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Cycling safety 101: get in the saddle with Bad Girls Bike Club

Like many Canadians, Claire McFarlane learned to ride a bike as a kid. She spent hours cycling around her neighbourhood in Brockville, and when she moved to Toronto to attend Ryerson University in 2013, her older sister gave her a hand-me-down to navigate the city.

She only stayed on bike lanes at first because, she says, “I was just getting used to biking in a busy city. But as I’ve become more confident, I now ride almost anywhere.”

According to Toronto cycling statistics, women make up almost 40 per cent of commuter cyclists and are also the fastest-growing demographic in cycling.

But many more women avoid cycling because they don’t feel safe riding in traffic. Female-identifying cyclists have also reported feeling unwelcome in bike shops and are less likely to join co-ed biking groups.

Last year, McFarlane, who works part-time at Sweet Pete’s Bike Shop, and fellow Ryerson student Lavinia Tanzim met while riding from Toronto to Montreal to help raise funds and awareness to combat gender-based violence. They wanted to “encourage more women to get on their bikes because it’s one of the fastest, easiest and most empowering ways to get around the city,” says McFarlane. And so Bad Girls Bike Club, an informal cycling group geared toward women, transgender and non-binary folks, was born.

“It’s a good club for people looking to get into cycling because starting out can be an intimidating experience,” McFarlane explains. “We take it pretty slow and we stick to bike lanes.”

McFarlane and Tanzim also offer free workshops where participants can learn basic maintenance tips and how to fix a flat tire.

As the weather improves, more cyclists than ever are expected to hit the streets.

The number of people biking to work in Toronto grew by 30 per cent between 2001 and 2006, according to statistics. With more separated bike lanes, including the 2.6-kilometre stretch added to Bloor last August as part of a pilot project, Cycle Toronto’s executive director Jared Kolb expects those numbers to be even higher this spring.

Kolb, who’s helped develop a number of campaigns championing bike lanes, believes reducing the dangers of riding next to cars and transit vehicles is encouraging more people, especially less experienced riders, to get out on the road.

“Building confidence takes a while,” he says. “We’ve heard lots of stories from people who just learned to ride in recent years and are now confident and riding to work most days.”

Cycle Toronto offers its members regular workshops on everything from safety, bike maintenance and knowing your legal rights. (If you don’t own a bike, you can rent wheels from Bike Share Toronto or from a bike shop.) The city of Toronto also offers CAN-BIKE road safety courses. Over 12 hours, participants learn to manoeuvre in traffic, communicate effectively with drivers and ride safely.

If you’re an adult starting from scratch and don’t feel comfortable on a bike yet, CAN-BIKE has a program for absolute beginners. You can also learn the old-fashioned way and head to a park with a friend.

“Work on simple stuff like balance,” Kolb advises, adding that low-speed roads, park paths and trails are great for getting practice.

For more information on Bad Girls Bike Club, follow the group’s Facebook and Instagram accounts.

michelled@nowtoronto.com | @michdas

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