Markham Cycles is a community program with the goal of increasing cycling in Markham by removing barriers and building a cycling community. Launched in July 2019, activities have included bike loan, DIY bike repair, refurbishment of donated bikes, group rides and workshops for all ages.
The program is led by The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) at Clean Air Partnership, a registered charity. Numerous partnerships support the program, including with the City of Markham, the Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the Centre for Immigrant and Community Services, Markham Public Library, York Region District School Board and York Region.
With winter on the horizon and cold weather setting in, Markham Cycle’s 2021 season has officially ended. This year was our most interesting year yet, as we adopted a hybrid service, combining in-person programming when local restrictions allowed with virtual programming such as online webinars and youth programming. Over the summer, we secured a location to open our second community bike hub at Milliken Mills with help from the City of Markham. In September, both community bicycle hubs were reopened to the public with full programming after 16 months of closure due to COVID-19. We will continue to adapt our programming to the pandemic and ensure Markham Cycles keeps on building bike culture, removing barriers, and making it easier for people to start cycling.
Sign up to our email newsletter and follow us on social media to stay updated to when we resume programming in spring 2022!
Here are some highlights of Markham Cycles’s 2021 season:
Community Pop-up Bike Booths
- 31 sessions
- Helped over 800 people
- Tuned-up over 500 bikes
- 50 bikes lent out
Bicycle Lending Library
- 16 loan sessions
- Over 90 participants
- Bikes borrowed 170 times
Group Rides
- 11 group rides
- Over 70 participants
Bike Rescue & Cycle the City Youth Program
- 14 bike refurbishing sessions
- 34 volunteer mechanics
- 84 bikes refurbished
- Over 60 bikes given away in programming with CICS
Virtual Workshops and Webinars
- 26 sessions (and counting)
- Over 700 live attendees and views
Take a look at our Markham Cycles 2021 season photo album on Flickr!
Thanks to our funders, volunteers and city staff for help making Markham Cycles’s 2021 season a success!
markhamcycles@cleanairpartnership.org
By, Keenan Mosdell, Bike Hub Coordinator, The Centre for Active Transportation at Clean Air Partnership