Vélo Canada Bikes

Bike Day on the Hill 2024 brought together 14 MPs, 5 Senators and many more for a non-partisan celebration of cycling in Canada. Check out our event report here for a recap full of images from the event: https://lnkd.in/dAQ7Ht7x With thanks to Parliamentary co-sponsors MP Julie Dabrusin, Toronto-Danforth (Liberal) and Senator Marty Deacon, Ontario (Independent Senators Group) Speakers: MP Scott Aitchison, Parry Sound—Muskoka (Conservative) MP Karen Vecchio, Elgin-Middlesex-London, (Conservative) MP Sébastien Lemire, ASC, Député d’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (Bloc Québécois) MP Gord Johns, Courtenay-Alberni, (NDP) MP Mike Morrice, Kitchener Centre (Green) Attendees: MP Greg McLean, Calgary Centre (Conservative) MP Pam Damoff, Oakville North-Burlington (Liberal) MP Jean Yip, Scarborough—Agincourt (Liberal) MP Sonia Sidhu, Brampton South (Liberal) MP Adam van Koeverden, Milton (Liberal) MP Taylor Bachrach, Skeena-Bulkley Valley (NDP) Senator Mary Coyle, Nova Scotia (Independent Senators Group) Senator Bev Busson, British Columbia (Independent Senators Group) Senator Pat Duncan, Yukon (Independent Senators Group) Senator Jane MacAdam FCPA, CA, Prince Edward Island (Independent Senators Group) MPP Joel Harden, Ottawa Centre (Ontario NDP) Councillor Theresa Kavanagh, Bay Ward Ottawa Councillor Alex Norris, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal Montreal Organizing committee: Dave Robertson (Vice President of Bike Ottawa (Citizens for Safe Cycling)), Sue Holloway (Office of Senator Marty Deacon), Greg Barley (Office of Julie Dabrusin, MP) and Vélo Canada Bikes board members Kate Walker, Shelley Pelkey, Eleanor F. and Kathryn Manners Event volunteers: Safiya Benoit, Johnathan Pelkey, Karl Saidla and Zvi Leve, MSc Exhibitors: Let's Go Cargo Bike Rentals, Cycling Without Age Canada, Escape Bicycle Tours & Rentals, Full Cycle, Trek Bicycle, CAA Club Group and Kunstadt Sports Photographers: Clint Cui (https://lnkd.in/dK7X587z) Maria Lucia Gonzalez Torres (https://lnkd.in/dedAMnJB) Ray Paulo Garcia (https://lnkd.in/dqMPJPbQ) Event sponsors: Gold: EnviroCentre Silver: CAA Bronze: The Biking Lawyer LLP, Ebikes International, Global Public Affairs and Urban Systems Ltd. Non-profit event supporters: Heart & Stroke and Bike Ottawa

Why are cities opposed to Ontario's anti-bike lane Bill 212? Here are six key reasons, from the consensus-based input of the 40 Ontario municipalities in the Clean Air Council: 🤝The proposed unparalleled level of Ministry oversight over community roads undermines essential democratic principles. 💰 Bike lanes help to make transportation less expensive for Ontarians. 🛣️ Bike lanes aren't what cause road congestion; in fact, they need to be part of the solution. 🚫 Increased red tape will be a huge local financial burden and create more delays in delivering road work unnecessarily. 🏪 Bike lanes make business sense. 🚸Bike lanes save lives. Read the Clean Air Council's full submission on Bill 212 here: https://loom.ly/IXF0N4c #BikeLanes #Ontario #Democracy #Bill212 #SafeStreets

Bill 212 will aggravate congestion, endanger road users, waste money and is a jurisdictional overreach. We have submitted a letter to Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, Premier Doug Ford, and the Environmental Registry of Ontario on the proposed legislation. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/d_MY4f_B

