2015 Bicycle Rally / Mayor's Bike and Hike

The 2015 Bicycle Rally will be held on Wednesday Sept. 16.
This year, the Active Transportation committee is partnering with Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke in running the event, and the new name will be the Mayor's Bike and Hike!

There will be three options this year, and the destination for all three "rides" is the mural in the Highway 12 underpass near James Street. The options are the following:

a) 3.4km round-trip walk from the City Hall, down the paved cycling/walking trail to the underpass.
b) 4km round trip bike-ride from City Hall, down West Street, onto James, to the underpass.
c) 7.8km round trip bike ride from City Hall, down West Street to Kitchener Park, back up to James via Olive Crescent / High Street / Shannon Street / Gill Street.

Place = Orillia City Hall Parking Lot (behind City Hall)
Time = 5:30pm assembly, rides depart at 6:00pm

2014 Bike Rally Wed Sept

The 2014 Bicycle Rally, organized by Orillia's Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee, will be held on Wednesday Sept. 17.
Please meet in the parking lot behind City Hall at 5:30pm. The ride will depart at 6:00pm, and usually takes just under an hour. It is a very casual ride where we follow all the rules of the road. It is not a race.

The route this year travels down West Street to James. Then west on James to the Oro-Medonte rail trail.
We will travel south on the rail trail and then cut west again to ride on the paved trail along Memorial back up to James.

2014 is a municipal election year! Please show up at the rally to help prove to those running for council that safe walking and cycling routes in this city are important!

Save the date - Wed Sept. 17

The next Orillia Bicycle Rally will be held on Wednesday Sept. 17, 2014.

Route and staging areas still need to be approved.

If you heard about the rally for the first time when you visited the bike parking booth at the Mariposa Folk Festival, here's a video of our 2010 bicycle rally to let you know what to expect.

Check back closer to the date for more details.

Sept. 11, 2013 - 6th Annual Bicycle Rally

Orillia's Active Transportation & Trails Advisory Committee is hosting the 6th annual Bicycle Rally on Sept. 11, 2013. Please gather in the parking lot behind Orillia's City Hall at 5:30pm - the bicycle ride will leave at 6:00pm.

This year we have a new route!

Starting at the parking lot behind City Hall, we will be riding north on Andrew to Mississaga Street. We then turn east on Mississaga and bike straight down to the waterfront, where we will leave the road and take the Millennium Trail down around Tudhope, and then back to City Hall following the same route.

As always, the purpose of the bicycle rally is to demonstrate that grassroots support for Active Transportation ideals exists in Orillia - i.e. that it should be at least as safe to walk and bicycle through a city, as it is to drive a vehicle through a city.
Although very few people, and few politicians, doubt the various merits of active transportation, progress in a.t. is slow because it remains a low priority for most civic leaders.
Events such as the bicycle rally are critical in demonstrating to municipal and provincial decision-makers that safe active transportation infrastructure is needed, and is needed right now.

To sum up, here are the key details for the Bike Rally (which is a relaxed and easy-going ride!):

• Date = Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013
• Gathering Time = 5:30pm
• Departure Time = 6:00pm
• Gathering Spot = Parking Lot behind Orillia City Hall
• Route = Mississaga Street & the Millennium Trail to Tudhope Park

Also note:

- We will be following the rules of the road.
- Helmets are mandatory.
- Seriously consider bringing bikelights if you will be cycling home from the ride (the days are definitely getting shorter).

Sept 19 - 5th Annual Bike Rally

We have a lot to celebrate in 2012, as we mark the fifth anniversary of Orillia's Bicycle Rally.

In the past few months, City Council has officially adopted an Active Transportation Plan for the City of Orillia. The document, and more information, can be found on this page.

Additionally, the Trails for Life Committee (which has run the Bike Rally since 2008), has been renamed and refocused as the Active Transportation and Trails Advisory Committee (see Orillia Packet story here).

If we want to highlight even more progress, the Orillia Cycling Club organized Orillia's first Share the Road ride in summer 2012!

Here are the details for the 2012 rally:

- Wednesday Sept 19.

- Gather at 5:30pm, ride leaves at 6:00pm

- Route is an easy 10km, as described here.

- Helmets are mandatory.

- Seriously consider bringing bikelights if you will be cycling home from the ride (the days are definitely getting shorter).

Please consider joining us on the 19th, to celebrate our progress so far, and help push for more changes in the future!

If you're interested in seeing what the rally is all about, here is a video from the 2010 bike rally!

Wed Sept. 14 - fourth annual Bike Rally

Ladies and Gentlemen - the fourth annual Orillia Bicycle Rally will be held on Wednesday Sept. 14, leaving at 6:00pm from the Couchiching Beach parking lot.

It's been four years now, and our city is indeed making progress towards creating safe infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians who would rather leave their cars at home and get around the city using their own energy. We have a local Share the Road team, and last fall Share the Road signs were placed at the major entrances to the city.

We also have an Active Transportation Plan which will be presented to council this fall. The plan, which admittedly would only be phased in over several years, will identify the types of walking and cycling facilities which should be used in Orillia, and where these facilities should be placed to create effective walking and cycling corridors across the city.

If you haven't done the ride before, it is a casual 10km cycle through the north part of the city. The route is described at the bottom of this blog, if you want to scroll down the page. Please keep in mind that this is NOT a race.

Here is a video of the 2010 rally to get you in the mood for this year's ride.

Sept 22, 2010 - Third Orillia Bike Rally

The Trails for Life committee is hosting the third annual Orillia Bicycle Rally on Wednesday, Sept. 22. The rally will leave from the Couchiching Beach parking lot at 6:00pm, and will once again travel along the 10km route described here.

Wednesday Sept. 22 will also be Walk or Bike to Work day - Orillians are encouraged to use active transportation to travel to work or school on the 22nd.



There are so many reasons why cities such as Orillia need to invest time and money in active transportation planning. This recent CBC article discusses some of the health benefits, but other benefits include cleaner air, less traffic congestion, greater focus on fighting climate change, and cost-savings (think of how much less you'd spend on gas if you were able to leave the car at home all week and only needed it for special trips on weekends).



Orillia is beginning to show that it is serious about joining the active transportation revolution. The city has hired an active transportation consultancy group to write an Active Transportation Plan for the city, which will then be embedded in the city's Official Plan. The work will be done through fall 2010 and winter 2011, and will likely presented to city council this coming spring.

This is a very important bike rally to attend for two reasons!

a) Show up and demonstrate to the people running for city council that active transportation is a key issue that the people of Orillia want to see addressed!

b) Members of the Active Transportation consultancy group will be on hand at the rally and will want to know what YOU THINK needs to be done to make it safer to walk and bike around this city.

If you have any questions, please send an email to the address under ABOUT ME on the right side of this page.