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Ride with Candidates: Jen Vasic, Waterloo (Ward 5)

Posted on October 9, 2018October 16, 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.

CycleWR volunteer Tamas and his family took Jen Vasic, candidate for Ward 5, Waterloo, out for a bike ride. Here’s what Jen had to say about the ride on her blog and on Twitter:

I support active transportation and infrastructure that will support it. I believe active transportation is a fun and convenient way to get around town that promotes healthy communities and protects the environment. In addition, biking has also been noted to support a healthy economy.

I’d love to see a bold and resourceful solution to transportation. I can’t tell you how excited I got watching this video about the cycling infrastructure that Seville, Spain built quickly. On the route towards bold changes, though, smaller improvements are also necessary (e.g., signage, education, protecting existing bike lanes with bollards, or posts).

My family and I got out last night with @Cycle_WR volunteer Tamas and his family. We talked about reasons for biking, pain points in the city, and possible solutions! Thank you for this service to this community! #ward5waterloo #wrpoli #activetransportation pic.twitter.com/fYblnLfMFV

— Jen Vasic (@jenvasic) August 8, 2018

And here’s Tamas’ take on the ride and cycling in Waterloo:

The route: I would like show how difficult it is to cross University Avenue (section where it turns north, after Bridge St) and the highway (I usually cross it on University Ave and Northfield Dr). Other thing is that cars and especially buses and trucks don’t keep the 1m distance.

The problems: I’m forced to cross the above mentioned roads but don’t feel very safe and would not recommend for everyone and not taking my kids that way. I do cross University Ave with my kids because their school and daycare are on the other side but take extreme caution and sometimes need to wait minutes till the cars pass by.

The lack of biking infrastructure is an obstacle to me biking more. When there is snow, the bike lane is used as a convenient place to store the snow. Excessive salt everywhere makes my bike rust, this is the main reason I’m not using my bike during winter too much.

What Tamas would like to see happen:

  • Underground tunnels and bridges over major roads (see Boulder, Colorado, for example—a similar sized city, with similar income levels, we should be able to do at least similar).
  • Connected bike lanes to be able to get everywhere in the region. Continuous trail along the river (connecting parts of Walter Bean trail).
  • Equipping cyclist with technology that helps detect drivers that pass too close.
  • Subsidize companies that support bike to work.
  • An answer to the following question: If Ontario pay drivers up to $15,000 to buy electric cars, how come I get nothing to buy a bike?

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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.

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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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