CycleSafe Program
Cycling has never been more popular and accessible in Ottawa. As an increasingly popular activity and mode of transportation all year round, the vulnerability of cyclist safety within the City of Ottawa has also increased.

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Creating Confident Young Cyclists
In 2018, the City of Ottawa reported a catastrophic 226 cyclist injuries and fatalities. In addition to cyclists having a thorough knowledge of road rules, motorists must also understand that bicycles are vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act and are therefore required to respect a cyclist’s right to ride on the street. Education and awareness that starts with our youngest road users can help to play an important role in preventing serious road accidents and fatalities with cyclists.
The Ottawa Safety Council’s CycleSafe program focuses less on cycling skills found in traditional bike rodeos and more on essential safety concepts that will increase children’s safety awareness, equipping them with the knowledge they will need to face the realities of sharing our roads while cycling. Teaching children to be confident, aware, and safe road users and cyclists at an early age can reduce their risk of road related injury and fatality later in life. The CycleSafe course for children includes showing young cyclists defensive riding skills such as anticipating and understanding other road users’ perspectives and actions (i.e., Selective Attention, how to cycle near parked cars, where to position yourself on the road to be seen), riding according to the weather conditions and terrain, communicating with other road users, hazard scanning, intersections/driveway safety, right of way, making yourself easy to be seen and be heard, and always wearing a CSA-approved bicycle helmet.

“73 per cent of cycling deaths in Canada involve a collision with a motor vehicle.”
– Parachute.ca

CycleSafe for Your Children

CycleSafe for Your Group
Module(s) | Price |
Module 1 – Getting Rollin’ | $300 for up to 10 kids |
Module 2 – Predictable Pedalling | $300 for up to 10 kids |
Module 3 – Safely Navigating | $300 for up to 10 kids |
Module 1 & 2 | $450 for up to 10 kids per module |
Module 2 & 3 | $600 for up to 10 kids per module |
All Three Modules | $750 for up to 10 kids per module |
CycleSafe for Your Students – FREE
“Just wanted to add how much I love the event. The kids and parent volunteers had so much fun. I always look forward to you coming.”
–Teacher, St. Patrick Elementary
About the CycleSafe Program for Schools
This is not a traditional Bike Rodeo! Instead, OSCs CycleSafe program includes unique features like:
- Concepts can be taught completely without bikes (or with bikes if logistics allow)
- Can be done in-doors year-round (or out-doors if weather permits)
- Age-appropriate – different modules and safety concepts taught at each level based on how much children will be cycling on their own and levels of understanding
- Fun, hands-on, experiential
- Tied to Ontario Curriculum requirements
- Encourages students and their families to take our Road Safety SMARTS pledge at the end

Help Support the Ottawa Safety Council
Donations to the Ottawa Safety Council help us to continue building new programming and creating and delivering awareness campaigns to bring road safety advocacy and awareness to everyone in Ottawa, regardless of how they travel.
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