Ontario Ministry of Transportation Cycling Strategy

The Strategy describes what the Ontario Government is currently doing to encourage cycling, as well outlining what the Ministry will do to further advance it. The Strategy aims to provide a policy framework that will:

• Enhance cycling infrastructure in the province
• Enhance cycling safety through education and legislation
• Ensure relevancy through monitoring, researching and coordination

The Strategy is intended to replace the Ministry’s Bicycle Policy, which was released in 1992. Read more.

EU Opens Market for 500 W – 70 km/h MTB e-Bikes

Selling a MTB styled 500 Watt – 70 km/h e-bike in Europe is made very easy with the new regulations on type-approval, which were approved by the European Parliament last week. The new Regulations allow the sale of such vehicles without any type-approval or homologation procedure! The European Union opens its markets for such MTB styled speed pedelecs causing serious safety risks, warns the European Two-Wheeler Retailers’ Association. Read more.

EuroVelo: Fund It To Finish It.

EuroVelo still has some way to go before it is complete. ECF estimates that finalizing the 14 routes of the EuroVelo network, totalling about 70,000 km, would come at a price tag of about € 1.5 – 2 billion. However, when complete, it will bring in an estimated €5 billion in annual economic benefits. Read more.

Vancouver city council approves long-term transportation plan

City council approved a long-term transportation plan today (October 31) that sets a goal for at least two-thirds of trips in Vancouver to be made by foot, bike or transit by 2040. Read more.

Why Don't Young Americans Buy Cars?

Kids these days. They don't get married. They don't buy homes. And, much to the dismay of the world's auto makers, they apparently don't feel a deep and abiding urge to own a car. Read more.

Bike paths and hiking trails coming to Essex County

To make the area a bigger tourism draw and get residents more physically fit, county council approved a plan Wednesday to build 700 kilometres of trails and paths over the next 20 years. Read more.

Vision Vancouver bike share program puts millions in taxes at risk

Vancouver’s Bixi public bike share program may sound like good public policy but, in the end, it will be taxpayers who will get taken for a ride. Vancouver taxpayers are dangerously close to being forced to pay a big bill for furthering Vision’s bike agenda. Until the bike share can be run without a taxpayer subsidy—as the car shares are—it should be put on hold. Read more.

Less than 25 Percent of Americans Walk for More Than Ten Minutes

Using cross-sectional data from the 2007–2008 and 2009–2010 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), Furie and his colleague, Mayur M Desai, Ph.D., associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health were surprised to find that less than one quarter of U.S. adults in a nationally representative sample reported walking or bicycling for transportation for more than 10 minutes continuously in a typical week.
The study identified reasons why government policies and infrastructure, along with “built environment interventions,” should allow and encourage active transportation. Communities that do so may promote dedicated bicycle lanes and routes, educate residents about bike and motor vehicle road-sharing, provide bicycle storage, and integrate public transportation for both pedestrians and cyclists.
Read more.

$1 million from gas tax to fund active transportation in rural Manitoba

The province and federal government announced that $1 million from the federal gas tax fund will be provided to fund active transportation. Communities with populations of fewer than 50,000 people are eligible to apply to cost-share active transportation projects with the government over the next two years, up to a maximum of $50,000 per project. Eligible projects could include bike racks or lockers, bike paths, sidewalks and other pedestrian paths.

The province is also launching an active transportation website at www.gov.mb.ca/ia/index.html.

Nova Scotia - Sustainable Transportation Grant Program

The Province is pleased to announce today the pilot launch of Nova Scotia Moves, a grant program to support locally-based sustainable transportation initiatives. This program is one of the actions intended to support the forthcoming strategy, and more importantly, to help support the work all of you are doing on sustainable transportation.

Attached, you will find the program description. An application form can be requested by e-mail or found on our website:www.novascotia.ca/energy/nsmoves/. The deadline for the pilot round isDec 21 at noon. A second call for applications is planned for early 2013, so we encourage you to consider projects for this round as well as the next round, should you need more time.

Ditch the car to walk or cycle short journeys 'for healthier Britain'

In strongly-worded advice, which places significant pressure on the government to increase the extent of safe walking and cycling routes, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) urges local authorities, health bodies, workplaces and schools to do all they can to assist people in active travel. Read more.

Breen: Active Transportation Plan ‘dangerous’

“For the love of God, I don’t get this at all,” councillor Doug Breen said on Monday night following a presentation from members of the committee in charge of the plan. Breen was particularly critical of the portion of the plan calling for more than 50km of paved shoulders on county roads within the township. Read more.