Halifax Active Transportation

[Dmajackson]

Hospital bike program provides healthy option

By HEATHER AMOS
Sat. Jun 20 - 4:46 AM
You may see more people in white lab coats biking along South Park Street this summer.

Doctors, volunteers and anyone else working at the Halifax Infirmary or Victoria General now have the opportunity to bike between the two sites.

"As an employer we know it’s important to provide options and support a healthy workplace," said Peter Graham, spokesman for the Capital district health authority.

Capital Health teamed up with Sportwheels, a sport equipment company in Lower Sackville, to start this new bike program that encourages active living.

"Nova Scotia has a very high incidence of a number of different chronic diseases which negatively impact people’s ability to enjoy a happy, healthy lifestyle. Our health care workers wouldn’t be any different than the general population," Mr. Graham said.

Jeff Mayhew, president of Sportwheels, got the idea from Montreal’s bicycle-sharing program called BIXI.

"Capital Health is the first to get the ball rolling, in this city, for a bicycle loaner program to cut back on emissions and to promote healthy living," said Mr. Mayhew.

To sign out a bike and helmet, Capital Health employees use their identification cards at a gift shop.

The employees will be biking between the two sites using the bike lanes on South Park Street and Bell Road.

When they arrive at the other hospital, the bike is locked up and the key is given to the gift shop there, ready to be signed out by the next person.

Mr. Graham said there is a demand for this program with people moving non-stop between the two sites all day. Employees already have access to a shuttle bus that runs between the two sites every 10 minutes.

Sportwheels provided Capital Health with two adult tricycles and four bicycles. The cycles come complete with helmets, locks, bells, a tall, orange safety flag and a big basket.

Sportwheels will also be doing weekly bike maintenance.

"When I dropped the bikes off, there were many physicians and health care professionals coming up to the vehicle and admiring the bikes and starting to get a good vibe going about the program," said Mr. Mayhew.

The program was launched Tuesday at the Halifax Infirmary. About 30 cyclists came out to support Capital Health and Sportwheels, including representatives from the Halifax Regional Police and the Nova Scotia HeartLand Tour, a group that cycles through Nova Scotia raising awareness about cardiovascular disease.

( [email protected])