SE203 | The Missing Mayor of Bike Town

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Bikes and politics. Can cycling grow in your bike town without political leadership?

Janette Sadik-Khan was appointed transportation commissioner by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007 and in six years oversaw the building of nearly 400 miles of bike lanes and more than 60 pedestrian plazas. She also helped create Citi Bike, a bike share network of 6,000 bikes that has since grown to 12,000 bikes. Sadik-Khan wrote the book, Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, as a record of these accomplishments and a behind-the-scenes look at the political leadership it took to get the job done.

Meanwhile, the Bicycle Mayor Program is connecting leaders who promote the massive economic, health, and environmental benefits of increased cycling capacity. 

Does Calgary need another mayor? A bike mayor? A transportation czar who can provide the missing political leadership to expand and improve bike infrastructure in our bike town?

In this episode, we talk to local bike advocate and street fighter Kimberley Nelson, a Top 40 Under 40 recipient who helped get a world-class cycle track network built in Calgary. Kimberley is the former president of a Bike Calgary and is currently the Alberta director for Vélo Canada Bikes. She launched the petition in Canada calling for a National Cycling Strategy and is part of the team organizing the 2018 National Bike Summit in Ottawa. 

We interviewed Kimberley two days after she brought street fighter Janette Sadik-Khan to Calgary.

Bike Town Podcast: Series 2, Episode 3

Host: Greg Glatz
Guest: Kimberley Nelson
Interview Date: April 2018 at Knox United Church (Calgary)
Producer & Editor: Greg Glatz

Soundtrack

  • Rock Angel by Joakim Karud (https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/K8eRXvLL7Wo.
  • Adventures by A Himitsu (https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu). Music provided by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8.
  • Folk Chinese by PeriTune (https://soundcloud.com/sei_peridot). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/EfNzA9M3JNc.
  • Chilling by Oshóva (https://soundcloud.com/osh-va). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/D1B3RXVjiiQ.

 

 

S2E02 | This Mom Bikes

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Lindsay Bliek is a mom who bikes almost everywhere. So, it’s no surprise her blog is called This Mom Bikes. Lindsay knows that, in North America, women are still a minority of people who ride bicycles. She wants to see that change, and soon. We invited her on the Bike Town podcast to explain why and to share her tips on everyday bike riding ... with kids!

Bike Town Podcast: Series 2, Episode 2

Host: Greg Glatz
Guest: Lindsay Bliek
Interview Date: March/April 2018 at Knox United Church (Calgary)
Producer & Editor: Greg Glatz

Soundtrack

  • Rock Angel by Joakim Karud (https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/K8eRXvLL7Wo.
  • Adventures by A Himitsu (https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu). Music provided by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8.
  • Folk Chinese by PeriTune (https://soundcloud.com/sei_peridot). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/EfNzA9M3JNc.
  • Chilling by Oshóva (https://soundcloud.com/osh-va). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/D1B3RXVjiiQ.

S2E01 | How True Love Launched a Citizen Cyclery

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Remember when riding a bike was fun? Remember when riding a bike WASN’T a competitive sport? In 2014, Alberta Venture magazine declared Sean Carter one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People. That remarkable feat, and many other contributions Sean has made to the province, can be traced back to a moment when true love changed him from a competitive cyclist into a bike man for the people. In 2010, he and his partner, Nadia Smiley, opened BikeBike, a store that provides bicycles, service, and products for everyday cycling, bicycle commuting, running errands, exploring your community, or exploring the city with your children ... all the activities that make cycling fun. Sean, a former host of the Bike Town podcast, returns to the podcast as a guest to share his vision for a citizen cyclery that gets people back on bikes.

Bike Town Podcast: Series 2, Episode 1

Host: Greg Glatz
Guest: Sean Carter
Interview Date: March 2018 at Knox United Church (Calgary)
Producer & Editor: Greg Glatz

Soundtrack

  • Rock Angel by Joakim Karud (https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud). Music promoted by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/K8eRXvLL7Wo.
  • Adventures by A Himitsu (https://soundcloud.com/a-himitsu). Music provided by Audio Library: https://youtu.be/MkNeIUgNPQ8.

S1E9 | Urban Gangsters of Bike Town

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Every great Bike Town is full of Urban Gangsters. Five term councillor Druh Farrell and two term councillor Gian-Carlo Carra joined us to discuss the visionary transformation of our city from car city to Bike Town. Councillor Farrell has been a leading voice for urbanism in our city for more than a decade, and Councillor Carra is part of a new wave of young leaders who are determined to see a different city built for the next million Calgarians. We discuss the challenges and reasons for success of the rapid transformation of bicycle infrastructure in our town. Saddle up for a fun ride with us. 

