Desire Lines, Celebrating Active Transportation in Halifax

The Halifax Cycling Coalition teamed up with Bicycle Nova Scotia, Walk N’ Roll and Dal Bike Centre to host the Desire Lines series and promote active transportation in Halifax.

As we settle back into the fall routine, participating in these events are a great way get into the habit of riding your bicycle. Combat the back-to-school blues and join us for the first edition of Desire Lines HFX! Events are open to all ages.

The events with the * indicate there will be an HCC outreach table to sign-up for or renew your Halifax Cycling Coalition membership.

 

 

Bike Scavenger Hunt
Sept 19
6pm-8pm 

Join the Dal Bike Centre for an evening of bicycle trivia! Grab your bike and prepare to explore Halifax like never before. Teams will search for prizes hidden throughout the neighbourhood. The event will begin at the Dal Bike Centre and will take participants on a scavenger hunt throughout the Peninsula for prizes!

* Celebration of University Avenue Bike Lane
Sept 20
11:00pm- 1:30pm 

This is a celebration of the recent installation of the University Avenue protected bicycle lane. There will be cake, prizes and refreshments in front of the Student Union Building. This is a special celebration, as we have waited two years since it had been approved, overcoming court cases and other delays before it was finally installed this fall. This is the second protected bicycle lane of our goal of 100km needed in Halifax to connect key destinations safely by bicycle.

*ESS Lecture on Cycling
Sept 22
6:30-8:30pm  

College of Sustainability Lecture at McCain Arts Building, Dalhousie. (Address)

Cycling Cowboys is part of the Change Lecture series hosted by the Office of Sustainability. The key speaker is Ryan Vanderputen, who has over 15 years of experience as an engineer, community planner and traffic engineer for the city of Calgary. His lecture will discuss Calgary’s shift in cycling from being hair-raising to family friendly.

*Cycling Collision Card Launch
Sept 23rd
8-10am

The Cycling Collision Card is a pocket-sized checklist created by Desire Lines’ collaborators outlining what to do in the event of a cycling collision. Join the Halifax Cycling Coalition, Bicycle Nova Scotia and Dal Bike Centre for a press conference from  8am -10am atCyclesmith (2553 Agricola Street, Halifax) where we will be announcing the release of the cycling collision card. Free copies of the card will be available at the event, and coffee curtesy of Java Blend Coffee.

Bike Trivia
Sept 23rd
8-10am
The Dal Bike Centre & Desire Lines presents BIKE Trivia.
Trivia loving cyclist join us at the Dalhousie University Club and put your cycling knowledge to the test! There are lots of great prizes to be given away.

*ON TRACK 2020 GROUP RIDES
Sept 24th 

The HCC will be hosting a group bicycle ride in Halifax and Dartmouth to explain how we improve bicycle infrastructure in Halifax. The HCC board of directors will explain some key opportunities for cycling. The rides are not strenuous and appropriate for all experience levels. Families are welcome. The Dartmouth ride will begin at 12:00 at the Alderney terminal  and end at the Park Avenue Community Oven. Please remember to bring your own topping! The Halifax ride will begin at 3:30pm at the Halifax Central Library and will end at 4:30pm at Agora on Agricola Street for some light refreshments after the ride.

*Bike-In Movie at Good Robot
Sept 26
8:30pm

HCC will be screening ET at Good Robot at 2736 Robie St. $1 from every beer purchased this night will go towards supporting HCC’s work to make Halifax a safer place to ride a bicycle. We are expecting a large turnout for this event so please show up early to ensure you get in. Remember to bring a blanket! There will be extra bike parking available to park bicycles overnight, as we know you will enjoy the beer.

*Rise and Grind
 Sept 27th
7:30am
North End Public Library, Gottingen Street 

The HCC will be providing free coffee, breakfast, and prizes to commuters who cycle to work. Ideal Bikes will provide a tune-up station to get your bicycle ready for the road! The laid-back event gives you an opportunity to catch up with others who walk and bike in our community. Thank you to The Nook for supplying the coffee and snacks and to Ideal Bikes for the tune-up station.

 

Construction begins on University Avenue bicycle lane

The Halifax Cycling Coalition is thrilled to announce that University Avenue is receiving a bike lane!

Construction will begin on August 28, 2016 for this exciting pilot project that will see a protected bicycle lane extend along both sides of University Avenue from the Killam Library on LeMarchant Street to Robie Street. The pilot project is a combined initiative between Dalhousie, Halifax Regional Muncipality, and the province. University Avenue is the first project to be carried out from the  regional bikeways plan and only the second protected bicycle lane in Halifax. Thanks to the community’s continued and active support for this project, this project was able to be realized and allowed us to take one step further toward building bicycle lanes for people of all ages and abilities. We hope this will serve as an example of what is possible and set precedence for a faster process for installing protected bike routes in the future.

Why University Ave?
University Avenue is an ideal location for a protected bicycle lane where many students and employees in the district live within kilometers of the University and Hospital. University Aevenue bike lane is part of the Urban Halifax District Bikeways Plan founded by Dalhousie, IWK, SMU, Capital Health and Halifax Regional Municipality. The partnership recognized that shifting the number of people who ride a bike as a form of transportation is key to improving the sustainability, health, and affordability of the region. A series of community-based planning sessions resulted in immense support for the plan that outlined a network of bicycle lanes connecting commuter destinations.

Why is a protected bicycle lane significant? 
A protected bicycle provides a physical barrier between the line of traffic so thet people who are interested in trying cycling but have concerns about safety feel comfortable riding a bicycle. The installation of a protected bike lane can increase bicycle use anywhere from 21 to 171%, with about 10% of new riders drawn from other modes  (1). With the proper infrastructure, cycling has the potential to serve as one of the main modes of transportation in the region.