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Bicycle Nova Scotia Logo
May, 2015
Edition #7
Follow the links to find what interests you: 

BNS Updates & Activities

 
BNS has a new website! 

We are very happy to announce that we finally have our new website up and running. The old site has served us well for many years, but it was time to update the site to make it more user friendly and to be more adaptable for mobile devices like phones and tablets.

The new site is restructured to try and focus evenly on all of the activities that BNS does as an organization. As well, we are hoping it serves better to help connect our cycling community in order to strengthen the resources we have. 

One of the more exciting aspects of the site is the calendar of events. This is where anyone can post cycling related events taking place in Nova Scotia. Already we have more than 60 events and more are coming in every day.

You can check out the calendar of events here. And if you would like to submit an event, please click here.

Please take some time to visit the site. Have a look around and let us know what you think. The site is still a work in progress and will be getting regular updates over the next number of months. If you have any suggestions for the site and what might be included that isn't there now, please get it touch.
 

Mountain Bike Trails Sector Meeting
Taking place on Tuesday, May12th at 6:30pm at The Old Port Pub, 900 Windmill Road in Dartmouth. Volunteers needed!


For updates, please visit the website. 

The Blue Route

It has been a few months since we have provided any Blue Route updates.. But rest assured that work is being done, conversations are happening, and progress is being made. 

In the meantime, please check out the article that was recently published in the Ecology Action Centre's newly named publication "Ecology & Action". You can read it here. 

Also, check out the page dedicated to the Blue Route on the new website.

Member Updates


Velo Cape Breton

Who has experienced bouts of sleepiness while driving? Maybe all of us at one time or another. Who actually stopped alongside the road for a short snooze to regroup their senses to avoid a potentially fatal crash and the consequences it may have had? In fact, a very small number.  

So few that in 2007, the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation of the day answered positively to a public campaign asking for the installation of rumble strips, or grooved sections on the shoulder of the road meant to startle drivers who veer too far toward the shoulder. First installation was on the long straight section of Highway 104 between Amherst and Truro where a high number of the run-off-the road or head-on collisions occurred. The project cost, evaluated at $530,000, resulted in a marked reduction of crashes and loss of lives in the following years.

These statistics on rumble strips (RS) proved their effectiveness. So much so that a policy on RS was used to further the installation of RS on highways throughout the province. The effects of RS on narrow paved shoulders started to be noticed and proved to be more than a nuisance for cyclists traveling on the paved shoulders, but also a major risk to their own safety. For example, the 400mm of the strip occupying most of the shoulder, if not all of the shoulder when improperly installed, forces cyclist to ride out of the shoulder area and into the travel lane, increasing the risks for both cyclists and other road users.
 
In 2010, Velo Cape Breton [VCB] started considering RS and their negative impacts for cyclists when Highway 105 between Millville and the Seal Island bridge was repaved. The middle line and shoulders were scored with RS, even when the shoulders were less than one metre wide. Representatives of the VCB executive met with local Nova Scotia of Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal (NSTIR) to express their concerns in January of 2011.

The VCB executive meets annually with the local NSTIR office, and in January 2013, the issue was brought up again. Unsatisfied with the results of the effort to be involved in the installation of RS, along with other cyclists, VCB prepared a position paper which was presented to the Premier and to the Minister of NSTIR. Minister Geoff MacLellan assured VCB that the needs and safety of cyclists would be taken into account during the development of a policy regarding the installation of rumble strips on Nova Scotia’s 100 Series highways.
 
The issue was raised at the October 2014 provincial Cycling Summit, with Deputy Minister of NSTIR Paul LaFleche in attendance. Mr. LaFleche was receptive to the concerns of the cycling community and we all went away from that event with hope for change. In November, 2014, VCB again met with the local NSTIR staff indicating its disappointment regarding recent installations of rumble strips on a short section of Hwy 105 by Little Bras d'Or which did not meet the current standards. The local NSTIR manager agreed to review the installation in its jurisdiction. In addition, VCB wrote yet another letter to the Minister asking for an update on the development of the new RS policy. 
 
A response came from NSTIR staff in March 2015, advising that "a revised policy for shoulder and centreline rumble strips was implemented by the department in August, 2014. The policy does take into account comments and concerns previously raised by Velo Cape Breton. In order to ensure adequate paved shoulders for cyclists, Directive # 9 in the policy indicates shoulder rumble strips will only be installed where the shoulder is more than 2 metres wide.”
 
VCB welcomes the new policy with great satisfaction. VCB also welcomes the corrective work to be made on the RS installed at the end of 2014 in Little Bras d'Or.
 
A sincere thank you for the support and participation of individual cyclists and cycling organizations in this process, as it potentially improves the safety of all cyclists in the province and has a positive impact on bicycle tourism.

A copy of the policy can be found here.
 


Recap of Women on Wheels Retreat, April 24-26

Despite the late arrival of spring this year, from April 24 to 26, a group of seventeen women came together at the Deanery Project in Lower Ship Harbour for Women on Wheels 2015. From young women in their teens to women in their seventies and every decade in between, the participants were a diverse group, with a range of interests and abilities. The weekend retreat offered women the opportunity to learn from and teach each other while having fun and enjoying amazing local food (from Conscious Catering), all in beautiful surroundings.

