Saskatoon Cycles July 2023 Newsletter
Saskatoon City Council Passes Bike Safety Motions
On June 28th, 2023, the agenda for Saskatoon City Council’s regular business meeting included a series of motions from Ward 6 Councillor Cynthia Block, put forward shortly after the cycling death of Natasha Fox. The proposed actions included a safety audit of the intersection in which Natasha died, an update of the city’s Active Transportation Plan, and budgeting measures to accomplish this. The proposals, while not in themselves revolutionary, showed initiative from council and provided an opportunity for the city’s cycling community to be heard on issues of safety and inclusion on Saskatoon streets.
The city’s cyclists took advantage of this opportunity: over 70 people wrote to council, approximately 30 others came in person to council chambers, and 6 of these (including Natasha’s husband, Tod Fox) spoke directly to councillors about improving safety for bike riders, with every voice calling for action NOW.
A consistent message from speakers representing Saskatoon’s Outdoor School led to an additional motion for the city to contact SGI for more information on the instruction new drivers currently receive in their training.
City Council voted unanimously for the motions.
Saskatoon Cycles extends a heartfelt thank you to everyone who added their names and stories to the agenda, who showed up to bear witness, and who spoke on these deeply personal and meaningful subjects. You can go to the city’s link for the meeting here, or visit our YouTube page for edited video of the speakers.
The challenge for the cycling community now is to remain vigilant and maintain pressure on city council and administration to follow through on these motions and stay on a course toward a truly bike-friendly city. Together, we can make Saskatoon even better.
The successful motions, in their final forms, are:
1. The Administration commission a third-party road safety audit at the intersection of College Drive and Wiggins Avenue.
2. That the 2023 operating budget transfer to the Reserve for Capital Expenditures be reduced by $30,000 and reallocated to Transportation to complete a third‑party road safety audit at the intersection of College Drive and Wiggins Avenue and report back with the results and any recommendations.
3. That Administration provide an update on the implementation of the Active Transportation Plan, including but not limited to the status of any planned connections in the area bound by College Drive, Preston Avenue, 12th Street, and Clarence Avenue and in the interim report on the opportunity of Rapidly Deploying safety improvements on an access to the University of Saskatchewan campus from the South as well as other key areas where comparable safety benefits could be expected and where planning for permanent solutions is not yet underway.
4. That Administration provide a budget option for an annual Road Safety Audit program through the 2024-2025 Multi-Year Budget Process.
5. That background information circulated by the Administration on the intersection of Wiggins Avenue and College Drive be appended to the public record for this meeting and that Administration report further through a strategic planning process providing clarification about information sharing with Council and public for Notices of Motion.
6. That Administration be directed to have discussion with SGI about its driver handbook and report back on SGI’s plans to include education about cycling and this concern along with the 2019 Standing Policy Committee on Transportation report be shared with SUMA via our representatives on the board.
“Still Summer!” Slow Roll – July 29th
We took a “slow roll” break for almost all of July, but never fear: there will be a ride!
We’re calling it the “Still Summer!” Slow Roll because sometimes it’s important to remind people that Saskatchewan has a LOT of premium cycling days in the calendar, not just “four months”.
Come out and join us for a casual spin around our beautiful river.
- Date: Saturday, July 29th, 2023
- Time: gather at 2PM, depart shortly after
- Place: River Landing Fire Vessel (between Remai Modern and the Sugar Shack)
- Route: along the Meewasin Trail (precise directions TBD)
Bike Valet Volunteer Opportunities
The Bike Valet, on its steadfast mission to provide safe and secure bicycle parking for events and festivals around Saskatoon, has now surpassed over 2,200 bikes for 2023. That’s a lot less traffic congestion, lower fuel costs, fewer emissions, more healthy activity, and happier patrons!
Our thanks to all of this season’s volunteers so far. You’ve been fantastic, and you keep the valet a vibrant and fun place to park a bike.
Everyone can pick up volunteer shifts with the valet by using the following links to upcoming venues. Remember: we have slick new volunteer T-shirts for this year’s valets, so if you’ve ever thought about taking a turn watching over a herd of wheels, this is the season to do it.
- Fringe Festival – Thursday, August 3 – Saturday August 12, 2023
- Folkfest – Thursday, August 17 – Saturday, August 19, 2023
- WEGO – Sunday, August 27, 2023
- Nutrien Fireworks Festival – Friday, September 1 – Saturday, September 2, 2023
- Ride for Refuge – Saturday, September 23, 2023
- Cameco’s Step Up for Mental Health – Sunday, September 24, 2023
If you have any questions about the Bike Valet, please contact bikevalet@saskatooncycles.org
Saskatoon: ParticipACTION Community Challenge finalist
Congratulations to Saskatoon for being one of 50 national finalists for the ParticipACTION Community Challenge event for 2023!
Saskatoon Cycles held our Start Rolling event back in May of this year to prepare for the Community Challenge; we distributed bikes to newcomers to Canada, provided basic cycling safety instruction and skills challenges, and organized follow up “slow rolls” for each Saturday in June.
In terms of recorded activity minutes, Saskatoon was #1 in Saskatchewan, but we still must wait for the ParticipACTION evaluation process to run its course to determine Canada’s Most Active Community. Prizes are also awarded to regional winners, which will be announced in the last week of July.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Start Rolling program and beyond; your enthusiasm and activity helped put Saskatoon on the map!
Say Hello to Pedal Express!
In April 2022, Saskatoon Cycles launched “ZenZED”, the city’s first non-profit delivery service by bicycle. Supported heavily by our major partner The Better Good, ZenZED was created to make the delivery process as low carbon as possible while also normalizing the concept of bicycle delivery in a prairie city. The project has continued to gradually expand, and we’re happy to announce the name and logo change to Pedal Express.
It’s not just a branding change. We’ve also updated our delivery software and expanded our courier ranks to be more responsive to business and customer expectations. We’re still “zen” about our deliveries, and still keeping Zero Emission Delivery in mind, but we are getting faster.
You can currently get delivery free, by bike, from the following partner stores (some conditions apply):
If you want to be a part of the community effort to “green up” the “last mile” of the delivery process, either as a courier or a business, please visit our Pedal Express page and check out or FAQs.
Donations
Your donations give us the resources to press toward a Saskatoon where cycling is a viable, year-round mode of transportation that is safe, convenient, and comfortable for all ages.
We want your kids and their grandma to simply hop on their bikes to go grab an ice cream and enjoy the beauty of Saskatoon. For you or your partner to pick up groceries or a library book. And we really want you to be able to commute to work and back safely and conveniently.
Your donation helps us work on these three ‘pillars’ of cycling development for Saskatoon:
- Infrastructure – A safe, convenient, comfortable and well maintained cycling network throughout the city that allows cyclists to go from every neighbourhood to key destinations
- Ridership – Educate, encourage, and promote cycling so more people choose bicycles as a convenient and safe transportation option year round.
- Culture – Educate, encourage, and promote diversity in ridership with respectful inclusion of all modes of transportation.
