Bike to School/Work Week

Just wanted to let you know about some upcoming events:

Bike to School Week: May 27 -  31

Here's a great opportunity for your kids to get active, and have fun at the same time! Which kid wouldn't prefer to bike to school rather than be driven to school by his parents! Better yet is biking to school with friends!

HUB and HASTe (Hub for Active School Travel) are promoting Bike to School Week. A parent or teacher - and for secondary schools also students - can sign up to be a team leader for their school, and HUB will send you an information kit with posters, stickers and safety and other tips. (Secondary students can also sign up individually: see Bike to Work Week below).

Our local chapter would also like to provide some support (perhaps a "snack station"?), so if you decide to register your school, please also contact me at jchow23708@yahoo.ca.

Bike to Work Week: May 27 - June 2

Check out how it works, register for Bike to Work Week and log your miles on HUB's Bike to Work website and find the locations of the celebration stations, tips and prizes to be won.

Pedal power in Budapest

Well, I guess the weather was a little bit better in Budapest on Saturday than in Maple Ridge on Sunday, judging from the photo in this article, which undoubtedly was why they got so many more cyclists out for their Earth Day weekend ride (tens of thousands) than we did for ours to Goodbye Chums (uhm....four). Well, that was of course not the only reason. Very inspiring article, and it shows that even cities that don't start off with a "bicycle culture" can change very quickly.

Discovery Bike Ride to "Goodbye Chums"

Four of us - Dave, Barb, Tom and myself - braved the rain and cold today to ride to the Goodbye Chums event and the Grand Opening of the new Bell Irving Fish Hatchery on 256th Street. We started off ready to burn off some calories after the annual volunteer pancake breakfast at Red Robin, served by Mayor Daykin and his crew. We followed the 123 route up to 240th Street. Instead of continuing along Dewdney, we rode along the quiet, scenic back roads and down 256th to the hatchery. Great route, even though Dave was complaining that it wasn't exactly a direct route. It did add several more kms, but if you're not in a hurry it certainly beats busy Dewdney Trunk Road. It was getting kind of cold once the rain started soaking through towards the end, but there was life-saving coffee and timbits thanks to Timmy's once we got there, and after the enthusiastic presentations also great food, courtesy of Panago.

You kind of take it for granted that you can always go to the supermarket and find some tasty salmon for a special dinner. The passionate people at KEEPS (Kanaka Education and Environmental Partnership Society) are doing a really important job of helping to keep our rivers and oceans well stocked with salmon and they deserve a big thank you. I thought it was really neat for the kids to take the small salmon fry down to the river and release them, knowing that in a few years they'll be back to spawn and complete the cycle of life.

Only 2 photos to show of the ride:

Ready to start our ride

At the hatchery
Photo: Ross Davies of KEEPS

Earth Day 2013 Cycle Recycle

Thanks to the donors of the bikes: individuals, Maple Ridge Cycle and Ridge Meadows Recycling Society, and above all our volunteers Barry, Dave and Geoff for making this year's Earth Day Cycle Recycle once again a huge success! We had a record 15 bikes to give away, and they all found happy new owners!

Here are some pics of our Cycle Recycle:

Getting ready for the crowds

The bikes were pretty good quality this year

Lots of interest

Alex Pope dropped by to proudly show off his new vintage ride (no, he didn't get it from our Cycle Recycle!)
Photo: Ross Davies of KEEPS

Discovery Bike Ride Goodbye Chums

On Sunday April 21 we're hoping - weather permitting - to go on our first Discovery Bike Ride of the season, to the Goodbye Chums event at the Bell-Irving Fish Hatchery on 256th Street (11 am - 3 pm). This is also the day of the Grand Opening of the new Fish Hatchery building. We will be leaving from Red Robin Restaurant, at the corner of 227th and Lougheed, at 10:30 am. A perfect opportunity to work off those extra calories for those of you attending the annual Volunteer Pancake Breakfast at Red Robin!

Our rides should be considered "non-guided". This means that you're welcome to follow us, but you do so at your own risk.

It would be great if you could let us know ahead of time if you're planning to join us, but if that's not possible that's fine too. If it looks like rain, be sure to check our blog to see if the ride has been canceled (will be posted by 9 pm the evening before).

Mike Bocking, provincial NDP candidate Maple Ridge/Mission

I sent an e-mail to all the provincial candidates for our region (see earlier blog post) to ask them about their views on the Cycling Strategy proposed by the BC Cycling Coalition.

Mike Bocking, NDP candidate for Maple Ridge/Mission, was the first to respond. Here's what he replied:

I'm a big supporter of developing and expanding our cycling infrastructure and I agree with most of the points in the Cycling Strategy for BC.

I particularly agree that there needs to be some dedicated routes for bikes and separation of bikes from automobiles where possible. And the idea of developing more biking for local trips and schools is one I certainly support.

I particularly like the idea of an annual amount dedicated to bike infrastructure, so there can be long-term planning done with some certainty that resources will be available to implement them.