Dave Noonan is a big believer in bicycles.
Though he owns a bright yellow Ford pick-up, more often than not you’ll find the Brantford, Ont. transplant cycling along city streets, either on his way to work or on a leisurely stroll with his wife, Shannon Costigan.
The couple, who have called Thunder Bay home for the better part of a decade, decided this year to put their faces front and centre, taking part in the second annual You Know Me, I Ride a Bike campaign.
“I’m a supporter of active transportation in general, whether it’s sidewalks or bike lanes. But it’s important to get the message out about healthy living, not just about safety. Safety, of course, is a priority, but healthy living goes a long way as well,” the 33-year-old Noonan said.
He’s got plenty of good reasons for taking up cycling, he added.
“A few years back I was pretty sick and one of the things that helped me along was getting a bicycle, getting out there and being active.”
Carrie Fawcett is a teacher who thinks it’s important to promote cycling in Thunder Bay.
For her, joining the Thunder Bay District Health Unit-sponsored campaign was as much self-motivation as anything else.
“I want to promote cycling in myself, and in other people if they’re inspired by seeing that,” said Fawcett, whose smiling face is already adorning bus-stop posters throughout Thunder Bay.
“For me I just really appreciate moving around the city in this way, and I just want to suggest to people that it’s something they might consider, making that shift if they’re not already cycling at all. I just want to encourage shared respect on the roads.”
The Health Unit’s Marita Campbell, who helped start the campaign in conjunction with the city’s crime prevention council, the anti-racism advisory committee and Confederation College, said You Know Me, i Ride a Bike is starting to gain traction, and not just in Thunder Bay.
“In fact, other communities have called and asked if they can copy it and do the same thing in their community. So it’s got actually Canada-wide recognition.”
Campbell, a public-health nurse, said it’s also made a difference locally.
It will take time to completely sink in, but she’s confident it will happen sooner, rather than later.
“We just want motorists to realize these are people, and they’re people that might be their neighbour, their son’s teacher. We just want people to think of the people that are in front of them. They’re not just getting in their way.”
An ad campaign will be feature on print and radio ads in May. More information is available at www.safecyclingthunderbay.com.
