Armi De Francia

Transcript

gallop. Armée de France, yeah, MAKE SOME NOISE. >> WELL, CANDACE, WE MADE IT. My bike, Candace, was the cutest bike at the bike shop. She just turned eight this year. I had my doubts. She was a little heavy and didn't move as smoothly as my other bike. But with her cushy seat and perked up handlebars, she grew on me. And she looks really cool with studded tires during the winter. One day, I had a meeting. I had the car, but there's construction blocking the driveway.

I couldn't drive. Transit? Too late. Is Uber worth it? Reschedule? When? This month is way too busy. Thankfully, I brought home Candace the day before. So, we went for a ride. Woah, fast cars. Oh, nice trail. Off. Flies. Oh, bike lane. Oh, we're here on time. With Candace, I have more choices. Back when I was a teenager, my main choices were to scrounge up change for transit or ask my dad for a ride. One day, my friends and I needed to get to youth group.

My dad offered to drive us. "I'll be there in 5 minutes. Come out now." I told my friends, "We have to go." And still they took their sweet time. When we got out, my dad was livid. My overwhelmed self-employed father yelled at me in the car, with my friends there. A teenage thunderstorm of emotions went through me. I felt trapped and powerless. I don't want to stress out my dad, but I need to get to youth group. I need youth group to build leadership skills and be successful.

How can I succeed when it's so hard to find a ride? Then, I got my license. Did I feel powerful, wild, and free with speeding, revving engines, and my hair blowing in the wind? No. My life went more like this. When can I get the car? Great. And I'm stuck in traffic. Where the heck can I park? This is more stressful than I thought. If I thought that was stressful, it was 10 times worse working with my dad in insurance. Every day people showed up dreading the cost.

My dad was incredible. He guided people through these challenges, finding options that better fit their budget and needs. He was great at serving others through this job. I was not. His shoes were so big to fill. Next to him, my inner child felt like a zombie struggling to navigate the world as I dragged my weary feet in my father's shoes. I was tired of feeling dead inside. So I escaped. I studied in Montreal and even got an internship there. By living and working in a walkable, bikeable community, I finally felt free.

That summer, I even paid off my rent and half of my tuition. Moving back to my parents' suburban community was awful at first. Candace changed that. Candace helped me discover artwork, trails, restaurants, and many hidden gems in Durham Region. I realized that many of the places I needed to get to as a teen were within a bikeable distance. Even that youth group meeting. Candace was my silver lining. As my trusty steed helped me gallop through my inner storm, I felt the heavy dark clouds of powerlessness clear away.

Candace taught me that the road less traveled may be less about choosing an empty road and more about rethinking how we travel on our roads. Now, I'm an active transportation planner, a sustainable mobility speaker, working to make more choices doable. I am no longer a zombie dragging my feet in someone else's shoes. Now, I am pedaling forward using my own shoes, energy, and power, thanks to Candace. Having more choices gives us more freedom. Why should we keep limiting ourselves to car dependency?

Why not make space for more options? Candace and other bikes give us so many possibilities, like add-on seats and trailers, so kids and even dogs can join the ride. Or e-bikes for adults who could use an assist. Or cargo bikes, trikes for different ages, even adaptive bikes for people with various disabilities. Let's explore the possibilities and see what else can work for us. And maybe you'll find your version of Candace who can help you gallop to freedom.

Transcript generated from the recording and lightly cleaned. Some names and wording may differ from the spoken speech.