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Ride with Candidates: Debbie Chapman, Kitchener (Ward 9)

Posted on August 10, 2018October 18, 2018 by Emily Slofstra
Posted in: I bike I vote, Rides with Candidates

In the months before the 2018 municipal election, CycleWR volunteers have been taking municipal electoral candidates for bike rides to show off the best and worst of the cycling infrastructure in their ward/city/region. For a full list of completed rides, click here. CycleWR is a non-partisan organization that does not support any particular party or candidate. Summaries are written by volunteers or candidates and may not reflect the mandate or views of CycleWR. For more information, contact us at hello@cyclewr.ca.

Thank you @katyfulfer and @gregoryGandres for taking the time to tour the bike infrastructure with me. While the cities of #kitchener and #waterloo and #waterlooregion have made great improvements, more work needs to be done. Keep up the advocacy work.

— Debbie Chapman (@debbiechapman1) July 4, 2018

CycleWR volunteers Greg Andres and Katy Fulfer went for a ride with Debbie Chapman, Kitchener Ward 9 Candidate. Here’s what they had to say about it.

Key takeaways:

  • It needs to be more obvious to cyclists how to enter and exit multi-use paths. Make it more obvious to drivers that cyclists will be exiting multi-use trails into traffic.  (The lesson from the multi-use trail on Caroline)
  • It’s dangerous anytime a cyclist is forced to go from bike lanes into traffic. (The lesson on Park Street at Union Blvd)
  • We shouldn’t build bike infrastructure that is difficult to navigate on a bike. (The lesson from Glasgow Street west of Westmount Rd)
  • On the routes we cycled with Debbie, I [Katy] am frequently passed by cars when there is not really space for them to do so safely. I frequently feel as if drivers don’t value my life over their convenience. Literally.
  • Poorly designed bike infrastructure is an obstacle to riding more. The intentions are good…but poorly executed for the most part. We both said we tended to avoid cycling around the Erb/Caroline intersection because it’s so confusing generally. If I bike uptown, I go out of my way for a safer route.
  • City council needs to do a massive campaign for drivers of motor vehicles. They are not the only ones on the roads, and impatience kills. That 10 seconds it takes to pass a cyclist safely? That 10 seconds can save a life.

And here’s some more detail about the examples of infrastructure Greg and Katy pointed out to Debbie—things they liked and did not like that are parts of their usual bike riding (including commuting to work at UWaterloo).

  • The new “multi-use” trail along Caroline from Erb Street to William Street. The points we made:
    • It’s not clear if the trail is for bikes as well as pedestrians. There are no clear markings saying bikes can be on it. It just has a yellow line down the centre.
      • If the trail is not for bikes, then Caroline is almost impossible to navigate on a bike. The street is so narrow and drivers quickly become impatient if you’re cycling on the street itself.
      • There’s no easy way to navigate getting on/off the trail on either end of the trail.
    • From the trail in Waterloo Park to the trail on Caroline: the only option is to dismount and walk across on the crosswalk.
    • From the trail on Caroline onto William Street itself: No matter which direction you go—whether east or west—this is a dangerous intersection to navigate. Drivers don’t expect cyclists to be merging from the trail into traffic.
  • The bike lane on Park Street from William Street to Union Blvd. The points we made:
    • The bike lane is great. If we’re not going to have dedicated bike lanes…this is the next best thing.
    • Going south on Park Street, the bike lane abruptly ends at Union Blvd., forcing cyclists into traffic if they wish to carry on on Park Street going south. The entire lane also narrows here. This is always a bad mix. Drivers become impatient very quickly.
  • The bike lanes on Glasgow from Belmont Ave. to Fischer-Hallman
    • The bike lanes from Belmont Ave. to Westmount Rd are great on both sides of the road. Again, if we’re not going to have dedicated bike lanes, this is the next best thing.
    • The intersection at Glasgow and Westmount Rd is dangerous. When headed west on Glasgow, the bike lanes on both sides of the street disappear just before the intersection. So cyclists are forced into traffic going through the intersection.
    • Still heading west, the bike lanes on Glasgow continue to be good for a few blocks, until—inexplicably—curbs are introduced into the bike lanes. This is dangerous for two reasons:
      • It’s difficult to navigate curbs at high speeds…and control of the bike becomes a factor.
      • If cyclists want to avoid going up and down curbs on the bike lane (e.g., when we are clipped into pedals and going faster), they are forced into traffic. Again, the road is narrow and drivers quickly become impatient.

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Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 – 9:00pm for a look at what we accomplished in 2020 and what’s coming up for cycling in the region in 2021 and beyond.

Active transportation leads from the three cities and the region who will be joining us:
 
• Lisa Chominiec
Sustainable Transportation Coordinator, City of Cambridge
 
• Liz Christensen
Design & Construction Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Darren Kropf
Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Louise Finlay
Project Manager, Bikeways, Trails and Greenspaces, City of Waterloo
 
• Kornel Mucsi
Manager, Transportation Planning, Region of Waterloo

Check the link in our bio for meeting instructions.
Are you curious about winter biking or determined Are you curious about winter biking or determined to give it a try this season? Our next Virtual Folks & Spokes welcomes Elysha and Sarah-Beth to share their winter-biking experience! 

Join us online on Thursday, November 19, from 7:30 – 8:30 pm. to learn about biking in cold weather, bike maintenance tips, and more. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and for other participants to chat about their winter-biking experience, too.

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Meet Elysha

I'm Elysha! (she/they)

I'm a winter cyclist. I couldn't decide on adjectives for that because sometimes it's fun and sometimes it is horrible, but I always do it anyway. I've been riding my bike through the winters for around 10 years. You also may know me from my mending and upcycling project, @beyondrepair519, where I share my textile artwork.

On Thursday, my partner Scott will be joining me as a model for some of our winter cycling tips. He works more closely with bike stuff in the region—mostly cycling education right now, but he was also a mechanic for a long time. We have been loving the recent heat wave but don't want to be caught off guard when winter hits!

Join us and share what you know/learn more about how to get your bike ready for winter.

---

Meet Sarah-Beth and Ryan

Sarah-Beth (she/her) and Ryan (he/him) have been biking with their kids - ages 8 and 5 - for the past 4 years. You may know Ryan from being featured on Instagram as part of our #WinterRiders storytelling last year. He was a first-time winter bike rider last year. This year, Sarah-Beth is hopping on the bandwagon and they're bringing their kids along with them. They'll share their experiences figuring out how to prepare for the cold months ahead, and how to keep their kids interested and safe along with them. 

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We use Zoom video conferencing to host Virtual Folks & Spokes. It works on most computers and modern mobile devices.

If this is your first time using Zoom, we recommend joining a few minutes early.

Visit the link in our bio to launch the Zoom meeting.
The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on T The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 – 8:30 pm.

We will kick things off with special guest Kornel Mucsi, the new Transportation Planning Manager at the Region of Waterloo. Kornel will share some of his experience from leading the Active Transportation program in Ottawa for the last decade as well as his early impressions and directions for Waterloo Region.

After question and answer with Kornel, we will continue with a casual discussion of anything and everything biking.

To participate, find the Zoom video call link in our bio!
Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with Cycle Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with CycleWR, STSWR and ClimateActionWR is offering one or more cycling training sessions for students ages 5 and up. 

Please indicate your interest and availability with this form:

https://bit.ly/2ZWGDxw

These practical sessions will cover various components including:

* Tips for teaching how to ride for beginners
* Proper helmet fit
* Bike handling skills
* Hand signals and road signs
* Bike lane etiquette
* Parent session: how to coach kids while riding with them
* Simple bicycle maintenance
* Tips for riding in fall and winter

The sessions will be held in a parking lot with an optional on-road session for grades 4 and up. Parents must accompany their children, and all participants must practice social distancing with non-family participants.
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