9.5 km Loop through urban Winnipeg launches for second year

Tourists and Winnipeg residents alike are being invited to take a stroll en masse through a new 9.5 kilometre circuit through the city Thursday. For the second year in a row, Economic Development Winnipeg and Tourism Winnipeg announced the opening of The Loop, a self-guided walking tour of Winnipeg’s urban areas. Read more.

Different Generations, Similar Desire for Walkable Communities

As an author of the recently released AARP Public Policy Institute (PPI) What Is Livable? Report, I can tell you the opposite is true: Younger and older generations have many similar desires about what they want in their communities. Read more.

Toronto - New Cycling Infrastructure Installed in Richmond-Adelaide Area

As part of a year-long pilot project for the Richmond-Adelaide Cycle Track Study, bicycle lanes are being installed on Richmond, Adelaide, Simcoe and Peter Streets. The project is part of a currently ongoing Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA), which is studying the feasibility and impact of installing separated bicycle lanes in the core. Read more.

Australia - National Cycling Strategy: Implementation Report 2013

In July 2014 the Australian Bicycle Council published a report that outlines the progress made on the National Cycling Strategy in 2013. In this third year of the National Cycling Strategy 2011-16, Australian states and territories invested $112.8 million in cycling related infrastructure, education and promotion. Read more.

Obtaining better international rail services for bike carriage

The international cycle route along the River Elbe in the Czech Republic and Germany is one of the most famous and popular cycle routes in Europe.  Cyclists’ organisations therefore cautiously welcomed news last month that Czech Railways had come to an agreement with German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) for the order of new trains for this route, which will all include space for complete bicycles. Read more.

Video - It’s About Investing in Transportation Options

The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) releases today its 9th video from the It’s Your Move series featuring Pam Damoff, Town Councillor for Ward 2 in Oakville. Pam is a political champion for cycling and walking in the region of Halton. The recipient of the 2013 Bicycling Leadership Award from the Share the Road Cycling Coalition for promoting bicycling in Ontario, she is extremely proud of Oakville's 2012 Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community Award. View Video.

Are mall parking lots too dangerous?

Anyone who's driven in a large commercial lot lately knows they can often be places of chaos, confusion and, occasionally, tragedy, as happened in London, Ont., a few days ago when a car backed through the front of a Costco store, striking six people, including six-year-old Addison Hall, who died of her injuries. Read more.

If an Electric Bike Is Ever Going to Hit It Big in the U.S., It's This One

The electric bicycle is a relatively new idea. In its basic form, it's a battery-powered motorized bike operated either by a manual throttle on the handle bars or by an automatic system that adds power when pedaling. About 20 years ago manufacturers began to offer these lighter and cheaper alternatives to mopeds and motor scooters. Read more.

Could one bad decision ruin cycling in Tokyo forever?

 Cyclists are supposed to ride on the roads, but sidewalk cycling is the norm. Cycling while holding an umbrella, operating a mobile phone and even cycling with a bag of groceries hanging from your handlebars can land you with a fine (or imprisonment) yet doing so right before a police officer rarely elicits a response. In Japan cycling laws generally go unenforced until such time as an accident occurs. Read more.

Webinar - Electric Bikes and the Law

E-bikes and electric assist systems are helping more people discover the joy and convenience of cycling. Unfortunately, state and local laws have been slow to catch up with this new technology, leaving electric bikes in legal limbo in some communities while forbidding them outright in others. Join this call to understand the legal implications of electric bikes and learn about the legislative changes other advocacy organizations are working to support. Read more.

Walking: the old way to get fit is new again

With so many fitness trends, you might not think of walking as good exercise. If you're not thrusting a kettlebell over your head, pushing a tractor trailer tire or shaking your hips to a Top 40 dance beat in a scheduled group class, you're not cutting it, right? Read more.

The Most Persuasive Evidence Yet that Bike-Share Serves as Public Transit

A spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio told the Wall Street Journal that bike-share "has become part of our public transportation system, and there is a lot riding on its success." Those words come at the same time as a new research study offers the most persuasive evidence yet that bike-share serves as a genuine form of public transportation. Read more.

