I’ve worked on parking policies in a lot of cities, and every city should be looking at getting rid of minimum parking requirements, while considering maximum parking requirements downtown & around transit stations. At an absolute minimum though, REMOVE PARKING REQUIREMENTS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

It's #FreedomToMove Friday! Tell me: What wheels help you feel free? What’s stopping you from walking, biking, or rolling more often? Where in Guelph / where you live do you not feel safe to move? Real stories shape better streets. Let’s hear yours. #BYCS #BicycleMayorNetwork #MobilityForAll

When I speak about affordability, safety, or mobility, I’m not just speaking as an observer. I speak as someone who has lived and is living through gender inequity, queerness, neurodivergence, chronic pain, trauma, poverty, and instability.

Substack post: Bill 60 the Bike Lane Freeze and More open.substack.com/pub/bicylema...

Every Ko-fi support, every share, every shout-out keeps inclusive rides, safety education & advocacy alive. Thank you for showing that community care still steps up for what the City won’t. 💚 #Guelph #HumanInfrastructure #AffordabilityForAll #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026 ko-fi.com/bicyclemayor...

I’ve attended dozens of public consultations for new and upcoming cycling infrastructure projects in Guelph. I ask one question every time: “Has funding for winter maintenance been included in this project’s lifecycle costs?” Often, the answer is vague.....

Guelph’s volunteers are filling the gaps left by budget cuts: running safety education, community events, and engagement that staff can no longer afford to. We can’t build sustainability on unpaid labour while cutting the very services those volunteers rely on. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

Bill 56 treats safety like a nuisance. Communities know it’s an investment that pays us back in fewer crashes, fuller lives, lower costs. Cutting safety isn’t saving money. It’s spending lives. #onpoli #Bill56 #VisionZero

Governance risk=when your adopted policies outpace your implementation. Guelph’s 2026 budget update slows critical Vision Zero delivery: sidewalk infill, cycling connections, TDM, and transit amenities. These aren’t nice-to-haves they’re the infrastructure that converts commitments into outcomes.

Guelph has pledged to reduce emissions 63% by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050. Eliminating winter cycling and slowing pedestrian upgrades directly contradict those commitments.” In fact, the draft budget itself warns these cuts will “slow progress on modal shift and environmental objectives."

Safety shouldn’t depend on your mode of travel, ability or your income. Youth, seniors, people with disabilities and lower incomes often rely on sidewalks, bike lanes, and transit stops. Deferring these projects to save on property tax is deferring their right to safety #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

The proposed reductions: ending winter snow removal for on-street bike lanes ($650k), cutting Active Transportation programming ($254k), and deferring the Pedestrian Master Plan ($250k); may appear to save dollars in the short term, but...

1. Paying transport costs so that disabled kids can get to school is good. 2. Maybe we could address the "safety reasons" that prevent kids who could walk doing so - let's guess it's mainly drivers. 3. Public and active transport is underfunded, they want to cut Motability - it's giving "stay home."

Fares being hiked as high as 7.69% (Cash Fare) and the monthly cap will hit $100 by 2027....and yet buses are late, stuck in traffic, filled to the brim.....delayed investments, slowed electric bus purchases....so much for "getting our house in order" It's time to #Fightforyourride #Guelph

Trails were last year’s cut. This year we’re proposing slowing sidewalks and crosswalks. That hits everyone on foot. Everyone at some point is a pedestrian. Everyone should care how the budget treats us. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

We’re technically investing in transit. ✅ Route 98 (someday) ✅ Free rides for youth/seniors (great! wonderful! thank you!) ❌ Still waiting 4 YEARS for faster, reliable bus service citywide. (Quality Transit Network, now pushed to 2029) #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026 @taaguelph.bsky.social

BREAKING: Winter bike lanes won’t be plowed in Guelph this year if the  But roads? Roads stay clear. Because in this budget: 🚗 = essential 🚌🚲 = optional 🚶‍♂️🧑‍🦽 = invisible #GuelphMunicipalBudget

Draft 2026 Budget targets a 3.17% property tax increase (achieved by service cuts) These cuts won’t fall evenly. They will hit hardest for residents who rely on affordable, safe, and accessible ways to get to work, medical appointments, groceries... our essentials. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

“Lowest tax increase in Ontario” = highest cost for those without cars. Cutting bike lane plowing, pedestrian safety and transit to save $25/month? When the monthly transit fare cap is $94.05 that’s hardly affordability. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026 @taaguelph.bsky.social

Safety isn’t seasonal. Accessibility isn’t negotiable. Climate goals don’t pause for winter. Call it what it is: A choice. One that leaves people stranded in the cold. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

When we shut down or deprioritize winter corridors for people using walking, biking or rolling; we are effectively telling those residents: your access, your safety, and your independence is seasonal. #GuelphMunicipalBudget2026

The Budget Deferral Always promises that “next year will be different.”

It's #FreedomToMove Friday! Tell me: What wheels help you feel free? What’s stopping you from walking, biking, or rolling more often? Where in Guelph / where you live do you not feel safe to move? Real stories shape better streets. Let’s hear yours. #BYCS #BicycleMayorNetwork #MobilityForAll

"Traffic flow should not be affected" Cycle lane closed.... And possibly sidewalk barriers at Victoria Rd S bridge #Guelph

You might not notice me You might even ask if I was there because my easy to spot bright red hair didn’t capture any photos But I’m the one thinking about the people who weren't invited the questions you never thought to ask and mirror the perspectives that are hard to face That’s leadership too

Proposed #GuelphMunicipalBudget Would you pay $2–$5 a month for me NOT to take the lane on Woolwich and Gordon this winter? Because that’s literally what we’re talking about. That’s the “savings” from cutting winter bike-lane maintenance at $650k.

