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Ride with Candidates: Sarah Marsh, Kitchener (Ward 10)

Posted on October 16, 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 Jenn took Ward 10 incumbent Sarah Marsh on a bike ride. Here’s how it went:

Had a great chat and bike ride with @Marsh_Ward10 and @Cycle_WR, showing some of the best and worst places to bike in my neighbourhood! I hope we can work together to improve bike friendliness! pic.twitter.com/mrPeqaAla2

— Jenn Dellow (@jenndknitmaster) August 14, 2018

Sarah is definitely interested in improving cycling in the city. She agrees with the need for a minimum grid, and urges CycleWR to put forward our recommendation and keep pushing for it. We talked about how it’s best for council to hear from one voice (one group) giving one set of recommendations, rather than hearing from individual cyclists whose needs and priorities are all different.

We did a loop starting from my place on Dekay Street, all within Ward 10. I highlighted:

  • The recent redo of Guelph Street that had space for bike infrastructure, but has instead lots of parking and many “share the road” signs.
  • The narrow unfriendliness of Lancaster (the city’s portion of it), and why we would be taking an alternative route south.
  • The nice Margaret Street lanes, until they end abruptly at Victoria, and how that discourages many possible cyclists and confuses everyone.
  • Two intersections of Lancaster: with Frederick, and with Krug/Weber. Both are very unsafe for both drivers and cyclists, for different reasons.
  • The very nice, wide East Avenue bike lanes, which are one of my favourite bits of bike lane: between the width, the painted buffer, and the shade trees, it’s always comfortable.
  • The narrower Duke Street, which used to be a good route parallel to downtown, but isn’t anymore where the tracks have been added (I know this is no longer a city street, but it was the best route home within our ward).

We mostly felt very safe, since we are both comfortable, experienced cyclists. We did get honked at once (on Otto Street) because there wasn’t space between us and a boulevard for a car to pass, and we talked about how unnecessarily aggressive that was. The route was mostly a mix of bike lanes and wider side streets, with only a couple of narrower places where we could not talk.

My two priorities would be to fill the gaps in current infrastructure to make a grid of usable routes through and across town, consisting of bike lanes and separated infrastructure (not just sharrows or signed routes); and to provide proper winter maintenance on bike routes and lanes. My hope is that council will start to see on-street parking as optional, and remove more of it to make space for cycling infrastructure.

Excited to be off for a Ward 10 bike ride with @jenndknitmaster @Cycle_WR pic.twitter.com/CqPLId2T32

— Sarah Marsh (@Marsh_Ward10) August 14, 2018

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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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