‘Urban Isolation’, A Short Skateboarding Film Set on Empty Los Angeles Streets and Highways

“Urban Isolation” is a short skateboarding film directed by filmmaker Russell Houghten set on completely empty streets and highways in Los Angeles. The short, which required some impressive special effects to clear out the customarily gridlocked streets of LA, scored the grand prize in RED Camera’s REDirect skateboard cinematography contest. See video.

Seattle gets stack of Federal funds for protected bike lanes downtown, on Broadway

The total for protected bike lanes downtown comes to $5.8 million for protected bike lanes on 2nd and/or 4th Avenues and 7th Ave. Believe it, Seattle, we’re building protected bike lanes downtown. Read more.

Bike Smart: The Official Guide to Cycling in New York City

Bike Smart: The Offical Guide to Cycling in New York City, is a helpful handbook with information on making your cycling safer and easier, including tips on using newer bike facilities such as protected lanes and bike boxes. Read more.

Free bike light campaign aims to make Ottawa roads safer

A few times a week, Phillippe Dessaint-Ash heads out to busy streets with as many as 50 bike lights to give away, along with a flyer encouraging cyclists to use them at night. Read more.

Is Canada missing the boat on cycling tourists?

Quebec is internationally recognized for its extensive 5,000-km cycling network, La Route Verte, which criss-crosses most parts of the province, making it North America's longest bike path. But in the two decades since the Quebec government and non-profit Vélo Québec first began work on the route, it remains an anomaly in Canada. Read more.

Mandatory truck side guards urged in U.S.

The U.S. transportation safety board is urging regulators to make side guards mandatory on new trucks to help prevent cars, pedestrians and cyclists from hurtling under the bone-crushing haulers – a move that could put pressure on Canada to act. Read more.

Nova Scotia - Municipal Active Transportation (AT) Professional Development Grant

The aim of the Municipal Active Transportation (AT) Professional Development Grant is to increase the level of technical expertise in AT facility planning, design and implementation among professionals with direct or potential impact on AT in Nova Scotia. Read more.

Rob Ford slams plan to turn Yonge and Bloor streets into a pedestrian paradise for two Sundays in August

The downtown drags, from Queen to Bloor, and from Spadina to Parliament, will become a pedestrian and cyclist paradise from 8 a.m. to noon on August 17 and 31, according to a press release from Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, who has championed the idea. It is a scaled down version of the original 14.8-kilometre route. Read more.

On Urban Bike Infrastructure, Canada Is Now Leading The Way (a few cities at least)

Though this is bittersweet for those of us on the balmy side of the border to admit, the best Canadian urban bike infrastructure is clearly starting to leave most of the United States in the dust. Read more.

Parry Sound - Police costs, active transportation among conference highlights

The Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM) conference and trade show, a three-day event, Conference at the Cottage, was hosted by the Town of Parry Sound with keynote speakers talking about a variety of topics including small town viability, active transportation, housing for all, and affordable policing. Read more.

Taiwan plans fine for smartphone-addicted pedestrians

The Taiwanese legislators have proposed a law to fine the pedestrians who are "distracted" by mobile phones while they cross the street. The proposed law will fine any pedestrian deemed "distracted" about $10 every time they break the law, reports several tech website citing Taiwanese media. Read more.

Advocacy - Do’s and Don’ts of political campaigning

Andrzey Felczak (Austria –Radlobby), Klaus Bondam (Denmark, Danish Cyclists’ Federation) and Burkhard Stork (Germany, ADFC) have provided us with a few tips and tricks for effective political campaigning. There are a few do’s and don’ts that ought to be respected so that your association achieves its goal in shaping policy. Read more.

Saugeen Shores ON - Local resident advocates for active and healthy living

“There are no designated bike lanes and sidewalks simply disappear as if those who live beyond a certain point somehow don’t need them,” she said. “These are not luxuries or extra fringe that only are added to a community after motor vehicles are all taken care of. They are necessities that actually build healthy communities and yet none of this seems to matter right now.” Read more.