Proposed #MunicipalBudgetCuts in #Guelph No winter maintenance for on street bicycle lanes means I'll have to take the lane in one of our major corridors. Don't honk at me I'm balancing the municipal budget! 😳 *There is nothing that I won't turn into a sticker

Endless gratitude to ARC for supporting us for a memorial ride that honoured a life lost. I'm so proud of Guelph's cycling family for coming together in solidarity. #NoOneCyclesAlone #GhostBike #Guelph

Whether you make it to our presentation with @taaguelph.bsky.social or not please let us know your dreams for a future Guelph

Join us to honour a fallen cyclist here in Guelph with a memorial ride and #ghostbike installation. Let's stand together against traffic violence.

A car-free life isn’t always a choice. For so many, it’s the only option. #FreedomToMove means your transportation doesn’t only depend on your ability to drive or get a ride somewhere. Mobility is a right, not a luxury. #MobilityJustice #ActiveTransportation #BicycleMayorNetwork #BYCS

😲 If this existed now, my life would be so much better! I commute by bus to Hamilton four times a week. In my story for the Guelph Transportation Summit (Oct 18th - taaguelph.com/summit), I talk about taking the train from McMaster to Guelph.

Having healthy skepticism or as the media puts it - criticism for the police is awkward when you only have one traffic officer. Hi, yes. You attended my accident last year and I decided to hand you over a business card to simplify our interaction 😂

Fuller picture on my substack: open.substack.com/pub/bicylema...

While Bidgood acknowledges the importance of complying with the road rules, she says cyclists are often forced to make critical decisions with very little warning or time. "Ultimately sometimes it comes down to a survival decision," she said.

Fear has never built a safer city -design has. When we build for it, safety becomes something we experience, not something we have to over enforce. Build for forgiveness, visibility, and belonging, and people will naturally meet it. That’s the heart of human infrastructure.

12 days until the Transportation Summit #Guelph on October 18! Presentations from @chanface.bsky.social, @ttcriders.bsky.social, @transportaction.ca, @cyclewr.ca, @cgreysongaito.bsky.social, @bicyclemayorguelph.bsky.social, @samhersh01.bsky.social & more! Free Event! Register @ taaguelph.com/summit

Inter-city transit diary Alexandria Ontario to Guelph Ontario Currently an estimated 5hr 40min drive on Google Maps including construction 🚧 (let's be honest you always have to add a bit more with GTA traffic) STATUS: Waiting on delayed @viarailcanada.bsky.social due to CN having priority

Build for the most vulnerable user and magically everyone else is safer too - even you, in your beloved lifted pickup!

“Why didn’t you take a different route?” Because the safe one adds 20 minutes and two seep hills. If cars got bike treatment, you’d riot.

I'll be presenting at this summit with @bicyclemayorguelph.bsky.social . We will be sharing some short stories, imagining ourselves and Guelph in 20 years. I'm very excited!

It's #FreedomToMove Friday! Tell me: What wheels help you feel free? What’s stopping you from walking, biking, or rolling more often? Where in Guelph / where you live do you not feel safe to move? Real stories shape better streets. Let’s hear yours. #BYCS #BicycleMayorNetwork #MobilityForAll

The Dutch “self-explaining road” approach is pretty neat: when the geometry, widths, edges, textures, and lighting all match the behavior we want, like slower speeds and predictable paths - people comply because it feels intuitive.

"Cyclists just forget that disabled people exist" - someone who refuses to acknowledge that disabled cyclists exist

🚲 Crossride vs. Pedestrian Crossover How do you know if you can ride or must walk? Guelph police are doing a proactive cycling engagement and enforcement effort this October so let's make sure we're off to our best start!

Guelph made a little history with our first Bike Bus! We rolled out from City Hall with bubbles, music & most importantly kids! This is how trust grows & streets change. Thank you to volunteers who made this little bit of magic happen 🚲✨ #BikeBus #BicycleMayor #VisionZero #BYCS #SafeStreets

🌈 BIG GAY RIDE — Sept 27, 2025 Join us for a slow, scenic, very queer fall ride from Guelph to Elora! 📍 Meet: 9:00 AM @ Riverside Park (by the pedestrian bridge) 🚴‍♀️ Roll out: 9:30 AM Destination: Bissell Park, Elora Community ride - open to everyone!

I wasn't able to see more than the police SUV Nor safe enough to turn around - but if you were a pedestrian or cyclist hit at the Gordon and Wellington McDonald's: please feel free to reach out for a chat and resources. I was struck there in a hit and run myself last Oct.

Drivers hate this one weird trick: matching the big number on the sign to the one on your dash. Ford wants to ban school-zone cameras + fund “a million ways” later. Great! Build them now. Don’t switch off the only thing lowering speeds today.

A win for walkability in Guelph! On Sept 10, 2025, Council chose connected, walkable neighbourhood design over paving 300 parking spots into a new community park. A huge step toward a city built for people, not cars! In one of my two letters to council as Bicycle Mayor, I urged: