Metro Vancouver’s HUB connects cyclists with the future of transportation
About this story
- Organization
HUB - Region
Metro Vancouver, BC - Area of impact
Environment - Type of investment
Grants and line of credit
We are here as a resource and an advocate for cycling. Everyone is welcome to come and learn about incorporating cycling into their lives. Erin O’Melinn, executive director, HUB
HUB formerly Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition, is a not-for-profit society established in 1998 to address cycling issues in Metro Vancouver. As of April of 2012, with a new name and new face, HUB continues to act as a central organization for the promotion of cycling and cycling education in Metro Vancouver.
HUB facilitates improved health, safety and connected communities by providing bicycle education to all ages, encouraging more people to cycle more often, and by building a fun and social community with events, programs and workshops. Its initiatives involved over 11,000 people in 2010 and over 1.3 million Vancouverites are aware of its events.
A member-based organization, HUB works with businesses, community organizations and governments to better incorporate cycling in day-to-day transportation. “We are here as a resource and an advocate for cycling. Everyone is welcome to come and learn about incorporating cycling into their lives”, says Erin O’Melinn, executive director. “We would like to see the number of people cycling for transportation in Metro Vancouver increase from four per cent to 10 per cent over the next 10 years.”
Vancity’s granting programs support not-for-profit organizations such as HUB to develop innovative and effective initiatives in support of the environment and the community. “HUB is a strong fit for our grant programs for acting on energy efficiency and climate change,” says Jennifer McGinn, Vancity account manager. Since 2004, Vancity has supported HUB with over $77,000 in grants directed at capacity-building, Bike to Work Week initiatives, bike promotion and the Commuter Cycling Skills Program. The credit union has also provided a line of credit to facilitate HUB’s daily financial transactions.
Traffic congestion in Metro Vancouver leads to lowered mobility and increased energy consumption and pollution in the environment. The City of Vancouver wants to be the world’s greenest city by 2020 and therefore plans to address these issues by incorporating a more inclusive, healthy and environmentally friendly approach to transportation that emphasizes more walking, cycling and public transit. The plan, Transportation 2040, provides a guide for how people and goods will be transported in the next 15 years and a vision for the future of transportation over the next 30 years.
With the help of its driving force of volunteers HUB increases cycling awareness and voices the concerns of Metro Vancouver cyclists. By linking cycling with day-to-day trips, HUB supports the City of Vancouver’s overall vision for future transportation and the future of the community and the environment in the area.