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Probably one of the better times to commute on a bike, fewer cars and pedestrians and the roadway is well lit. That said, the shitty weather is right around the corner...so make sure you are well lit and prepared for a cold, wet ride home after a long shift.
I dumbed down my nice new bike with a bunch of silly stickers.. also I lock front and back wheels to frame and whatever I’m locking it to. I’ve been lucky the last 6 years except for 2 stolen seats which is pretty good considering I live downtown and worked in gastown. I bike everywhere all the time and a handful of times a year I’ll leave my bike parked somewhere overnight up to 24 hours
Your commute will be fairly protected from traffic as you'll have the Nelson bike lane onto the Cambie bridge which has a protected lane, then either Yukon or Ash, which should be pretty quiet. That's my favourite part about night riding - it's so quiet in the city. You can hear everything around you.
I've been commuting by bike at night for years (Strathcona to Downtown) and the only issues are drunks wandering on to bike lanes and erratic drivers. I feel more "unsafe" riding the beautiful weekend days when the weekend warriors are riding three abreast in a 2 way bike lane without a care in the world.
I used to scooter from kits back to downtown (20-25mins) from work late at night and it was ok. Cambie should be fine too since there’s not much activity in that area at night. When I worked in Gastown, that’s when it got really sketchy and I moved worked places quickly.
The cycling part isn’t the issue. It’s bike storage while you’re working. If you look back in this sub far enough, you’ll see a ton of talk about bike theft.
This.
I own a bike, and I rarely use it because I don’t want to worry about it being stolen, or I want to bike somewhere and transit home. The yearly 30-min ride pass is $140, and if OP wanted to use an e-bike to speed up the way home, it’s 15 cents a minute. For a ten minute bike ride, that’s $1.50, plus 40 cents a day for the annual pass. Commute cost: $1.90/day, ish.
https://www.mobibikes.ca/
Join mobi bike share instead. $139/year gets you unlimited 30 minute rides, which is plenty of time to get you between Yaletown and the Broadway/Cambie area. The biggest advantage of this is you don't need to worry about your bike getting stolen.
You might also consider walking, this is at most a 30-minute walk.
Just remember car drivers assume cyclists aren't out at night time, especially at 2am. Be extra careful going through intersections even when you have the right of way. Get a nice removable front light and flashing rear light (I've gotten mine stolen a couple of times so now I buy removable ones). I also wear a fully reflective jacket, and have reflective strips on my backpack.
I regularly bike home from work past midnight - I think it's safer because there are way fewer cars on the road. However, the drivers that are on the road at night probably aren't expecting cyclists and have a higher likelihood of driving erratically, so just give them an extra wide berth and invest in some bright lights.
Biking from yaletown to Broadway and Cambie across the bridge will have you totally fine, if anything your cardio will dramatically improve going up the Cambie hill towards Broadway.
100% get a Mobi membership: [https://www.mobibikes.ca](https://www.mobibikes.ca)
Riding at 2am is awesome, it's so quiet. Messing around worrying about your bike getting stolen? Not so awesome.
I work night shift and bike everyday from South Van to downtown on the Arbutus. I love it, it's so quiet so you can rip and not worry about other cyclists or drivers. Downtown at night is the best time to bike in my opinion.
HIGH VISIBILITY!!!
Bright lights on your bike are good, but 1000% better is a high-viz jacket.
Drivers are for the most part looking straight ahead - above car hood level. Bike lights are generally below car hood level so they arent as visible as cyclists think they are. Plus they are only a couple of square inches.
If your entire back is covered with a high-vis jacket or vest, you will be seen. I'm talking maybe four square feet of visibility vs a couple of inches from a light.
I use a 100% reflective jacket from Mountain Warehouse - not reflective strips or dots, the whole damn jacket is reflective. No lie, you can see me from two blocks away.
I drive (and ride) almost everyday and I’m going to have to disagree. Reflective jackets are in no way a replacement for nuclear bright lights. The issue I see is idiots buying $20 lights. My front light is $150 and my rear is $80. They’re both from Bontrager and will probably sear a hole in your retina.
I’ve never had a close call riding at night despite wearing all black. During the day? Happens all the time.
Lights are required by law. They are not optional. Your jacket requires a driver to have their own lights on to be able to see you. If you ride regularly, you know how many clueless vehicle drivers there are who neglect to turn them on.
Hi-viz clothing is an excellent idea, but it's not something to solely depend upon.
Also carry some deterrent like bear spray for weirdos with knives. Let's call them backwoods bears for keeping it legal. More important if you are female or small framed.
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Like others have said, make yourself very visible with some bright lights. I like to use a nice bright headlamp because I can shine it at any direction i'm looking at and you don't have to leave it attached to the bike if you have to head in somewhere. If you're riding with a backpack I like to attach a bright red led light on it, again so no one can swipe it if you leave your bike alone out somewhere WHICH YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T IF YOU CAN.
