A panel of Kingston leaders including Mayor Gerretsen, Dr. Daniel Woolf, Principal of Queen’s University, Dr. Ian Gemmill, Kingston’s Medical Officer of Health and Antje McNeely, Acting Chief of Police opened Kingston’s first Bike Summit today at 8:30 a.m.
The Summit will run from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the John Deutsch University Centre, 99 University Avenue (map) – Wallace Hall in Kingston.
Eleanor McMahon, Founder and CEO of the Share the Road Cycling Coalition will act as the Master of Ceremonies.
Following the open session other keynote speakers will include:
9:30 to 10:30 a.m. – Dave Cieslewicz, former Mayor (2003-2011) of Madison Wisconsin, one of America’s most bike friendly cities.
12:35 to 1:50 p.m. – April Economides, Principal, Green Octopus Consulting and General Manager, Bike Nation Long Beach. April has led the development of Bicycle Friendly Business Districts in the United States. A Bicycle Friendly Business District (BFBD) is a commercial district where the merchants encourage people to bike to the area to shop and dine – and where merchants and employees ride, too.
The Kingston Bike Summit will be preceded by a public forum on cycling issues in the city on March 18th from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, 53 Yonge Street (map) – Press Lounge, where Mr. Cieslewicz and Ms. Economides will also be speaking.
The general public is invited to attend, share their input on how to make Kingston more Bicycle Friendly, and be inspired by initiatives that encourage cycling, from other jurisdictions.
About the Share the Road Cycling Coalition
The Share the Road Cycling Coalition is a provincial cycling advocacy and policy organization created to unite cycling organizations from across Ontario, work with and on behalf of municipalities to enhance their ability to make their communities more bicycle- friendly and advocate for an enhanced provincial role. Core to the organization’s mission and mandate are safety, education and awareness campaigns and events including local Bike Summits and a yearly Ontario Bicycle Summit and lobby day at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
Since its inception, the Coalition has focused on outreach work across Ontario and has built partnerships with active transportation stakeholders notably provincial and municipal politicians, cycling advocates, local cycling clubs, municipal advisory groups, municipal and provincial officials, law enforcement, planners, public health professionals, and funders.
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Release source: City of Kingston on behalf of Share the Road Cycling Coalition
