Bike boost for downtown
Downtown Peterborough has been certified as a BicycleFriendly Business Area, one of five in the province chosen by an organization called Ontario By Bike.
The announcement was made Thursday night during the Shift into Summer event at Market Hall.
The designation comes in recognition of the Downtown Business Improvement Area's work encouraging safe cycling in the city core.
“We encourage everyone to explore downtown Peterborough and I’m glad we’ve been able to make it easier to explore the heart of our city by bike,” stated Terry Guiel, DBIA's executive director, in a media release. “The real credit here goes to our businesses who see the benefits of cycling and having cyclists visit their establishments. We also have an active cycling community here and organizations like Peterborough GreenUp, B!KE, Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee, the City’s Transportation Division and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism have put in countless hours toward making our community more bike-friendly.”
The designation will give Peterborough a boost in the growing bike tourism market, with Guiel noting that cyclists can treat the downtown as a base camp and easily access roads and trails with more than 300 kilometres of signage.
Downtown has six businesses recognized as pedal-friendly by Ontario By Bike: The Silver Bean Cafe, Peterborough and the Kawarthas Visitor Centre, B!KE: The Community Cycling Hub, Wild Rock Outfitters, GreenUP and The Publican House Brewery.
For more information on local and province-wide bike tourism, visit www.bikedowntown peterborough.net/ and www.ontariobybike.ca/