< Back Join us at Car Free on Cowrie Aug 22, 2024 Join us on Cowrie Street in Sechelt for a day of family-friendly fun! We’re transforming the street into a car-free paradise to celebrate the local businesses and offer fun activities everyone can enjoy, including live music from local band The Hook, food vendors, a beer garden featuring tasty beverages from Batch 44 and Brickers Cider, bike polo, free bike tuneups, bike decorating, and more. Don't miss our unique "Pedal 'n Polish" (like a Show 'n Shine but with bikes)! Join us on Cowrie Street in Sechelt for a day of family-friendly fun! We’re transforming the street into a car-free paradise to celebrate the local businesses and offer fun activities everyone can enjoy, including live music from local band The Hook , food vendors, a beer garden featuring tasty beverages from Batch 44 and Brickers Cider , bike polo, free bike tuneups, bike decorating, and more. Don't miss our unique "Pedal 'n Polish" (like a Show 'n Shine but with bikes)! Previous Next

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Slow Food Cycle on the Sunshine Coast, BC features a slow cycle around Upper Gibsons and Elphinestone to local farms, farmstands, with food and entertainment from local artisans and performers. Family-friendly and e-bikes welcome. Sunshine Coast Slow Food Cycle 2024 Register Already registered? No check-in required! Head to your first venue stop anytime after 11am. Not yet registered? Persephone or Sunshine Coast Credit Union (Gibsons) We'll get you setup and on your way in no time. Join us for TraC’s 2nd annual Sunshine Coast Slow Food Cycle Grab your favourite people-powered wheels and get ready for a great day of exploring our local farms and enjoying the bounty our local food producers and artisans have to offer! Last year’s event was a huge success and this year we’re excited to announce more vendors offering a wider range of locally grown produce and artisanal prepared food and refreshments. Bring a backpack or panniers because you’ll want to stock up on delicious offerings that you can enjoy as a picnic at one of the stops along the way or bring home for future meals. Event Details Date Time Location Who's it for What Cost July 28th, 2024 Ride 11am-4pm, afterparty @ Persephone 4pm-7pm At participating farms and other venues located in Upper Gibsons from Lower Road stretching to Chamberlain Road, just past Persephone on North Road. TraC members and anyone else who wants to join in on the fun! This is a family-friendly event for all ages and abilities and e-bikes are welcome. 16 participating venues invite you to come explore their locally grown and prepared foods and other artisanal goods on the Coast. The route contains ~20km of easy riding with less than 100m elevation. Highlights include: Scavenger hunt Farm animal visits Food truck Fresh produce (some organic) Two cideries, one distillery, beer farm Food samples Garden maze Artisanal goods, etc. $15 (TraC members) $20 (not-yet TraC members) Kids 18 and under ride free SPOTS LIMITED - REGISTER SOON Last year's event sold out and we expect this year's to do the same. Book your spot now to make sure you don't miss out! Register Same-day sign-up available at Persephone starting at 11am PARKING Parking is available for event participants at the Sunshine Coast Credit Union in Gibsons (985 Gibsons Way, Gibsons, BC V0N 1V8). If no space is available, please find other public parking. Please do not park at Persephone. We will have traffic managing the area and will have to direct you elsewhere. IMPORTANT Registration is required and can be done online, at Persephone Brewing (1053 Stewart Rd., Gibsons, BC) or the Sunshine Coast Credit Union (Gibsons location at 985 Gibsons Way) between 11am and 1:30pm Participants will be sharing the road with cars – this is not a closed course. Rules of the road apply and helmets required. Two managed road crossings will be available for spots to keep cyclists safe when crossing busy roads. We highly encourage everybody to use these supervised crossings and watch out for each other on the roads. Digital/PDF map will be available and will be emailed to participants before the event. After the Ride Join us from 4-7 at Persephone for music, drinks, chats with friends and some well-deserved helmet hair Monty Montego & the Rocksteady Crew PERSEPHONE GARDEN STAGE 2:30-4:30 Brothers in Farms PERSEPHONE GARDEN STAGE 5-7 Highlights from 2023 Why join the Slow Food Cycle? Because it’s super fun! And because it helps you feel like you’re part of a wider cycling community while supporting our local farms and food producers. The purpose of the Sunshine Coast Slow Food Cycle is to support local food and beverage producers and increase awareness of agricultural enterprises here on the coast while promoting the use of bicycles as a healthy and sustainable form of transportation. Founding Sponsor Second-Gear Sponsor Third-Gear Sponsors Frequently Asked Questions Can I walk or ride my scooter or other form of sustainable micromobility? Yes, although you may find it takes a long time to cover any of the available routes by foot! But so long as your mode of transportation is “single person sized” and electric or human-powered, we welcome your participation. What kind of