Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Toronto - Metrolinx Green paper on Active Transportation invites public input

Metrolinx is extending the consultation period for their White Papers and Green Papers until Friday, September 5, 2008. A Draft Regional Transportation Plan and Investment Strategy will go forward to the Metrolinx Board at the end of September. Shortly thereafter, these documents will be posted on this site for your input throughout early Fall.

Accordia residential masterplan shortlisted for Stirling Prize

Accordia residential masterplan is being considered as the new standard for high density housing by RIBA who have chosen the design as one of six finalists for the Stirling Prize.

The masterplan is designed predominantly for pedestrian and cycle use with mews streets, landscaped pedestrian streets and cycle parking integrated into the design, made possible with the placement of the site which has easy access to the town centre.

Video - Safe Routes to School. Kloosterveen, Assen, Netherlands

This short - less than 2 minutes - video will show you a community designed so that people walk and bicycling their children to school. Contrast this image to what you might see at a typical Canadian school, and its endless lines of cars and buses.

Website - Copenhagenize

You absolutely must check out this Website/Blog. Copenhagenize.com is a portal that will connect you to everything possible about bicycling and the City of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Check out their July 22 entry; David Suzuki bikes Copenhagen. Coming soon to a television near you!

Article - Rien de trop beau pour les vélos!

Le Métropolitain, June 18

Le Musée royal de l’Ontario (ROM) s’embellit encore. En plus d’inaugurer un nouveau toit vert d’une superficie de 10 000 pieds carrés situé sur la partie sud de la Promenade des philosophes, il y a des nouveaux supports pour vélos bordant Queen’s Park, le long de l’aile de la famille Weston.

Article - Cyclists and skateboarders ride to be green

[here], July 17
Author: Naomi Osbourne

"I think the real issue is that it shouldn't be acceptable to make something illegal based on what it "could" do. Drivers "could" be reckless and yet it's not illegal to drive a vehicle" said Michaud. She believes the solution to the problem is for the city to lay down behavioural guidelines. They need to establish with skateboarders that they need to obey the traffic laws, use hand signals, and leave the tricks and jumps off the road.

"As long as skateboarders are obeying the rules of the road then they should be allowed to travel on it just like vehicles and bikes are," said Michaud.

Article - Will we stick to our newfound frugality?

Seattle Times, July 21
Author: Anne D'Innocenzio

Adrienne Radtke plans to keep riding her bike to work even if gas prices drop. Steve Pizzini got rid of his Cadillac Escalade in favor of a 16-year-old Acura and doesn't expect to have another gas-guzzler.

But will it last?

Website - La Route Verte

Thinking of bike routes in your area? Then you should be familiar with La Route Verte. This vast bicycle route—the most extensive in North America—includes all types of bikeways: bike paths, designated shared roadways and paved shoulders. Marked throughout its length, the route will encompass a total of 4,300 km when completed.

Article - A New Fashion Catches On in Paris: Cheap Bicycle Rentals

New York Times, July 13
Author: Steve Erlanger

A year after the introduction of the sturdy gray bicycles known as Vélib’s, they are being used all over Paris. The bikes are cheap to rent because they are subsidized by advertising, and other major cities, including American ones, are exploring similar projects.

Article - NY's Broadway becoming the Great Bike Way

newsday.com, July 11
Author: Vera Dobnik

New York City plans to turn a swath of Broadway in midtown Manhattan into a bike lane and public esplanade _ leaving two fewer lanes for vehicles on the busy thoroughfare.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Interesting Website - Assen Transport Infrastructure / Cycling Study Tour 2008

This group offers cycling holiday/study tours in the Netherlands. Here is a quote from their Webpage:

"In 2008 we are running a series of Study Tours for politicians, transport planners, transport campaigners, cycling co-ordinaters, and anyone interested in infrastructure for green transport. The tours will be in the English language and will take place in Assen in The Netherlands (Holland), a location which boasts some of the best cycling infrastructure in the world."

Can you imagine anything like this being offered in Canada?

Conference - Recreation Nova Scotia (RNS)

The RNS annual conference will feature five main activity streams. One of these deals with Active Transportation:

Building Great Communities: Land use planning for an active population: Lets talk about innovation and solutions, the value of green space and parks, active transportation, successful designs, and the history and trends in land use for recreation purposes.

Recreation Nova Scotia Conference
November 5-8, 2008
Westin Nova Scotian, Halifax
http://www.recreationns.ns.ca/conference

Article - Brantford ON: Residents are encouraged to join the city's growing 'walkolution'

Brantford Exposition, July 8
Author: Colleen Toms

"It really is about building community. The more connections people have with the community, the more they feel connected to it. If people could walk to and from work, walk on their lunch hours, or walk to the store instead of driving, it becomes a habit. It's almost like they don't know that they are being physically active."

Ongoing efforts to include more walkable spaces whenever building occurs will help to change the very fabric of the community and get people moving, said Amodeo.

"Now when we look at plans for building we consider multi-routes such as transit, bicycles and walking. You have got to give people a safe place to walk and make it more attractive so that they want to walk there."

Report - CIBC World Markets: Heading for the Exit Lane

Author: Jeff Rubin

"As gasoline prices climb inexorably, American driving habits are going to have to undergo a massive change ..."

“Over the next four years, we are likely to witness the greatest mass exodus of vehicles off America’s highways in history. By 2012, there should be some 10 million fewer vehicles on American roadways than there are today ...”

News Release - Canadian Community Health Survey 2007

Statistics Canada today [June 18, 2008] releases extensive new data on more than 20 health indicators from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), a comprehensive survey of more than 65,000 Canadians conducted between January and December 2007.

Data for all indicators are available at the national and provincial and territorial level, as well as for 118 health regions across Canada.

The CCHS collects a wide range of information about the health status of Canadians, factors determining their health status and their use of health care services.

This article focuses on three indicators: access to a regular medical doctor, smoking rates, and overweight and obesity. It also presents new information about where individuals who did not have a regular doctor sought health care services.

Skateboard Article - Sharing the streets

Montreal Gazette, June 19
Author: Julia Kilpatrick

Skateboard commuters like Naylor risk more than a broken board when they choose to ride on the street. Bylaws prohibit skateboarding on Montreal's roads and sidewalks. Fines for ignoring the rules range from $30 to $300.

"The regulations exist for the safety of skateboarders," Commander Daniel Touchette, of the Montreal police traffic division said. "If they are on the street and they fall, there's no saying where they might go."

Article - Bike Shares Stalled Across the Country

US News & World Report, July 2
Author: Maura Judkis

Bad news for the bikeless: Hourly bike rental systems are being delayed in three U.S. cities - Chicago, Portland, and Washington - because of various concerns.

Newsletter - Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation

The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT) was formed in 2006 to give a unified voice to the many groups working for a better cycling and pedestrian environment in Toronto.

They publish a weekly newsletter, usually consisting of 4-6 articles of local activities and newsworthy items. It is available online: http://www.torontocat.ca/main/newsletter.

Article - Prepare for revolution

Globe and Mail, June 30
Author: Editorial

Oil could reach $200 a barrel by 2010, putting the cost of operating an automobile beyond the reach of many lower-income families. Each upward tick in oil prices signals the slow death of a postwar North American way of life, built around car ownership and suburban sprawl.

New Resource - A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities

The Federal Highway Administration Office of Safety has released a new guide, A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities, to help residents, parents, community groups, and others make their communities better environments for walking.

To view a PDF or order a hard copy of the Resident’s Guide, please visit http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/ped_bike_order.htm.