Fostering a bike culture at Dalhousie

Cyclists Nick White, Peter Rogers and Scott MacPhee stand in front of the new Dal Bike Centre. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Dal cyclists have renewed springs in their sprockets with news that the Dal Bike Centre is opening.

“I’m spreading the word now and every student I speak to is ecstatic about this. There’s widespread support from everyone,” says Peter Rogers, a Dalhousie student who commutes to campus.

The Dal Bike Centre officially launches on Thursday, Oct. 8 during the Dalhousie Sustainable Transportation Fair. The centre is located behind the double red doors of the Studley Gymnasium.

A pilot project of Dalhousie’s Office of Sustainability and Clean Nova Scotia, the Dal Bike Centre will act as a drop-in centre for students, staff and faculty who want to learn how to fix up their bikes. It will offer courses in cycling safety, winter driving and bicycle maintenance.

Dalhousie’s Department of Athletics and Recreational Services wants to partner with the bike centre to enhance its outdoor recreational programming. The department started an “Outdoor Adventure Crew” this fall, with activities such as day hikes, canoe trips, kayaking and rock climbing. Cycling can definitely be added to the mix, says Shawn Fraser, a senior manager. CAN-BIKE courses and biking groups for day excursions are other possibilities.

“Anything we can do to promote people to be physically active and recreating outside our overcrowded facilities is definitely a good idea,” he says.

Rochelle Owen, director of the Office of Sustainability, hopes the centre is just the beginning. She’d like to see what kind of support there is for a bike share program, which would offer free or affordable access to bicycles for use around campus and surrounding neighbourhoods. The concept is taking off in Europe, where there are bike share programs in Lyon, Paris, London, Barcelona, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

Other initiatives to promote cycling to and from campus include installing more bike racks, getting more shower facilities that cyclists can use and pressing for a dedicated bike lane on University Avenue that would connect Studley and Sexton campuses. As well, students from the Faculty of Architecture and Planning have a design for a covered bike rack that they’re looking for feedback on.

“We want to be thoughtful about all of this,” says Ms. Owen. “And we’ll have to work at a scale that’s practical on campus.”