BikeBrampton members going to Greg’s Ride

This Fall, a group of us from BikeBrampton will be participating in Greg’s Ride on Sunday, September 22. We’ll be cycling from Brampton to Hamilton on Saturday, riding in Greg’s Ride on Sunday, then cycling home Monday. BikeBrampton’s participation in this annual event has grown from one rider in 2013 to our larger team of riders this year.

BikeBrampton chair David Laing, Dayle Laing, Share the Road founder Eleanor McMahon, Wayne Noble, Lisa Stokes at Greg’s Ride 2018

Who is BikeBrampton

We are a group of volunteers who have met monthly for the past 6 years, discussing and developing action plans for cycling advocacy in the City of Brampton and Region of Peel. With the help of our partners, we host the Brampton Bike Hubs, Caledon Bike Hubs, regular Community Rides (with BCAC), and our annual Bike the Creek event.

Brampton has been recognized by Share the Road as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community and, of course, we aim for Silver! In February, we were asked to work with City staff to prepare a “Big Ask” for $1.75 million for new highly visible cycling infrastructure.

OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt with David Laing at Greg’s Ride 2016.

Why we participate in Greg’s Ride

The bigger provincial policy picture is something BikeBrampton discusses at our meetings. Some of us go to the Ontario Bike Summit annually to learn and to share. We also support the advocacy efforts of Share the Road and the advocacy objectives they raise funds for through Greg’s Ride:

  1. Every student in Ontario should have the opportunity to learn to safely ride a bike.
  2. All residents should feel safe and comfortable hopping on their bicycle.
  3. We want to see the province connected by a network of paths, bike lanes and paved shoulders. Those of us who have had the opportunity to participate in some cycle tourism, know just how important this network is for travel, commuting and recreation.

For us, making it safer and easier to ride a bike is also deeply tied to the need to address climate change.

Lisa Stokes, Wayne Noble (on the left) start Greg’s Ride 2018

Cycling and Climate Change

The City of Brampton joined 500 other municipalities around the world by declaring a Climate Emergency on June 5th.

Vancouver has been hailed as leading the way with its climate emergency declaration, that has created 6 new “big move” pollution reduction targets. What are the top two? Why, Active Transportation targets, of course.

  1. Walkable communities: By 2030, 90% of people live within an easy walk and roll of their daily needs.
  2. Safe and convenient active transportation and transit: By 2030, two-thirds of trips in Vancouver will be by active transportation and transit.

We know that when it comes to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions #BikesCanDoThat! And with transportation accounting for 30% of Ontario’s emissions, making cycling safer & easier needs to be part of local and provincial climate change action plans. Together with Share the Road, we’re working to make this happen.

BikeBrampton members are pleased to support Greg’s Ride as Share the Road’s major fund-raising activity, but it’s also a fun opportunity to ride alongside advocates from across the region and to chat all things cycling over food & drinks afterwards.

For registration and additional information about Greg’s Ride, visit sharetheroad.ca/gregsride. If – like us – you’re riding as a group of 3 or more, contact erica@sharetheroad.ca for a 20% group discount code!

David Laing, Dayle Laing (on the right) start Greg’s Ride, 2018
Wayne, Dayle, Rani, Peter, Lisa, Tracy at Greg’s Ride 2018

See you there!

Our thanks to Share the Road, for first publishing this in their Greg’s Ride blog. Special thanks to Executive Director Jamie Stuckless, for her kind editing! #BikesCanDoThat

Join BikeBrampton members at Greg’s Ride

This Fall, a group of us from BikeBrampton will be participating in Greg’s Ride on Sunday, September 22. We’ll be cycling from Brampton to Hamilton on Saturday, riding in Greg’s Ride on Sunday, then cycling home Monday. BikeBrampton’s participation in this annual event has grown from one rider in 2013 to our larger team of riders this year.

BikeBrampton chair David Laing, Dayle Laing, Share the Road founder Eleanor McMahon, Wayne Noble, Lisa Stokes at Greg’s Ride 2018

Who is BikeBrampton

We are a group of volunteers who have met monthly for the past 6 years, discussing and developing action plans for cycling advocacy in the City of Brampton and Region of Peel. With the help of our partners, we host the Brampton Bike Hubs, Caledon Bike Hubs, regular Community Rides (with BCAC), and our annual Bike the Creek event.

Brampton has been recognized by Share the Road as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community and, of course, we aim for Silver! In February, we were asked to work with City staff to prepare a “Big Ask” for $1.75 million for new highly visible cycling infrastructure.

