Toronto MP Olivia Chow chaired the first meeting of a fledgling cycling advocacy group on Monday here in Vancouver, but it remains to be seen if it will be a new voice or just another voice.
Tentatively called Canada Bikes, Cycling's National Voice, the group has between 20 and 30 members, some of whom participated in person because they are here in Vancouver for Velo-city Global 2012, and some who phoned in.
I talked with longtime cycling advocate, former national cycling team member and children's author Laura Robinson and Richard Campbell, vice-president of a Vancouver-based cycle infrastructure consultancy.
Both are excited about Canada Bikes, and hope it will work with other regional cycling advocacy groups in Canada to create a national voice that can be heard at the federal cabinet level. The group has a wide range of skill sets, from lawyers to academics, from Vancouver to Nova Scotia.
What it doesn't seem to have, yet, is the commitment necessary from the Share the Road Cycling Coalition, Active and Safe Routes to School, the Toronto Cyclists Union or any other group that advocates for non-competitive cycling in Canada.
Here's hoping no noses are out of joint for not being at the table for the first meal.
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