The City of Brantford is celebrating June as "Bike Month" this year by promoting active transportation within the community and encouraging residents to take part in different modes of active transportation. 

One initiative to reach out to the younger city residents was "Bike to School Week," held the week of June 13-17.

Students at the nine participating schools (Christ the King Catholic School, Holy Cross Catholic School, St. Peter Catholic School, St. Patrick Catholic School, Grandview Public School, Resurrection Catholic School, St. Basil Catholic School, St. Gabriel Catholic School, King George Public School) were encouraged to commute to and from school. When they arrived on their bikes at school, they were rewarded with some prizes from city volunteers. 

David Ferguson, manager of Brantford Traffic Services, said the amount of participants exceeding expectations for Bike to School Week and is looking forward to many upcoming events to finish off the month. 

Ferguson said the event led to a increased number of students taking their bike to school.

“We did a pre count, and, on average, there was five to seven trips per day with the schools which equated to just over 300 trips per week, and then last week with the event we averaged 50 trips per day for every school, which turned into over 2,000 trips for the entire week.”

Bike to School Week was just one week of Brantford celebrating Bike Month: the city is also holding its community scavenger hunt where participants can ride to various locations and scan a barcode to be entered into a prize at the end of the month. Community neighborhood rides are also being arranged throughout the month. 

For more information on Brantford's Bike Month, visit the city's website.

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