OPP Sergeant Kerry Schmidt with David Laing at Greg’s Ride 2016.

Why we participate in Greg’s Ride

The bigger provincial policy picture is something BikeBrampton discusses at our meetings. Some of us go to the Ontario Bike Summit annually to learn and to share. We also support the advocacy efforts of Share the Road and the advocacy objectives they raise funds for through Greg’s Ride:

  1. Every student in Ontario should have the opportunity to learn to safely ride a bike.
  2. All residents should feel safe and comfortable hopping on their bicycle.
  3. We want to see the province connected by a network of paths, bike lanes and paved shoulders. Those of us who have had the opportunity to participate in some cycle tourism, know just how important this network is for travel, commuting and recreation.

For us, making it safer and easier to ride a bike is also deeply tied to the need to address climate change.

Lisa Stokes, Wayne Noble (on the left) start Greg’s Ride 2018

Cycling and Climate Change

The City of Brampton joined 500 other municipalities around the world by declaring a Climate Emergency on June 5th.

Vancouver has been hailed as leading the way with its climate emergency declaration, that has created 6 new “big move” pollution reduction targets. What are the top two? Why, Active Transportation targets, of course.

  1. Walkable communities: By 2030, 90% of people live within an easy walk and roll of their daily needs.
  2. Safe and convenient active transportation and transit: By 2030, two-thirds of trips in Vancouver will be by active transportation and transit.

We know that when it comes to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions #BikesCanDoThat! And with transportation accounting for 30% of Ontario’s emissions, making cycling safer & easier needs to be part of local and provincial climate change action plans. Together with Share the Road, we’re working to make this happen.

BikeBrampton members are pleased to support Greg’s Ride as Share the Road’s major fund-raising activity, but it’s also a fun opportunity to ride alongside advocates from across the region and to chat all things cycling over food & drinks afterwards.

For registration and additional information about Greg’s Ride, visit sharetheroad.ca/gregsride. If – like us – you’re riding as a group of 3 or more, contact erica@sharetheroad.ca for a 20% group discount code!

David Laing, Dayle Laing (on the right) start Greg’s Ride, 2018
Wayne, Dayle, Rani, Peter, Lisa, Tracy at Greg’s Ride 2018

See you there!

Our thanks to Share the Road, for first publishing this in their Greg’s Ride blog. Special thanks to Executive Director Jamie Stuckless, for her kind editing! #BikesCanDoThat

Brampton, Bicycle Friendly Community – Who Cares?

Do you care that City of Brampton was awarded Bicycle Friendly Community Bronze status in spring of 2017?

Probably not. The state of cycling in the City likely is not top of mind for most Brampton residents. Yet, the achievement of this award represents an important milestone, and not just for those who regularly bike in the City. Here’s why, according to David Laing, Chair of BikeBrampton.

Brampton currently faces a number of serious issues related to its rapid growth and land-use policies. With a population approaching 600,000 (according to the 2016 census), Brampton is Ontario’s 4th largest City being bested only by Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga. With a growth rate of over 13%, it is also one of North America’s fastest growing Cities. Yet Brampton struggles with urbanization and its growth is mostly “out” not “up”.

Brampton’s population density is roughly half that of Toronto’s. Suburban sprawl means longer commute distances. Providing frequent and therefore convenient public transit is economically out of the question for all but the most densified routes. The result? Most people use single occupancy vehicles to get around. But the car centric culture comes with costs and a host of problems.

Driving everywhere means traffic demand quickly outstrips road infrastructure leading to congestion, long commute times and added stress. The costs of building and maintaining roads create a huge financial burden for the municipality. Development charge revenue from new homes doesn’t cover the costs of providing and supporting this infrastructure. The City’s growth, therefore, becomes an ever increasing burden on the existing tax base.

Driving everywhere means the population is being robbed of a significant opportunity for physical activity. Sedentary living increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and other heart, lung and circulatory diseases. It is not hard to draw a link between this inactivity and the fact that Brampton’s emergency care units are among the busiest in the country!

Driving everywhere means we are clogging the air with climate changing carbon emissions and disease causing pollutants. More than 30% of the carbon emissions in Ontario come from the transportation sector. Thousands of premature deaths in Ontario and thousands more hospital admissions are associated with breathing dirty air. Recent studies also link air pollutants with increased risk of contracting dementia related diseases. In summary, Brampton has major health and environmental problems related directly to its car-centric tendencies.

