Cycling Without Age aims to get more Islanders exploring their communities

A cycling program for people with mobility challenges may soon be coming to Summerside, P.E.I.

Cycling Without Age started in Denmark and is now offered in 52 countries. The program uses specially-designed bikes called trishaws that have a carriage on the front big enough for two people to sit in. Models that accommodate wheelchairs are also available.

Volunteers pedal the bikes for seniors or others with mobility challenges.

"It seems so simple, and maybe that's why it's working so well," said Ken Trenholm of SAFE Summerside, a group promoting active and sustainable transportation in the city.

SAFE Summerside is fundraising to purchase some trishaws. Several seniors' homes, including Andrews of Summerside and Andrews of Parkhill, have expressed interest.

"There's so many seniors who are isolated in manors. They don't get outside and they don't get to explore the community," said Trenholm.

And it's not just groups supporting seniors who are interested. Community Connections, which provides support for adults with intellectual disabilities, is also enthusiastic.

People tend to think of Community Connections as mainly an employment centre, said executive director John Smallwood, but a program like Cycling Without Age fits right into the centre's mandate.

"Just taking part in community resources that are out there, basically to empower them to become members of the community, like everybody else," said Smallwood.

"To feel the wind in their face and go along a bike path, and do something that is out of the ordinary for them would be absolutely amazing."

It's just a few hundred metres from the Community Connections centre to the current bike path. Smallwood would like to see that extended up to their location. From there the centre would be connected to extensive trails through the city.

The trishaws are expensive, Trenholm acknowledges, up to $10,000, but the opportunity they provide is extraordinary.

"[It's] an opportunity to explore the world, through bicycle, and nature and the community," he said.

"There's so much more you can get out of a community when you're exploring it slowly."