Notes from the May 9th Bike Friendly Windsor Meeting

In Attendance: Steve, Darren, Terry, Warren, Andrew and Kari

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Talking about Steve’s stolen bike, Andrew from Boardwalk Bike Rentals says to print up some flyers to post, and he’ll look out for it.

Survey results. How to use these results to further our purpose? Take it online? How would we do this… have to use a separate web-based program- Survey Monkey (Darren can look into this). Add a couple questions regarding accidents. Get more responses by putting it online. Get raw data from the students- easier to compile with latest results. Use the results in lobbying council. 65% of Windsorites ride a bike, and so their needs should be considered. Should we bring these results to the WBC? Should we present this info directly to council? We can make more of an impact if we go directly to council. Maybe write a summary and become a delegate before council? Darren and Kari would like to see more responses; Warren thinks that an internet survey would skew the data. Should we go and talk to Dr. Okechuku and have him explain the results? Yes- email sent to arrange a date and time.

Andrew suggests a pro bono survey from CBAR- university class. Do we want to another survey?

Warren says to focus on the easy successes. Reach people that already have bikes, but don’t ride as often as they could/would like to.

Getting the accident map made public. Darren is following up on it, Kari will ask about it again on Tuesday at the WBC meeting. A big problem is trails almost leading up to intersections, but with no crosswalk markings. Is this mentioned in BUMP? Yes, page 60- there is extensive info on how intersections should be dealt with.

Andrew talks about accidents at the new lights at Riverside and Crawford- cyclists are getting their pedals caught on a curb, causing them to bail.

These are good examples of poor planning- designers not taking pedestrians into consideration.

Warren mentions it’s interesting to see how many people are biking less often. Andrew comments on the fact that more people aren’t commuting.

More infrastructure in NYC, more riders, less injuries.

Darren talks about Phillipa’s experience with the fake cop telling her she’s obligated to ride on the sidewalk. Police couldn’t do anything about it because there was no witness.

BTAC Grant – should we apply? http://www.btac.org/grant_program/index.html Can’t really do this until we have a clear mission statement.

Mission and Vision Statements: examples of others…

http://www.bicyclealliance.org/aboutbaw/mission.html

http://www.johnforester.com/BTEO/mission%20statement.htm

http://www.rustyspoke.org/mission-statement/

How to write a mission statement: http://www.lmb.org/index.php/Advocacy-Toolkit/how-to-write-a-mission-statement.html

Are we going to become a non-profit organization? Yes, but it takes a lot of planning. Same with applying for grants. Before we can do that, we have to organize ourselves, and come up with a clear mission statement. Then we can have a bank account. Then we can think about getting insurance?

Insurance- Andrew says we can claim ourselves under Boardwalk? Or, have the DWBIA sponsor any rides we plan, and use their insurance (Chris Edwards has suggested this to Andrew before). Would it be different if we closed down the street? Maybe use this option (using someone else’s insurance) as a temporary solution, until we can get organized as a non-profit.

In order to apply to become non-profit, it’ll cost about $250. Can we pass the hat at the Veer screening? 30% will go back to the film; the rest would go toward the application. In the future, any funds we raise can go back to the community through recycled bike programs, etc.

In two weeks, have a solid conversation about a mission statement and outline the steps to becoming an actual non-profit.

Andrew talks about John Sheridan, who is donating the bikes left in storage at Victoria Park Place. Boardwalk fixes them up and now they are looking for a method of distributing them to the people in need. “Right to Bike”. We need a space to fix them up. Present the idea to council. Get a space donated? Talk to Chris Edwards, or Tom Lucier about available properties.

BFW banner? Cloth with fabric letters sewed on? Letters drawn on with markers? What could we use this for? A banner isn’t really needed… as long as we can get some t-shirts, or even just buttons/stickers/patches made up.

How do we get folks who aren’t online- community calendars on public tv, radio (CJAM, AM800), leave documentation at health clubs/bike shops/etc.

Veer screening update/poster fix session- Steve didn’t bring the posters. We should get Mark to send out an email about the film screening to the Windsor International Film Festival mailing list.

Will Boardwalk will be there once the new Festival Plaza is built? They’re in place for the first year (lease is signed), but after that they’re not sure what’ll happen.

Upcoming Events:

• May 13 – Public Information Open House for the County Wide Active Transportation Study (CWATS) , May 13^th, 3pm-7pm, Essex council chambers – PDF (put up poster at WWAC?

• May 15 – Walk Run Roll 4 LaSalle: kids 100m walk/run/roll, 5km running race, and a 3km walk/run/roll participation event

• May 29th-30th – Ontario Lung Association BikeTrek: ride 25, 100 or 200km in a charity ride.
• June 7-12th the Windsor Bicycling Committee is organizing Bike to Work week, with a prize draw June 12th at the Downtown Market.
• June 12th – Rediscover Your Bike- WFCU Centre parking lot, 10am to 2pm.
• June 12th – Bike Friendly Windsor film screening- Veer, Chanoso’s, 9pm.
• June 13th – Bike the Bridge will be starting at Rivard Plaza in Detroit, then coming across the ambassador bridge to Windsor, where participants will have the option of heading to Hiram Walker’s for a presentation on prohibition rumrunning, or a long distance ride instead. Someone from Transit Windsor will be at the WBC meeting on Tuesday, to answer questions about Canadians possibly taking the tunnel bus across in the morning.
• June 17th-20th – Bike Train: The VIA Rail Bike Train will come from Toronto, and participants will end up riding the GreenWay out to Point Pelee.
• June 26th – Rolling Forward (poster)
• July 29th-Aug 2nd – Bike Train: Another weekend of Bike Train. If these events are successful, the Bike Train may come more often (weekly?) next year.
• September 3rd-6th – Tour Di Via Italia: A 3 day race weekend, with a new race to be launched in downtown Windsor. (more details TBA)

What needs to be done…

For the next meeting, each of us should have ideas for what our mission statement should say.

Darren will look into getting the survey online. We’ll meet with the students to get a better explanation of the results. If we take the survey online, any responses we will be kept separate from the original data.

Kari will ask for the accident map to become public info again at the WBC meeting on Tuesday.

We can all keep an ear out for warehouse space where Andrew can fix and distribute donated bikes.

Have some patches/stickers made with the logo- Kari will get some pricing quotes.

Kari will create a flyer for BFW, and distribute it to all the bike shops, the university and the college, and sympathetic businesses around town.

Veer posters should be put up at the bikes shops, etc. Steve will let us know when he wants help doing this.

Have the bike shops make up a little profile photograph for the site. Steve will ask Courtesy, Darren can ask A-Bikes, Terry will ask Source For Sports Belle River, and Tecumseh Cycle.

Steve will ask Mark to send out the press release for the Veer screening to the WIFF mailing list.

Kari will write up a blurb to have reported on community calendars, radio stations, etc.