NCC mountain biker meeting report by Mike Abraham

Updated on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 9:09AM by admin

image courtesy Gatineau Park NewsMike Abraham submits this note regarding the NCC mountain biker meeting:

Matt Surch and I attended the NCC “mountain biker meeting” May 31 along with about 30 or so other interested stakeholders.  This meeting was initially directed to the BMX community and related to the bike jumps that are located in the area of Relais Plein Air.  There were about a dozen youngsters from that community present at the meeting.  As word about the meeting spread, the scope expanded to include mountain bikers (DH and CX).  Also present were representatives from some Gatineau bike shops, the relais plein air mtb club and Skinouk as well as the president of OMBA.

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recent bike-related events and news

Mike Abraham submits two items for your consideration: a recent op-ed piece about bikes, and a call to action to support safe cycling legislation.

A poignant op-ed piece in the Ottawa Citizen

click to read articleBeyond the greater message contained in this article, Mike appreciated this paragraph:

Watching a body on a bicycle is a beautiful thing and this alone should make car drivers slow down to appreciate what a miracle it is when human beings balance on two skinny wheels. But it is even more beautiful to be inside that body; paced by a heart, breathing oxygen that allows the body to move forward, spinning and intuitively understanding how to balance: a picture of symmetry.

support safe cycling legislation

Fellow cyclists, I hope you will join me in writing to your local MPP to support private members Bill 74 (sponsored by MPP Cheri Dinovo) which has been tabled for first reading in the Ontario Legislature.

The legislation would amend the Highway Traffic Act and require vehicles to keep at least three feet away when overtaking cyclists at speeds of less than 50 kilometres-and-hour. The minimum distance increases to four feet when the vehicle is travelling at 50 to 80 kilometres-an-hour. It increases to five feet when vehicles are going faster than 80 kilometres-an-hour. About 15 States and several American cities require drivers to keep at least three feet away from cyclists. France, Spain and Germany also have similar laws in place.

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