With e-Bikes & Infrastructure, Nelson Climbing out of Auto Dependency

When Ann Remnant was a child, she caught polio, a life-threatening virus that was nicknamed ‘the crippler’, for the relentless damage it inflicted to its victim’s muscle-controlling nerve cells. 

But many in Nelson, British Columbia, would be surprised to learn this fact about Ann’s childhood, as she is one of the community’s most active and visible cyclists. 

“For me cycling is special. It has been a great equalizer for me,” says Ann. “Whenever I can ride, I do. And I don’t feel the disadvantages that polio has given me.” 

For Ann and her husband Sjeng Derkx, cycling is not only a mode of transportation, it is a passion, a lifestyle. Between them, Ann and Sjeng own nine bikes, and make cycling a part of all of their holiday excursions. And if there’s a ‘Critical Mass’ ride to be had, you can be certain to see one or both of them in the crowd.

Prior to arriving in Nelson, Ann and Sjeng lived in Vancouver; in 1994, they decided to move away from their busy lives, and Nelson offered them a place to raise their son in a place where they could be close to nature, while retaining a strong sense of community. 

“It is such a wholesome place,” says Ann. “Whether you’re involved in sports or theatre, there is something for everyone. Nelson really excels in that way.”

Ann and Sjeng both got involved in activism in Nelson — Sjeng ran as the Green Party candidate in past provincial elections, and Ann has been a vocal champion for proportional representation, both provincially and federally. So it comes as no surprise that she is also a strong advocate for making cycling safer in her community.

“Cyclists and drivers are forced into awkward relationships with each other,” Ann points out.  “I think a lot of people feel worried about bicycling because of traffic.”

“People see [cycling] as a risk-taking proposition. I think we really have to look seriously at infrastructure. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Just something so cyclists feel safe.”

As a town that is lauded for its outdoor splendour, it is somewhat surprising that few investments have been made in dedicated cycling infrastructure for Nelson residents. But under the direction of council the last few years, staff has been tasked with resurrecting the City’s Active Transportation Plan from 2010, and went a step further by recently hiring a new senior planner.

Like Ann and Sjeng, Sebastien Arcand came to Nelson to enjoy the outdoors. It was early 2018, and Sebastien was taking a break from his busy life as a planner for the City of Moncton, New Brunswick.

His intention? To enjoy some downhill skiing and local brew (in Nelson, that means both coffee and beer). The reality? He met some locals, had some discussions, and was quickly offered a part-time position within the City of Nelson’s own planning department. 

“I drove back to Moncton, had a yard sale, and packed up whatever would fit into my Subaru,” Sebastian remembers. “Nelson is compact and surrounded by nature. It is the best of both worlds, being able to have all of your needs met without having to go very far.”

People often say this about many places in BC, but in Nelson this is backed by data. According to data from Statistics Canada’s 2016 census, 80% of Nelson residents live within five kilometres of their place of work, and 31% claimed they regularly walked or biked to work. Only 9% of all British Columbians commute by foot or bike.

While active transportation in Nelson is a mode of travel worthy of attention, however, Sebastien is concerned that, of those self-identified active commuters, only one in 20 identify as cyclists. 

“Cycling is the most effective way to move around the community. But the topography [in Nelson] is very much a barrier,” Sebastien explains. “It gets complicated — we have unique roads that are often very narrow, with blind turns, steep grades, and on-street parking. It’s more difficult to retrofit an existing road.”

Some streets in Nelson, like Stanley, Ward and Cedar, have grades of 10-15%, which is in no way unique for this mountain town; these asphalt slopes are indicative of the primary reasons many people choose to live here: skiing and mountain biking, of course.

Since, however, outdoor passions don’t necessarily translate into people driving less, or biking more, this past June the City rolled out an e-bike loan program.

Eligible homeowners can borrow up to $8,000 per household, and use the money to purchase an electric (or regular) bike. The loan is provided to Nelson residents via their monthly hydro bill from the municipality-owned utility; Nelsonites can then choose to pay off the loan in two or five years.

As most of Nelson’s greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, making non-motorized transportation more affordable is one way the City is encouraging its citizens to drive less. 

Meanwhile, Sebastien Arcand’s job is to get the infrastructure up to speed so it is safe for cyclists to use them. This June, Nelson received word they would receive $424,510 from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure as part of their active transportation infrastructure grant program, to implement the first phase of their cycling network.

(Funds will also cover the building of a bike parking facility in the downtown Nelson Parkade, which currently has capacity for almost 200 vehicles.)

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some delays for the project, construction has started and the Fairview corridor is on track to being completed by next spring. As for whether cyclists will use it?...

“Even though we’re a compact community, it's still really easy to drive your car that one kilometre and back to get what you need,” Sebastien admits. “But by providing the right infrastructure and investing in it, I think we will start to see a shift.”