With Canada’s cycling community quickly growing in numbers, enthusiasts note that cycling is guaranteed to make a profound impact on the country. The beginnings of this movement were perfectly demonstrated at a meeting of Committee of the Whole that took place on the 5th of October, with a majority of Perth councilors moving to pass a motion that would effectively highlight the benefits of cycling to people’s health, as well as to the environment and the local tourism industry.
Councilor Beth Peterkin was responsible for spearheading the motion that would call on Perth’s mayor to urge the County of Lanark and the Ministry of Transportation to designate cycling as a recognized mode of transportation within Lanark County, which would also give the cycling community recognition and raise awareness on the benefits of hopping on a bike.
Peterkin, who’s also a member of the Perth and District Chamber of Commerce’s Cycling Committee, stressed that she didn’t call a vote for the motion to get tax dollars into it. The aim of the motion is to simply encourage cycling in the community, nothing more, and nothing less. Since the majority of people know how beneficial cycling is to our health and the environment, the next step to take is to highlight its benefits for tourism.
