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 volunteer Sarah Kerr took Waterloo mayoral candidate Shannon Weber out for a bike ride. Here’s where they rode and what they talked about:
Shannon and I met outside her campaign office on Weber St. N at Forwell Creek Rd (across from Canadian Tire), and focussed our ride in that area, heading north on King St. to the Conestoga Mall area and back. Shannon arrived from the Forwell trail, and came with a great grasp of both the good progress and challenging “dead zone” areas in the vicinity, especially the many busy intersections that are hard to navigate safely (for both cyclists and cars!).
We had a great exchange of experiences, and she demonstrated a good grasp of the existing challenges to cycling in the city of Waterloo. She cited previous recent rides with Arcy Canumay (the “Bicycle Mayor of Waterloo”), and Diane Freeman, Ward 4 Councillor for the City of Waterloo. She also knew and spoke of other Cycle WR volunteers who are committed to cycling, consistently taking their children to hockey practice always on their bikes. She had strong awareness of new cycling developments, with the goal to move Regional temporary to permanent options. She considers herself a fair weather cyclist, who commutes to work, previously at Laurier, and Uptown, among other destinations.
Our ride from Weber St. N & King St. N went up to Conestogo Road, which we took to Northfield, and back to King St.
- Generally, we are glad of the separated bike lanes along that section. It does feel challenging navigating the highway off/on ramp crossings, waiting for safe breaks in traffic, and the general design felt safer than the “infamous” Northfield Dr. similar section, also with the highway on/off ramps.
- We discovered new seperate bike lanes on Conestogo, and that connected to King St. via Bauer Place, allowing us to avoid the busy King St & Conestogo (mall) intersection, which we had previous challenges navigating.
A few discussion points throughout our time together:
- The trail network is growing and expanding, but discoverability has historically been the challenge. Shannon noted missing/incomplete signage to help cyclists. I noted the Cycling Guide app, from Zeitspace and CycleWR, has proven a great asset (I’ve [Sarah] been a tester). Shannon wondered if the app could be a data source to uncover routes being taken, but which are weaker for safe options?
- I stated 2 core challenges to winter cycling. First, snow clearing on bike lanes for commute rush hour typically is not completed when it has been completed for cars, or it is completed to make cycling dangerous (icy piles to dodge). Second, there is a need for more lighting on paved trails, such as Hillside and Forwell, as with shorter days, either both or one of your work commute rides will be in darkness. Iron Horse and Spur Line lighting has been a great asset!
Overall, I had an enjoyable exchange and ride with Shannon, and was grateful for her time!