Winnipeg - Bike route to Investors Group Field ‘scary,’ but won’t be fixed any time soon

City hall knows there is a demand for a protected bike route along Pembina Highway but officials refused to comment this afternoon on the need for safety improvements around Investors Group Field until a police investigation into the death of a cyclist (in June) has been completed. Read more.

Port Alberni - Councillors skeptical of need for bicycle lanes

A consultant's report recommends that introducing bicycle lanes and more sidewalks would improve life in Port Alberni, but city councillors are skeptical if such upgrades are viable for the community. Read more.

Saudi women are allowed to cycle – but only around in circles

Saudi Arabia's religious police are encouraging women to cycle, but not to go anywhere: they must be in parks, covered up, accompanied by a male relative. Read more.

Why cyclists should be able to roll through stop signs and ride through red lights

Cyclists are probably in the right here. While it's obviously reckless for them to blow through an intersection when they don't have the right of way, research and common sense say that slowly rolling through a stop sign on a bike shouldn't be illegal in the first place. Read more.

Webinar - “Urban Development and Transport Linkages”

Thursday, July 29, 2014. Details.


This webinar will deepen the understanding of urban development, of the consequences and implications for urban transport and on how to achieve integrated and more effective sustainable urban mobility planning in developing cities. Good and bad practice examples will be shown, and key concepts for integrating urban planning and urban transport will be outlined.

The 19th-century health scare that told women to worry about "bicycle face"

Once upon a time, the main danger associated with bicycling had nothing to do with being hit by a car. Instead, some late 19th century doctors warned that — especially for women — using the newfangled contraption could lead to a threatening medical condition: bicycle face. Read more.

Windsor - Local health unit urges residents to support Cabana bike lanes

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is urging Windsor residents to support segregated bike lanes proposed for a stretch of Cabana Road. "Ensure Cabana Road and the Windsor Loop are done right. Contact your city councillor today," a statement on the health unit's website reads. Read more.

Sudbury offers cycling courses to help cut down on collisions

The City of Greater Sudbury is making an effort to improve bike safety by offering cycling courses in a city where cyclists say poor roads are to blame for many of their safety concerns. Read more.

Calgary - Peace Bridge’s first anniversary

The most pedestroversial bridge in Calgary history turned one in March 2014. Here it is, from five perspectives. View videos.

What a Great Pilot Bike Lane Project Looks Like: 3 Best Practices

From Calgary to Seattle to Memphis, the one-year pilot project is becoming the protected bike lane trend of 2014. Street designers looking to use the design have been putting down their digital renderings and picking up plastic posts and barrels of paint. Read more.

Riding in a Suit

Though I work from a home office, my business involves many meetings and outings around Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn. My uniform for public outings is a tailored suit and my preferred mode for getting around town is the bicycle. Read more.

Prince George Active Transportation Plan

The City of Prince George developed the Active Transportation Plan to guide the development of a continuous, safe and enjoyable Active Transportation Network. The Plan makes a number of recommendations and also outlines an implementation strategy that includes the adoption of standards, development of new infrastructure, implementation of policies and programs, as well as recommended funding levels. Read more.

Halifax active living plan gets boost

A plan to get Halifax residents walking and cycling more was endorsed by the city’s transportation committee Wednesday. The five-year active transportation plan lays out a vision to build more trails, bicycle lanes and sidewalks in the region. Read more.

In a successful modern city, the car must no longer be king

Our love affair with automobiles has shaped our cities and our lives – but mature metropolises are finally realising that the needs of people are even more important. Read more.

Ottawa - East-west bikeway plans a priority for 2014, city says; Committing to spend $70 million on cycling over next 15 years

The plan includes three major projects - pedestrian and cycling bridges at the old Prince of Wales rail bridge over the Ottawa River, a Donald-Somerset connection and a bridge near Lansdowne at Fifth Avenue and Clegg. The east-west bikeway - an extension of the Laurier Avenue segregated bike lane - is the major project in the city's core. Read more.

Nothing “revolutionary” about Edmonton’s bike lane plans: urban design expert

With the city about to launch into bike lane discussions on Tuesday, Metro Edmonton asked an international bicycle design expert on the plan set to roll out in Edmonton over the next four years. Read more.