food will be available at participating venues? Food offerings will differ from farm to farm depending on what is grown at each location, but you can expect to find fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms as well as some prepared foods (at the Shortcut food truck, for example) – and an incredible selection of cheeses at the Fromagerie De Baie! If we’re coming from the ferry, can we get a ride up the steep hill leading to upper Gibsons? Yes, we will be offering rides up the hill to people who pre-book and pay $5 in advance to reserve their ride. We’ll send out more info about this in future emails to registered participants. If you have any questions about this, please email heather.anderson@transportationchoices.ca . Where do I park? Parking is available at the Sunshine Coast Credit Union in Gibsons (985 Gibsons Way, Gibsons). There is no other designated parking. Please do not park on shoulders or other roadways that will interfere with cyclists. There is NO parking available at Persephone. Can I drive my car instead? Can I ride my e-bike? Yes, absolutely! We welcome e-bike users to participate. As with any situation where e-bikes and non e-bikes are riding together, we ask that all participants remain conscientious of their speeds and passing distances for the well-being of all road users. This is an event to promote active transportation so we would ask you not to drive as part of this event for safety reasons. There will be hundreds of cyclists on the roads where vendors are located that day and it would be better to keep cars separated from all those bikes as much as possible. We ask motorists to watch out for the hundreds of cyclists on the roads in upper Gibsons during the event and exercise patience and caution when they encounter cyclists. Do I have to register to participate? Yes, registration is required. As part of our efforts to keep everybody safe, we require all participants to read and sign our rider waiver to ensure you have all of the necessary information needed to participate in the event. What kind of safety measures will be in place to protect cyclists? We will have two managed crossings to help cyclists cross high-traffic areas. These crossings will be when crossing Highway 101 at the Roberts Creek turnoff (Hwy 101 at Highland Road) as well as at the intersection near Persephone (Hwy 101 at North Road/Stewart Rd). We will also have volunteer cyclists patrolling the routes to help people find where they’re going and ensure that cyclists all follow the rules of the road. As well, safety and info contact numbers will be supplied to all participants and the local authorities will be alerted to our event. Is this event safe for young children? This is a family-friendly activity and we encourage you to bring your children if they are experienced bike users or are being transported in a bike trailer or child seat on an adult bike. Most of the venues are on country roads, with some accessible only by riding through the town of Gibsons or for a short ride on the 101 highway just outside of town. Just be aware that ⚠️ participating cyclists will be sharing the roads with cars ⚠️, so only bring your kids if you’re comfortable with having them on bikes with larger vehicles driving past. Design & graphics by The Sunshine Coast Slow Food Cycle is brought to you by TraC, a local member-based active transportation group. TraC’s mission is to support healthy communities and reduce the Sunshine Coast’s carbon footprint by promoting more active and sustainable transportation alternatives to private vehicles, including cycling, walking, and transit. If you care about making it easier for all Sunshine Coast residents to get to where they’re going without always having to use a car, please consider becoming a member! Join TraC

Sunshine Coast Bike Route What is the Sunshine Coast Bike Route? The Sunshine Coast Bike Route (SCBR) is a TraC project in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Tourism Association, local government, the Powell River Cycling Association and the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. The SC Bike Route is a designated bike-touring route linking the entire Sunshine Coast from Langdale to Powell River. It has been designed to draw more cycle tourists to the region, while also serving the needs of local cyclists. The more pedals on the road, the stronger the case for investment in bike lanes! Download the app The Sunshine Coast Bike route app is available for iPhone and contains everything cyclists need to enjoy a ride on the Coast: direct and scenic route options, hill profiles, restaurants and craft breweries and other sites of interest. Cyclists coming off the Langdale ferry are also greeted by a large Sunshine Coast Bike Route sign located in the overflow parking lot. The sign includes an overview map, directions on downloading the app, and custom made iron artwork. Local cycling tips Check out these local cycling tips . Sponsors TraC would like to thank the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation, Sunshine Coast Conservation Association, Sunshine Coast Cycling Association, BC Ferries, MOTI, TrailMapps, Phitted Designs, Beth Hawthorn Design, Tree Studios and countless volunteers for their time,

