December 14/18 16:25 pm - Bike Beyond Downtown: Building Suburban Bike Culture (Toronto)

Posted by Editoress on 12/14/18
 

With millions of short trips made each day in the communities outside of Toronto's core, there's great potential for cycling - but how can we tap into it?

Join The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) on January 17, 2019, for Biking Beyond Downtown: Building Suburban Bike Culture, celebrating the launch of our new report titled Building Bike Culture Beyond Downtown. A Guide to Suburban Community Bike Hubs.

The report summarizes what we've learned through the Scarborough Cycles initiative, a three-year community bike hub project that has successfully led over 1,000 people on rides, repaired over 2,000 bicycles, and trained over 200 people in cycling skills - all in a suburban community with next to no bike lanes and only one bike shop.

With research complete, our team is now publishing a guide to incubating cycling in suburban settings. The guide lays out a targeted approach centred on community bike hubs to overcome local barriers and foster unlikely partnerships.

At this event, opening remarks and a short presentation will be provided by TCAT Director Nancy Smith Lea. You'll then hear from experts who are finding innovative ways to encourage cycling in places which previously had very few trips by bike. The panel, moderated by urbanist, author and Toronto Star columnist Shawn Micallef, will include:

• Erica Duque, Active Transportation Planner, Region of Peel

• Jared Kolb, Executive Director, Cycle Toronto

• Trudy Ledsham, Researcher, Toronto Cycling Think & Do Tank, University of Toronto

• Marvin Macaraig, Community Health Promoter and Scarborough Cycles Bike Hub Coordinator, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services

• Fionnuala Quinn, Director, Bureau of Good Roads, Washington, DC

• Kristin Schwartz, Assistant Manager, Sustainable Communities, CultureLink Settlement and Community Services

• Michael Skaljin, Project Manager, Tower and Neighbourhood Revitalization Unit, City of Toronto

While barriers to suburban cycling exist, so does much potential. This event will help you discover it.

Date: Thursday, January 17, 2019

6:30PM Doors open and light food
7:00PM Launch and panel
8:30PM Mingle

Location: North York Memorial Community Hall, 5110 Yonge St.

Free! With thanks to the Metcalf Foundation for their support.

Register Here

The Scarborough Cycles project team includes The Centre for Active Transportation, a project of Clean Air Partnership, CultureLink Settlement and Community Services, Cycle Toronto, the Cycling Think & Do Tank at the University of Toronto, Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, and the Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre.