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News Release Saskatoon
and Saskatchewan both tops in cycling, More people, per capita, ride bicycles to work in Saskatoon than any other prairie city. Among provinces, Saskatchewan leads the prairies in its proportion of commuter cyclists.
In 2001, a total of 2,665 Saskatonians, 2.5 percent of the workforce rode their bikes to work, up from 2.03 percent in the 1996 Census – an increase of 660 cyclists in five years. Other Saskatchewan cities included in the Census data that were above the Canadian average of 1.2 percent were: Regina, 1.4 percent; North Battleford, 1.7 percent; and Moose Jaw, 1.6 percent. "Saskatoon is one of the best cycling cities in Canada," says Darrell Noakes, a CAN-BIKE national examiner and owner of Borealis Outdoor Adventure. "We have everything that makes a city great and makes cycling enjoyable. In fact, most of Saskatchewan's communities offer ideal cycling environments." "We have seven months of good cycling weather in Saskatchewan," says Noakes. "A lot of cyclists ride year-round." "Most people would rather ride in fair weather than in the rain," says Noakes. "With the amount of sunshine we get – and our long summer days – riding to work is enjoyable and an easy habit to develop." Climate alone doesn't explain why Saskatoon is ahead of cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. "Saskatoon cyclists can find fast, comfortable routes that take them directly where they need to go," says Noakes. "We have wide roads and few restrictions on access." "Most residential areas are well situated to make cycling feasible and to keep trips within eight kilometres. Few cities offer those advantages" "These factors have the greatest influence on encouraging cycling, short of paying people to ride – independently of whether cyclists have access to bicycle-specific facilities," says Noakes. "Our starting point is a city that is good for cycling." Saskatoon's future development has a lot of potential to keep the city attractive for cycling. "Our city council puts a premium on ‘quality of life' issues," says Noakes. Adding end-of-trip services for cyclists can help increase cycling even more. "Secure bicycle parking, showers and change rooms help make it more convenient for employees to ride to work," says Noakes. "More people commute by bicycle if they don't have to worry about their bicycles being stolen or vandalized and if they know they can freshen up when they arrive at work." "Who knows, in a few years we might even be able to surpass Victoria," says Noakes. "We've certainly got the kind of city that would make it possible." - 30 - For more information, contact:
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Figures
from the 2001 Census show that Saskatoon has the second-highest proportion
of cyclists of all major Canadian cities, twice the national average.
Saskatchewan has the second-highest proportion of cyclists of all provinces.
Borealis
Outdoor Adventure