Road Education & Advocacy

 

Public Information Session in HRM, Burnside Drive Extension
Active Transportation Corridor
Posted: November 4, 2011 [Halifax]

As part of the Highway 107 Burnside to Bedford project, a new 5km Active Transportation Corridor will be constructed between Akerley Blvd. and Rocky Lake Road. This will mean new opportunities for cycling, walking, in-line skating and wheeling and a connection between Bedford/Sackville and Burnside/Dartmouth.
 
Provincial and Municipal staff will make a short presentation on the corridor and will be available to discuss the route and other Active Transportation initiatives in Burnside. Everyone is welcome to attend.
 
This is a joint project of the Province of Nova Scotia and the Halifax Regional Municipality and will be a key connection in the Region’s Active Transportation network.
 
When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Where: Best Western Plus Dartmouth Hotel & Suites [15 Spectacle Lake Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia]

CLICK HERE to Download Meeting Poster

 

Input Needed to Revise HRM Bike Map
Posted: July 16, 2011 [Halifax]

Halifax Regional Municipality seeks input from cyclists in order to completely revise the HRM Bike and Trails Map by March 2012. Let us know if you would like to help. All that is required is that you mark-up the existing map with respect to accuracy and range of content as well as an analysis of what could be improved/ changed in terms of how it looks. If you need a hardcopy of the map, let me (Lawrence) know. Comments and markup can be sent to me and I will relay to HRM staff in meetings of the revision committee.  Contact: Lawrence Plug

 

Complete CAN-BIKE Instructors Workshop
Posted: June 20, 2011 [Sydney]

On behalf of Bicycle Nova Scotia and the CAN-BIKE Instructors team, I am pleased to announce the following bicyclists have successfully completed the 20 hour CAN-BIKE Instructors Workshop in Sydney, NS on June 3, 4 & 5, 2011.

All six of listed above are now able to teach CAN-BIKE skills courses and will be leaders in promoting safe cycling within their community.   The process to become an instructor is no easy task.  Prior to the Instructors Workshop, each participant completed the required CAN-BIKE 2 course achieving a mark of at least 80% in the 35 question multiple choice exam, on-road test and cycling skills test.

Once completed, The Instructors Workshop involves a 50 question short-answer examination, an on-road test and a cycling skills test.  In addition, each participant was required to teach, with little prior notification, a classroom topic and a cycling skills topic from the CAN-BIKE curriculum and each had performed the task with professionalism.

It was my privilege to work with Jacques Cote, my fellow CAN-BIKE National Examiner in Sydney.  Jacques was vital in coordination of this Instructors Workshop and had also provided four of us who traveled to Sydney with accommodations in his home.

At this time I am happy to announce that we now have 14 CAN-BIKE instructors located in strategic locations throughout Nova Scotia that will be better able to deliver CAN-BIKE courses to all Nova Scotians.

More instructors will follow in the coming 2 years and my hope is to find instructors in the Digby area, Truro, and Antigonish.

Stay tuned!

Doug Regular
VP of Education, Bicycle Nova Scotia

Doctors Nova Scotia Golden Apple Award - Velo Cape Breton
June 4, 2011 [Liverpool]

Editors Note: On behalf of everyone at Bicycle Nova Scotia, congratulations is extended to Velo Cape Breton on being awarded this most deserving award!

Velo Cape Breton has been selected for the Award and will  receive a cheque of $5,000 along with it.  Chris Milburn, founding  President of VCB received this inaugural Award from the hands of Dr.  Jane Brooks, Chair of Doctors NS at a ceremony held last Saturday at  the White Point Lodge in Liverpool.

Needless to say VCB is delighted to have been recognized by this  highly respected organization for all its years of hard work in the  community.  We're also energized with the monetary award which will be used as "seed money" to undertake the necessary fundraising effort to  implement an Island-wide Cycling Ambassador Program whereby individuals will be trained in various fields to help expand cycling  in communities for locals and visitors alike.

The recruitment of Ambassadors will start shortly and training in  CAN-BIKE, Basic First Aid and Hospitality will be undertaken this year so that a crew of Ambassadors fully dressed in Ambassador's specific cycling colours and equipped to serve will be in action in early 2012.

Should you be interested to join the team, please do not hesitate to contact VCB President Andrée Crépeau @  info@velocapebreton.ca   to add your name on the list.

To learn more about Velo Cape Breton, please visit: http://velocapebreton.ca 

Speech Transcript of Bicycle Nova Scotia Response - Bill 93 Proclamation
June 1, 2011 [Halifax]

The following is a transcript of the speech composed by Lawrence Plug and Jamie Lamb, delivered by Jamie Lamb as part of the Bill 93 Proclamation at the Nova Scotia Legislature on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Please follow the link below to download and view the speech in its entirety.

