Why go to the Ontario Bike Summit: Perspective of a Municipal Councillor
by Jane Fogal, Councillor, Town of Halton Hills
I remember going to my first Ontario Bike Summit and wondering whether it would be a worthwhile use of my time. Like all municipal councillors, I have a lot on my plate and I need to be careful about how I spend my time and the municipality’s conference fund.
It took no time at all to understand that the Ontario Bike Summit was exactly what I needed to recharge my advocacy batteries. Listening to the wonderful advocates and seeing how other municipalities were forging ahead was very stimulating and inspiring.
Let’s face it — municipalities are somewhat competitive. As councillors we want to see our municipality stack up with the best of them. Attendees hear many stories of innovation that can inspire new and wonderful initiatives back home. This is definitely the right place to do a little R&D — rip off and duplicate. Or perhaps it is more theme and variation as we give the original ideas a local twist.
As a councillor I regularly experience roadblocks to desired actions but at the conference I hear stories of getting past the roadblocks. It is energizing to see how others have met challenges and found a means to succeed. We need to see how businesses thrived after bike lanes were added. We need data to show the effect of upgrading from a painted edge line to a cycle track. We need examples of how to do a pop-up or pilot to get support for a project.
At the summit, you are sure to meet an interesting mix of cycling advocates, road engineers, public health officials, provincial officials, municipal politicians, cycling tourism business owners, cycling enthusiasts, and more. They all bring their own perspective. From a municipal point of view, hearing their passion and their expertise is invaluable and energizing.
I highly recommend attending the Ontario Bike Summit. It will be one of your best investments.
The 2019 Ontario Bike Summit is taking place in Toronto on April 1st and 2nd. The summit agenda, registration and more are available at www.sharetheroad.ca/obs
