Peel Community Cycling Program
The Community Cycling Program focuses on:
- Building familiarity, comfort and confidence using the existing road & trails network
- Increasing access to a working bicycle through fostering basic bike maintenance skills and access to the necessary tools and materials
- Building community around cycling and making cycling to nearby destinations a social norm
In 2015, the Community Cycling Program pilot was developed and implemented in the City of Brampton. The pilot matched mentors to small groups of participants. The groups went on rides, attended community events and participated in workshops on a wide range of topics. The pilot also provided a bike mechanic workspace, where members of the public could learn to maintain and repair their bicycles. The Community Based Pilot Program Report and the Summary Report highlight the success and impact of the pilot, including increasing the cycling mode share of PedalWise participants from 5% to 25%!
The Peel Community Cycling Program is now being delivered through our community parnters in Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon through the following projects, all provided to the public free of charge:
- Sheridan Bike Hub – Led by Sheridan College’s Office for Sustainability, the Sheridan Bike Hub includes a Do-it-yourself bicycle repair space and bike rental program at the Hazel McCallion campus in Mississauga. The hub is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. The Sheridan Bike Hub also has a bike fix-it station available for use at Sheridan’s Davis campus in Brampton, located outside of H-wing, across from the bus stops.
- Mississauga Cycles – Led by the Peel Multicultural Council and CultureLink Settlement Services, the Mississauga Cycles project features cycling mentorship programming, and weekly Do-It-Yourself bike repair clinics at 6630 Turner Valley Road, Mississauga.
- Brampton Bike Hub – Bike Brampton has partnered with the Region of Peel, Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS), and the City of Brampton to offer basic bike repair and maintenance training (BikeWrx) and bike mentorship (PedalWise). Register for PedalWise online to be matched with a mentor and borrow a bike if you need one. You can also drop by one of two Brampton Bike Hub locations:
- PCHS, 50 Sunny Meadow Blvd, unit 108 (entrance from rear parking lot), Wednesdays from 6:30–8:30 pm
- The Journey Neighbourhood Centre, 9 Ardglen Dr., Thursdays from 6:30–8:30 pm
- Caledon Bike Hub – The Brampton Bike Hub has now expanded its BikeWrx and PedalWise programming to Caledon, with support from the Town of Caledon and Caledon Community Services. Register for PedalWise online, or drop by one of two Caledon Bike Hub locations on Monday evenings:
- The Exchange, 55 Healey Road, Bolton, 6:30–8:30 pm
- Southfields Village, 12560 Kennedy Road, Unit #5 (fronts on Dougall Ave.), 7:30-9:00 pm
Reports
Other links and resources
- CultureLink’s Bike Host Program
- CultureLink’s Bike Host 2017 Video
- Mahita Thota speaks at Bike Minds
- HUB Cycling’s Newcomer Bike Host Program (Vancouver)
- Scarborough Cycles
- bikeSauce
- Bikechain - University of Toronto, St. George Campus
- BikeShare - University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus
- Charlie’s Freewheels