Recent studies show investing in cycling pays off around the globe

Investing in cycling does not only make cities more liveable, it also pays off economically. Returns can be up to 24 times higher than the initial investment. Three recently published studies from three different continents show this. Read more.

How the Bicycle Paved the Way for Women's Rights

By the 1890s, America was totally obsessed with the bicycle. There were millions of bikes on the roads and a new culture built around the technology. People started "wheelmen" clubs and competed in races. They toured the country and compared tricks and stunts. Read more.

Cycling Advocacy – Is it Possible to Over-Incentivize and Over-Amenitize?

Do not blindly throw incentives and amenities at potential bike commuters. Every single incentive you provide should be financially sustainable and work to *increase* the number of bike commuters by directly attacking their most significant hesitations. If a cheaper method of supporting your potential bike commuters exists, try it out. Read more.

What the city can do to improve our health

Where you live in a city defines how healthy you are. Often, we think of health in terms of hospitals and clinics: matters for the province to look after. Yet, the environment in which we live, work and play has an enormous impact on our health. Read more.

Los Angeles bike trains - beating the traffic in a car-centric city

Varnado founded LA Bike Trains – free, weekly rides led by proficient cyclists across the city giving would-be bike commuters the routes, the skills and the confidence to ride to work. Read more.

Bracebridge active transportation plan breaks the mould

Robert Voigt, the consultant hired by the town to work on an active transportation plan, said Bracebridge’s plan deviates from the usual plans. Instead of working on major infrastructure changes for bike lanes and other amenities, the town is focusing on what can be done with the resources it has. Read more.

Cape Breton - Grand Lake Road multi-use path funding approved

Approval was given Tuesday to spend nearly the entire municipal portion of the active transportation budget on the construction of the Grand Lake Road multi-use path over the next three years. Read more.

‘Great Cities Start With Great Streets’: ULI Endorses Urban Street Design Guide from National Association of City Transportation Officials

The Urban Land Institute, a global research and education institute dedicated to responsible land use and creating sustainable communities, is endorsing the Urban Street Design Guide, published last year by the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). The guide embraces the unique and complex challenge of designing urban streets, aiming to make streets safe for people whether they are walking, biking, using transit, or driving. Read more.

Head Injuries Didn't Rise in Bike-Share Cities. They Actually Fell

Graves and team reported that the proportion of head injuries as a share of total injuries increased in the bike-share cities after the programs began, going from roughly 42 percent to 50 percent. Read more.

German court clears helmetless cyclists from injury blame

Germany's highest court of appeal ruled on Tuesday that cyclists who sustain head injuries in an accident are not automatically considered partly responsible if they were not wearing a helmet. Read more.

Profiles of Cyclists in our Community: Andrew Alford, Bike-It Guelph

I offer a zero-emissions, convenient and affordable delivery service within the wonderful City of Guelph. Currently, I do regular deliveries for St Ignatius CSA, and Guelph Solar.  I can deliver up to 300 pounds in goods.  I’ve been moving a lot of furniture (i.e. mattresses, bookshelves and armchairs) lately so I hope to get involved with moving University of Guelph students in the fall. Read more.

New York City Asks Citi Bike to Cover $1 Million in Lost Parking Revenue

New York City’s bike share system, Citi Bike has had a rough first year. The bikes are in bad shape, the docking technology is glitchy, and the system has been plagued with financial troubles for months. To make matters worse for the beleaguered program, New York City is asking Alta Bikeshare—the company which oversees Citi Bike—to cough up $1 million to cover lost parking revenue from the parking spaces the bike stations occupy. Read more.

Grimsby Active Transportation

Promoting walking, cycling, running and hiking in Grimsby, Ontario. We’re a grassroots action group that promotes various forms of active transportation, such as walking, cycling, running and hiking, in the community. Read more.

Ottawa - Canning commits to implementing active transportation audit as city councillor

Somerset Ward candidate Martin Canning announced today that he will make downtown Ottawa’s streets more safe and accessible as city councillor by implementing Ecology Ottawa’s active transportation audit. Read more.