So what has traffic congestion, pollution and land-use planning to do with Brampton becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community? It means City staff and politicians recognize that Brampton’s future as a livable city depends on more people cycling. It means the City embraces cycling as a legitimate transportation alternative. And it means Brampton’s planners recognize they must develop higher density neighbourhoods that are walkable, bikeable and environmentally sustainable.

The Bicycle Friendly Communities Program measures capacity across five categories referred to as the 5 “E”s.

The first “E”, Engineering, or the physical infrastructure, represents the ability for residents to use a bicycle to get from place to place safely and conveniently. This may involve separated bike paths or bike lanes or it may involve on road, “paint on pavement”, markings like sharrows or urban shoulders. Working with its various partners, the City has opened new pieces of cycling infrastructure in the past few years including urban shoulders on many city streets, extensions to the Etobicoke Creek Trail both at the north and south ends. And, in the spring of 2018, the City opened the Franceschini bridge connection across the 410 just north of Williams Parkway dedicated solely for walking, cycling and other forms of Active Transportation.

Often pathways and existing secondary roads can be combined to form a comprehensive cycling network without huge investments. Properly designed, the network is one of the biggest factors in encouraging more cycling behaviour. In order to do so, it must meet three main criteria: Connectivity, convenience and safety. With the Active Transportation Master Plan due out by the end of 2018, Brampton is now well on its way to defining this type of cycle network.

Encouragement, the second “E”, is where Brampton excels. From virtually nothing five years ago, Brampton now boasts a whole range of cycling related events. Bike the Creek, Brampton’s signature ride, attracts hundreds of participants each June and showcases many of Brampton’s and Caledon’s natural and cultural heritage attractions. Bramalea Cyclefest, put on each spring by the All People’s Church, rides along the Chinguacousy trail and includes visits to Chinguacousy Park and Professor’s Lake. The Brampton Bike Hub hosts two programs, Pedalwise, a cycling mentorship program and Bikewrx, a basic bike repair skills program. And Brampton’s Cycling Advisory Committee continues to host a series of Community Rides starting at locations throughout the City. These rides always end at a local store for a complementary beverage or ice cream cone that delivers guilt free calories!

Peel Police kick off bike season with Neighbourhood Policing Unit (NPU) officers patrolling on bikes. They provide friendly enforcement on the paths and other areas not easily accessible by cruiser. Enforcement is the third “E” of the program,. And, with the introduction in 2016 of a law requiring motorists to pass cyclists leaving at least one metre of space, Peel officers have yet another enforcement tool they can use to make City roads safer.

In the winter season, NPU officers help out with the fourth “E”, Education as they promote cycling and walking safety by visiting schools throughout the Region. Brampton is also home to Peel Police’s Safety Village which helps elementary students practice skills in a safe environment. In 2016 Brampton’s Cycling Advisory Committee trained 6 new CAN-BIKE instructors. And Brampton Recreation continues to offer a range of cycling skills training courses, at attractive rates, for both children and adults.

The last “E” in the Bicycle Friendly Communities program is Evaluation. An extensive monitoring and measurement plan is part of the City’s Active Transportation Master Plan. Brampton is installing bike counters at strategic locations and collecting data from a mobile GPS tracking app that produces a cyclists’ heat map.

Becoming a Bicycle Friendly Community is a game changer for Brampton. There is no question that cycling popularity in the City is on the rise. And recent studies by Share the Road Cycling Coalition suggest that cycling activity will continue to increase as safe, convenient infrastructure is installed.

Increased cycling in Brampton will help to relieve some of the traffic congestion while at the same time making Brampton a healthier and more environmentally sustainable community. More cycling will help offset rising taxes, increase road safety and make our neighbourhoods more friendly and liveable.

These are just some of the great reasons why we should all care deeply that Brampton has received this Bicycle Friendly Community Bronze award!

Greg’s Ride 2018

Team Brampton cycled Greg’s Ride 2018 Sept 23rd.

Share the Road 13th Annual Greg’s Ride offered our cycling network a 20% discount on all Early Bird tickets!

13th Annual Greg’s Ride details & Registration

This annual fundraiser supported Share the Road’s cycling advocacy at Queen’s Park (100% of profits fund advocacy). We all know the importance of what has been accomplished and what still needs to be done!

Greg’s Ride 2018 in the Hamilton area included:

  • The Promenade: 8km
    The Challenger: 37km
    The Ultimate: 77km
  • yummy hot lunch
  • drinks from Shawn & Ed Brewing Company
  • ride support & snacks
  • start and end at 65 Hatt Street, Dundas at Shawn & Ed Brewing Company
  • free parking
  • free swag bag of goodies

We showed the 300+ expected cyclists that Team Brampton is on the map!

