Winter Cycling Myths Challenged in New RHPL Addition That’ll Never Work Here: How Winter Cycling Can Thrive and What Richmond Hill Can Learn from It.
Staff Report
The Richmond Hill Public Library (RHPL) has added a new title to its collection that speaks directly to ongoing conversations around transportation, urban design, and winter living.
The book, That’ll Never Work Here: Challenging the Myths Around Biking in a Winter City by Patty Wiens, explores the realities of year-round cycling in cold-weather cities. Drawing on her experience in Winnipeg, Wiens recounts how she transitioned from car dependency to becoming a leading advocate for winter biking and safer streets.
The book challenges the common assumption that cycling is impractical in harsh climates. Through personal narrative and policy discussion, it argues that barriers to winter cycling are less about weather and more about infrastructure and safety. Wiens highlights how protected bike lanes, connected networks, and supportive city policies can make cycling viable year-round, while also improving equity and access to transportation.
A central theme is that change often begins with individuals and small-scale actions. Wiens’ journey—from a first winter ride to becoming her city’s “Bicycle Mayor”—is framed as an example of how local advocacy can influence broader urban policy and culture.
The ideas in the book have clear relevance for Richmond Hill and other suburban municipalities in the Greater Toronto Area. Like many North American cities, Richmond Hill has long been shaped by car-oriented planning. However, growing discussions around complete streets, active transportation, and fiscal sustainability are prompting a rethinking of how streets are designed and used.
For residents, the book offers both a personal and civic lens: encouraging individuals to reconsider how they move through their community, while also raising questions about infrastructure investment, safety, and long-term planning. In a region where winter conditions are often cited as a barrier to cycling, the book directly challenges that assumption.
RHPL’s addition of this title reflects a broader role for public libraries as spaces where local conversations intersect with global ideas—bringing perspectives from cities like Winnipeg into the context of Richmond Hill’s evolving urban landscape.