THUNDER BAY - The future of cycling in Thunder Bay was the focus at the second annual Bike Summit.
In partner with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Confederation College played host to the event on Saturday.
Cyclists of all ages were present to participate in a number of activities such as a family bike swap, bike tune-ups, and a kids’ bike rodeo.
The summit also featured, for the first time since 2007, the launch of a new transportation plan in Thunder Bay.
The Active Transportation Plan will focus on improving elements of non-motorized transportation. The plan will feature updated routes, recommendations for new policies, and funding approaches.
Jamie Stuckless, the executive director of Share the Road Ontario, said that Thunder Bay is ahead of some communities in terms of active transportation.
“Thunder Bay is hitting above their weight belt in terms of things they’ve tried, and some of the design standards that they’ve adopted,” Stuckless said. “Yet, there’s still a lot of opportunity, and some of the key opportunities will come from building out the network, and elevating the quality.”
Stuckless says “building the network” involves mapping out key destinations, connecting those destinations, and reallocating spaces for cyclists.
“It’s not a cars versus bikes scenario,” Stuckless added. “There’s many things you can do to a roadway to make it operate better for both users.”
Elsewhere at the summit, road instructors and police officers were developing a safer tomorrow, by teaching the youth about bike safety.
“We want children to be able to cycle to places,” said Stasia Starr. “It gives them independence, it’s great for their bodies from a health perspective, it’s great for the environment.”
