On March 22 we are holding our third Spring.Bike.Ottawa event. The purpose is to get updates on local cycling. It turns out to be an event that is appreciated. We started the event because we felt no one had a good overview of all the bike initiatives going on in Ottawa. And there are a lot.
There are many people working on cycling in Ottawa, often in the background. They are doing great things with little or no money. Spring.Bike.Ottawa brings those (mostly) volunteers together. We hold the event early in the year, to make people aware that cycling is possible as early as March (for those who don’t cycle in winter): roads are generally clear, the sun is brighter and burns off the ice and snow and temperatures are rising.
We also invite the city to give an overview of the projects lined up for this year. Spring.Bike.Ottawa provides you with a quick overview of the cycling scene. Is it complete? It isn’t. That is why we have different speakers every year. We had the Ottawa Bicycle Club, the NCC, Carleton U, Bells Corners, Rightbike and many more. There is so much, that we could fill a day.
Another important part of the event is the networking, new connections are being made and experiences shared. So come out, share your experiences and ideas and listen to a variety of speakers.
Here is the 2014 line up:
Recap winter bike conference in Winnipeg
Board member Kathleen Wilker went to Winnipeg and participated in this two day event. She will give a recap of the highlights.
Vanier Cycling Scene
Sarah Partridge is active in the Vanier Community Association. Pundits predict Vanier is the next Hintonburg but cycling infrastructure needs lots of improvement. Sarah will give a quick overview what’s cooking in Vanier and what they are working on.
Advocacy at Work
Long time member Paul Clarke will share with us what the purpose of the Advocacy Working Group.
Understanding the City’s Active Transportation Budget
Former President of Citizens for Safe Cycling Charles Akben-Marchand will give us a bike and walk budget 101. What does $4 million a year mean for the next 17 years for cycling? What happens with the monies if a project budget was not exhausted? Where else can I find cycling and walking money in the budget? What are Operational and Capital budgets? How much does the city spend on the 5 E’s (engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and evaluation)? He’ll give you tips for understanding how to read the budget, which you can find here. Lots of stuff to read, but it makes your advocacy more efficient. There is no point flogging a dead horse.
Break 2:00 – 2:15 (ish)
2014 Bike Report
This is the third annual report we are releasing, looking back to accomplishments, events, improvements, data and more. Schuyler Playford looks back to the report card for 2013 present a smorgasbord of new issues for the city, the province and the NCC to work on.
City of Ottawa
Representatives of the City of Ottawa will explain what we can expect for cycling in 2014 and beyond. What is the status of the path between Brookfield and Walkley? Will the O-train path be finished in 2014? What is happening with the East West Bike Corridor?
2014 Elections
A sub group of Citizens for Safe Cycling volunteers is preparing for the elections already. Alex and his group will explain the road map for the next months.
The details:
The event is free.
Location: McNabb community centre (details on the ticket)
Date: March 22, 2014. Doors open at 12:30 PM If you like to help with setting the chairs and tables, be there at noon-ish.
We don’t want to stick too strict to a schedule but we should be out at around 3 – 3.30.
Coffee provided by Bridgehead. Do sign up here (it is free) so that we can estimate the number of guests. Sign up now.
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