1.Will the proposed…

1.Will the proposed initiatives help us achieve Ontario’s goals for cycling

2.What challenges should we expect to encounter as we pursue the proposed initiatives

3. Are there other important actions that Ontario should take in the next 5 years to help us meet our goals for cycling

1. Yes the proposed initiatives and more will help bring Cycling to a new level of understanding and purpose in Ontario.

2. Cycling in Ontario is still widely thought of as a child`s activity where parents dutifully purchase their child the new toy from the local Canadian Tire as a reminder of what “we used to do as kids”. Unfortunately, the millennial generation not only does not make this connection they are distancing themselves faster and farther as active participants which each digital upgrade. So, to is golf, skiing and yes dare we say it hockey seeing a decline in participation rates.

A provincial strategy is needed to brand cycling and all the benefits of owning and riding a bike for recreation, transportation and wellness.

3. Province:

•The MTO may not be the best fit as sole proprietor of cycling, Millennials are not that much interested in

cars let alone bikes so there is little connection to the MTO and the anticipated driver`s license that initiates

youth with this ministry.

•Cycling should appear across many ministries as a Sustainable option for residents, municipalities and

entrepreneurs to consider as a creative and innovative solution to slow the effects of aging populations,

outmigration of youth and slowing economies in many regions across Ontario.

•Engage local youth to create an Active Seniors Cycle program one that incorporates the technology and the

training needed to encourage seniors to “ride for life”.

•Linkage to the Highly Skilled Workforce initiative, tap into some of the funding and branding that will be

coming from the regional adaptation of Ontario as an advanced “Manufacturing” cluster. Growing

entrepreneurship and small business start ups are of significant interest to the millennial generation

particularly if we can we leverage cycling or the technology of cycling into research or block chaining,

definitely on the upswing in Ontario.

•Formalize Bicycle Mechanic and the associated apprenticeship program as a voluntary skilled trade

governed by the Ontario College of Trades and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.

•Incentivize Municipalities to include cycling as part of their Strategic plan, align it to energy efficiency, waste

reduction and lowering costs, as well as a route to retail or wellness.

•Explore new and emerging trends in cycling ex. (Fat Bikes, Winter Bikes, Bike Sharing, Community Collaboratives, Maker Spaces) celebrate their growth and seek out the municipal and commercial

partnerships that make encourage year round participation.

•To implement any of my suggestions or Cycle Ontario plans, data is needed to support the direction of funds

and the identifying of champions. Demographics, ridership, locations, type of use information etc. needs to

be consistently gathered at the municipal level and analyzed by the province as part of a larger Cycle

Ontario strategy. The data needed to transform cycling could be added to the census or could be gathered

through surveys from Community Foundations or Economic Development Corporations tasked as part of a

community profile.

[Original Comment ID: 213390]