Saskatoon Cycles December 2020 Newsletter
Hot Drinks Outside
To continue to celebrate Cathy Watts’s legacy and amazing community-building spirit, we are launching a new weekly, socially distanced gathering called Hot Drinks Outside. Hot Drinks Outside will happen every Friday morning from 7 am to 9 am at various interesting spots around the city.
We are starting this week (Friday, December 18th), with a meetup at 14th and Temperance, near D’Lish by Tish Cafe. The casual gatherings will be an opportunity to celebrate cycling and its benefits to society, and to get to know more people in Saskatoon.
For more information about Hot Drinks Outside, read this new blog post by SC board member, Kira Judge. (Note that all current public health guidelines will be in effect: masks mandatory, 2m social distancing, and maximum 10 people.)
Our new slate of officers
At our board meeting last week, we named our slate of officers for 2021. Erin Edwards and Kira Judge will serve as our co-chairs. Gwen Charman is treasurer. And Amber McTaggart will be our secretary.
Have your say on bicycle parking
The City of Saskatoon is in the process of developing requirements for bicycle parking to be included in the Zoning Bylaw in order to meet one of the goals of the Active Transportation Plan and other important sustainability initiatives, as well as to address feedback we’ve heard from stakeholders. They are gathering input through this survey. Deadline for responses is January 8, 2021.
Update: Dudley Street Bikeway
The Standing Policy Committee on Transportation, at its meeting held on December 7, 2020, considered the following item and resolved that the SPC on Transportation recommend to City Council that the Dudley Street Neighbourhood Bikeway be approved in principle. This matter will be considered by City Council at its meeting to commence at 1:00 p.m. via teleconference hosted in the Council Chamber at City Hall on December 21, 2020. This is a public meeting that you can view via the online streaming. If you would like to show your support or make comments on the Dudley St Bikeway you can submit these on the city’s website https://www.saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees
Update: Victoria Avenue Bikeway
The City of Saskatoon held the second meeting for the Victoria Ave bikeways project on Dec 9th. They presented five options for AAA cycling facilities on Victoria Ave from 8th St to Taylor St. Information for the five options can be found on the city of Saskatoon’s engage page https://www.saskatoon.ca/engage/neighbourhood-bikeways-project. They also have an online survey that is open for responses until Wednesday January 6th. Please fill out this survey and show your support for the Victoria Ave cycling facility.
Gift ideas for the cyclist on your list
Looking for a gift for your favourite bike rider? We have “I bicycle Saskatoon” t-shirts in men’s and women’s styles, and high-visibility vests with blinking LED lights. Hop on over to our online shop.
Winter cycling workshop
Last month we partnered with Bridge City Bicycle Coop to host a virtual workshop on winter cycling. SC board members Jim Arnold and Zack MacGregor participated on the panel, which was moderated by Ecoquest teacher and host of Switching Gears Bike Radio, Tyler Rittinger. The video recording of this information-packed session is now posted to our new YouTube channel. Give it a watch if you’re looking for tips on clothing and gear.
School Loops
Cathy Watts did so much for Saskatoon. Did you know she also did some amazing work for other communities as well? A few weeks ago, SC board member Kira Judge met Leigh Anne from Plain Bicycles from Winnipeg and learned that she and Cathy were working on an educational, engaging and active platform for school kids, parents, and teachers, called School Loops.
Each loop is mapped to connect a small group of schools together by some of the quietest ways, the secret paths or the necessary connections available. Each loop is “branded” with an animal and a colour to make for signs that are easy for young people to follow. Each loop offers possibilities for geography class adventures, outdoor leadership teams, getting to and from school, exploring the world or just smelling the fresh air.
Leigh Anne has dedicated the program in the memory of Cathy, to celebrate her work and contribution to communities. Please check how it works and share the link with your network. Happy family cycling!
Safety performance of bicycle infrastructure in Canada
The Transportation Association of Canada recently released a large report entitled “Safety Performance of Bicycle Infrastructure in Canada”. TAC did a literature review of all of the published studies they could find, they asked every province and city to contribute (Saskatoon is listed), and they did some surveys. One of their conclusions is that cities build things for cycling and then don’t collect much data.
The Saskatoon Cycles board has begun a review of this document to understand how Saskatoon measures up nationally, and we hope to use this information in our ongoing discussions with city council and the city’s transportation department.
Fat bike adventures in northern Saskatchewan
Adventure Destinations will host two events coming up in 2021. One is the Sask 60 Winter Ultra Race that has its origins deeply rooted in the northern community of Missinipe and the other is the Hardcore 100. The Hardcore 100 was the brainchild of local fat bike enthusiasts who ere craving a northern experience on the beautiful trails of the boreal forest. 2020 was our inaugural year and it was a great success! Conditions were perfect for 100 kms of riding that included a ride to see the iconic Nistowiak Falls in wintertime, an experience that should be on every Saskatchewan resident’s bucket list. NOTE: Both events are intended for experienced winter riders only.
