On Tuesday May 4, 2021, the Share the Road Cycling Coalition (STR) and the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) announced that Oakville joins Canmore, Collingwood, Cornwall, Markham and Thunder Bay with a silver designation in the Bicycle Friendly Community Awards.
Oakville is one of 13 Canadian communities that have been awarded with a new or higher designation as a bicycle-friendly community. Four other communities garnered Bronze and three others received honourable mention. Oakville moves up from a Bronze designation awarded in 2013.
"We are pleased to receive this recognition," said Mayor Rob Burton. "The silver designation builds on the success of the many cycling projects we’ve completed and have underway."
"Building a bicycle-friendly community is one more way we’re making a more livable Oakville and Canada’s most livable town."
For more than a decade, STR has been running the Bicycle Friendly Communities award program, which provides communities with a comprehensive roadmap to evaluate current conditions for cycling, and guidance to foster safe bikeable communities for all ages and abilities.
Bicycle Friendly Community award-winners are recognized for their investment in cycling master plans, infrastructure to address gaps in cycling networks, and educational and outreach programming for their residents.
The town’s Active Transportation Master Plan was introduced in 2009 and updated in 2017 and recommends an extensive network of facilities composed of on-road and off-road paths designed to respond to the needs of a range of active transportation users.
Along with secure bicycle parking facilities, tune-up stations, and bike-to-bus programs, Oakville currently has over 240 kilometres of on-road bike lanes and off-road cycling paths and is poised to initiate an additional 30 kilometres more in 2021.
The town is also a regular participant in Bike Month each June which promotes a variety of events and webinars to encourage cycling. Look for opportunities to get involved this June 2021.
For more information about Oakville’s on and off-road bike paths, maps and cycling activities, visit our Cycle, Walk Oakville page.
Learn more about all of this year's recipients online directly from the STR and CAA's release here.