Bike the Creek Friendly Connections

Bike the Creek Bicycle Friendly Connections & Aboriginal Day were our 2018 themes.

We were blessed with liquid sunshine amidst brief almost dry spells. Faces shone on happy riders who came out to experience new trail connections and the three official ceremonies for 2018.

Town Route riders gathered at Jim Archdekin Recreation Centre to listen to Bike the Creek Planning Committee Chair David Laing give the Rider Safety Briefing. Town Route – 46km, City Loop Route 40km, Nature Route 26km, Family Route 12km

Bike the Creek Partners City of Brampton, Town of Caledon, Toronto and Region Conservation, and BikeBrampton were pleased to welcome dignitary riders: Share the Road Executive Director Jamie Stuckless and Peel Medical Officer of Health Dr. Jessica Hopkins.

Brampton Councillors Doug Whillans and Jeff Bowman stopped by to wish the riders well before the start.

David Laing and Region of Peel MOH Dr. Jessica Hopkins, almost ready to start their rides!

Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson, Caledon Regional Councillor Johanna Downey, Dr. Jessica Hopkins and her partner all cycled to the first stop in Heart Lake Conservation Area. Also cycling was TRCA Director Chandra Sharma (not shown here). Three of the rides used the newly constructed northern trail into the park.

TRCA welcomed riders and stamped their passport maps at Heart Lake Pavilion. (Some riders had picked up mud by this point….)

Lorie and her corporate team of riders from Greenfield Global took the Nature Ride into Heart Lake Conservation Area.

Director Chandra Sharma brought TRCA greetings to the Indigenous Elder’s Official Ceremony at the Medicine Wheel Garden in Heart Lake Conservation Area. Councillor Johanna Downey and other cycling dignitaries looked on.

Bike the Creek riders present were honoured to witness the Official Ceremony and Drum Circle. The Canoe Garden and Medicine Wheel Garden are beyond the TRCA tent.

At this point, volunteers Wayne Noble and David Laing led some dignitaries headed north into Caledon. Volunteer Dayle Laing led other dignitaries south in Brampton. Volunteer Polly Thornham led dignitary Peel Associate Director of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh south as he jogged pushing his children in a carriage.

TRCA Director Chandra Sharma speaking at Official Opening Ceremony of Caledon bridge, connecting Southfields and Valleywood communities. To Chandra’s left are Councillor Barb Shaughnessey, Sylvia Jones MPP Dufferin-Caledon and Mayor Allan Thompson.

Caledon bridge Official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – MP Sylvia Jones, TRCA Senior Project Manager Vince D’Elia, Mayor Allan Thompson, Wayne Noble, Councillor Johanna Downey, TRCA Director Chandra Sharma – Tweet photos courtesy of Councillor Downey

Badlands Pavilion, located at Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. Susan from Caledon Tourism displays Caledon Cycling maps. Pumpkin doughnuts were provided FREE for riders from our sponsor Downey’s Farm. Sponsor Spirit Tree Estate Cidery provided non-alcoholic cider and bars.

Badlands Pavilion, Serguei staffed Region of Peel’s booth showing new cycling infrastructure on Olde Baseline Road and the work done on the Badlands Parking lot.

Caledon Pavilion, located near John Clarkson Park. Nicole from Parks & Recreation provided riders with homemade cookies complements of our sponsor Butter & Cup, and pumpkin doughnuts, complements of our sponsor Downey’s Farm. Dignitaries include Caledon OPP, David Laing, TRCA Director Chandra Sharma, Councillor Johanna Downey, volunteer Wayne Noble, Councillor Nick de Boer, Mayor Allan Thompson, MPP Sylvia Jones.

South on Heart Lake Road temporary bike lane. A road permit closed the southbound lane to accommodate riders travelling north on the City Loop Ride and south on the Nature Ride.

Share the Road Executive Director Jamie Stuckless on newly refurbished Franceschini bridge over Hwy#410

MOH Dr. Jessica Hopkins discussing Franceschini bridge with Brampton Landscape Architect Jake Mete (slightly behind), and Brampton Senior Manager Transportation Planning Henrik Zbogar, and Dr. Hopkin’s partner.

Brampton Parks Franceschini bridge Pavilion – Jessica, volunteer and the Artist of the gorgeous bridge deck design!

