Ready to make the shift?

SHIFT: Decreasing Barriers to Active Mobility

Sign-up to make the SHIFT and start looking forward to your commute!

ABOUT SHIFT

Using a car for every journey around Yellowknife is like using a garden spade to eat soup. Mostly, we’re driving by ourselves and not carrying much of anything. Not only that, but our overreliance on cars is making us less healthy, less happy, and poorer. Maybe you want to try making a bike your “daily driver”, but you’re not sure it will be the right fit. We invite you to take the SHIFT challenge, by signing up to bike to work for 2-weeks. Don’t have a bike, or has yours seen better days? Borrow one of ours for FREE! Find out what happens when you make active mobility your primary mode of transport. After two weeks, we believe that you’ll have formed a habit that you don’t want to change. You will feel better, be healthier, save money, and have helped make your community safer and more connected. All participants will be entered into a draw to win one of our bikes!

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OUR BIKES

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YUBA E-SuperCargo Bike ORANGE - "Gry"

Not sure how to manage your kids or big shopping trips? Try a cargo bike! 220 lb capacity, seating for…

Norco Scene VLT - Large E-Bike - "Lasse"

Concerned about having to slog your way up hill? Try an electric city bike. The same advantages of the acoustic…

Norco Scene - Acoustic Medium Bike – "Signe"

Our city bikes might seem quite ordinary, but you’ll find the upright seating posture and wide saddle affords you greater…

ENVO Flex - E-Trike - "Morten"

Concerned about your balance or ability on a bike? Try an e-trike. Comfortable and easy to use, with a large…

YUBA E-SuperCargo BLACK - "Eske"

Not sure how to manage your kids or big shopping trips? Try a cargo bike! 220 lb capacity, seating for…

Norco Scene VLT - Medium E-Bike - "Freya"

Concerned about having to slog your way up hill? Try an electric city bike. The same advantages of the acoustic…

Norco Scene - Acoustic Medium Bike – "Anders"

Our city bikes might seem quite ordinary, but you’ll find the upright seating posture and wide saddle affords you greater…

ENVO Flex - E-Trike - "Birgitte"

Concerned about your balance or ability on a bike? Try an e-trike. Comfortable and easy to use, with a large…

JOIN SHIFT

SHIFT is an exciting initiative in Yellowknife aimed at encouraging residents to embrace a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle by using bicycles for their daily commutes and errands. By joining SHIFT, you can contribute to a greener community and enjoy the numerous health benefits of cycling. Participants can use their own bike or use one of SHIFT's bikes for free! (subject to availability). Whether you're commuting to work, running errands, or just exploring our beautiful city, SHIFT provides an easy and enjoyable way to make a positive change. Join the movement today and pedal your way to a better future!

WHY WE MADE THE SHIFT

Becca and Adam Denley recently moved back to Yellowknife after living a few years in Denmark where they were amazed by the transformative impact of multimodal infrastructure. While there, they enjoyed biking to work and witnessing their children safely and independently navigate to school and extra curricular activities along protected bike lanes and paths. They realized that biking wasn't "recreation" for them, it was a sensible & efficient way to travel that came with a host of surprising benefits. Seeing all ages benefit from an active lifestyle inspired the Denleys to advocate for similar changes in Yellowknife.  Their hope is to bring the same sense of freedom and community to Yellowknife!

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FAQ

  • Yes! The booking page will allow participants to sign up in two steps:

    Step 1: Participants will either choose their preferred time period OR their preferred bike

    Step 2: If participants already chose the preferred time period, they will then be able to choose from the list of remaining bikes available for that time; If Participants already chose the preferred type of bike, they will then be able to choose from the list of remaining time periods for that bike.

  • Unfortunately, these bikes are only permitted to be borrowed for 2 week periods. The reason for this, is that the program is designed around the concept of changing habits - and this takes time and dedication. It's about a SHIFT in mindset, a SHIFT in health, and a SHIFT in lifestyle. We want to give people the very best opportunity to find new ways of commuting in their every day. If you want to borrow a bike for a day, please reach out to Overlander Sports! They rent out bikes by the hour!

  • The switch-over day for all bikes is on Sundays at Sombe K’e Park. We ask that participants arrive at the park on-time, based on their booking notification. People who have been using the bike will pass the bike onto the next participant. Volunteers will be present to check the condition of the bikes, adjust seats, and help new participants learn about their bikes and equipment.

  • The City of Yellowknife has a map that shows the different types of bicyle routes:

    https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/getting-active/bicycle-routes.aspx

    Take some time to review and plan before your booking time.

    We recommend that people test out their route on the Sunday after they first get their bike, scout out suitable places to park, and be sure to allow for extra time on your first morning commuting to work.

  • It is very important that participants have a secure location to store the bike when not in use. We recommend the following:

    At Home: Do you have a garage, secure shed, or a fenced in Yard? If the bike can't be stored inside, it must be securely locked to something solid that can't be cut.

    Use the provided locks at all times including short stops. And if borrowing an e-bike, remove battery if leaving it for more than a few minutes.

  • First preference would be inside a secure bike storage shed, if you have access to one (GNWT/Downtown Independent). If that's not an option, secure to something that is bolted to the ground, highly visible (not in a back-alley), that would be difficult to cut through, and where the bike won't be in the way of people or vehicles.

  • We hope that we can do this program again in future years, and understanding details about what worked well and what could use more development will help us improve the program for next year.

    We also want to use participant feedback to better understand ways that we can inform the City of Yellowknife on ways they could update their bike and pedestrian infrastructure to better accommodate all street users. Your participation in this program will help create a safer Yellowknife!

OUR PARTNERS

Thank-you!

"SHIFT: Decreasing Barriers to Active Mobility" has been made possible by the Healthy Choices Fund by the Government of the Northwest Territories and is a project under the NWT Recreation and Parks Association. This project is completely volunteer based.  We hope that this becomes an annual endeavor that helps citizens of the Northwest Territories to embrace a more active way of moving around their community and realize significant health, financial, and environmental benefits.