We get it - you're driving to work and see someone cycling whiz past you in a bike lane while you're stuck in traffic. "Those darn cyclists, they slow down traffic with all these bike lanes!" It can be hard to see through the weeds when you're the one stuck in traffic but the belief that bike lanes slow down traffic is actually a FALLACY. Studies by Younes et al., 2024, show that bike lanes actually improve overall traffic flow by giving people safe, appealing alternatives to driving. As biking infrastructure expands, people are more likely to choose cycling, especially for shorter trips. This shift—called mode shifting—encourages more people to ride their bikes and frees up more space on the roads for vehicles, alleviating congestion for everyone and reducing commute times. Donate to support HUB Cycling's work to speed up traffic for all at https://ow.ly/XkpR50U88cJ #VancouverCycling #Vancity #Cycling #BikeFallacy #MetroVancouver #Biking

I was pleased to share OTC's opposition to Bill 212 - specifically around the framework for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane at Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy at Queen's Park yesterday. Here are key reasons for our opposition: 1) Road safety – dedicated cycling facilities protect cyclists from motorists. This legislation will result in unnecessary serious injury and death of cyclists. 2) There is no data or research to support the removal of or the restrictions proposed on dedicated cycling lanes as reducing traffic congestion. 3) It contradicts this Government’s commitment to reduce red-tape 4) It will cost Ontarian taxpayers from across the province tens of millions of dollars – potentially into the hundreds of millions of dollars 5) It is Provincial overreach. Municipalities across Ontario – big or small should be able to rely on their duly elected Council’s to make their own decisions around building transportation infrastructure. The Province could provide further guidance to municipalities through the Ontario Traffic Manual Series to align provincial priorities with those of the four hundred and forty-four municipalities across Ontario. Municipal transportation planners and engineers as well as the consultants they work with are the best technical experts to evaluate each municipalities active transportation needs and priorities. The Ontario Traffic Council is calling on Bill 212 Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024 – Framework for bike lanes that require removal of a traffic lane to be amended to remove this section in whole. Bicycle lanes are an important means of transportation contributing to numerous community benefits including a reduction in traffic congestion. The Ontario Traffic Council further calls on the government to work with stakeholders such as the OTC to evaluate traffic congestion as a significant issue and challenge and collectively evaluate data and research-based solutions. #Bill212 #roadsafety #bikelanes #dedicatedcyclinglanes #OTC #ontariotrafficcouncil #MTO #ontarioministryoftransportation

BREAKING: The Ontario Professional Planners Institute has submitted a smart, detailed 8-page letter to the Government of Ontario opposing the removal of bike-lanes in Toronto or any other municipal jurisdiction. They make a very thorough case, connecting the dots with actual evidence. https://lnkd.in/gMbynRVs

Today is #WorldChildrensDay! What can we do to give our kids the best start in life? 🩺 According to this position statement from the Canadian Paediatric Society / Société canadienne de pédiatrie, cycling is great for kids – but we need to build, expand, and promote safer cycling infrastructure.

We are a member of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, a non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen specialty bicycle retailers across North America. You can provide your input to help strengthen and guide the retail industry we rely on to help make Canada a more bicycle-friendly place.

We are collaborating with Équiterre and others to address the safety impacts of large SUVs on people riding bikes in Canada. Isabelle Joncas provided an overview of this growing concern for the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals: "...for cyclists, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reported in 2023 that ground-impact injuries - a frequent cause of head injuries- were more than twice (11) as common in SUV crashes than those involving cars. Forbes reports that research consistently shows that such larger vehicles are more likely to knock bicyclists to the ground, where they can be run over by the vehicle, thus causing more serious injuries, compared to vaulting them onto the hood of the vehicle. On average, the overall trauma to the body is 55 % higher and head injuries 63 % higher in SUV crashes (12) than in car crashes." https://lnkd.in/dEF45fAK

Where is the current "bikelash" coming from? Great to listen to Emma McDougall, a PhD student who studies urban planning at the University of Waterloo, go into the topic on national radio this weekend. https://lnkd.in/dAEDequB