Saskatoon Cycles October 2024 Newsletter
Saskatoon Civic Election – November 13, 2024
Did you feel a shift in 2024 when it comes to the attitudes around active transportation in Saskatoon?
Some of us felt it when we finally saw the painted lane and bike box at College Drive and Wiggins Avenue. Maybe it was the news of approvals for future projects, including Connecting Avenue C, Connecting 33rd and 31st, or some “rapid deployment” along Munroe Avenue. Maybe you saw the completed work along Dudley Street, or new 30km speed limit signs on 14th or 23rd Street. Maybe you just felt a better “vibe”.
Whatever you might have noticed was ultimately made possible through approval from our own City Council.
Yes, 2024 was a busy year that was the culmination of a LOT of work done by MANY people to make Saskatoon a safer place for all road users. Tod Fox worked tirelessly to advocate for better visibility in city operated large vehicles, and organized the Ride for Your Life rally this summer. Hundreds of letters written were sent to council by citizens supporting better, safer infrastructure. People got involved, and they all deserve a huge amount of credit.
But every decision to move forward came down to how eleven elected officials voted.
We want to keep council rolling in a positive direction!
We’ll be advocating for improved cycling infrastructure no matter who wins on November 13, but the job will be much easier if we have elected officials who already understand the challenges and obstacles to safety and access that we all experience. Solutions to multi-mode traffic issues are better solved by informed people who want to work together on behalf of ALL road users.
Saskatoon Cycles is once again part of LiveableYXE, a non-partisan civic election initiative designed to inform voters about where candidates across the slate stand on issues that make Saskatoon a great place to be.
We strongly urge you to participate in the 2024 municipal election to help keep our council receptive to active transportation and other “liveability” issues:
- visit LiveableYXE and read candidate responses
- write candidates and ask them specific questions about your concerns
- help deliver LiveableYXE fliers to raise the visibility of quality of life issues (see below)
- VOTE (info for voters here)
- encourage your friends and family to VOTE
Thank you for being a part of our movement.
IF YOU’RE ABLE to help deliver a few flyers, please click the following link and fill out the form:
(You’ll be connected to the Saskatoon Climate Hub, another LiveableYXE member, that has taken on the volunteer organizing role.)
SafeConnect Cycle Routes
Thanks to the efforts of our tech savvy board member Dominic, Saskatoon Cycles has started its SafeConnect Cycle Routes series.
We’re laying out maps of tested cycling routes that link various neighborhoods in the city and then taking video to show how manageable even longer trips can be. Our routes will seek lower traffic areas, shared-use paths, shortcuts, and tips to make your ride safer and as efficient as possible.
Check it out on our YouTube page. Like and subscribe to get notifications of new videos!
Volunteer Appreciation Night
We wrapped up another very successful season of the Bike Valet and other cycling activities with a volunteer appreciation party at Hunter’s Eastview Bowl on Friday, October 25, 2024. There were impressive feats of bowling, glittering conversation, and food consumption!
We say it a lot, but often is never enough when it comes to thanking our amazing volunteers for all the work they do to make our programming a reality.
We’re already looking forward to 2025 activities, and we hope to see everyone back again… with friends!
Keep Rolling Wrap-Up
Our 2024 Keep Rolling season has officially concluded, and we’re happy to report that dozens of people new to Saskatoon have received safer cycling instruction, new helmets, bike locks, bells, and/or bikes as part of our partnerships with newcomer organizations and support from Sask Lotteries and the City of Saskatoon.
A big thank you goes out to Ahmad at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association, Jeff at Global Gathering Place, and Dana at Open Door Society for their programming leadership and for letting us play a small part in their work.
We’re hopeful that Keep Rolling will return in 2025 and potentially expand to include more equity-deserving groups. We are driven to provide safer cycling instruction and better accessibility to as many people as possible.
Saskatoon Cycles Annual General Meeting – Nov. 27
Our Saskatoon Cycles Annual General Meeting is for all members and will be held on Wednesday, November 27, 2024 at 7:00pm. This is a great opportunity to join us as we review the past year, and look ahead to the year to come.
Items of business that take place at our AGM are:
- Review and approval of the 2023/24 Financials
- Review and acceptance of the 2023/24 Board Report
- Election of the 2024/25 Board of Directors
- An Opportunity to Ask Questions and Stay Informed
If you have any questions regarding this upcoming Annual General Meeting, please don’t hesitate to reach out at asktheboard@saskatooncycles.org
Details:
- Wednesday, November 27, 2024
- 7:00pm (Online “doors” open at 6:45pm)
- You will receive the online meeting link once you’ve registered to attend on the website (below).
We look forward to seeing you!
Cycling Data
Here’s your friendly reminder of how vital it is for city planners and advocates to have robust data to help inform the discussion around cycling infrastructure and patterns around Saskatoon.
Some of the best data is information that indicates how much cycling is happening and where our bikes are taking us. You can pitch in by sharing your biking routes and experiences through a couple of apps that aggregates this data and keeps it anonymous.
1. Install Strava on your phone and track every ride or walk you take. You only need a free account. And if you already use a tracking app, check to see if it has a Strava integration. There are more than 100 apps that Strava connects with.
Strava anonymizes the data from all users in an area and creates the Strava heatmap. Images from these heatmaps can be a powerful visual to show that there are cyclists and walkers using the streets all over Saskatoon (like this presentation on Circle Drive on Ave C). But we need as many cyclists as possible to be using this system!
2. Bookmark Bikemaps.org and report every time you have a cycling crash, a near-miss, see a cycling hazard, or have your bike stolen. This is NOT instead of calling an ambulance or the police. Absolutely do that first if it’s needed!!
Bikemaps.org is a system that aims to catch as many as possible of the almost 70% of all cycling incidents or near misses that don’t get reported officially.
Donate
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 families to be able 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.