Bicycle hub rolls into Markham

Markham Cycles to host community rides, bike repair workshops, mentorship, loan program, e-bike tryouts

Yorkregion.com
July 5, 2019
Simone Joseph

The women in Najia Zewari’s health and wellness group all had the same dream -- they wanted to ride bicycles.

“Many Afghan women want to bike, but they are scared if someone sees. They dream to bike, it’s like they dream to fly,” Zewari said.

She spoke at the launch of the new bicycle hub called Markham Cycles on July 3 at Milliken Mills Community Centre and Library.

A bicycle hub is defined as a welcoming space that includes cycling programs and other assistance to help spark cycling adoption (more people bicycle riding).

The women in Zewari’s health and wellness group for Afghan women (and some Iranian women, too) had asked her (their leader) to help them gain bicycle riding experience.

They approached Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works about a cycling program there and they also got help from Toronto's Flemingdon Bike Hub where they learned about repairs.

“They learned -- all the newcomers. They felt empowered. They felt they could relate to the community,” Zewari said.

These women had experienced war and bomb blasts, Zewari said. Bicycle riding relaxes them. “You need a peaceful mind.”

Zewari learned first-hand that bicycle riding also has other benefits.

“Biking impacts health, depression, stress, isolation.”

Zewari’s speech including her experience with a Toronto bicycle hub was meant to help launch the first such hub in Markham.

Milliken was chosen as the Markham bicycle riding hub because it has higher population density than the rest of Markham, a concentration of short-distance trips being made that could easily be made by bicycle and strong potential for increased cycling.

“The idea is to create a community and make those connections between people,” said Yvonne Verlinden, project manager for Markham Cycles and responsible for The Centre for Active Transportation's (TCAT) social media presence.

One of her goals is to incubate cycling in Milliken and have it spread throughout Markham.

A bicycle mentorship program will pair up inexperienced riders including newcomers to Canada with more experienced riders.

Bicycle safety has been in the spotlight lately. A new report shows that while overall collisions on York Region roads are decreasing, crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians are up.

While total traffic collisions are decreasing, crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists increased about three per cent every year from 2008 to 2016, although both dropped in 2017, the York Region Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Study by consultant EXP Services Inc., said.

Mayor Frank Scarpitti pointed out during the launch that cycling will bring transportation costs down and help fight climate change.

“Markham has the highest transportation fuel emissions of any lower tier municipality in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area,” according to TCAT website.

Markham’s hub will host riders, repair bicycles, encourage bicycle mentorships and give people the opportunity to try out e-bikes.

The bicycle hub is a collaboration of TCAT with the City of Markham, the York Region District School Board, the Markham Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and CultureLink Settlement and Community Services.

Markham cycles is funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Over summer and fall, Markham Cycles, will be hosting community rides and bike repair workshops, a bike mentorship and loan program, e-bike tryouts and other bike-related activities.

Go to https://www.markhamcycles.ca/ for more information.