Bicycle Opera Project powers through Hamilton

"I'll admit that the project is quite ambitious," said Larissa Koniuk, co-founder of the company. "We require that our singers and instrumentalists not only cycle up to 80 kilometres in a day, but also that we perform a fantastic show." Read more.

Cape Breton - Pedestrian overpass final ‘link’ in puzzle to build Grand Lake Road multi-use path

It has long been the wish of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality’s active transportation committee to have the province commit to building an overpass that would connect with the Grand Lake Road multi-use path currently under construction. Read more.

Women's Skateboarding: Why It Matters To Skate Like A Girl

One month ago, the only professional skateboarders that I could name were men. My view of the skateboarding industry was through the lens of the Tony Hawk’s, Ryan Scheckler’s, and Rob Dyrdek’s of the world. Admittedly, I never followed women’s skateboarding or even had a clue about what female riders experienced. My outlook changed when I watched the inspiring TEDx talk – Girl Is Not A Four Letter Word. Read more.

Letter: Cyclists in Montreal are a plague

The lunacy of pandering to the bicycle crowd has got to stop. Montreal is not in Europe and the cyclists here do not behave as the cyclists do in Europe. Read more.

Montréal Letter: Cycling improves urban life and a city’s vitality

Cyclists are not bed bugs. We are not a plague. We are as human as motorists are, but we just prefer cycling to car driving (or else we cannot afford a car right now). Read more.

We Need to Think Bigger About Transit-Oriented Development

When we think about transit-oriented development, we typically think of rail stations. We know that in certain environments with density levels of X and height limits of Y, we can predict levels of investment of Z. But how would that equation hold up if Transit Oriented Development centered on a bike-share station, for instance, rather than rail stop? To answer that question, we need a better sense of how well bike-share performs as part of the larger transit system. Read more.

Video - Dial S for Sharrow

Learn how to ride and drive on Edmonton’s Shared-Use Lanes. See video.

A New Bike Lane That Could Save Lives and Make Cycling More Popular

Biking through a city can feel like navigating a video game staked upon your life. You’re avoiding pedestrians and potholes all the while making sure cars don’t run into you. For all the benefits commuting by bike have, getting to your destination can be terrifying. Read more.

Cycling on the increase in Dublin

The number of Dublin residents cycling to work has increased over the past six years, with up to 11% of people living in some areas now jumping on two wheels to get to their desks each morning. That is according to Dr Brian Caulfield, Assistant Professor in Civil Engineering in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, who recently published two studies in peer-reviewed journals (both available here) that considered how cycling rates and related accidents have changed in the city of Dublin when data from the 2006 and 2011 Censuses of Ireland are compared. Read more.

Huron Promotes Active Transportation

Wayne Caldwell is a University of Guelph professor who has collaborated with a County Committee to produce the booklet, "Active Transportation: A Call to Action." Read more.

Evaluating the Effect of Smart Growth Policies on Travel Demand

Smart growth generally refers to characteristics of the urban form and built environment that are associated with benefits to environmental protection, public health, and quality of life, as well as economic and social benefits. One of the more established benefits of smart growth is reduced travel and the resulting decrease in congestion and delay, along with their costs to businesses and households. Other benefits include reduced infrastructure expansion, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas and other emissions. Read more.

Why Biking & Walking Advocates Love and Hate the Census

Thanks to ACS data, we're able to compile a veritable treasure trove of vital information about biking and walking. In the 2014 Benchmarking Report, we show which cities have the highest levels of biking and walking to work (Portlanders win for biking; Bostonians walk most); analyze how a city's fatality rate relates to its rate of biking and walking to work (there's a strong reverse correlation), and analyze how levels of biking and walking in the US are changing over time (it's gradually increasing). Read more.

Bike Parking Overtakes Auto Parking in Some Places

Interestingly, Arlington gives as much attention to bike parking as it does auto parking. As bike ridership numbers rise in D.C. (and nationally), so does the demand for bike parking. The county currently requires developers of site-plan buildings to construct one bike parking space per 2.5 residential units. Read more.

