The Vancouver Cycling Without Age Society (VCWAS) is introducing services to UBC’s campus this summer to assist residents facing barriers to getting outdoors.
The society is a volunteer-run organization that takes seniors and their friends and families for bike rides on trishaws – a type of three-wheeled bicycle or pedicab. The volunteers aim to serve seniors between the ages of 70-100, giving them the chance to get outside and enjoy the pleasure of human-powered transport on wheels.
VCWAS’s “ride season” spans from May 1 to October 31. During the season, 50 volunteers give weekly rides to seniors across Vancouver. Last year, they provided nearly 1,500 rides to 3,000 passengers, travelling over 9,000 kms across the city.
“Seniors are most at risk of social isolation, which harms their physical and mental health. Cycling Without Age is one of the best solutions to this problem” said a passenger who uses the service. “We want to see Cycling Without Age become the most popular activity for elders and their caregivers in Vancouver”.
Wesbrook Place, Main Mall, North Campus, and Pacific Spirit Regional Park are some of the areas VCWAS is exploring for potential routes. And every route taken is pre-scouted by the organization ahead of the ride.
“We are currently scouting routes and should have more details closer to the start of the season,” said VCWAS executive director Jake Winn. “We’ll be all over, though.”
For the upcoming ride season, the society has secured a storage location on campus that will house four trishaws to service seniors living in Wesbrook and surrounding neighbourhoods.
VCWAS has two kinds of programs that will be available for interested senior residents, said Winn. “One is partner rides where we provide rides to clients of care homes or senior-serving organizations,” he said. “We have a set schedule and these rides are not open to the public.”
They also have community rides which are scheduled usually on weekends and anyone can join. These are options for seniors living independently, not in a care home, and available by donation.
VCWAS already has a presence on campus through an ongoing research project with UBC students in the Master of Occupational Therapy program. It is an ethnographic project that looks at the experiences and motivations of seniors participating in the program. Students observe outings and interview senior participants and volunteers in the hopes to see benefits, challenges, and possible outcomes of the program.
The society and its volunteers are excited to join the UBC community this coming summer by giving seniors rides around the place they call home. “This experience has shown me what it truly means to be full of life,” said one VCWAS volunteer.
Interested residents and community members should discuss with their care home or check out VCWAS’s website (cyclingwithoutage.ca/Vancouver) to get involved.
AMIE BERNAERDT IS A THIRD YEAR STUDENT AT UBC, MAJORING IN CREATIVE WRITING AND ANTHROPOLOGY. SHE LIVES IN WESBROOK PLACE.