The Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee (P-BAC) is getting the wheels in motion for an upcoming cycling summit in Peterborough later this month.
P-BAC has announced the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Cycling Summit: Safe Streets for Everyone is running on Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25. The summit includes an itinerary of speakers, interactive design workshops, and guided cycling and walking tours.
The event is open to everyone interested in inclusive design and road safety, P-BAC noted in a media release.
Sue Sauve, P-BAC chair and retired transportation demand management planner with the City of Peterborough, shared with kawarthaNOW her aspirations for the event.
“The best thing that could happen would be that stronger connections be developed between people working to make our city and county the best that they can be, and for community leaders to see the economic and health potential we can tap into with new approaches to street design,” Sauve said.
The summit kicks off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24 at Showplace Performance Centre, located at 290 George St. N. in downtown Peterborough.
The evening features renowned keynote speaker Ian Lockwood, a livable transportation engineer with Toole Design Group. An Ottawa native who now lives in Florida, Lockwood will share his experience around how people-centred street design has led to renewed prosperity in the cities where he has worked.
Then, on April 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., participants will gather at the McDonnel Street Activity Centre at 577 McDonnel St. for a full day of activities, including two guest speakers.
Through the lens of public health, Dr. Sara Whitehead will share international transportation safety best practices and how they apply locally in Peterborough. A public health physician in Peterborough with over 25 years of experience at local, national, and international health institutions, she has led a team at public health organization Vital Strategies in New York that is strengthening road traffic injury surveillance systems in 30 cities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Valerie Smith, director of programs at Parachute, will talk about safe systems approaches to transportation. Founded in 2012 through the amalgamation of four charities in the injury prevention field, Parachute has become Canada’s leader in injury prevention focused on three key areas where people are unintentionally injured: in the home, at play, and on the move.
Biking and walking tours will also take place and highlight current and developing city and county infrastructure. The tours will be followed by afternoon interactive design workshops during which people will work together on concepts for local streets.
“This year’s summit goes beyond bicycles to address opportunities in the city and county to make our streets more accessible, enjoyable and safe to use,” Sauve said in the release.
“With a keynote (speaker) who has turned communities around through his approach to city planning and street design, we are gearing this summit to a broad audience including people with disabilities, young families, seniors, pedestrians, and people impacted by a traffic crash.”
P-BAC is a multi-stakeholder group working to foster a culture of cycling in Peterborough city and county. P-BAC’s goal is to inspire actionable change in Peterborough and beyond, that can lead towards a future where the safety of all road users is paramount.
The event presents a unique opportunity to broaden the discourse on safe, comfortable multimodal transportation, organizers noted.
Registration for the summit is now open. While participants are encouraged to attend both days, registration is flexible. The $15 fee is optional and is only intended for those who can afford to contribute.
For more information and to register, visit p-bac.org/cycling-summits.