Brampton Active Transportation booth, Franceschini bridge – Tamara featured the new Brampton Cycling Guide maps!

Franceschini bridge – City Loop riders travelling west, Nature Riders travelling east. Bridge provides link between east and west sides of Esker Lake Trail. The LED lighting system along the top railing, turns different colours at night. There is an Eco-Counter that logs pedestrian and cycling traffic!

Official Opening of Franceschini Bridge over Hwy#410, copyright photo courtesy of Herman Custodio Creative Photography (Facebook page). Thanks Herman, you make everyone look good!

The dignitary south group stopped at Historic Bovaird House, where Chairman Michael Avis and his team explained the history behind Pendergast Log House, slated for official opening on July 1st.

Region of Peel’s Walk+Roll Peel was the Title Sponsor, providing lunch funding. Hungry returning cyclists and volunteers enjoyed BBQ Gourmet catering back at Jim Archdekin.

ZERO WASTE EVENT! Region of Peel hosted the final Pavillion Sierra Club waste diversion team volunteers did an awesome job of collecting and sorting event waste. The food caterer provided compostable dishes. Peel Public Works Waste Management Statistics:

Organics collected: 80kg

Recycling collected: 50kg

Garbage collected: 30kg

Excellent Diversion rate 81.25%

Sonia Sidhu MP Brampton-South, welcomes returning riders TRCA Director Chandra Sharma and David Laing – photo courtesy Sonia’s Twitter feed.

Volunteer Wayne Noble, David Gilies, Sylvia Jones MPP Dufferin-Caledon, Mayor Allan Thompson.

                    

Jamie Stuckless brought greetings from Share the Road Cycling Coalition, on the value of our Bicycle Friendly Connections theme, celebrating our new cycling infrastructure and that both Brampton and Caledon have their Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community status.

Dr. Jessica Hopkins, Region of Peel’s Chief Medical Officer of Health spoke about the value of activity for our physical and mental health, and the value of our having a built environment that encourages this activity.

Ruby Sahota MP Brampton North brought greetings and a plaque on behalf of the Federal Parliament, that recognizes the benefit of the “new cycling infrastructure that gives people greater ability to reduce their carbon footprint while also being physically active”.

Sara Singh MPP Brampton Centre brought greetings on behalf of the Province of Ontario. Master of Ceremonies, TRCA Project Manager Elizabeth Oakley.

                     

Mayor Allan Thompson brought greetings from partner Town of Caledon, continuing the friendly rivalry between the two communities.

Regional Councillor Michael Palleschi brought greetings from partner City of Brampton and returned the friendly challenge of Caledon.

Jaime Stuckless, Kevin Montgomery, Chandra Sharma, Ruby Sahota sharing Bike the Creek fun!

Peel Regional Police Constable, Share the Road Executive Director Jamie Stuckless, Brampton Regional Councillor Michael Palleschi, TRCA Director Chandra Sharma, Ruby Sahota MP Brampton-North, MOH Dr. Jessica Hopkins, Sara Singh MPP Brampton-Centre, David Laing, Dayle Laing.

Peel Regional Police Constable discusses Crime Prevention with MPP Sara Singh.

Sponsor Peel Regional Police Crime Prevention booth registered bicycle serial numbers for their anti-theft program.

Sponsor Velofix Caledon worked non-stop on repairs from their truck (booth). They were called out on 2 occasions to assist riders on the routes.

Sponsor Trainsmart Wellness booth provided mini-massages and contributed to our prize draw.

Sponsor PAMA (Peel Art Gallery Museum + Archives) booth hosted craft activities for children (and those young at heart). Our BCAC Bike Rodeo was cancelled due to wet pavement, as per safety protocol.

Title Sponsor Walk+Roll Peel booth was well staffed, featuring Bike Month Brampton and Caledon free t-shirts and cycling prizes for riders answering safety skills-testing questions!

Sponsor Orange Theory Fitness booth provided passes for their location. Their bright orange booth brightened our day!

City of Brampton engaged Wayne Henry to perform bike tuning / basic repairs.

       

Bike the Creek planning committee appreciates generous sponsorship from WIKE, the Walk & Bike Company, Caledon Hills Cycling and The Cyclepath Brampton.

 

Bike the Creek was pleased to include Peel Memorial Wellness Centre Pavillion and Historic Bovaird House Pavilion.

Rain did not stop the keen cyclists of Bike the Creek!

Brampton Grow Green BEAC booth volunteer Trevor set to depart with his trusty companion at end of event.

