Annapolis County embarks on active transportation plan; meeting in Nictaux January 23

The County of Annapolis is looking to improve and/or connect neighbouring communities with safer walkable/bikeable solutions, and the public is being asked to share their ideas. An open discussion is being held on January 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Nictaux Fire Hall (9349 Highway 10, Nictaux) to talk about an Active Transportation (AT) Plan. Read more.

Skateboards can coexist with cars on our roads

Victoria, apparently, is a city on the forefront of alternative, green transportation in Canada. Yet little has been done to protect one of the most convenient forms of transportation: the skateboard. Read more.

LAPD misses the mark on strategies to improve safety on our streets

You might have noticed the story on the LAPD’s jaywalking crackdown that’s been featured in the Downtown News, KPCC, and, most recently, the New York Times. Tickets are being issued for jaywalking, even at marked intersections, if the pedestrian leaves the curb after the “countdown” begins. Los Angeles Walks finds the new LAPD strategy of targeting and ticketing pedestrians who are jaywalking deeply troubling. Read more.

What if you knew how to stop cycling deaths. Would you do anything?

The report concluded that road conditions were such that cyclists have to choose between safety and being legal, and often (and correctly) chose safety. They authors suggested that we must fix this, and came up with four simple, cheap and effective recommendations. Read more.

The unstoppable rise of bikes

Bicycling’s recent rise to the spotlight isn’t just a passing fad, argues writer and bike activist Elly Blue. Instead, she says, growing numbers of people are beginning to recognize the tangible benefits — to themselves and to their cities — of trading in cars for self-powered transportation. Read more.

The Winter Cycling Congress has been extended!

The 2014 Winnipeg Winter Cycling Congress Team has received interest from more than 50 speakers throughout Canada, the United States, Finland, and Denmark! Therefore, the congress has been extended from a two-day to a three-day conference. Read more.

word wars: urbanism, urban

I use urbanist routinely to mean "people who care about sustainable cities and the livability of dense cities in particular." I haven't found another good word for this, and on reflection, I think urbanism deserves a vigorous defense. Read more.

Europe's Most Congested City Contemplates Going Car-Free

If the city’s new mayor gets his way, Central Brussels will soon be essentially car-free. Socialist Party mayor Yvan Mayeur, sworn in last month as mayor of the Brussels City district, wants to turn the Belgian capital's central axis into a pedestrian zone. Read more.

Defining the Worst Type of Street Design

The STROAD design -- a street/road hybrid -- is the futon of transportation alternatives. Where a futon is a piece of furniture that serves both as an uncomfortable couch and an uncomfortable bed, a STROAD moves cars at speeds too slow to get around efficiently but too fast to support productive private sector investment. The result is an expensive highway and a declining tax base. Read more.

How Montreal tracks cyclists

Montreal consistently is ranked as the best bicycling city in North America and among the most cycling-friendly cities in the world. One reason is because bicycling as a means of transportation has moved out of a niche culture and into the mainstream, especially since bicycle sharing became a regular feature of the city's streets. Read more.