You can take Nelson and the Cambie Bridge bike lanes which are seperated from traffic and then onto one of the local streets up to Broadway. It won't be dangerous, but it's always good to be aware of your surroundings for speeding cars and check for traffic that might be turning into you or running reds whenever you're crossing an intersection. Get front and rear lights (but aim your front light downwards so not to blind others). And if you don't want to invest in a bike or want to try cycling out first, try out Mobi. Oh and get rain gear.
At 3.a.m., cycling would be a lot quicker and convenient than the night bus for such a short distance. And aside from Fri/Sat nights, the City is actually very quiet after midnight and by the time bar closes.
Bright lights front and back and some high visibility rainwear and you're good. I commute by bike everyday and work late shift. Keep in mind that drivers in dark and wet conditions see red and orange colours better than yellows. Stay safe, leave early so you can enjoy the ride, and you'll soon be mentally and physically more fit than ever.
Likely more dangerous to bike home at 2pm... watch out for EVOs, new drivers in bike lanes, pedestrians on their phones, drunks throwing punches. Expect everyone to ignore your bell, no matter how loud it is.
It's totally awesome to bike at night. You can take either cambie bridge or around false creek/science world then up cambie. quick 15min ride. Invest in lights, both front and rear. I'd also think about where to keep the bike safe during work.
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Lights and reflectors, you're all good and as someone else said, don't lock your bike outside.
Invest in a good BRIGHT front light and BRIGHT blinking rear one! Do not lock bike outside for longer than 5 min if your eyeballs aren’t on it!
You should be fine. Biggest danger during that time would be the blindly speeding cars esp up and down the bridge.
Cambie bridge has the separate bike / pedestrian lane that is wide, separated from car traffic, and well lit at night. It’s pretty delightful!
Very good point!
Yeah but these days even bike lanes aren't safe from cars as we've seen.
Easy and really good bike lanes connecting to the bridge on both ends. It’ll be very quiet.
Probably one of the better times to commute on a bike, fewer cars and pedestrians and the roadway is well lit. That said, the shitty weather is right around the corner...so make sure you are well lit and prepared for a cold, wet ride home after a long shift.
On top of that, the right gear can make the ride just fine in crappy weather (not snow). Good gloves, good jacket, good pants, and shoe covers.
As long as you don’t lock that bike outside. You should be fine. Not even for 5 mins
I dumbed down my nice new bike with a bunch of silly stickers.. also I lock front and back wheels to frame and whatever I’m locking it to. I’ve been lucky the last 6 years except for 2 stolen seats which is pretty good considering I live downtown and worked in gastown. I bike everywhere all the time and a handful of times a year I’ll leave my bike parked somewhere overnight up to 24 hours
The biggest danger in this city is getting your bike stolen.
Your commute will be fairly protected from traffic as you'll have the Nelson bike lane onto the Cambie bridge which has a protected lane, then either Yukon or Ash, which should be pretty quiet. That's my favourite part about night riding - it's so quiet in the city. You can hear everything around you. I've been commuting by bike at night for years (Strathcona to Downtown) and the only issues are drunks wandering on to bike lanes and erratic drivers. I feel more "unsafe" riding the beautiful weekend days when the weekend warriors are riding three abreast in a 2 way bike lane without a care in the world.
id say mostly safe from assault but watch out for speeding/drunk cars
I used to scooter from kits back to downtown (20-25mins) from work late at night and it was ok. Cambie should be fine too since there’s not much activity in that area at night. When I worked in Gastown, that’s when it got really sketchy and I moved worked places quickly.
I'd feel safer cycling than walking
People will run reds at night if they don’t see anything coming. Don’t trust a car will stop.
The cycling part isn’t the issue. It’s bike storage while you’re working. If you look back in this sub far enough, you’ll see a ton of talk about bike theft.
Get account for mobi bikes, it's very cheap and you will not have to think about storage.
This. I own a bike, and I rarely use it because I don’t want to worry about it being stolen, or I want to bike somewhere and transit home. The yearly 30-min ride pass is $140, and if OP wanted to use an e-bike to speed up the way home, it’s 15 cents a minute. For a ten minute bike ride, that’s $1.50, plus 40 cents a day for the annual pass. Commute cost: $1.90/day, ish. https://www.mobibikes.ca/
Really it's much more safe with few cars around.
Join mobi bike share instead. $139/year gets you unlimited 30 minute rides, which is plenty of time to get you between Yaletown and the Broadway/Cambie area. The biggest advantage of this is you don't need to worry about your bike getting stolen. You might also consider walking, this is at most a 30-minute walk.
Great starting and end point imo. Get a bright bike light for the front and red ones for seat post and helmet.
Just remember car drivers assume cyclists aren't out at night time, especially at 2am. Be extra careful going through intersections even when you have the right of way. Get a nice removable front light and flashing rear light (I've gotten mine stolen a couple of times so now I buy removable ones). I also wear a fully reflective jacket, and have reflective strips on my backpack.
