[Bike to the Future] Late March news

[Bike to the Future]

Hello Bike to the Future members and supporters. This newsletter contains the following items:
 
1. Minutes from our March Monthly Meeting
2. Our next Monthly Meeting is on Tuesday April 13th at a new location
3. Upcoming AT infrastructure Open Houses
4. 2010 Membership Drive -- volunteers needed
5. Spring Bike Counts -- volunteers needed
6. City Cycling course -- City of Winnipeg Leisure Guide
7. Commuter Challenge
8. Bike to Work Day 2010
9. Volunteers wanted by the Manitoba Marathon for a Bike Check service
 
Kevin Miller
Bike to the Future, Co-Chair
http://biketothefuture.org
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Minutes from our March Monthly Meeting
 
The March Monthly Meeting minutes are posted at http://biketothefuture.org/about/meetings.
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Our next Monthly Meeting is on Tuesday April 13th at a new location
 
Bike to the Future meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 5:30. Anyone is welcome to attend.

As we discussed at our January Monthly Meeting, we're moving the monthly meeting to the new Sport For Life Centre (Sport Manitoba's new home at 145 Pacific Ave in the east Exchange) on a trial basis.
 
A tentative agenda for the April Monthly Meeting has been posted at http://biketothefuture.org/events/archives/2010/03/11/april-monthly-meeting.
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Upcoming AT infrastructure Open Houses

Public Consultations continue for the $20million of active transportation infrastructure will be built in Winnipeg in 2010. Four more Open Houses are scheduled for early April . Please see Upcoming Events on our website at http://biketothefuture.org.

Background info
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2010 Membership Drive -- volunteers needed

BttF's Membership Committee has started our 2010 Membership Drive. We are looking for volunteers to phone BttF supporters who have not renewed their memberships for 2010. If you can help, or if you'd like more info, please contact Membership Committee Director Rob Cosco.

BttF's membership page

• All memberships taken out in 2008 (and the complimentary memberships given out in 2009) are due for renewal.
• Memberships purchased during 2009 are in effect until our 2010 Annual General Meeting in November 2010.
• If you are not sure of your membership status, please contact Rob.
  

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Spring Bike Counts -- volunteers needed

For the past three years, volunteers from Bike to the Future have been counting cyclists at key locations in Winnipeg during morning and afternoon rush hours. The counts take place during the first week of April, May, and June. If you are able to help out by volunteering to do a two hour shift, or would like more information, please contact Jeremy Hull.

Each year we produce a report on the numbers of cyclists and post it on our website. (BttF Publications -- see Forums and Surveys). These counts have been useful.

This year, for example, our bike and pedestrian counts were used in public meetings concerning the rehabilitation of the Osborne Bridge. We were able to tell the public and the planners how many cyclists travel across the bridge, how many use the sidewalks, which direction they go, and even how many pedestrians use the bridge. The bike counts were also used when City Council recently decided to add bicycle tracks along a key stretch of Pembina Highway. With many upcoming cycling infrastructure projects this year and in future years, it is important to have good baseline data on numbers of cyclists.
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City Cycling course -- City of Winnipeg Leisure Guide

A City Cycling course appears on page 82 of the City of Winnipeg Spring 2010 Leisure Guide. It is being delivered by members of Bike to the Future's Safety & Education Committee who are Can-Bike trained.

Complete info
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Commuter Challenge

The 11th annual Commuter Challenge is a little more than two months from now: May 30th to June 5th. The first Planning Partners meeting is on Monday March 29th, and workplaces are beginning to register. Is your workplace participating in 2010?

More info: www.resourceconservation.mb.ca/gci/CC/
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Bike to Work Day 2010

www.biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org

June 25th is Winnipeg's 3rd annual Bike to Work Day.

This day cannot happen without the energy of volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mike Tutthill, the volunteer Project Manager.
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Volunteers wanted by the Manitoba Marathon for a Bike Check service

The Manitoba Marathon is a non-profit organization that raises money for charity (the Association for Community Living). To encourage participants and spectators to travel by bicycle to the event, they would like to offer a Bike Check service. They can arrange for a fenced Bike Check area located near the Finish area at the UofManitoba, but they need a few volunteers to check in-out bikes. On-site race-day operations on Sunday June 20th (Father’s Day) commence at 5:30 AM and wrap up shortly after 1:00 PM.

If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, or would like more info, please contact Darren Anderson at tech...@manitobamarathon.mb.ca or 415-4517 X24.
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Our website at http://biketothefuture.org is updated often.