The ride that almost wasn't and SWITCH Dartmouth

I swear to God, I probably wasn't meant to go out for a long ride today. After leaving some of my biking gear at work, having to pick it up, setting out later than what I like, and then running across a crowd of folks helping an elderly man who had fallen outside of the Halifax Forum, I thought to myself "Maybe these are all signs that I ought not to be cycling today." Despite this nagging feeling, and considering I was outfitted and off already, I decided to push ahead and tackle the Bedford Loop. 

Anyone familiar with this loop knows it's general difficulty level is pretty low. There are no major category-worthy hills, it's generally quite flat, and traffic along the stretch is courteous. This is probably because one section of the Loop --Waverly Rd. in Dartmouth-- is allegedly the most cycled road in Halifax. What has shaken the cycling community up this summer is that a bridge along the route has been closed for major renovation/replacement. A great idea as the bridge was starting to crumble pretty significantly in some places --especially on the shoulder where bikers tend to be found. The detour consists of turning up Duke St. after getting through Bedford-proper, then connecting to Cobequid Rd. and heading along there until you reconnect with Waverly Rd. Although this increases the degree of difficulty of the overall ride and adds a proper Cat-climb to the route, I think I'll be using this route option quite often from here on out. The route itself is scenic. The road is in great shape with a fair-sized shoulder. Despite taking you out a little farther from Rocky Lake Rd., the overall distance added is less than 10km. 

What I'm trying to say is in case you've been avoiding the Bedford Loop because of the construction and closure of Rocky Lake Rd., I urge you to try the detour! It's totally worth the bit of extra effort. When have we shirked away from something that is a tad harder than normal?

A little treat was waiting for me on my way back through Dartmouth. The Open Street Party known as SWITCH was going on downtown. Although I think I pulled in around the end of the festivities, I have to say that there were still a lot of kiddies and families enjoying the events. I'm not sure people really understood the concept of an Open Street as 90% of pedestrians were still using the sidewalk almost exclusively. 

But what can you do when you're working with nearly 50 years of heavily endorsed and reinforced car culture. 

The street party was great. The businesses in Downtown Dartmouth definitely deserve some major recognition, considering the general fear that most business communities display at anything that reduces traffic flow and on-street parking. Major props to the SWITCH organizing team, particularly Ross Soward --great guy who was also an incredible Halifax Cycling Coalition co-chair. 

"So when is Halifax's next SWITCH Open Street Sunday?" you may ask. According to this article, it's probably not too far away. Without support from local business associations, however, these events become much more difficult to plan and execute. So if you're shopping at any business within the North End Business Association (NEBA) make sure you let them know you're a cyclist and you want an Open Street Party! Writing to your municipal Councillor is also a great way to lend your support. Volunteering with the SWITCH team is definitely another way to lend a much needed hand. Most importantly though, when this event rolls around, don't forget to join in the fun!

Safe riding out there! Summer is almost done. Cram that Bedford loop in!