COLLINGWOOD - A trip to Italy in the spring reminded Steve Roper of the charm of a walkable and cyclable small town, and prompted him to challenge himself to leave his own car at home more often.
Roper has been cycling around Collingwood since May for his daily errands, and he's even more convinced it's the best way to do it (if you can).
"When we went to Italy, I was really impressed with the small little villages and all the community, how people walked into the village from their house," said Roper. "So I told my wife on the way home that I was going to do our grocery shopping on my bike all summer."
A regular cyclist all his life, Roper embraced two wheels even more since his retirement in 2019, the Eden Oaks area resident has been enjoying the trails in Collingwood since about 2013.
Since May 1, he's been riding his Trek Verve on the multi-use trails that encircle Collingwood about six days a week for regular errands. He uses a small bag that clips on his rear carrier to take his groceries and other items home. The limited size means he and his wife eat fresh food every day.
He acknowledges that his retired status allows him the time to bike 20 to 25 kilometres per day, but also notes the town's trail system makes it easier than it would be on the roads. He often chooses the long way, for exercise and enjoyment, which has helped him log 2,500 kilometres on his bike since May 1.
"I can't imagine many other towns can boast such a well-connected trail system, right?" he said.
Along the way and through the year, Roper has taken photos of his daily rides and posted them with a blog about his summer shopping on two wheels with a goal of talking up the trails volunteers and adding more appreciation of Collingwood as a place to live.
"I started photographing snippets of my daily bike rides/grocery trips as a way of illustrating what a great naturalized trail it is, how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful part of the world and to showcase photographically just how good a job the Town of Collingwood does in maintaining and continuing to develop one of the best biking communities in Ontario," wrote Roper in his blog.
His frequent trail use has also turned him into an advocate for local trails.
"Part of what made me write that post is the ongoing discussion about Sixth Street," said Roper in an interview with CollingwoodToday. "I think the Sixth Street development has not been well represented from a cyclist point of view because cyclists don't drive on it, because it's not safe."
A planned reconstruction on Sixth Street between Hurontario and High Street will see the road torn up, underground infrastructure replaced, and a new road built. The controversy over the project has been about what to do with the trees lining Sixth Street, and how to fit bike lanes into the plans.
"Over the summer, I thought, well, I'm going to put this to the test, I'm going to drive down Sixth Street half a dozen times once a week and see how I feel about it," said Roper. "I'm an active rider, and I find there's not nearly enough room."
He said his handlebars were only about 18-24 inches away from passing cars, and opines that is likely the reason that some cyclists avoid the street.
"It's not very hospitable to bike riders," said Roper. "I don't want to make this political, but I want to speak up for the people that are using the bike paths who could use another access through town."
Since he's retired and enjoys more leisure time, Roper can go around town. But he said he dreads going through town because of a lack of bike lanes, or because bike lanes like the ones on Sixth Street are too narrow.
The bike lanes on Ontario Street, however, are a more comfortable width, he clarifies.
He'd like to see wider bike lanes, separated from the street and sidewalk, and one direction only, on each side of Sixth Street.
"I understand the anger behind the trees situation," said Roper, noting he fought for preservation of green space in the Eden Oak development. "I think this needs to be done for the future, because that's a core artery.
Roper has lived in several different cities and towns, having moved to Collingwood from Victoria, BC, in 2013. He said he sees the trails and bike lanes as a good way to slow down the increase in vehicles.
"When I stop at Hurontario to cross the street to Loblaws, I see this steady flow of cars going through the town, and over the 11 years since we've been here, it's just increased, and I think, 'wow, it's a busy town,'" he said. "The more we can slow that down, the better."
He's happy to see bike racks around town, but suggested there should be more of the robust types, and they should stay out all year.
It would help Roper keep up his daily errands on bicycle through the winter, which is something he'd like to try, though he's not as committed to the idea as he was for the summer.
He's buying studded tires for his bike to try until December and he'll look at options – maybe a fat bike – after that.
"When it's minus 30, I'm not sure I'm going to be that keen," said Roper.
Whatever winter brings, though, Roper is glad he committed himself to the challenge of riding his bike for daily errands in the spring, summer and fall.
"Because of our trail system, I can honestly say that this has been one of the best summers of my life," he wrote on his blog. "Some days on my way home as I pass through Sunset Point along beautiful Georgian Bay and head through the woods, I feel just like a young boy on my first bike. Kids swim alongside the trail in the Pretty River, boys are out fishing and people are walking along the paths from neighbourhood to neighbourhood. I’ve often stopped along my rides to have a chat with someone I know who is also out."
You can read his full blog post and see Roper's photos online here.
