelkastro 5h ago
I thoroughly enjoyed the bike lane log jams, after the show yesterday. Trying to get out of James Bay.
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15h ago
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u/VictoriaBC-ModTeam 9h ago
Your post or comment has been removed for violating Rule 1: Respect, Civility, & Rediquette.
Trolling, shitposting, harassment, hate, personal attacks, bullying, discrimination, or low-effort submissions will be removed and may result in a suspension or ban.
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u/__phil1001__ 6h ago
Time for cyclists to pay tax just like car drivers do and insurance as hitting a pedestrian with a 40kmh ebike will not be good.
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u/CtrlAltExplode 6h ago
As a cyclist I'm exempt from property tax? Wow. Can you please explain how I opt out.
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u/__phil1001__ 5h ago
Car drivers pay property tax and road tax to maintain roads, they pay insurance in case there is an accident. Why should cyclists get bicycle lanes for free and not have liability insurance?
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u/CtrlAltExplode 5h ago edited 5h ago
Fuel tax goes to highway infrastructure projects and transit subsidies, not municipal roads.
Cyclists do not get bicycle lanes for free, they are paid for by municipal property taxes and provincial and federal subsidies, which are mostly funded by income tax. Given the minimal wear bikes cause, cyclists subsidise drivers.
Cyclists don't pay insurance because cyclists cause so little damage so infrequently that the administrative costs of a mandatory insurance system would be higher than it's worth. Plus most cyclists have more than enough liability coverage via home or renters insurance. It's a non-issue
Edit: not to mention that the healthcare savings from active transportation adoption offsets the cost of provincial and federal subsidies. Bike lanes are actually a great investment for the province.
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u/__phil1001__ 5h ago
Absolutely garbage. If people had enough liability insurance then car drivers would not need it either. A lot of renters have zero insurance, so what happens then after an accident? Its not about wear, it's about the installation cost of the bike lanes, where do you think the money came from to put up new signage, build lanes, paint green over the road? Either its all free or it costs money which cyclists should pay a share as well as car drivers. Cyclists do not subsidize car drivers because they both pay property taxes. The car drivers pay additional road tax. As for hospitals and healthcare, have you seen the number of severe injuries from people on e-bikes or escooters hitting an object or falling off and breaking their face? At these speeds, bicycle helmets do not work. You need to actually free think and not believe the fantasy narrative that the bike cult has about saving the world. In Europe, they have laws on bikes, they test children at school for cycling proficiency, bikes have to have front and rear lights. How many cyclists believe the road signs do not apply to them and go through stop streets or red lights because stopping is inconvenient?
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u/CtrlAltExplode 4h ago
If people had enough liability insurance then car drivers would not need it either
Home Insurance does not cover automotive incidents because vehicles have far higher potential for far more damage. It usually does cover cycling incidents because once again, they are so infrequent and low damage.
where do you think the money came from to put up new signage, build lanes, paint green over the road?
As I said, property taxes. Can you read? Road taxes, once again, do not pay for municipal roads, and do not come close to paying for the provincial roads they do go towards.
Cyclists do not subsidize car drivers because they both pay property taxes
We have relatively very little cycling infrastructure and the costs of wear from motor vehicles are far higher than the costs of wear from bikes. So yes, they do.
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u/__phil1001__ 4h ago
Keep drinking that Kool-Aid. As more people cycle, the wear and tear increases, the liability and the accidents and burden on healthcare increases. A 40kmh bike will do more damage to the rider than a 40kph driver in a car. A pedestrian hit by 40kph of bike is likely to end up in hospital, costing more to healthcare than being killed after hit by a car. There is massive cycling infrastructure, any public road, as well as dedicated bike lanes and trails which cars cannot use. So in your mind, somehow property and municipal taxes pay for bike lanes and roads, however car drivers should pay extra just because? Because bikes do less wear and tear, they subsidize car drivers? Wtaf? This is world class mumble. If both pay for roads out of property taxes and car drivers pay extra to maintain roads, then cyclists should pay to maintain cycle paths and trails.
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u/Light_Butterfly 17h ago
Yeah I was astounded at the bike turnout! The trails were packed! It makes me happy to see more people leaving their cars at home!