When it comes to recognition as being a bicycle-friendly community, Pelham’s Active Transportation Committee (PATC) members have their sights set on gold.
The Share the Road Cycling Coalition, an Ontario-based advocacy organization that promotes cycling, previously recognized the Town of Pelham as a bicycle- friendly community. The municipality was awarded a silver designation for its commitment to healthy living, active transportation and safe cycling.
“When we will be reapplying for a status in the next coming year, my hope is that we will either reach or approach the gold standard,” said Brian Baty, Chair of the PATC.
With smooth lanes, winding roads, and hills, Pelham features a variety of challenges for bikers. The PATC aims to enhance the municipality’s trails, and encourage residents to explore them by foot or bike. Part of this effort is the installation of three new bicycle repair stations to bicycle routes this spring.
Baty said the stations will be free to use and will offer various bicycle tools attached to them by chains, including a bicycle pump. The stations will be installed at convenient spots like Centennial Park and North Pelham Park. A station has already been installed at Harold Black Park.
“We are planning to have more of a grand announcement in March,” Baty said.
Another useful tool for cyclists that many residents and visitors may not realize is available to them are small, coloured signs with QR codes that are actually route markers, and direct people to points of interest. People can use their phones to scan the QR codes to find out more about Pelham’s trails while they’re out and about.
It’s a project that the PATC started about 10 years ago, and has expanded over time.
Former PATC Chair Bea Clark said the signage was one way to encourage people to walk or cycle more often. What stops many from walking to their destination is thinking it’s too far for comfort.
“We looked at areas around town where we thought we could put up some signage that would say, you know, it's only a 20-minute walk to Harold Black Park, or it's a 10-minute walk to Marlene Stewart Streit Park,” she said.
“As a committee, I think we identified about 10 sites in town. Our committee members did a lot of the walking and cycling to actually time how long it would take to reach the points that we were trying to encourage people to walk or cycle to.”
Clark said the committee worked with the Town to get the signs put up and QR codes which be scanned so people could find out more about where they were going. Additional signs have been recently installed to allow for cyclists to be able to connect to the larger loops that are offered.
There are four routes that were developed with signage by the PATC, including the Berkhout Riverfront Trail Loop, the Shorthills Loop, the Villages Loop, and the North/South Connecting Routes.
The project is possible thanks to funding support from the Rural Economic Development Grant. For more information about cycling routes in Pelham visit www.pelham.ca/cycling.
