laurashutiak

10Jun 2021 by laurashutiak 3 Comments

EP Scarlett High School pilot project ends with successful Bike to School day

Bikes in loaned City of Calgary racks at EP Scarlett HIgh School in SW Calgary Is there a way to get teenagers to change their transportation choices? Bike Calgary has completed its Pilot Project at Dr. EP Scarlett High School in SW Calgary. Because of Covid, the work has been on-again and off-again as in-school classes started and stopped, but we got there, and were able to organize the Bike to School day on June 4th! About 50 students and teachers rode to school – a five-fold increase from a normal summer day where just 10 bikes are in the racks. One Grade 10 student rode from Sunnyside, another youth pedaled in from Silverado – in just 37 minutes! A group of nine teachers rode in a convoy from the…

26Jan 2021 by laurashutiak 2 Comments

Calgary’s k-12 students need 40 km/h residential speed limits, and they need them now.

Advocacy

See What can you do? section below for actions to make our residential streets safer at 40 km/h - Photo: vurschel Ask parents what issues they are concerned with at/around schools and you will hear about traffic. Speeding, safety, crosswalks, parking, j-walking, U-turns. School councils spend an inordinate amount of time discussing traffic issues – and parents across the city wish we didn’t have to. Speeding around schools – and on the residential streets kids use to get to school – is a problem. Bike Calgary and our Bike to School project team is encouraging parents and anyone interested in safer walking and wheeling for all Calgarians regardless of age, to reach out to their City councillor before this upcoming Monday, February 1st. Ask them to vote for the proposed 40…

08Dec 2020 by laurashutiak No Comments

Playbook aims to help Calgary become a leading Active City

Advocacy, Education, Infrastructure

The front page of the Active City Playbook By Laura Shutiak This week, Calgarians got a first look at a 208-page document written to push Calgary to become an Active City by 2030. Written by a diverse group of volunteers from across many sectors, including sports, recreation, active transportation, tourism and economic development, the plan envisions a city where the “active” economy drives “economic, human, social and environmental prosperity.” The group, called the Active City Collective, was born from the ashes of the failed Olympic Bid plebiscite, and was led by a pair of professors at Mount Royal University – David Legg and David Finch. The document is loaded with data and puts a strong business case forward for the economic impact of the active economy. I’d encourage you to…

26Nov 2020 by laurashutiak No Comments

Donors kick-start Bike to School Program

Advocacy, Education

Boxes of bike gear arrived from HLC, with a nice note. Thanks! “Textbooks are heavy.” “I hate cold weather.” How do I carry a tuba on a bike?” This is just some of the feedback we’ve received from students at EP Scarlett High School. Bike Calgary is doing a pilot project at the school with the goal of getting more kids out of cars and onto bikes. We’ll do this by breaking down the barriers that the kids say are preventing active modes of transportation. To do that, we’ve been fortunate to receive some great donations – that we’ll be working to get into the hands of kids that will use them. HLC sent us a couple big boxes – including racks and panier bags. We know the kids will…

16Nov 2020 by laurashutiak No Comments

Launching the Bike to School Project

Education

Bike Calgary is very excited to launch our Bike to School Pilot Project at Dr. EP Scarlett High School. Thanks to a number of Bike Calgary volunteers, we installed new bike racks at the school last week. (Just before the snow!). We're hoping that with some education, support and perhaps a few useful swag items, we can get a few more of students to think about bikes as a mode of transportation. Volunteers Bill and Doug secure loaner bike racks at Dr. EP Scarlett Scarlett is a natural place to start our program. With over 1,500 students, only 10 students ride bikes regularly. This despite that the fact that about half the student population lives within 6kms of the school. The location of the school, with a single main access…