The Town of Canmore, Alberta has implemented a studded bike tire incentive program for its residents this season. This is how it works and why every community should do the same.

According to the Town of Canmore, encouraging more people to take some of their trips without the use of their vehicle is an important part of its transportation and climate action plans. And it’s putting money where its mouth is: the town has launched a studded bike tire incentive program to help residents keep cycling all winter long.

The program will provide a rebate of $50 per tire, to a maximum of $100 per individual. It has a total of $5,000 dedicated to this program, which will be doled out during 2020 and rebates will be available on a first-come, first-served basis until funding runs out.

How The Studded Tire Program Works

Riders purchase the studded bike tires of their choice on or after the program start date of December 11, 2019. (The rebate is not retroactive.) Ensure to get an itemized receipt. They then download the application form located on the town’s website, fill it in, and email the completed form, a copy of the itemized receipts, and proof of address to sustainability@canmore.ca. (Proof of address could be a photo of your driver’s licence, the address section of recent utility bill, government-issued mail or front page of a lease agreement.) Rebate cheques will then be mailed after January 16, 2020.

The reason the town has approved funding for studded bike tires is because it’s working towards specific mode-share targets outlined in its Integrated Transportation Plan. Encouraging people to take some of their trips by non-vehicular modes is an important piece of achieving that goal, as well as our climate change targets. This incentive program is a way to encourage more people to take some of their trips by bicycle in the winter months.

The nearby community of Banff has offered a similar rebate program and it’s a hope of winter commuters everywhere that other communities create their own studded tire rebate programs.

For more information, visit the Canmore website.