Charlottetown, UPEI collaborate on city cycling research

If you build it, will they come? The City of Charlottetown and the UPEI School of Business are teaming up to tackle the potential economic impact of cycling in Charlottetown with a series of new projects.

Third-year business students at UPEI will examine Charlottetown's current cycling infrastructure and look for ways to increase the number of cyclists on the streets and generate business. 

"From improved health to reduced air pollution and increased tourism potential, we value cycling in our city and want to support it any way we can," said Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee in a written release Tuesday. 

Projects will investigate the impact and value of cycling for school-age children, the effect that bike rentals and sharing might have on Charlottetown's tourism industry and the potential return on investment for cycling infrastructure upgrades like dedicated cycling paths.

Hoping for 'great ideas'

"We are hoping to gain some great ideas from this group of young minds that will identify some of the ways we can improving the cycling experience in Charlottetown."

The partnership with UPEI comes on the heels of a study on cycling in Charlottetown conducted last fall by UPEI student Nathalia Hipolito Cardozo.

It also comes as many Canadian cities are looking to improve transportation routes for cyclists, as they look to reduce traffic flow and encourage greener methods of travel. 

"By focusing their business knowledge and skills on the economic benefits of growing Charlottetown's bicycling infrastructure, students in the School of Business at UPEI are addressing a global issue at the local level while making the Island a safer, healthier, and environmentally friendlier place," said Dr. Juergen Krause, Dean of UPEI's School of Business.