So, the snow storm this week in Calgary has got you thinking of a vacation in warmer climes, maybe Florida? Perfect timing for a freak-bike culture show in Miami this weekend! Check out the pedal-powered hell-a-copter (pictured), or see a demo of the Tall Bike Joust computer game, amongst other things. It's all taking place at the Squishy Universe Gallery in Miami. More details after the break.

The December meeting of Green Drinks Calgary, to be held on December 8th at The District (new location) will have a door-prize of interest to some BikeCalgary readers: an e-bike from Green City Motors. This could come in handy for getting to high-elevation neighbourhoods like Strathcona and Arbour Lake. Full details are on the Green Drinks website, or check the BikeCalgary Calendar (top right of our front page).

The City's Transportation Solutions department is holding an open house on proposed bike route infrastructure in that area. The event is on Monday November 23rd at the Strathcona Community Centre. Full details are in the notice (PDF).

What do you think? Do we need more cycling infrastructure in the suburbs, or in the center of the city, i.e. downtown? Where should the City be concentrating its efforts?

The BikeCalgary.org annual general meeting will take place on Thursday, November 5th at 19:00 in the conference room at MEC (10th Ave SW at 8 St). All interested persons are welcome to attend. This is your chance to contribute to bike advocacy in Calgary!

To set the stage for the evening's discussions, we've invited Nicole Jensen, from the City's Transportation Solutions department, to speak about upcoming projects for pedestrian and bike transportation in the coming year or two. We may have a couple of other surprises as well.

Current BikeCalgary directors will speak on accomplishments and difficulties in the past year, and describe what they see as the challenges for the year ahead. A couple of the directors are being pulled off to work on other projects, so there is room for you to get involved. We need all kinds of skills to move forward with our vision, which is "connecting Calgary communities through cycling".

So, are you planning to attend? What are your wishes for this coming year?

BikeCalgary is a non-profit society, founded in December 2005 and registered under the Alberta Societies Act in 2008, whose primary objective is to promote the use of the bicycle for transportation in Calgary, whether on pathways or on city streets. The board is composed of seven elected directors, supported by close to 1300 readers registered on the BikeCalgary.org website. At present there is no membership fee for BikeCalgary; we depend entirely on your donations to do our work and run this website. Check the links under Merchandise in the menu at left to see how you can help support our work.

(posted from Quito, Ecuador, where you really wouldn't want to be commuting by bike!).

hey all

there is a cool event happening this saturday afternoon - see the link.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=151720657855&index=1

i will be there in costume - what about you?

The City of Calgary is hosting a public drop-in information session about the University of Calgary Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project on Wednesday October 21st from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Triwood Hall. The project will be presented in conjunction with the Brentwood Transit Oriented Development/ Mobility Assessment and Plan.

You can now find University of Calgary Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project information on the web by clicking on the link.

The snowfall this 1st of October weekend, while barely enough to whiten the rooftops, is an unmistakable sign that... fair-weather cyclists are packing away their gear until next year. For the rest of us, we can look forward to six months of streets and pathways uncluttered by the hordes that only ride when the weather's right for T-shirt and shorts. Bring on the winter cycling!

Because there are so few of riding in the dark months ahead (but, more and more each year), it helps for us to huddle together, if not for warmth, then at least for (virtual) companionship. This is your place to publicly state your commitment to continue riding over the winter. Tell us how many days you plan to ride in each of the next six months, and/or where you'll draw the line on when you'll ride (e.g. "I will ride every day above -20C", "I will ride at least 5 days per month", or even "I will ride every stinkin' day no matter the weather or temperature"). Then, at the end of each month, post a comment and describe how you did versus your commitment. No penalty for failure, lots of points for trying.

The 2nd Annual Bike Shorts Film Festival is coming to Calgary for one night only, Tuesday September 15th. Come out to see a selection of short, entertaining films that have something to do with bikes. Lots of time between the two halves for mingling and greeting other cycling enthusiasts. All funds raised go toward supporting BikeCalgary over the course of the next year. As an added incentive, you can enter your name for a raffle of one of two new bikes!

Tix are $10 in advance (on-line here), or $12.50 at the door.

The Haultain and First Festival will take place at the corner of Haultain Park and 1st St SW (between 12th and 15th Ave) on Sunday September 13th, from 11:30 to 16:00. It's a celebration of the Victoria Crossing area.

Of interest to BikeCalgary readers, there will be bike tours of the area, free bike parking, track-stand contests (how long can you stay sitting, stopped, on your bike before you fall over?), and a tall-bike display as part of the bike show-and-shine contest.

This is an urban festival, with live music from at least five bands. Click on the image at left to visit the festival website and learn more.

For those of you that couldn't make it down to the event, here are a few pictures taken during the day showing some of the fun of doing bike advocacy work. The centrepiece of the event was the citizen's procession that started at noon at the 7th St pedestrian/bike stoplight and proceeded down to the end of the avenue and back. Continues...