This is the third of three episodes dedicated to the advocacy, technical, and political aspects of an urban cycling transformation in Calgary that has led to more than one million cycle track trips in an 18 month pilot project. We hope you enjoy the mini-series! 

Hosts: Sean Carter & Carla Hills

Produced and edited by: Ben Cowie

Song: Bicycle Race
Artist: Queen
Album: Jazz
Label: EMI

S1E8 | Internal Gear: The Inner Workings of City Hall

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When Tom Thivener and Katherine Glowacz were hired by the City of Calgary to develop bicycle infrastructure within the Livable Streets Department, there was little infrastructure, competing advocacy interests, and a culture of building roads from "behind the windshield of an automobile". In this episode, Tom and Katherine share their secrets of where, when, and how infrastructure actually gets built in the city, and how the city actively engages citizens on new projects. This was a fascinating technical discussion, with many insights into how projects go from creative input to concrete on the road.  

This is the second of three episodes dedicated to the advocacy, technical, and political aspects of an urban cycling transformation in Calgary that has led to more than one million cycle track trips in an 18 month pilot project. We hope you enjoy the mini-series! 

Hosts: Sean Carter & Carla Hills

Produced and edited by: Ben Cowie

Music:
Song: Nothing's Ever Easy
Artist: The Permanent Residents
Album: Visa Vis

S1E7 | Effective Advocacy

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Kimberley Nelson and Peter Oliver aren't shy about their love for cycling in cities. Their hard work and dedication has resulted in an organized cycling community that is helping to make changes to our little Bike Town. Our conversation with them shares the story behind the results. Thanks for your efforts, Kimberley and Peter! 

This is the first of three episodes dedicated to the advocacy, technical, and political aspects of an urban cycling transformation in Calgary that has led to more than one million cycle track trips in an 18 month pilot project. All three episodes will be released in close succession over the coming week. We hope you enjoy the mini-series! 

Hosts: Sean Carter & Carla Hills

Produced and edited by: Ben Cowie

Music

Song: Painkiller (Summer Rain) 
Artist: Turin Brakes
Album: Ether Song
Label: Source Records

 

S1E6 | Women's Roundtable

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S1E6 | Women's Roundtable

This month Carla sat down with Kristi Woo, Rebecca Cleaver Burke, and Nadia Smiley to talk about how cycletracks have changed the transportation landscape for women in our little Bike Town. Despite choosing to ride their bikes before the cycletrack installation, they all agree that it's easier and safer to ride downtown with the new infrastructure.

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S1E2 | Commit 2 Commute

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This month we talk about commuting. At Bike Town, we think of commuting as using your bicycle to make your life easier: groceries, appointments, ice cream, the pub, to school, these are all commuting activities that are rarely counted in mode share survey data. Kim Fisher and Kayley Fesko are two amazing women who challenged each other to bike through an entire winter, and succeeded! During their challenge, they created a story about urban cycling that they have shared around the world. We're stoked to speak with them this month about their experience in our little bike town. 

Hosts: Sean Carter & Carla Hills

Produced and edited by: Ben Cowie

Music

Song: Oh, the boss is coming!
Artist: The Arkells
Album: Jackson Square
Label: Dine Alone Records

Song: The Bike Song
Artist: Mark Ronson and the Business International
Album: Record Collection
Label: Columbia Records

S1E1 | The Suburbs

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Welcome to Bike Town! This week we talk about cycling in the suburbs, and how the bicycle could transform the North American suburban experience.

Hosts: Sean Carter & Carla Hills

Produced and edited by: Ben Cowie

Music

Song: Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: The Suburbs
Label: Merge/City Slang/Mercury Records

Song: Subdivisions
Artist: Rush
Album: Signals
Label: Mercury Records

Song: Extreme Suburb
Artist: Mike B Fort
Album: Hello Guys! 2
Label: https://soundcloud.com/mikebfortofficial/mike-b-fort-extreme-suburb-buy-free-download

Song: Suburban Devastation
Artist: Eric & Magill
Album: In This Light
Label: https://ericandmagill.bandcamp.com/

Song: The Suburbs
Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: The Suburbs
Label: Merge/City Slang/Mercury Records