The third Peterborough and the Kawarthas Cycling Summit, “Dollars and Sense” looks at the Health and Economic benefits of cycling.
While we still continue to have some amazing cycling weather, many people start thinking about indoor activities at this time of year. One indoor event that will keep you connected to all things bikey is the 2013 Peterborough and the Kawarthas Cycling Summit, presented by the Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee (P-BAC) on Thursday October 24th.
This year’s event, at the Holiday Inn, builds on the success of previous events in a couple of ways. First, the Summit has extended into the afternoon. Two separate afternoon sessions are on offer, one focusing on implementing active transportation in municipalities with the second on local tourism and trails initiatives. The second change in the summit is the partnering with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) to design the active transportation session.
The active transportation session (1:00 – 4:30) will have speakers from Niagara, Haliburton and Simcoe Muskoka talking about how municipal planning departments and health units have worked together implement active transportation in their communities. The cycle tourism session (1:00 – 4:00) will include speakers on cycle touring around the world. the Welcome Cyclists Network here in Ontario, updates on the Selwyn Township trails plan and a session with P-BAC where you are invited to share your ideas on moving the bicycling agenda in Peterborough forward over the next five years. It looks to be a fully loaded and informative afternoon.
At 4:30 to 5:30, Susan Sauvé and Brian Buchardt from the City of Peterborough will lead a walking tour showcasing some of Peterborough’s newest cycling infrastructure. There will also be an update on upcoming projects.
At 7:00 is the Summit Keynote Event entitled, “The Role of Design, Infrastructure and Cycling in Addressing Health”. The keynote speaker is Dr. Karen Lee, Director of Built Environment and Active Design with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She will provide details on what makes up the link between cycling and public health and what it takes to promote active forms of transportation. This promises to be a very stimulating talk. The evening typically wraps up with a lot of discussion.
Check out Brianna Salmon of P-BAC and Manager, Transportation and Climate Change at Peterborough GreenUp on the new CHEX Daily show talking about the Summit. Jump to 14:05 and 32:45 to catch her segments.
The summit is a great event. You will learn about what we need to make Peterborough and the surrounding area a better place for all cyclists and what is being done already. And it is just great to hang out with a bunch of diverse cycling types.
For a hint at what is in store for this summit, here is a great summary report on the 2012 Cycling Summit by Evan Holt, over at PTBOCanada.
To register, go to the home page of the Peterborough Bicycle Advisory Committee (P-BAC). Admission is free except for the OPPI session in the afternoon ($25).
See you there!