Getting kids on their bikes is now a target for the city, the people who run the GO system and the provincial government too.

By Staff

April 27, 2016

BURLINGTON, ON

There are parents that believe bribing your child to do something is easier than direction and discipline.

The city may be listening to these people.

Burlington and Healthy Kids Community Challenge have partnered with Metrolinx to encourage local teachers and students to register their schools for Bike to School Week, taking place from May 30 to June 6.

There wasn’t enough room for all the bikes at this school.

“We know from Halton Region’s Active Transportation and Health report that close to 40 per cent of Halton residents aged 12 and older were largely inactive during their leisure time over a one-year period between 2013 and 2014,” said Mayor Rick Goldring. “We want to help change that figure, and cycling is a great way to get active and improve our health while seeing Burlington from a different perspective on two wheels.”

The province came to the realization that there were too many kids focused on either their cell phone or their tablet and the waist measurement were beginning to climb.
They came up with a program that funnelled money into communities to get kids off their duffs and get more exercise

Burlington is a city that has traffic jams in front of some schools and reported fisticuffs at others over the stopping of cars that were dropping kids of at schools.

In Burlington the delivery of the Healthy Kids program got passed along to Community Development Halton which has done a remarkable job of getting into communities, especially those with a lot of financially disadvantaged children, and creating after school and evening events.

Brant Street where the Regional Police use bicycles on a regular basis as part of the way they do their work. Are there any other civic employees using bicycles?

The model has been taken up by a number of other communications – even though city council had some difficulty fully buying into it.

The Healthy Kids Challenge is tying into the Bike to School Week event. Schools that register for Bike to School Week by May 6 will be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of 20 bike racks, provided by Healthy Kids Community Challenge Burlington and the city, for their school.

In addition, schools that sign up to participate before the close of registration on June 1 will be entered into a draw to win a Can-Bike rodeo for their school in the 2016-17 school year.