The Office of the City Manager of Edmonton confirmed the city spent $3,487 on printing mailers encouraging people to bike around and $4,976 to mail them for a total of $8,463. However, Office of the City Manager of Edmonton executive communications strategist Janice Schroeder said this work is not funded by property taxes. “Currently, the fines from traffic safety enforcement are collected and used to fund initiatives such as this education program as well as other educational programs for pedestrians, cyclists, micro-mobility scooter users and drivers,” said Schroeder in a statement. “Educational programs, including all initiatives supporting Vision Zero, are aimed to encourage Edmontonians to safely use active modes of transportation to contribute to the City’s goal of increasing road safety.”Schroeder said the flyers were in relation to Bike Month and the new cycling opportunities the City of Edmonton had launched this season. She added it has a suite of programs to introduce or increase awareness of Edmonton’s cycling routes and how to travel confidently by bike on shared pathways and streets and bike lanes.Under these programs, she said people of all ages and abilities are invited to explore Edmonton’s Active Transportation Network by bike and support the City Plan’s goal of 50% of all trips made by transit and active forms of transportation.“The postcards were sent to 33,371 households in targeted neighbourhoods that were chosen based on communities most likely to benefit from increased awareness of cycling opportunities,” she said. The City of Edmonton said on July 10 nine schools have been given the School Bike Parking Grant (SBPG) to encourage active transportation. READ MORE: City of Edmonton awards nine schools with School Bike Parking GrantWhile nine schools were funded by the SBPG, the City of Edmonton said they represent a diverse range of locations across the city and include the Edmonton Catholic School District and Edmonton Public School Board. “The grant will help increase secure bike parking solutions to help students cycling to and from school,” said City of Edmonton Director of Traffic Operations Shewkar Ibrahim.