High-quality traffic-free routes encourage more walking and cycling

The provision of new, high-quality, traffic-free cycling and walking routes in local communities has encouraged more people to get about by foot and by bike, according to a new study published today in the American Journal of Public Health. Read more.

Peel - New Active Transportation Infrastructure

The AT Plan identifies Derry Road as part of the regional pedestrian and cycling networks as a needed east-west connection. Read more.

Toronto - Olivia Chow plans 200 km of bike lanes in 4 years

Mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is proposing building 200 kilometres of bike lanes within four years. Read more.

U.K. - Cycling infrastructure spending needs increasing at least fivefold, say MPs

The government should increase annual spending on cycle infrastructure to at least £10 a person by 2020 if significant numbers of Britons are to be tempted on to their bikes, a cross-party group of MPs has said. The report from the House of Commons transport committee calls on ministers to show more coherent political leadership on the matter, with safe cycling made central to any new infrastructure projects. Read more.

What If You Could Choose Between the Fastest Route and the Most Beautiful?

Inspired in part by psychogeography theory (which emphasizes playfulness in travel), a group of researchers from Yahoo! Labs in Barcelona in collaboration with University of Torino sought to add a bit of pep to these services. In a newly released paper, they explore how mapping apps could theoretically generate short walking routes that are more beautiful or quiet than standard offerings. Read more.

Toronto - The 2014 Complete Streets Forum - Venue announced

The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) is excited to announce that the 7th annual Complete Streets Forum on October 6th, 2014 will be held at Daniels Spectrum in downtown Toronto. We look forward to welcoming our delegates to this beautiful cultural and community venue embedded in a walkable, bikeable, and vibrant neighbourhood. Read more.

Los Angeles - 40% of Proceeds from ExpressLanes Going to Active Transportation

Over $26 million in funds collected by variable toll lanes on the I-10 and I-110 were programmed, pending Board approval, for projects that include a Downtown Los Angeles Bike Share program, a Union Station Bike Hub, MyFigueroa outreach/marketing, and active transportation projects in El Monte, Carson, Monterey Park, Baldwin Park, and other parts of the county. The rest of the programmed funds will go towards improvements in station access to the express bus services, improvements to the ExpressLanes themselves, and even a Dodger Stadium Express bus service for the South Bay area. Read more.

Portugal fights for coastal bike lane

Citizens of the municipality of Oeiras, the most car-dependent place in Portugal, have voted strongly in favour of the ‘Ciclovia na Marginal’ proposal to convert a second car lane into a coastal bicycle lane. An article published by ECF in April 2014 outlines the difficulties faced by a community plagued by a ‘dictatorship of cars’.  Read more.

Scotland - New national walking and cycling network announced

For the first time, Scotland now has a high level commitment to develop a national walking and cycling network within the National Planning Framework which was published today. When fully developed, this network of long distance routes will enable people to exploit the opportunities on their doorsteps for walking and cycling, both for leisure purposes and for everyday trips Read more.

How to Inspire Millions More People to Bike

You can see big changes happening across North America as communities from Fairbanks to St. Petersburg transform their streets into appealing places for people, not just cars and trucks. Read more.

2nd Annual VeloWorks Cycling Society Conference - VeloWorks 2014!

Building upon the legacy of the Velo-city Global 2012, this two day event will continue the dialogue, networking and education designed to support and encourage cycling as an integral part of daily life. Read more.

Cycling to work on the rise

Study offers commuting safety data for cyclists and city planners. As the number of cyclists increases across the nation, so too does the need for safety regulations – as evidenced by a study generated at the University of Colorado Denver. Read more.

Pedestrian death renews calls for crossing lights

The City of Montreal is under pressure to install crossing lights at a number of busy intersections following the death of Huguette Bergeron. Bergeron, 77, died after being hit and pinned under a truck as it turned left on a green light at the intersection of Bélanger Street and Châteaubriand Avenue in the Rosemont –​ La Petite-Patrie borough. Read more.

Airbus wants to patent a bicycle-style airline seat

The airplane manufacturer has filed a seat patent with a design that props passengers up in a narrow seat, and when the seats are unused, they fold vertically to save space.   Cushions are shaped liked bicycle saddles and missing is what the patent application calls "bulk" –meaning the stuff taken up by cushions-- a tray table and a headrest. Read more.

