HALIFAX – Earlier this afternoon I had the gleeful experience of coasting smoothly onto campus and straight into a crowd of fellow bicycle geeks. It was the launch of the Dal Bike Centre, a new initiative co-coordinated by Clean Nova Scotia, the Office of Sustainability, and the Department of Athletics and Recreational Services. Located in a former office in the Studley campus gym, folks are invited to drop in and learn how to perform their own bike maintenance every Monday and Wednesday from 12-2 and Tuesday and Thursday from 5-9 — tools, stands, and guidance provided.
The launch was complimented by the Sustainable Transportation Fair, where all kinds of transportation-related booths were abuzz with ideas on how to better dilute car traffic on campus, in the HRM, and across the province. From my observation, the Bike Centre has done a good job of hooking up with existing cycling advocacy groups, such as Bike Again and the Halifax Cycling Coalition, better connecting the university to the greater community — not always an easy feat.
And you don’t have to be a bike geek to take part. Starting October 27th, there will be workshops running every Tuesday night, and there are plans for more orientations and courses in the future. The Society for Bicycle Advocacy at Dalhousie (SBAD) will also hold meetings in the space.
The establishment of the Bike Centre bolsters other recent pro-cycling proposals, including a bike lane running along the north side of University Avenue and new sheltered bike racks. With this kind of momentum, my ride onto campus is in store for even more improvements.
Photo by Emma Feltes
One comment
They should offer valet parking service to save me the time i spend every day searching for secure bike parking on campus. Is that one of the coming “improvements”?