Bill 93 Proclamation Speech - on behalf of Bicycle Nova Scotia [June 1, 2011, Halifax - Adobe .pdf]

Bill 93 Relays Underway
May 16 - June 1, 2011 [Throughout Nova Scotia]

Follow the progress of the 'Bill 93 Relays' - CLICK HERE for the Official Weblog

Four relays of cyclists starting from different corners of Nova Scotia on May 15-17th will deliver ‘Bill 93′ (new amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act) to the Legislature. Once there, the Bill will be proclaimed law at 1pm on June 1, 2011. With Bill 93, Nova Scotia will be the first province in Canada to enact rules requiring motor vehicles to pass cyclists at a safe distance (at least 1 m). This and other amendments in Bill 93 are a step towards making Nova Scotia a better place to ride a bicycle…though there is still plenty to do. The relays are to raise awareness of the amendments so they are effective…and to have fun riding!

In plain language the amendments are:

.: Click Here to view the Bicycle Nova Scotia Press Release :.

.: Click Here for Background Information on the Relay :.

Press Release - New CAN-BIKE 2 Graduates
May 15, 2011

On behalf of the Nova Scotia CAN-BIKE Instructors team, I am most pleased to announce the following bicyclists have successfully completed the (18 hour) CAN-BIKE 2 (national) course this past weekend in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. All three are active members in the Centennial Cycling Club and will be leaders in promoting safe cycling within their club and beyond. I might add that in addition to completing the course and passing examinations on parking lots skills, road skills and written examination, all three ladies excelled in all aspects thereby qualifying as a candidate to take the CAN-BIKE Instructors course.

It was my privilege to assist in the instruction and coordination of this event. In NS, as most other places, the two main barriers to safe cycling is lack of infrastructure and education of all stake-holders. We now have three more knowledgeable bicyclists to carry this message forward. It is my deepest desire all three will consider taking the CB Instructors course as their schedules permit as they have so much to offer their fellow bicyclists.

I would ask you all to join the NS CAN-BIKE team of CB 2 graduates, Instructors and National Examiners to congratulate the three above ladies. Well done!

Regards and tailwinds ;o)

Bob White, Dartmouth, NS
CAN-BIKE Instructor  

 

Can-Bike Program 2011

Designed for the more than 14 million Canadians who ride bicycles, the Canadian Cycling Association's CAN-BIKE program is a series of courses on all aspects of cycling safely and enjoyably on the road; it is oriented toward recreational and utilitarian cycling. The CAN-BIKE cycling safety program provides a nationally standardized set of courses that can be taught through a variety of organizations who are interested in education, safety and health.

Download Program Brochure
[*.pdf - 2 pages]

Local CAN-BIKE Instructor Website

Visit CAN-BIKE National Website

Halifax Cycling Coalition

The Halifax Cycling Coalition is an organization of concerned citizens dedicated to improving cycling conditions and raising awareness of cycling issues in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Visit the HCC website for more details: www.cyclehalifax.ca

 

Cobequid Eco-Trails Society

Cobequid Eco-Trails Society (CE-TS) is a newly formed organization focusing on the development and promotion of non-motorized trails, with an emphasis on environmental appreciation and stewardship.

The Society aims to consider issues related to the development of trails for walking, hiking, snowshoeing, cycling, cross-country skiing, equestrian or other forms of non-motorized use.

Activities are to be conducted in central Nova Scotia and will vary in length and scope depending on the group and/or committee involved through CE-TS.

Visit the CE-TE Website for more details:
www.cobequidecotrails.ca  

Nova Scotia Bikeways Report

Bicycle Nova Scotia is working on the long-term goal of a provincial bicycle route network.

To this respect, the Nova Scotia Bikeways Report "Scoping the Blue
Route: infrastructure inventory, route mapping, and feasibility of implementation for a provincial bikeways network [January 2009]" was prepared by Eastwind Cycle Consultants for BNS, with support from NS Health Promotion and Protection.

View/Download the Final Report
[16.2 Mb - Format: Adobe .pdf]

This was followed by community meetings and presentations to government officials, documented in "NS Bikeways Phase II Report [May 2010]".

View/Download the NS Bikeways Phase II Final Report - May 2010
[1.25 Mb - Format: Adobe .pdf]

In 2010, Bicycle Nova Scotia helped establish The Nova Scotia Bikeways Coalition, together with other organizations interested in a provincial bicycle route network, to work on this specific goal. The website is www.bikeways.ca

 

HRM Bike Rack Request?

There is now a formal process to request a bike rack on Halifax Regional Municipality property.

View/Download the Process Document [.pdf - 1 page]