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DalTRAC attends the Heartland Tour

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DalTRAC project coordinator Katie and Summer Intern at the Heartland Tour

DalTRAC project coordinator Katie and summer intern Alex at the Heartland Tour

This past Saturday, DalTRAC attended the Heartland Tour in Halifax. The Heartland Tour describes itself as “… an effective vehicle for raising the awareness of the benefits of physical activity and encouraging all Nova Scotians to enjoy at least 150 minutes of physical activity of their choice each week”. Attendees arrived and departed on bicycles, emphasizing the importance of active transportation on personal health.

DalTRAC spent the afternoon handing out “Share the Road” car magnets, bookmarks, and posters. Promoting cycling safety best practices is an important part of promoting a mode-shift towards active transportation, and DalTRAC was thrilled to be a part of it.

Volunteers Needed for School Project

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Bedford South School has been approved to participate in the HRM Placemaking Project. The purpose of this project is to create a piece of art in the back look, off Southgate, to celebrate their unique community, and reflect their commitment to being active.  We are looking for students who are interested in sustainability, transportation and community outreach to help plan two community events to educate residents on the importance of walking and biking to school.  Please e-mail Kim Rose at bsswalks@gmail.com for further information and if you are interested in being part of this great project! This would look great on your resume.

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Hi Everyone,

As I am sure you are all aware, there has been some push back from local businesses on the new Windsor Street bike lane. I have read some pretty disturbing articles in the Chronicle Herald lately; Bike Lanes No Bed of Roses and Halifax Cyclists Forced to Dodge Thumbnails.

As a planner who is passionate about sustainable transportation and an avid cyclist, I feel slightly discouraged and unwanted. Sometimes I feel like being a cyclist is “no bed of roses”. That being said, being the positive and optimistic person I am, I have decided to shake off the comments and show my support for local businesses. I plan to make my bike seen along Windsor Street and thank the shop owners for their bicycle parking and support for the new bike lane.

If you, like I, support cycling infrastructure in the downtown  core, I urge you to do the same. Visit the local shops, get to know your business owners and let them know that you care about their businesses. After all, it is people that keep businesses going – not cars.

Keep sharing the road,

Caroline

Caroline A. King

Masters of Planning Studies Candidate

School of Architecture and Planning

Dalhousie University

C.King@dal.ca

 

 

https://blogs.dal.ca/daltrac/2013/11/05/390/

Developing a Bikeways Network Public Talk, Dartmouth Oct. 9

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Marc Jolicoeur, of Velo Quebec, will speak about developing a bikeways network on October 9 at 7 pm at the Dartmouth Oceanview Hotel, 65 King Street. Indoor bike parking will be provided. It is hosted by HRM in partnership with the Ecology Action Centre and the Planning and Design Centre. https://www.facebook.com/events/557805284291738/

Bikeway Planning and Development Workshops: October 7 & 10

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The Ecology Action Centre in partnership with Bicycle Nova Scotia and the NS Department of Health and Wellness will offer two Bikeway Planning and Development Workshops:

 

Sydney Workshop: Mon., October 7 (9 am to 5 pm), location TBA

Halifax Workshop: Thurs., October 10 (9 am to 5 pm), location TBA

 

This training, delivered by Velo Quebec, will provide participants with a thorough understanding of the key steps involved in a bikeway development project. It’s an opportunity to learn the basics of planning strategies, design, analysis, facility selection and security. This training is designed for those involved in planning cycling as a mode of transportation or recreation: transportation professionals, planners and developers, parks and recreation officials, etc.

 

The cost is $150 and includes participant workshop notes, Planning and Design for Pedestrians and Cyclists guide, lunch and nutrition breaks. To learn details about the workshop and to register, go here: http://tiny.cc/2x8m2w. First come, first served. The deadline for registration is Oct. 2 for Sydney and Oct. 4 for Halifax.

 

CycleTracks Study: Record your rides & enter to win!

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Cycletracks Pilot Study

DalTRAC is experimenting with new ways of doing active transportation data collection by employing smartphone apps! Cities around the world are exploring the use of GPS-enabled smartphones to collect data on route choice, travel behaviour, potholes, and more! We will be doing a pilot study in the Halifax Regional Municipality using Cycletracks, a free app developed by the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. This will help us understand how cyclists move around with respect to trip purpose, gradients, road types, and much more.

Participants will enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Mountain Equipment Co-op!

Interested? Follow these steps:
1. Download Cycletracks. Currently, anyone who has an iPhone can download the app. Unfortunately, this app does not work on Androids in Canada.

2. Enter a few brief points about yourself under the ‘settings’ tab, such as your gender, and postal codes of your home and work.

3. Click “start” at the beginning of your ride, and “save” once you have reached your destination. We encourage you to do this for every ride that is done entirely by bicycle.

4. Select the type of ride. You will be prompted to choose from a variety of trip purposes, such as “commute” or “recreation”.

If you have any questions, contact Niki Siabanis at nk603580@dal.ca
Happy riding!