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Courtenay-Alberni MP will be riding the riding

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns will embark on a cycling tour across his 8,500 square kilometre constituency later this month to hear from residents about issues, ideas and concerns. During the Aug. 21-Sept. 2 tour, he will speak about his Private Member’s Bill C-312: An Act to Establish a National Cycling Strategy.
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Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns will embark on a cycling tour across his 8,500 square kilometre constituency later this month to hear from residents about issues, ideas and concerns. During the Aug. 21-Sept. 2 tour, he will speak about his Private Member’s Bill C-312: An Act to Establish a National Cycling Strategy.

Johns introduced the bill last fall in Ottawa, in the wake of two fatalities involving cyclists, one in Ottawa and another in Montreal.

“Nationally, we haven’t had any sort of action around cycling,” he said. “It’s falling through the policy and funding cracks, and remains to be neglected. The costs of doing nothing are really too high.”

Johns, who rides to Parliament Hill every day when the House is in session, said Canada lags behind a number of European countries that have adopted a cycling strategy. For example, the number of Canadian children who bike to school is about two per cent. He said the rate in Germany is 15 per cent, Denmark 40 per cent and the Netherlands 50 per cent.

“It’s not weather or climate that’s a factor. They have a strategy, they have clear targets and they’ve developed a plan to get people on bikes and create more safe cycling. A lot of it’s around education.”

Research indicates that cycling delivers savings and returns unmatched by any other type of government spending, Johns added. (pollution nd emission

“It’s a sustainable solution to transportation that brings sustainable benefits for society and across multiple ministries. This is an opportunity for Canada to encourage more Canadians to use cycling as their mode of transportation, and improve safety standards while setting clear targets for cycling-friendly infrastructure.”

The tour kicks off Aug. 21 in Hot Springs Cove.

Johns will stop in Port Alberni, Parksville, Denman Island and other communities before finishing in Courtenay Sept. 2.