Welcome Cyclist Gateway Signage Press Release
April 28, 2011
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Northumberland County Cycling Signage -
first in Ontario
Northumberland County welcomes an increasing number of cycle tourists especially along the Lake Ontario Trail connecting Toronto, Eastern Ontario and Montreal. And now, Northumberland is becoming even more welcoming with the anticipated installation of Welcome Cyclists Gateway signs (the first of their kind in Ontario) at the outskirts of each town along Northumberland's portion of the Waterfront Trail and the Apple Route.
"Northumberland is arguably the best region for cycling in Ontario," says Brian Hedney of the Ganaraska Freewheelers. We have rolling hills and a proliferation of quiet, undulating paved country roads with peaceful views of Lake Ontario and Rice Lake."
Northumberland is seeing a real thrust towards cycle tourism: over 30 local tourism industry stakeholders have registered as part of the Welcome Cyclists Network and a County cycling master plan is in development. As part of Northumberland tourism's Destination Development Action Plan 2010-2013 to increase the number of visitors and that which they spend, Northumberland is working towards a culture of hospitality by integrating new technology on the new Welcome Cyclists signs: Quick Response (QR) codes leading to the www.welcomecyclists.ca mobile-friendly site.
Project partner, Rebecca Goddard-Sarria of Cramahe Township states, "We are
very excited to be part of the Welcome Cyclists initiative. Cyclists are a growing part of our tourism visitor base and the new signs fit well into our plans for making them feel more welcome and provide the directional information that they need."
Justin Lafontaine of Transportation Options, a partner in this project says, "All of this works towards the enhancement of regional cycle tourism because we know that the cycle tourism sector is well positioned to experience increased growth in the coming years as noted in 2007 when 1.5 million visitors participated in cycling activities in Ontario. Cycle tourists spend more as they are largely made up of middle to senior professionals with higher-than-average incomes and they span all ages with the majority falling between 30 and 50."
Signs will be installed in spring at Port Hope, Cobourg (including Cobourg's VIA Rail station for those coming in by Bike Train), Colborne and Brighton.
The Northumberland Welcome Cyclists Gateway Project is possible through the support of The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Northumberland County, Transportation Options, Municipality of Port Hope, Northumberland Community Futures Development Corporation, Town of Cobourg, Cramahe Township, Municipality of Brighton, and the Apple Route.
Contact:
Eileen Lum,
Northumberland County Tourism Manager
lume@northumberlandcounty.ca
1-800-354-7050 x2237
Justin Lafontaine, Projects Director,
Transportation Options,
jlafont@toronto.ca
416-392-1556 office 416-712-8819 cell
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| (Reference top image) Partners under the Welcome Cyclists Gateway Project-- Justin Lafontaine, Transportation Options Marlaine Koehler, Waterfront Trust Mark Lovshin, Northumberland County Warden Mark Walas, Mayor of Brighton Mary Robertson,Apple Route Lee Ostapuk, Apple Route Erin Wakely, Cobourg Tourism Andrea Patterson, Port Hope Tourism Rebecca Goddard-Sarria, Cramahe Township Cori Arthur, Northumberland Tourism Eileen Lum, Northumberland Tourism Paul Portelli, Northumberland CFDC Eugene Todd, Avid Cyclist |
