August news
Hello Bike to the Future members and supporters. This newsletter contains the following items:
1. Minutes from our August Monthly Meeting
2. Our next Monthly Meeting is on Tuesday September 15th
3. Our 2009 Fall Forum
4. Media coverage of local cycling issues
5. Latest News
6. Upcoming Events
7. Ciclovia
8. Speak Up Winnipeg
9. OttoCycle: Building Better Biking in Winnipeg (GPS cycling study)
10. Winnipeg Cycling Map 2009
11. Membership (15% bike shops discount)
Kevin Miller
Bike to the Future, Co-Chair
www.biketothefuture.org
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Minutes from our August Monthly Meeting
The August Monthly Meeting minutes can be read at
http://biketothefuture.org/about/meetings.
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Our next Monthly Meeting is on Tuesday September 15th
Bike to the Future meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 5:30 at the Eco-Centre (3rd floor MEC building at Portage & Donald). Anyone is welcome to attend. For September, we're actually meeting on the 3rd Tuesday: September 15th.
A tentative agenda for the September Monthly Meeting has been posted at http://biketothefuture.org/events/archives/2009/08/20/september-monthly-meeting.
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Our 2009 Fall Forum
Our 4th annual Fall Forum is scheduled for October. Last year we obtained funding to hire an Event Coordinator who reported to a Steering Committee of volunteers. We don't have funding this year, and our membership revenue is not sufficient to hire someone, so we need a committee with a volunteer Event Coordinator to do the planning and delivery of the annual Fall Forum.
The Fall Forum will not happen unless someone volunteers ASAP to be the Event Coordinator.
Reports from previous Fall Forums:
Why Not Winnipeg? Fall Forum report (725K file, 24 pages) -- October 15, 2008
From Imagination to Creation: The Future of Cycling in Winnipeg Fall Forum report (1MB file, 28 pages) -- October 11, 2007
Bike to the Future Fall Forum report (14MB file, 20 pages) -- September 21, 2006
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Media coverage of local cycling issues
The Local Media section of our website contains 7 items from the first three weeks in August: the Yellow Ribbon Greenway (St James), Ciclovia, bike lanes, a very positive editorial in the Free Press, and of course the ticketing of cyclists for treating STOP signs as YIELD signs.
We've created a web page of information about "STOP signs as YIELD signs for cyclists":
http://biketothefuture.org/design-for-the-future/stop-as-yield. On that page, we've tried to order the list of items with the most interesting, educational, and illuminating ones first; the first one is an excellent four minute animated video. The last item is advice from BttF's lawyer about what to do if you are ticketed for rolling through a STOP sign, or if you'd like to help lobby for changes to the Highway Traffic Act.
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Latest News
In the past two weeks, a number of items have been posted on our website in the Latest News section, including the 2009 Bike to Work Day report and the results of an Osborne Bridge "Community Vision and Cycling Design" initiative that Mark Cohoe, BttF's City Committee Chair, facilitated.
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Upcoming Events
Our website contains a number of autumn Upcoming Events that may interest you, including workshops, a fun ride, a bike tour, and the 2nd annual Bike Shorts Film Festival, and the inaugural Ciclovia.
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Ciclovia
Ciclovia, which means "bike way", is an event on Sunday September 13th that supports active transportation.
The entire north side of Broadway will be closed to motor-vehicle traffic from Osborne all the way to Main Street -– with a connection from Assiniboine Park all the way to The Forks, so that people can walk, bike, skate, or run on down!
Ciclovia will allow Winnipeg to showcase the best of its artists and musicians, to exhibit its cultural industries and parade the best of its urban features to itself and the world. It combines healthy living with arts and culture and engages citizens in active alternatives to motorized transportation, bringing life back to otherwise car-choked streets. And it does something else that is exceptional. It allows a city to dream of different ways of living well, of other community aspirations in an urban environment. What does it mean to have a significant stretch of a street free of cars and open to travel, entertainment, lighting displays, local restaurant fair, family activities, live music and new social possibilities?
Lots more info is at
http://biketothefuture.org/events/archives/2009/08/17/ciclovia.
Event website -- info, participant form (no cost), sponsorship form
If you are interested in helping to determine how BttF can be involved with Ciclovia, or volunteering to be part of that involvement, please contact Dave at delmore@mts.net.
Get the word out to everyone you know and we’ll see you on Ciclovia Sunday!
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Speak Up Winnipeg
Speak Up Winnipeg is the City's public forum for Winnipeggers to express their opinions about the future of our City, and how we can ensure it is sustainable, making Winnipeg a leader among cities.
Please go to the Speak Up Winnipeg website and post a comment about the need for more cycling infrastructure and cycling initiatives to make cycling in Winnipeg a safe, enjoyable, and convenient transportation choice.
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OttoCycle: Building Better Biking in Winnipeg (GPS cycling study)
See http://ottocycle.org. They are still looking for more volunteers.
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Winnipeg Cycling Map 2009
Winnipeg Cycling Map 2009 is now available.
Complete info (including where to buy it and a link to the online version)
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Membership (15% bike shops discount)
Members of Bike to the Future agree with our mission and vision and support it. We are a volunteer-run, incorporated, non-profit organization that is only as strong as our membership. Please show your support for our work by renewing (or becoming) a member.
(BTW, we have ~250 paid-up members and ~800 complimentary memberships -- people who support our work, but haven't paid the $10 for a membership.)
You can now use PayPal to purchase a new Bike to the Future membership or renew an existing Bike to the Future membership. Our membership info page is at
www.biketothefuture.org/get-involved/join-bike-to-the-future.
New for 2009:
Participating bike shops are offering a 15% discount for BttF members on all non-wheeled cycling accessories, not including bicycle parts, Thule or Yakima racks, and triathlon gear (wetsuits, etc).
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