"walk buttons" ... for bikes!

The good people of Vancouver don't understand how much of a good thing they have. Streets designated as bike routes? Traffic calming measures that stop cars but allow bikes to go through? Buses with bike racks hitched to their fronts? All of these speak to the fact that the people upstairs not only understand but also actively encourage cycling as a viable primary form of transportation.

But I am most amazed at the traffic signal push buttons for cyclists. They're stationed exactly where they need to be: at all major intersections on designated bike routes, accessible directly from the street (complementing those on the sidewalk for pedestrians), and just a little bit higher off the ground to compensate for the height of a bike. I'm also partially addicted to the satisfying beep they make when pressed. (And they really work, unlike the push buttons in some other cities!)

Oh Vancouver, if only you knew all the kinds of envy you would inspire in the cyclists of New York.

CONSUMED: all over Vancouver!