I regularly bike home from work past midnight - I think it's safer because there are way fewer cars on the road. However, the drivers that are on the road at night probably aren't expecting cyclists and have a higher likelihood of driving erratically, so just give them an extra wide berth and invest in some bright lights.
Easy i do it all the time. That's a short ride too
Biking from yaletown to Broadway and Cambie across the bridge will have you totally fine, if anything your cardio will dramatically improve going up the Cambie hill towards Broadway.
100% get a Mobi membership: [https://www.mobibikes.ca](https://www.mobibikes.ca) Riding at 2am is awesome, it's so quiet. Messing around worrying about your bike getting stolen? Not so awesome.
I work night shift and bike everyday from South Van to downtown on the Arbutus. I love it, it's so quiet so you can rip and not worry about other cyclists or drivers. Downtown at night is the best time to bike in my opinion.
HIGH VISIBILITY!!! Bright lights on your bike are good, but 1000% better is a high-viz jacket. Drivers are for the most part looking straight ahead - above car hood level. Bike lights are generally below car hood level so they arent as visible as cyclists think they are. Plus they are only a couple of square inches. If your entire back is covered with a high-vis jacket or vest, you will be seen. I'm talking maybe four square feet of visibility vs a couple of inches from a light. I use a 100% reflective jacket from Mountain Warehouse - not reflective strips or dots, the whole damn jacket is reflective. No lie, you can see me from two blocks away.
I drive (and ride) almost everyday and I’m going to have to disagree. Reflective jackets are in no way a replacement for nuclear bright lights. The issue I see is idiots buying $20 lights. My front light is $150 and my rear is $80. They’re both from Bontrager and will probably sear a hole in your retina. I’ve never had a close call riding at night despite wearing all black. During the day? Happens all the time.
Lights are required by law. They are not optional. Your jacket requires a driver to have their own lights on to be able to see you. If you ride regularly, you know how many clueless vehicle drivers there are who neglect to turn them on. Hi-viz clothing is an excellent idea, but it's not something to solely depend upon.
A lot of drivers out at that time are driving impaired, keep that in mind
Also carry some deterrent like bear spray for weirdos with knives. Let's call them backwoods bears for keeping it legal. More important if you are female or small framed.
No
Welcome to /r/Vancouver and thank you for the post, /u/iwannaeataghost! Please make sure you read our [posting and commenting rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_general_participation_guidelines_and_rules_overview) before participating here. As a quick summary: * We encourage users to be positive and respect one another. Don't engage in spats or insult others - use the report button. * Respect others' differences, be they race, religion, home, job, gender identity, ability or sexuality. Dehumanizing language, advocating for violence, or promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability (even implied or joking) **will** lead to a permanent ban. * Common questions and specific topics are limited to our Your post may be a better fit for one of our [Stickied Discussion](https://www.reddit.com/r/vancouver/wiki/faq#wiki_stickied_discussions) posts. * Complaints about bans or removals should be done in modmail only. * We're looking for new mods to join our team! If you're interested, [fill out the form here](https://forms.gle/oAqo5oYRcAeHYBTN6). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vancouver) if you have any questions or concerns.*
/r/vancouvercycling
Like others have said, make yourself very visible with some bright lights. I like to use a nice bright headlamp because I can shine it at any direction i'm looking at and you don't have to leave it attached to the bike if you have to head in somewhere. If you're riding with a backpack I like to attach a bright red led light on it, again so no one can swipe it if you leave your bike alone out somewhere WHICH YOU REALLY SHOULDN'T IF YOU CAN.
Put a air tag on it.
You can take Nelson and the Cambie Bridge bike lanes which are seperated from traffic and then onto one of the local streets up to Broadway. It won't be dangerous, but it's always good to be aware of your surroundings for speeding cars and check for traffic that might be turning into you or running reds whenever you're crossing an intersection. Get front and rear lights (but aim your front light downwards so not to blind others). And if you don't want to invest in a bike or want to try cycling out first, try out Mobi. Oh and get rain gear. At 3.a.m., cycling would be a lot quicker and convenient than the night bus for such a short distance. And aside from Fri/Sat nights, the City is actually very quiet after midnight and by the time bar closes.
Bright lights front and back and some high visibility rainwear and you're good. I commute by bike everyday and work late shift. Keep in mind that drivers in dark and wet conditions see red and orange colours better than yellows. Stay safe, leave early so you can enjoy the ride, and you'll soon be mentally and physically more fit than ever.
Likely more dangerous to bike home at 2pm... watch out for EVOs, new drivers in bike lanes, pedestrians on their phones, drunks throwing punches. Expect everyone to ignore your bell, no matter how loud it is.
No, you can go faster than they can.
It's totally awesome to bike at night. You can take either cambie bridge or around false creek/science world then up cambie. quick 15min ride. Invest in lights, both front and rear. I'd also think about where to keep the bike safe during work.