Jillian
@bikehfxlobby
She/her. Retired (first) Bicycle Mayor of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Disabled. Mobility justice. #KidicalMassHfx hfx.bike
A gifted plant of sundrops from @smknigh.bsky.social bloomed today! I’m so pleased to be adding native plants to my yard. Check out Sam’s post about them & her whole thread on everything she’s growing! #BloomScrolling
#KidicalMassHfx isn’t about *me*, but biking with 150 friends and strangers on the street where I grew up makes me reflective. It’s where I struggled to learn to ride without training wheels & didn’t have friends to ride with. I couldn’t imagine this life where bikes connect me so deeply to others.
Halifax isn’t really a kid-friendly city. But what if it were? What if we invested in what matters? Join us at #KidicalMassHfx on Sunday, July 12 at 9:30am to see what a kid-friendlier city could look like! hfx.bike/kidical-mass...
I am, once again, asking @hfxgov.bsky.social to stop driving full size trucks on multiuse paths. Apparently, graffiti removal at rush hour is critically important. Fella wouldn’t move his truck but folded in his mirror so I could literally scrape by 🫠
I bought these bananas over 2 weeks ago. I thought they’d ripen in time for a camping trip a week later. At this rate, they might be ready for next month’s camping trip.
8 years ago today, Tilly joined our family and turned me into the dog mom I always longed to be. We only got 2 years with her, but she had an outsized impact, as senior Shih Tzus seem to do. I miss her, and our Kaillie.
If only we had a way to communicate info to people without them having to show up in person and find their plans quashed. cc @hfxgov.bsky.social @hfxrec.bsky.social
Here’s what a pile of about a dozen look like this morning. Reported to Bird since they’re impinging on the bike lane and crosswalk.
I am pissed to discover that there are newly-laid cobblestones on the path between the Marriott and Historic Properties. It should be illegal to add inaccessible surfaces to the built environment.
Happy to discover that multiple barriers on the Halifax boardwalk have been removed, so it’s once again possible to bike continuously from the casino. The landscaping at Purdy’s wharf looks nice & better bike parking has been added. The area around Salty’s isn’t great, but it’s workable.
The good news is the awful pea gravel around some of the bike parking at the Commons pool has been replaced with concrete. The bad news is that Halifax planners can’t extrapolate, and the inaccessible wood chip at the new playground is strewn everywhere.
Everything we do on the rides is counter to what we’re supposed to do day-to-day. We celebrate bikes & reject car dependency that insulates us from each other. We take space, we move slowly. The bells ring, the bubbles fly, little voices are heard, and we imagine a different future. 3/3
Kids ride their bikes, protected by grownups who use their bodies to protect them from cars. Parents have a chance to chat with each other. People of all ages find and build community. 2/3
I don’t have much of an imagination but there are times when I glimpse what’s possible. #KidicalMassHfx is the most tangible way this happens for me. One Sunday a month for 6 months of the year, we go out and create the world that we want. 1/3
Went to the World Tea House to stock up on refills and get an iced latte. I see why they’re struggling! I hate Argyle St at the best of times, but the construction noise and dust are next level. Glad I’m still masking everywhere, because this doesn’t seem safe to breathe. Help out Phil, if you can!
Checked my heart rate after almost getting creamed by a right hook (Almon & Agricola, IYKYK). Yep, biking around Halifax is at least partly why I take blood pressure meds. Fortunately, I lived to make Bike Brigade deliveries to 2 community fridges.
Some folks are losing their minds over the free parking lot across from the market being closed for 6 weeks. Some of us are very happy to share that we biked to the market, just like every week.
But how will you carry your Venetian blinds and fishing rods? I love the possibilities that bikes enable!
Sunday morning recon ride for a #KidicalMassHfx route was chilly, but we found some blooms and one of our youngest organizers independently adjusted his brakes while we chatted. On the way home, we crossed paths with a #BikeHfx friend and pulled over for a chat. Bikes are so good!
“Our technology is accurate to the centimetre!” is a lie that Bird Canada staff told before they started making money for their private business by abusing our public space. At least stopping to report these also gave me a chance to follow up on the glass in the bike lane, still there a week later.
I joined the board of the Halifax Cycling Coalition a dozen years ago just because I wanted this city to be better. I had no idea what I was doing and I’ve learned many lessons the hard way. I wish I’d had @carterlavin.bsky.social’s book then! So much good advice, even for us seasoned advocates.