Trade your car in for a bike on Bike to Work day and join the movement of Torontonians doing the same. (Photo: flickr,
Marek Kubica)
Riding a bike is as easy as … well … riding a bike. Every winter, many of us put our bikes away and need a little boost to get back on two wheels. Luckily there is an event perfectly designed to do just that.
Come Monday morning, join thousands of other Torontonians for the annual 'Bike to Work Day.' It kicks off an entire month of activities including rides, guided bike tours, festivals, art shows, film screenings, and more, including special sessions just for UHN staff.
Toronto Bike to Work Day ends with an extremely delicious (and free) pancake breakfast at Nathan Phillips Square. Join the group commute from starting points around the city. They all converge at 7:30 AM at Yonge x Charles to ride to Nathan Phillips Square for a maple syrup covered breakfast at 8 AM. You can register for this in advance
here.
In addition to the many events in the GTA, the Energy & Environment Department and the Wellness Department have partnered up to bring 3 special events to UHN. These sessions are open to all UHN staff from any site. Register for them early to guarantee your spot through
wellness@uhn.ca. The sessions include:
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre: Tuesday, June 7, noon – 1, M-805:
- Road Ethics and Cycling Courtesies workshop
- Toronto Rehab – University Centre: Tuesday, June 14, noon – 1, University Ave Lawn:
- Advanced Bike Repair Workshop (bring bike)
- Toronto Rehab: Lyndhurst/Rumsey Centre: Tuesday, June 21, noon – 1
- Advanced Bike Repair Workshop
There will also be a UHN Bike Challenge to encourage staff to cycle all month long. Bike to work or just ride around, then track your distance in any app, like MapMyRide from May 30 – Jun 27th. Add your times to the UHN tracking sheet for a chance to win … though just by biking more, you will already win.
There are so many good reasons to get on a bike: improving health, easing traffic congestion and improving air quality - especially if yourbike trip replaces a car ride. UHN has a long history of supporting cycling: from the more than 1,000 bike parking spaces throughout UHN sites, to the over 700 people on the UHN Bicycle User Group, to the three newly installed air pumps at Toronto General Hospital and Krembil Discovery Tower (a big thank you to the Princess Margaret Foundation for funding the pumps and to the Infrastructure department for installing them).
Happy Bike Month, UHN!
