GCAT 2017 Year in Review

Posted December 29, 2017

2017 was a great year for Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation!  We worked hard to support and encourage citizens who want to bike and walk in Guelph. Here are some highlights  the work that we have done this year.  Please support our membership drive for 2018 so that we can continue to work hard for Guelph citizens to make Guelph a leading city for Active Transportation!

Advocacy

• successfully delegated at city council to support 12 million dollars funding over 10 years to complete an Active Transportation Network
• formed a coalition with other stakeholder groups to get staff and city council to reverse decision on cancelling Speedvale Bridge Underpass project. Helped to organize delegates (11!) and letter writers (27!) and petitioned (420 names!) to reach this end
• gave input to the Guelph Trail Master Plan Update
• facilitated at Learning for a Sustainable Future’s EcoLeague Youth Forum to engage high school students on importance of alternative transportation options
• ran workshop at Resilience Festival on “Building Emotional Resiliency through Outdoor Exercise”
• submitted comments along with Guelph Wellington Regional Trails Committee,  Guelph Off Road Cycling Association on identifying a Province Wide Cycling Network
• City of Guelph’s Transportation Demand Coordinator, Jennifer Juste to spoke about cycling in Guelph at our first Annual General Meeting
• had booths at several community events, such as the EcoMarket, Tour de Guelph, Hillside Festival
• helped the City of Guelph promote BikeMaps.org (an international organization working to make cycling safer by mapping trouble spots) by doing encouraging public to do volunteer surveys, handed out bikemaps.org bling
• participated in citizen run Southwestern Ontario Regional Bike Summit sponsored by London Cycle Link to learn best practices from other advocacy groups in Southwestern Ontario
• wrote this and this article in the Guelph Tribune to raise awareness of issues to the general public

Fun Events to encourage a culture of cycling in Guelph

• Magnolia Ride-ride through the Magnolia trees in Guelph, followed by a tea party
• Bridges and Beers-celebrated at 2Rivers Festival with a bike ride on the Bridges of Guelph over the Speed and Eramosa Rivers, celebrated with a pint at the end
• Love Your Bike Festival– celebrated with 2Rivers and St Andrews Church, and led families on a bike ride through Exhibition Park, and finished at Wooly’s pub for free hotdogs and face painting
• Tweed Ride– we dressed in old timey clothes and rode through the beautiful neighbourhoods of Guelph and celebrated with a pint
• ran bike tour with Alex Chapman, City of Guelph, highlighting energy innovations in Guelph at Municipal Innovators Conference
• Guelph Community Santa Parade-we all got dressed up and rode all kinds of bikes..we won the “Best community”  award!

 

Please join us in 2018 on our journey to get more people to enjoy healthy transportation!  For only $10, your membership in GCAT will allow us to give a voice to more and more people who want to be healthy, fit, and contribute to the well being of the city.