Economic Value of Active Transportation Fact Sheets

Healthy Living Niagara created Economic Value of Active Transportation Fact Sheets to provide evidence to encourage infrastructure investments and policies that support walking and cycling more often. Read more.

Washington is a walking, biking city

Washington ranks seventh in the nation among cities where bicycling to work has gained in popularity and is second only to Boston when it comes to walking to work, according to Census Bureau data. Read more.

Helsinki's Vision for Ending Car Ownership: Best #CityReads of the Week

Helsinki aims to transcend conventional public transport by allowing people to purchase mobility in real time, straight from their smartphones. The hope is to furnish riders with an array of options so cheap, flexible and well-coordinated that it becomes competitive with private car ownership not merely on cost, but on convenience and ease of use. Read more.

‘CrowBomb’ stunt alarms drivers on Crowchild Trail

An annual cyclist event called ‘CrowBomb’ has raised concerns from drivers. The event sees cyclists head down Crowchild Trail during rush hour, and while they usually stick to the far right lane they’ve been known to also weave in and out of traffic on the high-speed roadway. Read more.

Rolling out more room for cyclists in Halifax

According to city staff, features of the lane project include a painted bike lane on the right side of the street, from south of Cogswell Street to South Street. About 50 parking spots are to be eliminated. Read more.

Vancouver’s new focus on cost-sharing of walking access to transit

Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation released their 10-year vision last week, which included investment in walking access to transit. The vision stated it holds the greatest promise to preserve a high quality of life for some and improve it for many others, reducing the time and money we all spend travelling and creating choice for those who want to shift to transit, cycling or walking. Read more.

Does bike share reduce car use?

We are pleased to announce the world's first international review of bike share's impact on car use has been published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport & Environment. Bike share's impact on car use: evidence from the United States, Great Britain, and Australia details how bike share programs in Washington, D.C, Minneapolis/St. Paul, London, Melbourne and Brisbane impact on car use - with some surprising findings. Read more.

Cyclists explain why they sometimes ride on the sidewalk in downtown D.C.

“The reason that cyclists use the sidewalks is that they don’t want to die,” wrote the District’s John Glad. “If and when they are provided with dedicated bike lanes that are not accessible to drivers, they will be only too happy to use them.” Read more.

Vancouver - Bike Rave 2014

Last night's #BikeRave saw 5,000 brightly-lit bikes hit the seawalls and parks of Vancouver. All photos by Chris and Melissa Bruntlett. Photos.

How Low-Income Commuters View Cycling

Cycling just isn't popular among the urban poor (yet). In 2012, respondents ranked cycling seventh out of nine transport modes, ahead of only taxis and bike sharing. Cycling barriers included poor road safety, poor or lacking infrastructure (e.g. bike lanes, racks, or storage), distance, and physical exertion. Read more.

Battle over the North Park Street roundabouts in Halifax

Ben Wedge, co-chair of the Halifax Cycling Coalition, said the roundabouts lack features that would make the area safer for cyclists. Although from some approaches the roundabouts feature a dedicated bike lane, he said from other directions cyclists will have to walk through the traffic circles. Read more.

It`s Your Move Video Series

TCAT has released the eighth video in the It`s Your Move series featuring Vito Tolone, Senior Transportation Planner at the City of Burlington. This video highlights how Burlington’s recent Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update explicitly recognizes that the automobile is not the only way that people travel. The update, called Go Your Way, sets out a 20-year vision for transportation to ensure that the transportation infrastructure, services and operational policies are aligned to accommodate Burlington’s expected growth. To achieve this, the plan is focused on creating a balanced and accessible transportation system for all modes of travel including transit, cyclists, pedestrians and automobiles. See video.

Calgary’s typical cyclist: a helmeted man who prefers pathways

Calgary hardly bothered counting in northeast Calgary, where there are precious few bike-only routes or safe ways to cross the Deerfoot. Nothing on the east greenway, which is almost strictly a leisure route. The Bow pathway, as anyone who’s tried jogging or dog-walking along it in the morning, is a commuter route; some senior city planners have called it the cyclist’s Deerfoot. More than half of all cycle trips counted were in and around the city core. Read more.

