Advocacy
Our Advocacy Work
Advocacy at the Halifax Cycling Coalition involves convincing government officials and building relationships with various community stakeholders to support cycling-friendly policies and infrastructure in HRM. Our goal is to enhance cycling accessibility and visibility. This includes direct engagement such as emails, calls, and meetings, as well as hosting events or launching new initiatives.
How We Advocate
Get involved in advocacy work with the HCC
The most direct way to help is to join our volunteer advocacy committee on active campaigns, written submissions, and community outreach. You can also make a difference by reaching out to your local councillor about cycling issues in your district.
Becoming a member or making a donation also goes a long way. Membership grows our numbers and strengthens our position, while donations help fund the programs, events, and initiatives that keep our advocacy work moving.
Why Advocate?
If you’re someone in Halifax who likes to bike—in any way, shape, or form—cycling infrastructure and advocacy can make it easier and more comfortable for you. Even if you’re personally comfortable on the roads already, not everyone shares that experience, and everyone should be able to feel safe and comfortable while cycling in Halifax.
On Friday, June 19, 2020, 25 riders of the Toronto Bike Brigade provided bike marshaling support for a massive all-day Sit-In from Yonge and College (Police HQ) to Nathan Phillips Square led by #NotAnotherBlackLife (https://www.thebikinglawyer.ca/post/cyclists-must-join-call-to-defund-police).
Cycling and Social Justice
Cycling offers proven mental and physical health benefits, encouraging exercise and outdoor time while being economical and often faster than driving or public transit during rush hour. However, cyclists are subject to street traffic and enforcement, which disproportionately impact Black and Indigenous people in Halifax.
At the Halifax Cycling Coalition, we advocate not just for traffic laws but for infrastructure that physically protects cyclists and supports justice and accessibility. A bike is more than a vehicle; it’s a tool for equity in our community.
Facts from Velo Canada Bikes
Canadian women are considerably less likely to ride bicycles than Canadian men, while in leading international cycling jurisdictions female riders outnumber male riders. According to North American experts, a major explanatory factor for low levels of bike riding among women is a lack of safe conditions. Improving cycling infrastructure will support access to the city for women, enabling a more equitable transportation system.
Cycling programs have shown particular promise for youth and economic development on First Nations reserves in Canada.
The findings of a national-level Canadian study suggest that investing in active transportation infrastructure is most important for the mobility of lower-income populations because of their stronger reliance on these modes. Building protected cycling infrastructure in lower-income neighborhoods, in collaboration with the local community, will provide residents with access to employment, education, and essential services.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer’s 2017 Report on the State of Public Health in Canada notes the strong value of cycling and calls on leadership from all levels of government and partners to take concrete actions to improve the health of Canadians through healthy community design. Due in part to the Halifax Cycling Coalitions advocacy, in collaboration with Velo Canada Bikes and other groups across the country, the federal government is now developing a National Active Transportation Strategy.
Strategies for Effective Advocacy
Your voice can make a real difference for cycling in Halifax. The more that politicians and municipal staff hear from people that support high-quality cycling infrastructure, the more they will prioritize it. They also frequently hear from residents who oppose new cycling infrastructure projects, so it’s important for them to hear voices in support.
Find Your Niche
Be Efficient
Messaging
Tools
Find Your Niche
- Don’t duplicate someone else’s efforts, but amplify the voices of others
- Know how your voice supports the issue you’re advocating for and fits into the overall landscape
- Research what’s already been done and know what policies and plans already exists
Be Efficient
- Amplify HCC information: We are a knowledgeable and informed advocacy group, and you can help deliver that message
- se your inside connections as well as outside strategies
- Listen to the concerns of opponents and provide counter-arguments don’t waste your energy on people who are strongly anti-cycling
Messaging
- Pro-bike (not anti-car)
- Clear (e.g. identify demands, goals, and reasons)
- Truthful and factual (without too many details)
- Use personal stories to illustrate the issues
- Respectful of everyone you work with, and most importantly, those who you work against
- Engaged with relevant current events (e.g. health concerns, mobility equity)
Tools
- Letters to the editor
- Letters to politicians and staff at HRM
- Meetings with politicians and staff at HRM
- Guest editorials or features
- Cycling events or fundraisers
- Media interviews
- Newsletter stories to companies, NGOs
- Social media campaigns