Upcoming Streetwise Courses
August 28, 12pm-4:30pm - Coal Harbour Community Centre*, Vancouver
September 11, 12pm-4:30pm - Kitsilano Community Centre, Vancouver
September 11, 12pm-4:30pm - Thompson Community Centre, Richmond
September 18, 12pm-4:30pm - South Surrey Rec Centre, Surrey
September 25, 12pm-4:30pm - Delta Bike Co., Delta (5694 12th Ave.)
October 9, 12pm-4:30pm - VACC Office (3 West 3rd Avenue), Vancouver

Registration Info
Please call the VACC office to register at 604-878-8222.
*For the Coal Harbour course, please register directly with the Community Centre.

Cost:
VACC Members: $36 - a 20% discount!
Non-Members: $45 (includes 1-year membership with the VACC, including discounts at bike shops and off courses and events)

What to bring:
- your bike, in safe working order
- helmet
- bike lock
- a snack & water for the road ride

FAQ

How do I know this is the right course for me?
If you'd like to ride your bike more but don't feel confident doing it or are nervous about traffic, this is probably the place for you. We also offer tips on what to carry and what to wear. If you're still not sure, feel free to contact us.

Are you teaching people how to ride a bike?
No, this program teaches traffic skills. We require that everyone who takes the course already know how to ride a bike. But if you, or someone you know, needs to learn from scratch, we can help you with that too. See the information on our one-on-one Learn to Ride instruction for adults.

I've been riding for years. Do you think I'd still learn something?
While you likely won't gain as much as someone who's at the beginner or intermediate level of riding in traffic, everyone who's taken the course has said that he/she has learned a lot from it. If are an advanced cyclist, you may prefer the challenge of our Can-Bike 2 course.

What have past participants said about the course?

"Since our class, I've been biking solo all over Vancouver with greater confidence. I'm able to take over the lane and comfortably get in there with the cars. I'm starting to commute to school downtown, and I love it so far. Thanks so much for the class. I'm using the knowledge from that class every day." - Annie Dickerson

"Growing up in Vancouver, I always admired my city's legions of two-wheeling environmentalists and healthy lifestylers, but I assumed I could never do what they did. I enrolled in a commuter cycling course with the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition. Our instructor was patient and pep-talked me through my first ride down major traffic arteries... Now bike riding has become part of my life and I love it." --Alana Prochuk, The Globe & Mail

"I attended the Streetwise Cycling course and I just wanted to express my sincere thanks for a such a wonderful course. The content was comprehensive, the instructor (Mona) was knowledgeable and friendly and the on-road part of the course really brought everything together. The great instruction I received combined with the "hands-on" experience has definitely given me the confidence to ride in traffic, which before I found daunting. Frankly I got way more out of this course than I anticipated and will highly recommended it to friends." - Marnie Cameron

"Before the course my thoughts were: 'I wish I could seriously use my bike for personal transportation, but it's not really feasible'. Now I am committed to daily commute to work from Surrey to the west side of Vancouver, using a combination of bike and SkyTrain."

Can my child take the course too?
Children also need the skills to cycle safely, but the curriculum of this course was developed for adults. The minimum age is 16. However, we now offer separate Family Streetwise courses that include children. Please click here for more info.

What actually happens during a class?
We've put together a short video to give you a better idea. Take a look and see what you think.

What are the qualifications of your instructors? How will they keep me safe on the course?
VACC instructors are nationally-certified bike-safety instructors, which is the highest standard for bike safety instruction in Canada. Our instructors also have years of experience teaching bike safety, both on and off the road. We also maintain a strict 1:6 instructor-to-participant ratio to ensure your safety on the road.