Cycling Without Age (CWA) is a step closer to reality in Lanark County since Council has agreed to provide liability insurance coverage for CWA volunteers. CWA is a grassroots movement that started in Copenhagen Denmark in 2012 and has spread internationally to 50 countries with 2,200 local chapters (as of March 2020). Special three-seat, electrically-assisted bikes called “Trishaws” allow volunteer cyclists to provide free rides to residents of seniors’ homes.
With the insurance question solved, CWA Lanark County will now focus on fundraising the $8,500 needed to purchase its first trishaw and an additional $5,000 for an enclosed trailer to transport and store the trishaw. The trailer will also be used for promotional events and will display names of corporate sponsors.
Initially, Treff Peters, the local chapter affiliate, and his volunteers plan to serve the residents of Lanark Lodge Perth and then expand to other seniors’ homes in Carleton Place and Smiths Falls.