As the Olympics near, there is a general dread in the air regarding how the heck we Vancouverites are going to get from A to B when the crowds hit. Workers citywide are fearing hyper-extended commute times, and though no one really knows which roads will be jammed and when, it's clear the Olympics will be tough for drive-to-work commuters.

I don't own or need a car, but like many who live in central Vancouver, my home is situated five minutes from a venue, and right smack in the middle of a labyrinth of streets marked with "no stopping" and "road closed" signs. These may protect roads near venues from becoming clogged arteries in the traffic flow of Vancouver, but with no parking at events, and little in the blocks nearby, where will event goers leave their cars?

I can't help but wonder if spectators will turn my meek little 18th Avenue into a parking lot, sneaking cars into private driveways and jamming up back alleys, as happens in neighbourhoods near the PNE during high season. I get the impression that for many Vancouverites, finding an open parking spot when they get home will be just as tough as the drive to work itself.

What good can come of this messy traffic situation?

Well, for environmentally minded folks, it's a chance for the city to prove that its green mantra is more than just an intention by catapulting those who don't really care into a world where it's more convenient to walk, bike or take public transit than to drive.

Still, for many who will leave their cars at home during the 2010 Games, this group eco-exercise is far from voluntary. It would take some sweet incentives to keep these commuters using eco-friendly travel methods once the Olympic crowds have left.

The Olympics create a great opportunity for bike-friendly Vancouver to make cycling more accessible to those for whom it's a tougher sell. Unfortunately, during the Games the city isn't doing all too much besides encouraging it. We could learn a thing or two from the government of the Netherlands, which is making it easy for Dutch visitors, athletes, and athletes' families by shipping in more than 400 bikes for their use during the Games.

One of the most promising efforts made to promote cycling in Vancouver was a feasibility study for a Public Bike System, conducted by Translink in 2008.

A Public Bike System would consist of a fleet of bicycles located at automated docking stations throughout Vancouver. For a small cost, a Vancouverite could borrow a bike from one station and conveniently leave it at another. It's just the kind of system that would come in handy at a time like this.

Though Translink gave this brilliant project the thumbs up, citing "significant real benefits" and suggesting that like Paris, Barcelona, Frankfurt and Montreal before us, Vancouver get on board, the city has yet to put the plan to action.

So the question is, will our temporary lifestyle change stick once the crowds have gone, the labyrinths of parking restrictions and road closures have evaporated, and main traffic routes return to their usual ebb and flow?

Currently the Public Bike System is slated as a "high priority for 2009-2011." Will this initiative be one Gregor Robertson's "Greenest City Team" follows through on?

Photo by The Blackbird on Flickr