Alberta, Canada Roy Symons Alberta, Canada Roy Symons

Summer Scenes from Canmore

Vancouver’s Granville Street might be getting all the headlines about its pedestrianization at the moment… Meanwhile, Canmore shuts down its Main Street all summer, World Cup or not… Check that out and other generally bicycle-oriented scenes from this small mountain town doing great things…

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Netherlands, British Columbia Roy Symons, Maps and Data by Dragana Radulovic Netherlands, British Columbia Roy Symons, Maps and Data by Dragana Radulovic

How Far Ahead Are the Dutch? How Far Do We Still Have to Go?

This post looks at the length of safe and comfortable bike infrastructure in Dutch cities by area and population and compares it with a few of the cities from our BC Bicycle Infrastructure Index. Some BC municipalities are near the start of that journey, some are further into it, but how far do we still have to go to match Dutch levels of infrastructure? Answers within…

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British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons

Granville on Game Day

July 7th, 2026 might have been the last chance to see the Granville pedestrianization in full swing, with the final Vancouver hosted game of the World Cup taking place between Switzerland and Columbia. I didn’t want to miss some of the scenes, and was keen to get a taster of what Granville could become… Can the pedestrianization survive?

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Yukon, Canada Roy Symons Yukon, Canada Roy Symons

Bicycle Scenes from Whitehorse

I was in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, with a population of around 35,000, or about three quarters of the population of this territory. I had a small amount of time for a quick walk around downtown with the Fujifilm X100VI so read on for some bicycle scenes from Whitehorse…

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British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons

In Search of gravel in North Burnaby

A new bike is as good an excuse as any to explore. It was a solo ride, so apologies in advance for all the bike pics… This ride is inspired by our recent BC Bike Infrastructure index and the mapping for it, as I realized there were a few local trails I hadn’t ridden before. I’ve also been thinking about how gravel trails fit into our active transportation network as we shift from a focus on all ages and abilities to levels of comfort in BC…

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British Columbia Roy Symons, Maps and Data by Dragana Radulovic British Columbia Roy Symons, Maps and Data by Dragana Radulovic

The RITC BC Bike Infrastructure Index 2026

Do you ever look at the various bike network rankings that come out and think they don’t make much sense? That’s been my perception every time such lists come out, so I was curious if a simpler analysis would tell a different story. Who has the most All Ages and Abilities (AAA) bike infrastructure in BC? Will the usual suspects come out on top?

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Alberta, Canada Roy Symons Alberta, Canada Roy Symons

Bicycle Scenes from Calgary

In Calgary for our (ISL) staff conference on what I think was one of the first hot days of the year, many people were out enjoying the weather on two wheels. Like any time I ride around a city, there’s always some interesting new things to see, and on this occasion, that included interesting lane width observations, intersection treatments, traffic calming, and tactile surfaces amongst other things…

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How To Roy Symons How To Roy Symons

How to Select a Practical Bike Lane Width

Is a quick-build protected bike lane with no space to pass still better than a painted lane? What is the right protected bike lane width and how does it affect the user experience? This might seem simple, just pick a number within the recommended range from a design guide, but this post looks at a range of bike lane widths and the practical experience of riding in them.

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British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons

Short Bicycle Films from Victoria

Whenever over in Victoria, I usually try and take a few photos of some of the bike projects I’ve had a chance to work on with the City. This time, I experimented with some film clips to try and capture the experience a little better. If you’ve never biked from the ferry down to Victoria, or around Victoria itself, below are some photos as I’d normally take and a couple of short films…

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British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons

Bad Weather and Bicycle Streets

Just as we thought the winter was over, a final blast of snow snuck in… We all know that the “nobody bikes in the rain or snow” argument is a myth, but it never hurts to show that once in a while… So with snow in the forecast and a need to be downtown, I took the camera out hoping for some epic people riding bikes in the snow shots…

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Netherlands, Europe Roy Symons Netherlands, Europe Roy Symons

First time in the Netherlands?

Canals, windmills, bike paths… What more is there? A colleague said he would have a few days free in and around Amsterdam and asked for some recommendations. He could of course just read fietspad, an excellent and quite comprehensive tale of Cycling in the Netherlands… But it also seemed like a useful blog post, so if you have a few days in and around Amsterdam, here’s what I'd probably do if I wanted to geek out on the transportation network for the first time…

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How To Roy Symons How To Roy Symons

How to Design the Perfect Protected Intersection

A protected intersection is about more than just corner islands and two-stage left turns. A truly protected intersection is safer for all modes… Essential elements include the dedicated left and right turn lanes on all vehicle approaches and signal phasing that combines to eliminate all conflicts… Let’s pick it apart a bit…

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British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons British Columbia, Canada Roy Symons

Is the Fujifilm X half good for photos of people rolling in the city?

My Fujifilm X100VI is a great small fixed-lens camera, it’s the only camera I've taken on the last few trips to Europe when traveling light, I love the Fuji colours that come out of it, and I never thought I needed anything else, or anything smaller... Then Fujifilm announced the X half and I grew curious about an even smaller camera with those same Fuji colours, and the potential to travel even lighter…

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