Category Archives: bikes

Party on the Bridge

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Saturday was a wonderful day to #celebridge. A large group (I don’t do crowd estimates, but have heard between 700-1000 were reported) came together, with stiltwalkers, bagpipers and cyclists all eager to cross the Peace Bridge. Considering the bridge is mere blocks from our apartment and that we’ll be using this bridge a lot in the future, Xander and I had to come out for the fun!

My actual bridge images didn’t turn out well, but you can see many more pictures at the  Calgary Herald or on Flickr. Things we loved about the bridge include the colours and the fact that the sidewalks are raised and lit (clearly separated from the wide bike lane in the middle). It’s going to be great using the bridge to get downtown, whether by bike or foot.

Of course, we’re not the only ones excited. Here’s a clip of the first band to play on the Peace Bridge, Rotary Park (because everything’s better with a band):

 

(Political and Transportational) Choices

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I’ll admit it – I have a political crush on NDPer Megan Leslie (who’s running for re-election in Halifax). Why? 

  • She was voted “Rookie MP of the Year” in 2009.
  • When she spoke on Bill C-449 (giving seniors free access to transit in off-peak hours) she talked about the impact of free transit (“Free transit would greatly increase the quality of life by removing the terrible choice between rent, food, or heat and bus tickets.”) and called for the development of a National Transit Strategy for Canada.
  • She’s had some great clips recently on CBC because of her role as NDP spokesperson on health.

But, most of all, she’s running a carbon-neutral campaign that includes transit, cycling and carsharing. It’s nice to see someone who actually gets it – how we do the work matters as much as the work we’re doing. I look forward to the day when this is the norm, not the exception. Until then, I’ll work on convincing people that I’m not a saint just because I use Calgary Transit to get to work-related events, ok? (I’ll point out the other reasons instead, hehe.)


**Bonus points for her reference of climate-change discussions in this election campaign as an “issue of inter-generational equity” because, really, isn’t it?

(Cross-posted at Zero-Fare Canada who kindly invited me to post with them. Go check them out!)

Proud to Be Pink

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I confess, I’m a buton-a-holic – but that’s the topic for another blog post.

On today’s to-do list: order a button from Spacing Toronto.
If you missed it, here’s Don Cherry’s speech (at the Torontoist) that he delivered at Toronto City Council’s recent swearing-in, which explains why several people on my social media feed are also ordering buttons.
Oh, and insert celebratory “Our Mayor/Council Rocks” post here: they lowered the cost of low income transit passes! 
(Cross-posted at Zero-Fare Canada who kindly invited me to post with them. Go check them out!)