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CycleWR celebrates winter trail maintenance crews

Posted on April 9, 2019August 16, 2019 by Emily Slofstra
Posted in: Advocacy, CycleWR news

Kitchener-Waterloo, ON, April 2019. This month, CycleWR is presenting thank you cards to trails staff in Kitchener and Waterloo to show appreciation for the well-maintained cycling and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the icy winter of 2018-2019. The first thank you package was presented to City of Kitchener Operations staff on April 3 and CycleWR members will present an appreciation package to City of Waterloo councillors and trails staff on April 10 at their quarterly meeting.

CycleWR_Thankyou_2019a.png
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Off-road trail quality was consistently praised by people who walk and bike all winter long, despite the very challenging and icy weather. Two local bike commuters even provided daily trail status updates for each other and for other Twitter users. The updates were usually that the trail was in great condition for their morning commutes! This consistent quality speaks to coordination between the cities’ maintenance crews, especially where trails cross borders between Kitchener and Waterloo.

That is why advocacy group CycleWR and more than 25 KW residents have signed a thank you card and donated money for gift cards to show their appreciation for the teams responsible for parks and trails maintenance.

“The number of days that I couldn’t walk to work this year was: ZERO,” said one 65-year-old Spur Line commuter. “So I’m pretty pleased at the condition in which the Trail was kept.”

Next year the region will be seeing new infrastructure that will come with fresh challenges, as the Region and cities learn how to clear protected bike lanes so that more people will be able to bike year-round. While trails were well maintained, winter cyclists also expressed frustration throughout the winter when on-road bike lanes weren’t cleared.

CycleWR Chair Emily Slofstra presents thank you card to trails staff supervisors

“While there are certainly concerns about unplowed on-road bike lanes, we consistently heard all winter that people were able to bike more easily around Kitchener-Waterloo thanks to the trails being cleared as early as possible every morning, and throughout the day during snow events,” said CycleWR Chair Emily Slofstra. “We also want to encourage all residents to thank their cities when they appreciate services that are being done well.”

With increased budgets for winter maintenance, lessons learned, and hopefully renewed determination, CycleWR is looking forward to better on-road bike lane clearing in 2020 and years to come. For now, CycleWR hopes the trail plow drivers, supervisors and trails managers enjoy a coffee on behalf of grateful year-round cyclists and pedestrians.

Waterloo Park has been a delight every time I’ve biked or walked down the new promenade. #ThanksKWtrailStaff

— Chris (@chuttenc) March 29, 2019

Huge thanks to everyone who shared their appreciation with us: Geoff Bell, Sarah-Beth Bianchi, Dan Brotherson, Ramon Canumay, Benoit Charbonneau, Helen Chimirri-Russell, Brian Doucet, Kate Dudek, Cait Glasson, Fred Greidanus, Greycoat Software, Andrew Grieve, Sylvia Hook, Chris Hutten-Czapski, Neil Malhotra, Becky McIntosh, Levi Oakey, Josh Orita, Ted Parksinon, Emily Slofstra, Henry & Nancy Slofstra, John Swarbrick, David Trueman, Scott Weldon.

Find tweets or share your own using the hashtag #ThanksKWTrailStaff.

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CycleWR
CycleWR is now a non-profit. Become a member today CycleWR is now a non-profit. Become a member today and help us change the conversation about cycling in Waterloo Region. Members help support and guide our work, get access to discounts, and more!Get your membership:
cyclewr.ca/join(Link in bio)
Cycling Risk SurveyCycleWR is keenly interested Cycling Risk SurveyCycleWR is keenly interested to learn more about how people in our community view cycling infrastructure. We have created a survey that delves into how people perceive the many infrastructure options that we find in Waterloo Region.We know that there is a lot of diversity in the comfort levels that people experience while cycling. We want to know: Will you only ride on trails and physically separated facilities? Which street designs do you find safest? How do you feel about one-way versus two-way cycle tracks? Which cycling facilities do you prefer to see when you are driving a car? We ask all these questions and more.This survey will inform our advocacy and the results will be shared both publicly and with municipal staff who are designing new facilities. The survey is quite detailed, so you’ll want to set aside 10-15 minutes to complete it. Please share it widely – we want to reach many people with varying levels of experience, from non-cyclists and beginners to daily riders.Start the survey now - the link is our bio (https://forms.gle/RLASz6joa27NUX8T7)Please respond by March 21st.Thank you!
What cycling projects are Waterloo, Kitchener, Cam What cycling projects are Waterloo, Kitchener, Cambridge, and the Region funding in 2021? Find out in our budget analyses. Link in bio.
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 WaterlooCheck the link in our bio for meeting instructions.
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