Get involved Current volunteer openings Do you feel passionate about active transportation and climate change? Become a TraC volunteer! Please contact us if any of the opportunities below interest you. Pender Harbour Rep Champion Pender Harbour active transportation issues Present occasionally to board Attend meetings with relevant local government representatives 1-2 hours per month Event volunteers Help organize specific events, e.g. Slow Food cycle, musical night rides, bike scavenger hunt, bike valet, etc. Attend planning meeting(s). ~4-5 hours per event Active advocacy Participate in monthly road sweeping and other cycle safety work. 1-2 hours per month Schools Liaison Liaise with schools, PACs and parents on active transportation issues. Support schools with resources, advice, etc. Update board occasionally. One hour per week (could be a shared position). Bike Valet Pick up bike valet supplies and set up at event. Store bikes and give out tickets. Return bikes when picked up. Take down bike valet set-up. 3-4 hours per event. Bike Tune-ups Perform free bike tune-ups at community events. Set up and take down bike tune-up tent. Contact us!

Who we are Our Vision Sunshine Coast residents enjoy a safe and efficient network of sustainable and active transportation options. Our Mission TraC is a member-based organization that works to support healthy communities and reduce the Sunshine Coast’s carbon footprint by promoting more active and sustainable transportation alternatives to private vehicles, including cycling, walking, and transit. Become a member Board of directors Stephen Forgacs Chair Kylie Hutchinson Vice-chair Nick Smith Secretary Alun Woolliams Martin Prestage Heather Anderson Rob Bennie Cedric Eveleigh Erin Whalen Our Supporters

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Dr. Kay Teschke Professor Emeritus, UB C School of Population and Public Health Research and Speakers Dr. Kay Teschke 's Cycling in Cities research program has contributed scientific evidence for building infrastructure that welcome cycling in North America. She has contributed to municipal, provincial, national, and international policies related to cycling, including reviews of traffic deaths and injuries, traffic law reform, benchmarking, helmet law reviews, and design toolkits. In January 2022, TraC hosted a lecture from Dr. Kay Teschke where she presented the results of two studies examining which types of cycle route infrastructure best promote biking and decrease injury risk. Session slides Session recording Mikael Colville-Andersen Urban designer, author, global cycling advocate Mikael Colville-Andersen is an urban designer, author, and a leading global voice in urbanism. He has worked in over 100 cities around the world, advising about how to design – and embrace – bicycle and pedestrian friendly streets in order to improve communities. Mikael is known for his pioneering philosophies about simplifying municipal planning and how towns should be designed instead of engineered. He is the author of Copenhagenize – The Definitive Guide to Global Bicycle Urbanism and host of the global television series, The Life-sized City . In 2021, Mikael presented a session to TraC members and local government a bout how we can create more livable communities on the Sunshine Coast through active transportation in our unique semi-rural location.

Which bike rack is best? Not all bike racks are equal. Bicycle styles have changed over the years (think e-bikes with fat tires, bike trailers for children and groceries, and the longer tag-along and cargo bicycles). Certain bike racks work better than others for accommodating all types of cyclists in a community [1] . The two examples below are good choices because they provide two points of contact between the bicycle and the rack and permit the bicycle to be supported in an upright position [2] . The cost of a single U-shape bike rack starts around $190 before installation. Good choices Poor choices 1. Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. (2015). Essentials of bike parking: Selecting and installing bicycle parking that works. Retrieved from: https://www.apbp.org/assets/docs/EssentialsofBikeParking_FINA.pdf 2. City of Coquitlam. (n.d.) Bicycle parking design guidelines. Retrieved from: https://www.coquitlam.ca/DocumentCenter/View/5280/Bicycle-Parking- Design-Guidelines-PDF references