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Ride with Candidates: Colleen James (Regional Council, Kitchener)

Posted on October 10, 2022October 13, 2022 by Emily Slofstra
Posted in: I bike I vote, Rides with Candidates 2022

Leading up to the 2022 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 VP Emily Slofstra took Colleen James, candidate for Regional Council, Kitchener, out for a walk. Here’s what Emily had to say about the walk:

I met Colleen at Willow River (Victoria) Park on October 6 for a walk on city trails. Since there are so many Regional roads and infrastructure, we didn’t focus our attention on specific infrastructure, but discussed general Regional active transportation issues.

Colleen shared that she typically bikes recreationally with her daughter, but sincerely understands the concerns of commuter cyclists. Colleen worked for Regional Council for many years, including when LRT was approved, and expressed a strong understanding of how councillors must be forward-thinking when it comes to transportation planning. We both agreed that there are still many gaps in the cycling network that need to be filled, and Colleen pointed out that Doon South and the Fairway/Lackner areas were on her radar as particularly lacking in active transportation infrastructure.

I shared the history of CycleWR with Colleen, and discussed how our priority has been on advocacy and infrastructure over the past four years. We talked about how more all-ages-and-abilities infrastructure is needed, but also that the Region could take a larger role in promoting cycling to the ”interested, but concerned” group of potential riders. Colleen agreed that councillors should be modelling behaviours such as trying out new bike lanes and trails once they are completed.

Colleen and I have both spent time in Amsterdam, and were inspired by the variety of transportation options other than private vehicles. We chatted about how the Netherlands went through a car-centric period and realized that focusing on cycling and public transportation was much more effective at moving residents.

At the end of the walk, Colleen expressed an eagerness to stay in touch and learn more from the cycling community about what is needed to improve active transportation infrastructure if elected.

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Are you heading out to the belmontvillagebestival Are you heading out to the belmontvillagebestival this Friday and Saturday? It's the cityofkitchener's last #BikeCheck of the year!
Cycle safely to Belmont Village with the #CyclingGuide App and know your bike is secure while you enjoy the festivities!
Sunday turned out to be great ride day for our soc Sunday turned out to be great ride day for our social and the GroundUpWR Ride!Thanks to everyone who came out to our picnic social and bike ride. Our last event was in March 2020 so it was nice to get back out there! And congrats to the winners of some cool bike accessories courtesy of #BlackArrowCycles!Let's continue to advocate and let the residents and city councillors know that our streets need to be safe for everyone! 😊
Join us on Sunday, August 27th at 12pm by the cloc Join us on Sunday, August 27th at 12pm by the clock tower in Victoria Park for a picnic social and ride! We encourage you to bring a lunch/snack! There will be some prizes  to celebrate the relaunch of CycleWR in-person social events (our last one was in early 2020!). At 2pm we'll head over to Kitchener City Hall for a bike ride with GroundUpWR. We look forward to seeing you!
Have you seen this bicycle infrastructure before? Have you seen this bicycle infrastructure before?
This was newly installed on Water Street in dtkitchener.This is a great convenience for people who use bicycles to get around, while they sit at a red light.PC: pbilk
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