Strange As It Seems, Cycling Haters Are a Sign of Cycling Success

As major American cities embrace multimodal transportation and balanced mobility networks, cycling has shifted from an outsider enterprise to the mainstream. That shift, in turn, has produced a new psychological strain for drivers accustomed to the belief they own the road. Read more.

Winnipeg - Bike route across Fort Garry Bridge coming

The city is building a multi-use pathway across the Fort Garry Bridge after a man biking to a Bombers game was fatally struck. The path is part of the 2013 Active Transportation Plan and was funded last year. Read more.

Cycling Is The New Hobby For Rich People In The UK

Once a niche sport, cycling has become so popular in Britain that it has spawned a new breed of fans who would rather buy a bike than a Ferrari and who confront their expanding waistlines by taking to the open road. Read more.

Plans to shift Toronto’s bicycle strategy into high gear in the works

After years of backpedalling, Ontario is getting back on the path to creating a province-wide cycling network. And in Toronto, where critics point out the city has failed to deliver the 495 km of bikeways it promised in 2001, there’s a new strategy in the works. Read more.

Bike Plans in Other Cities: Amsterdam, Calgary and Chicago

Regardless of the city, the success of any master plan will depend tremendously on the commitment of city agencies to implement the recommended strategies, significant and sustained funding, continued political support and strong partnerships within the cycling community. Read more.

Cycling success story from Rio de Janeiro

Not only are there 120,000 bike trips per day in Rio, Zé Lobo’s CycleLogistics study has also found that 38% of deliveries in Rio are made by cycle. Armed with these figures,  Transporte Ativo has been able to persuade the municipalities to start investing more resources into cycling.  Read more.

Halifax is making it easier to step out of cars with its active transportation plan

The 91-page report, called Making Connections: 2014-19 Halifax Active Transportation Priorities Plan, is an update to a document penned eight years ago in an attempt to get more Haligonians out of their cars and on their feet. Read more.

Can buses and bikes safely use the same reserved lane?

The Société de transport de Montréal is touting a planned 1.8-kilometre reserved lane on Viau St. as a bold pilot project that will test cohabitation between city buses, taxis and bikes. Read more.

Montréal - Cycling ban lifted at Jeanne-Mance Park

In June, Montreal prohibited cycling everywhere in the park except for the bike lane, with a penalty of a $100 fine. The non-profit group, Vélo Québec, released a communiqué criticizing the cycling ban on Thursday. The next day, the organization got its wish. The city lifted the ban Friday afternoon and asked the borough to remove the four signs. Read more.

Calgary bike report finds majority wear helmets, 79% are men

The City of Calgary has some new statistics to track local cycling trends in its first-ever Bicycle Count report. It found more than 19,000 cyclists at 51 different locations during the summer of 2013. Read more.

America's first skateboarding cop: Officer combines his hobby with work to patrols parks and neighborhoods

The world's first skateboard cop is now patrolling the streets of America on his longboard. Officer Joel Zwicky, 40, keeps tabs on his patch while riding around on a Green Bay police customised board. He patrols the parks and pavements on his skateboard - while wearing his kevlar vest, sidearm, ammunition and radio as normal. Read more.

Cyclists and motorists are both responsible for road safety

If I could find that guy and talk to him, I might mention the helmet thing. But I also would thank him. First, for yelling at me. That saved us both a lot of misery. Second, for making me a better driver. And third, for making me a better cyclist. Read more.

Why Bikes Make Smart People Say Dumb Things

An NPR journalist’s fumbled tweet exposes a hole in the debate about urban cycling. Read more.

New Video - It's Your Move

Each video in this series features a leader living in Halton, York, Peel, Durham, Hamilton or Toronto and shares personal and professional stories about the benefits of active transportation. By promoting how these leaders and residents use walking and cycling to enrich their lives and their communities, each video in turn builds recognition for the importance of walking and cycling networks as we expand regional transportation to move the GTHA. See video.