Group aims to make city more bike-friendly - Daniel Barrette

The Sudbury Cyclists Union (SCU) is off to its third year, and we would like to share some 2012 objectives and recent undertakings.

Our goal this year is to promote and encourage cycling safety with a responsible share-the-road philosophy for cyclists and motorists.

First off, we’re proud to say that the SCU now has multiple CAN-Bike certified instructors. CAN-Bike is a cycling safety program providing a nationally standardized set of courses addressing education, safety and health.

Our instructors have already been involved in a number of bike rodeos to teach children the rules of the road.

Starting this month via the Rainbow Routes Association, “how to ride” courses will be offered for adults and children wishing to learn the basics of recreational and utilitarian biking, as well as more advanced defensive cycling courses for urban environment settings.

The SCU and Sudbury’s newly certified CAN-Bike instructors are taking the steps to educate cyclists about their share of responsibility on the road and of good cycling practices such as predictability and confidence.

We’ve also instigated dialogue with Greater Sudbury Police and the city as to how to best use the SCU’s resources to mutually better Greater Sudbury’s cycling culture.

In recent years, many strategies and plans have been completed by local groups and subsequently endorsed by city council. For these efforts and pledges to become reality, the SCU believes investments are required in policy development, public awareness/education and in cycling infrastructure.

Making our roads safe is integral to encouraging more cycling in Sudbury. To underline the importance of cycling and to provide cycling investment transparency, the SCU, as part of the 2013 budget public consultation, requested that $480,000 be directly allocated to support cycling as a viable means of transportation.

This may seem like a lot of money to some, but this amount represents less than 1.5 per cent of the proposed 2013 roads budget and only a few dollars per person for those living in Greater Sudbury.

The SCU strongly believes this is an important investment in our health, our future, and in making Sudbury pedestrian friendly by 2015.

Positively, the city is currently undertaking a Master Transportation Plan, and cycling is a key component of the study. This study will include an active transportation map to guide the city’s future projects.

This map has objectives of listing candidate roads for cycling infrastructure and signage, addressing connectivity, recommending the type of infrastructure to build, listing implementation strategies, etc.

The SCU aims to be a strategic player in reviewing its content and in providing local grassroots knowledge to ensure its success.

The SCU will be rolling out this project over the course of the next few weeks and we are sending an invitation to anyone who has a bicycle and who would like to participate by cycling our roads.

This is your chance to shape your community and better your neighbourhood livability.

We would like to thank and acknowledge Rainbow Routes for having sponsored the CAN-Bike program. We look forward to supporting your endeavours as cycling volunteers and advocates.

To learn about the SCU and our projects, please visit our website at http://sudburycyclistsunion.ca, join our Facebook page, or email us at [email protected]

Daniel Barrette
Greater Sudbury

Posted by Vivian Scinto