Speaker:
00:00:00
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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00:05:37
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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