Highlights from the weekend included:

  • Jenna Molenaar’s informative and empowering mechanics workshop -Demystifying Your Bicycle
  • Yoga for Cyclists with Lori Taylor
  • Great rides along the scenic West Ship Harbour Road.
  • A safety session with CAN-BIKE instructor Erin Keenan and a ride on the Clam Harbour Loop wrapped things up on Sunday.

Throughout the weekend, we expanded on ideas introduced in a round table discussion about women and cycling on Friday night. Sunday morning we took those conversations further still to feed into BNS’ newly launched senior women’s cycling program. As our discussions progressed, we identified many opportunities and strategies to both encourage women to get out on bicycles and to improve the cycling environment in urban and rural areas.

Thanks to the amazing support from NS Moves, Velo Cape Breton, BNS, and Halifax Cycles Inc.!

What's Happening around Nova Scotia

Across the Highlands Challenge 
Come experience adventure and camaraderie on two wheels at the 12th instalment of the Across the Highlands Challenge on July 18th. For 2015, Cape Breton's premier mountain bike event is hosted in Mabou by the newly formed Na Beinn Trails Cycling Association. Both the 30 km Adventure course and the 70 km ultra-marathon will offer challenging terrain with breathtaking views of the Mabou highlands, river, and harbour. West Mabou Hall will serve as the perfect venue for a welcoming atmosphere and a delicious post-ride meals. Register early, as space is limited to 100 participants!

More on the Na Beinn Trails project

The Na Beinn Trails Cycling Association will keep the momentum going with trail development projects in the area, engagement activities, and more events. We look forward to becoming a premier destination for a back country mountain biking experience on Canada's East coast!

SATA (Shore Active Transportation Association)
Annual General Meeting (AGM) & Celebration of Active Transportation
 
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Lake & Shore Community Recreation Center
40 Inspiration Drive, Porters Lake
 
6:00 - Walk on new trail location
6:15 - AGM
7:00 - Presentation: Mind the Gap, Our gap in the Trans Canada trail - How do we close it?
7:30 - Cyclesmith Jr. Racing Team Presentation by Eastern Shore youth in training for 2017 Canada Games

Upcoming Events

Bicycle Carnival
Deanery Project, 37 Deanery Road, Lower Ship Harbour
Saturday, June 13
1 pm – 7 pm
 
During Bike Week the Deanery Project will host its second annual Bicycle Carnival! With jugglers, magic, story telling, giant puppets, delicious local food and music, we will be offering something that will appeal to kids of all ages. Our bicycle smoothies, made with human generated power, will be back by popular demand. Come and enjoy a day of bicycle fun! 
 
For more information, contact us at programs@thedeaneryproject.com or 902-845-1888. www.thedeaneryproject.com

 

Making Tracks Cycling Leader Training
Saturday, May 30
Annapolis Royal, NS
For more information visit http://saferoutesns.ca/events
BNS Calendar of Events

 


Sweet Ride Cycling, Mahone Bay, NS
Group Road Rides starting Wednesday, May 6th, 2015

The roads are drying up nicely and the temperatures are enticing us to get out riding again. Sweet Ride plans to start our evening group road rides on Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 at 6:00pm. There will be two distances and two paces suitable for road-specific bikes. If you have any questions, contact us at the shop for more details.

There is no cost to join our group rides but you will need to register with Bicycle Nova Scotia (BNS) for a general membership ($25) and then join the Sweet Ride Candyasses Club on the Bicycle Nova Scotia site ($0) in order to participate in the rides offered through the shop. The BNS membership provides each rider with liability insurance and helps contribute to the work of BNS to improve riding in Nova Scotia.

Please follow this link to register for your 2015 membership. See you out there!

https://zone4.ca/reg.asp?id=8930


Other Events and Programs Coming up Presented by Sweet Ride Cycling:

Pony Power – Women's Mountain Bike Clinic
Sunday, May 17th, 2015, 10am – 4pm
Mahone Bay Centre, Mahone Bay, NS
Beginner and Intermediate mountain bike skills for women 14+
www.trailflow.ca for registration and details

 

Specialized Canada Women's Ride Day
Sunday, May 31st, 2015, 10am – 12pm
Public Parking Lot on Clairmont Street, Mahone Bay, NS

 

Kid's Mountain Bike Camp with Sweet Ride Cycling
July 20-24, 2015 , 9am – 4pm
August 17-21, 2015 
8-14yrs Focusing on off-road moutain bike skills, safety and fun


Co-presented by Sweet Ride Cycling and the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg (MODL) Recreation Department. For more information contact rose@sweetridecycling.com or register at www.modl.ca

 



Bike Maintenance 101 at MEC
 
Every Monday
Bike Maintenance 101 - $10
 
Every Friday – topics vary
Bike Maintenance 201 - $20
 
http://events.mec.ca/
 
Workshops take place at MEC, 1550 Granville Street, Halifax
 
For more information, please contact: Christine Krochak
 
902-421-2667


 

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