Shift into Summer celebrates the future of local cycling
The Peterborough Bike Advisory Committee (PBAC) hosted an event Thursday night to gear up for all the changes happening within Peterborough’s bike community.
Market Hall was overflowing with cyclists from around the city for Shift Into Summer.
The master of ceremonies for the night was Tegan Moss, executive director of B!KE.
“The truth is, if you don’t know who I am, you are probably not cleaning your bike enough,” said Moss.
B!KE is a community bike shop that restores older bikes and sells them at cost, hosts seminars on bike repair and bike safety and is a non-profit organization that aims to get more of the community out on their bikes.
The evening included an update on downtown bike lanes and the results from P-Bac's 2017 fall survey, which received 560 responses.
Coun. Don Vassiliadis, the city's chairman of transportation, made a short speech.
“I am here to listen. I have decided that I am probably the one person who knows the least amount in this room when it comes to cycling,” Vassiliadis said. “When I first became chair three years ago I went to my first Ontario Bike Summit and boy, was that a learning experience.”
That year, said Vassiliadis, Peterborough won the Silver Designation for Bike Friendly Communities. When receiving the award it wasn’t because of him, he said, it was because everyone else in his community put so much work and effort.
“I have been on a bike more in the last few years then ever before,” he laughed.
The next speaker was Justin Jones, manager at Share the
Road Canada. Jones joined Share the Road in 2013 and has overseen the growth of the Bicycle Friendly Ontario Program every since.
“I am from a small town in Alberta and so on your 16th birthday the first thing you do is you buy a car,” Jones said. “So, I bought a 1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue and everyday at lunch my buddies and I would go for a cruise to the corner store.
“Google Maps has now informed me that that distance was exactly 306 metres from my high school,” he said.
Jones changed his lifestyle when he moved to Toronto.
Jones decided after multiple headaches on the TTC that it was time to purchase his first bike and he never looked back.
Jones also mentioned Peterborough's Shifting Gears challenge, which encourages community members to shift into sustainable transportation. Approximately 1,000 participants logged over 33, 000 active and sustainable drips during the month-long 2018 challenge.
Awards were awarded to large, medium and small businesses as well as a school category and the community spirit award.
The winners of the Micro Category (fewer than 10 employees) were, B!KE, The Toy Shop, Fleming College Student Administration Council and The Hock Shop.
Small Category (between 10 to 24 employees) winners were, GreenUP, Trent University at Trail College and Partners in Pregnancy.
Medium Category (Between 25 to 249 employees) winners were, Wild Rock Outfitters, City of Peterborough Library, Ministry of Natural Recourses and Forestry at Trent University.
Large Category (259 employees and more) winners were, The Ontario Public Services at Robinson Place, BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada and Fleming College.
The High School award was given to Thomas A. Stewart S.S., Adam Scott CVI and Holy Cross.
The Community Spirit Award was given to Brian DeLeenheer from BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada.