Dear [trustee candidate name],
Strong, healthy communities need to be people-oriented. When youth can walk or bike to school, and when parents can walk to the grocery store or bike to work or school, neighbourhoods come alive. Safe, pleasant, active and fun: good cycling infrastructure connects neighbours with each other and connects neighbourhoods across the city.
Active transportation encourages children to be healthy and engaged in their neighbourhood and schools. According to the 2008 REAL Kids Alberta report, 29% of Alberta grade 5 students were overweight or obese, up from 22% of children and youth aged 2-17 only four years earlier, in 2004. Behaviours learned in childhood tend to carry over into adulthood. This includes cycling as a form of transportation, and is especially evident at the critical age when youth begin to drive.
The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society is polling trustee candidates to collect their opinions on cycling issues. We are a non-partisan, non-profit society with a 30-year history of working to make cycling accessible to everyone in the city–whether they cycle only a few times a year, 265 bike-friendly days a year, or don’t even own a bike yet. We’ll be posting your responses to these questions, as well as any other responses we receive, without further commentary on our http://cycleedmonton.ca website so that constituents can review and compare candidates.
- Do you walk or ride a bicycle? For leisure? Exercise? Commuting? How often?
- Do you feel comfortable riding on the road with traffic?
- Do you feel that students are comfortable cycling (for at least part of their trip) to school? If not, why? What would you change to make cyclists feel more confident?
- Numerous studies have established the relationship between increased physical activity and better academic achievement. As trustee, what specific actions will you take to encourage active transportation among students and staff?
- How will you engage parents, principals and administrators to make health a priority, especially in regards to active transportation?
- What policies and practices need to be changed or created to achieve this goal?
- Because of the open-boundary, program-based school system in Edmonton, many students travel long distances to school. How would you encourage active transportation given this fact?
- School closures discourage active transportation by increasing travel distances. Would you encourage study of the student health (and correlated academic) consequences of school closures?
- An initiative in Nova Scotia, which included opening school gyms after hours for non-competitive sport activities, saw a 72% reduction in obesity rates. What innovative ways would you propose to increase school utilization and physical activity?
- Do the schools in your ward have adequate, secure bicycle parking?
- What kind of education programs would you engage in to encourage effective cycling?
- What would you do to discourage students being dropped-off/picked-up in private vehicles?
- Do you have a recent photo of yourself riding your bicycle? Please send it to us digitally!
Thank you for taking the time to respond to our questionnaire, and good luck in your campaign!
Regards,
Chris Chan
President
Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society
http://edmontonbikes.ca/
Below, you will find my responses to questions on cycling issues:
1. I walk my yellow lab twice a day (sometimes three times) for leisure and for my exercise at a nearby dog off-leash park.
2. I do not feel comfortable riding on major roadways.
2a. I feel that students are comfortable cycling to school, as most schools are in close proximity to their homes.
3. I would support the use of a professional marketing firm undertaking a promotional campaign to encourage active transportation among students and staff.
4. In order to make health a priority, especially in regards to active transportation, I would endeavor to stimulate an expression of those views by whatever means possible. We need to engage all of the stakeholders in a constructive, collegial discussion.
5. I would encourage study of the student health (and correlated academic) consequences of school closure.
5a. I would look at other successful initiatives (such as the initiative in Nova Scotia) around North America and then apply them to the EPSB District.
6. Yes, schools in my ward (Ward E) have adequate, secure bicycle parking.
7. I would enlist the various educational consultants and have them come up with education programs to encourage effective cycling.
8. Same answer as #3. i.e. undertake a promotional campaign to encourage active transportation among students and staff. For information purposes only, the Head Custodian at my daughter’s school rides his bicycle to school each and every day.
9. I do not have a photo of myself riding a bicycle.