A Comparison of Measures of Walkability in Relation to Transportation Behaviors, Obesity and Diabetes in Toronto, Canada

The design of suburban communities encourages car dependency and discourages walking, characteristics that have been implicated in the rise of obesity. Walkability measures have been developed to capture these features of urban built environments. Our objective was to examine the individual and combined associations of residential density and the presence of walkable destinations. Read more.

Document: Safe Routes to Everywhere

In this policy platform, the Partnership for Active Transportation recommends increased investment in active transportation, with a focus on filling gaps in networks, leveraged by the private value created by the infrastructure, and further driven by performance metrics and integration of health impacts into transportation decisions. Download the report.

Registration is Now Open for the Ontario Bike Summit

Share The Road is excited to announce that registration for the 6th Annual Ontario Bike Summit - I Bike I Vote, is now open!  The Summit takes place on April 14th & 15th at the Hyatt Regency on King, Toronto. Information about the Ontario Bike Summit as well as registration can be found here.

L.A.'s plan to make Figueroa a 'complete street' makes sense

Los Angeles is on the verge of transforming four miles of Figueroa from downtown to Exposition Park into the city's first "complete street," serving cars, buses, bicycles and pedestrians equally. The $20-million project, which would replace two car lanes with protected bike lanes, has been in development for six years. If completed, it will be a significant milestone in L.A.'s evolution from car-centric sprawl to walkable, bikeable urban villages. Read more.

A Clever Cargo-Bike Parking Solution

These days, cargo bikes are common enough on the streets where I live. But I still have no idea where people park the damn things, which are quite expensive and potentially tempting to thieves. Read more.

This is how bike progress happens: Each win begets the next

For people working to make biking safe and comfortable for more Americans, each step of the way can be frustrating. Is such-and-such improvement big enough to make a difference? It's a difficult dance. But Calgary, Alberta, is again proving that this dance is a two-step. Read more.

Cyclist heads down freeway, blames GPS

"He was blissfully unaware he'd committed any offense," added Sgt. Dix. This was before issuing him a fine of 50 British pounds (around $83) for being a complete nincompoop. I'm sorry, I meant for contravening a road traffic sign. Read more.

Zebra stripe crosswalks approved in Halifax

Halifax council has approved new markings for crosswalks without lights. The city plans to paint zebra crossings at all crosswalks that do not have flashing lights or are not part of major intersections. Read more.

How can the workplace encourage cycling?

The City of Victoria (BC, Canada) will soon be rolling out participation for its new Bicycle Master Plan. The goal of the plan is to identify key areas to improve connectivity and safety for cyclists. Read more.

Calgary crafting strategy for pedestrian promotion

Work on Calgary’s pedestrian plan is in its infancy. Planners will share the scope of it with councillors later this year. Coun. Druh Farrell, who has been calling for a citywide pedestrian strategy, primarily to improve safety, sees plenty of potential in the strategy. “How do you improve the pedestrian environment so that people feel comfortable and actually interested in going out and walking. That’s really the ultimate goal,” she said. Read more.