Kingston - Local Students Try Out Walking to School for a Change

Some of the students at Lancaster Drive Public School will take an unusual bus to school tomorrow. Instead of the traditional yellow-orange four-wheeler most are used to, students will take a ride to school on the walking school bus, a program developed through Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) Canada.

Owen Sound - Bike lanes worth it, Wynne says

[Province of Ontario] Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne said Tuesday that paved shoulders on Hwy. 6 should improve safety for cyclists and drivers and help the area's economy by boosting tourism.Crews are resurfacing and paving shoulders one metre wide on the 66-kilometres of Hwy. 6 between Mar and Tobermory, as well as 23 km. on Manitoulin Island north of Hwy. 542. It's part of a trial project for the province's new active transportation program that will see more cyclists sharing the road with drivers.

"I think it's important that when we are making policy on infrastructure that we look at the economic needs of communities, and this area is so important in terms of tourism. It's about bike and vehicle safety and it's also about economic development and tourism," Wynne said. "We're told that this extra metre of pavement on the side of the road is going to make a big difference for the cyclists, and to be fair, I think it makes a big difference for the other vehicles that are sharing the road with cyclists to know there is that margin on the side of the road."

Halifax - Committees to be consolidated

Halifax regional council gave the go-ahead yesterday to bring about 40 municipal committees under the heading of six “standing committees.” Under the standing committee structure, the majority of previously existing committees will be grouped by themes.

For example, the new standing committee for transportation will include the current active transport committee, transit advisory committee and the regional trails advisory.

Walking 6 to 9 Miles a Week May Help Save Memory

"We have always been in search of the drug or the magic pill to help treat brain disorders," noted Kirk I. Erickson, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and the study's lead author. "But really what we are after may be, at least partially, even simpler than that. Just by walking regularly, and so maintaining a little bit of moderate physical activity, you can reduce your likelihood of developing Alzheimer's disease and [can] spare brain tissue."

Moncton crews painting 'sharrows'

The outlines show a cyclist with two arrows above it, and city staff are calling them "sharrows." They will be painted on several city streets in the coming weeks to promote the sharing of the road between vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. It's all part of Moncton's active transportation plan, which was adopted by council in August.

Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation Papers

The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation presented two papers at the Walk21 Conference in the Hague.

Nancy Smith Lea's paper titled Converting On-Street Parking to Active Transportation in Toronto: Two Studies of Merchant and Patron Preferences can be downloaded: TCAT1

Stephanie Tencer's paper titled Contextualizing the Community Walkability Audit Tool is now available for download: TCAT2.

2011 World Record Walk

Green Communities Canada needs your votes in the AVIVA Community Fund competition! GCC aims to engage 1,000,000 Canadians in a joyous celebration of walking to break the World Record for the largest, simultaneous 1 km walk.

WE NEED YOUR HELP this month to make this project happen! Please consider supporting us by voting for the project. Voting continues through Dec. 2nd - you can vote once a day for the ten day period. The top ten ideas with the most votes go on to the semi-finals. You can also help spread the word to your networks, colleagues, and friends to encourage them to support this idea as well.

This will not simply be a one day event. It will be a year-long project designed to continue to build a culture of walking throughout Canada. The anticipated outcomes of the 2011 World Record Walk are:

1. Participation by 1 million Canadians in a simultaneous 1 km walking event
2. Extensive national media coverage focusing on the importance of walking and walkable communities and international media interest
3. Citizen engagement in the creation of more walkable communities
4. Municipal commitment to the International Charter of Walking and associated action plans to increase walkability and promote walking.
5. Increased levels of everyday walking by Canadians
Visit Canada Walks on facebook http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Canada-Walks/164765033556001 and click on “like” to stay on top of all the latest developments.
Thanks for your support!
Kind regards,
Kate Hall

Employment Opportunity

Position: Active Transportation Project Coordinator
Organization: Town of Bridgewater
Location: Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

The Town of Bridgewater (NS) is seeking an Active Transportation Project Coordinator for a part-time, paid, term position (8 months). The Coordinator will be primarily responsible for managing the Town of Bridgewater's "Workplace Travel Planning" (WTP) project which seeks to partner with local workplaces, and assist them.

Employment Opportunity - Ottawa

Position: Tour Co-ordinator/Liaison(s), Otesha Cycling and Performing Tours
Organization: The Otesha Project
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

The Otesha Project is seeking dedicated, organized, fun-loving person to co-ordinate one of our 2011 Cycling and Performing Tours, and then hit the road with the team, serving as its communications liaison. This is a brand new opportunity for 2011, and we're excited!

Bike-to-school advocates face uphill journey

The bike-to-work craze sweeping Vancouver has not caught on among Metro schoolchildren, say cycling advocates who believe they have identified the reasons parents don't encourage their kids to ride.