Bike the Creek Planning Committee members Emma and Nelson – wow, we did it!

Rear View Cycling

Rear view cycling was promoted in Bike Month.

MTO’s Road Safety Challenge grant allowed BikeBrampton to design, create and display a poster to encourage cyclists to check around them before turning or changing lanes.

Published April 2018 in “Cycling Skills: Ontario’s Guide to Safe Cycling” included the inspiration for our challenge this year:

“A rear view mirror lets you see what is approaching from behind and makes it easier to check traffic before passing.”

 

Brampton Springdale Library hosted a Bike Month display, where BikeBrampton and Walk+Roll Peel promoted cycling events and bike safety to library patrons. Partnerships extend our cycling message reach to new audiences!

Bramalea CycleFest gave the community an opportunity to get their bikes set and prepare to cycle the 3, 6 or 12km routes safely.

Bramalea CycleFest 6km riders on Brampton’s Chinguacousy Trail.

Sonia Sidhu MP (Brampton-South), stopped by to encourage Bramalea CycleFest riders.

CeleBrampton CycleFest always draws a large crowd of interested cyclists, wanting news of events, safety information and the latest Cycling Guide route map. As cycling has become more popular, the safety questions have become more sophisticated!

Our Rear View Cycling poster display complements our MTO Road Safety Challenge 2016 campaign pull-up sign of the “One Metre Safe Passing Law”.

Similarly, Jane’s Walk (in our case, Ride), was a good opportunity to supplement BikeBrampton’s booth display with our MTO Road Safety Challenge 2017 campaign flag of “Do the Bright Thing – Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Predictable”.

Bike the Creek routes of 12, 26, 40 and 46km gave hundreds of riders the opportunity to practice “Rear View Cycling” on the paths and roads of Brampton and Caledon.

See Bike to School Week 2018 blog post for more on Rear View Cycling!

 New research on winter cycling from Ryerson via @dandyhorse

27% of current cyclists (who usually bike to work or school in spring and fall) continue to bike through the winter months. It’s both a high and a low number. On one hand, a quarter of all cyclists bike all year round, so clearly there is potential for winter cycling. On the other hand, there is still a lot of work that would need to be done for more people to consider biking in the winter.

The probability of biking in winter is associated with increased access to on-street cycling facilities such as bike lanes and cycle tracks near the shortest route of travel.

Women, compared to men, were less likely to bike in all seasons.

Source: http://dandyhorsemagazine.com/blog/2018/02/13/new-research-on-winter-cycling-from-ryerson/

Here’s how we can bridge the gender gap in biking || Greater Greater Washington

Despite overall growth in the number of people biking to work, there are still some challenges that need to be addressed by cities, organizations, and employers for more women to bike more often.

Cornell University professor Mildred Warner sums up this approach well: “Asking, ‘Would a woman feel comfortable walking here at dusk?’ and getting an affirmative response likely means that most people will feel comfortable using the space. Women can be used as a bellwether for safety, as well as other planning priorities. Regarding transportation planning, women are choice riders: if more women ride transit, more people will ride.”

Source: Here’s how we can bridge the gender gap in biking || Greater Greater Washington

Major New Investment to Make Cycling Safer and More Convenient

Ontario is making it safer and more convenient for people to get around by bike, by more than doubling its investment in local cycling to build bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure in towns and cities across the province. This investment is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and is funded by proceeds from the province’s cap on pollution and carbon market.

Across Ontario, 120 municipalities will receive funding from the province for new bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure. The province is investing $93 million this year:

Brampton will be receiving $1,780,604 of this funding.

Source: Major New Investment to Make Cycling Safer and More Convenient

Cycling in the Snow: How many do it and what does it actually look like?

Year-round counts at Bloor and Castle Frank record winter bicycle traffic that is just over one fifth summertime levels. As of June 2017, the Bloor bike lane saw an average of 5,220 cyclists per day. If one fifth continue to cycle through the winter, we can expect to see over 1,000 cyclists a day on Bloor, making it as busy as some Toronto bike lanes in the summer.

While this number might seem high to some, it becomes less surprising when we consider Toronto’s climate data. Cara Fisher, an associate of the Winter Cities Institute, has classified Toronto as a “moderate” winter city, along with Calgary and Minneapolis. These cities experience January highs close to 0°C (-1°C in Toronto) and lows close to -10°C (-6°C in Toronto). Temperature extremes are rare.

Source: Cycling in the Snow: How many do it and what does it actually look like?