Organized bike activities continue until the fall
The City of Mississauga is celebrating and hosting Bike Month this June with numerous cycling activities including bike-tune up, cycling safety sessions and community rides.
“The primary objective of Bike Month is to promote cycling as a sustainable and enjoyable mode of transportation, to support a healthy lifestyle and for recreation. These objectives align with the vision and goals of the City’s Cycling Master Plan,” says Matthew Sweet, the City’s Manager of Active Transportation, in a statement to MPulse.
Bike maintenance checks will be offered every Tuesday at Mississauga pop-up tents. The workshop scheduled for June 19 has been postponed to July 3 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Streetsville Memorial Park. Another workshop will be held on June 27 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Erin Meadows Community.
A workshop at Mississauga Valley Community Centre will be hosted on June 26 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. for ages 13 and up. This workshop will focus on cycling safety and bike maintenance. Participants will learn how to fix a flat tire and general maintain their bikes.
The city is also offering guided bike rides which will take place in various neighbourhoods. These community rides will run every two weeks until October.
Community rides on June 15 will start at the Malton Community Center and on June 29 at the Meadowvale Community Centre at 10 a.m.
Sweet mentions how these community rides are a great way to build the cycling culture in Mississauga. “It helps cyclists feel confident on different types of cycling infrastructure while connecting with neighbors and exploring new parts of the city. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with participants appreciating the guided ride, discovering new areas in their community, and enjoying the social time with refreshments after the ride,’ says Sweet.
To participate in the City’s Bike Challenge, residents are asked to log the kilometres they ride from now until September 27. For every 50 kilometres logged, the city will plant a tree towards the One Million Tree program.
The City and school boards are also promoting Bike to School Week, from June 23 to 27.
With the city updating its Cycling Master Plan, it is looking for input from residents. “This is a long-term plan that maps out the City’s goals for designing and implementing cycling infrastructure and programs in Mississauga,” says Sweet. “The plan’s goals aim to make cycling safer and more comfortable, build a more accessible cycling network and encourage cycling as a part of a healthy lifestyle.”
