November 15, 2005 – Test your gut reaction to trails safety and design accessibility, when Dr. Anne Lusk, trails design expert from Harvard University, presents a series of slides highlighting various bicycling facilities used around the world.

Dr. Lusk will be in Collingwood as the guest speaker at the Georgian Manor Resort Ballroom for a special dinner meeting on Tuesday November 15th and again at a special breakfast meeting on Wednesday November 16th. Plan to attend and discover how exploring Collingwood’s world-class trail system can improve your health and happiness!

During the talk, Dr. Lusk will follow up on a survey she presented to members of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals at last month’s conference in Chicago. There, attendees, many of whom are skilled road bicyclists, saw 20 slides of such facilities as raised bike lanes, bike boulevards, European cycle tracks, side paths and fence-separated paths. A group of invited panelists made up of five children and six seniors, none of them highly skilled road bicyclists, were asked to rate and discuss the various options. After everyone completed the survey, the association’s members had a chance to learn the panel’s perceptions of the slides.

The dinner talk and the breakfast talk will be held at Georgian Manor Resort & Country Club, 10 Vacation Inn Drive off of Highway 26 W, Collingwood, Ontario. This is a chance for local trails enthusiasts to hear the latest information on trails development, community connectivity, trail access and the relationship between trail usage, active lifestyle and health.

Both presentations will also feature a preview of the 2005 statistical data, which will be published shortly, on trails usage on the Collingwood Trails Network and Georgian Trail. The survey and report are a follow up to the 1989 document, The Economic Impact of the Georgian Trail on the Town of Collingwood & Region, by Town of Collingwood’s Director of Leisure Services, Peter Dunbar. The 1989 report is one of the few published documents on trails development in Ontario, and was cited in the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion’s recently released Ontario Trails Strategy. The Ontario Trails Strategy is a long-term plan that establishes strategic directions for planning, managing, promoting and using trails in Ontario to benefit the health of all Ontarians. Councillor Kathy Jeffery (Collingwood), Chair of the Georgian Trail’s unique tri-municipal governing board states, “Collingwood’s highly motivated volunteers under the leadership of Leisure Services have been instrumental in the development of our Collingwood trail system and the Georgian Trail. Dr. Lusk’s visit will help us make plans for improvements in accessibility and design as we gain momentum for the increasingly linked regional system to be seen as a world-class recreational destination. Our trails are the best kept secret in Canada — but not for long.”

Known for her inspiring enthusiasm for trails development and urban design, and a frequent visitor to Ontario trails, Dr. Anne Lusk is a visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and has 25 years experience as a writer, researcher, and lecturer on a variety of topics related to historic preservation, greenways/multi-use paths and trails. She was a Trustee with the National Recreation and Park Association, Chair of the NRPA Citizen Board Member Branch, and Vice Chair of American Trails. She wrote “Case Study #6 “Analysis of Successful Grassroots Movements Relating to Pedestrians and Bicycles” and “A Guide on How to Initiate A Successful Program” for the Federal Highway Administration. She also bicycled 1,000 miles from Boston to Washington, D.C., to explore the route for the East Coast Greenway.

Tickets for the evening engagement on Tuesday, November 15th are $29.50, and only $15.50 for the breakfast presentation on Wednesday, November 16th.

Available from The Station (705-445-9463) or Leisure Services (705-444-2500).

Media enquiries contact Marion Lewis 705-445-8132
marion.lewis@rogers.com