June 27, 2012

27 Jun 2012

Recent TCAT activities and news items:

  1. Complete Streets Forum 2012 - Summary Report
  2. TCAT at Velo-City conference
  3. Active Transportation Internship opportunity
  4. Cycling Death Review - Coroner's Report Released
  5. MOVE Transportation Expo opens June 30
  6. Wellesley St. and Hoskin Ave. Bike Lane Upgrades - Open House tonight!

1. Complete Streets Forum 2012 - Summary Report

TCAT's fifth annual Complete Streets Forum was held April 23, 2012 at Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works, and gathered designers, planners, engineers, and advocates to discuss the implementation of Complete Streets across Canada. 250 participants were engaged in workshops, keynotes, interactive panel discussions, and networking throughout the day.
 
We're pleased to announce that we've released the Summary Report which highlights key points and lessons learned throughout the Forum. The session summaries include important quotes and points raised by speakers, as well as key graphics that illustrate the main points. If you would like copies to distribute, please email TCAT. An online PDF version of the report is also freely available to download. Our website also includes archives of forum resources, including event media, and PowerPoint slides.
 
Many thanks to all of our speakers and sponsors who made the Complete Streets Forum 2012 possible!

2. TCAT at Velo-City conference
TCAT is well represented at Velo-city Global 2012, the world's premier international cycling planning conference, taking place in Vancouver right now. On Friday June 29th at 1:30 p.m., Ryan Whitney will be discussing the results of his gap analysis research in a presentation titled "Complete Streets in Ontario and Beyond: Context, Centralization, and Barriers to Implementation in the Canadian Context".

Ryan reports that the message to date at the conference has been strong and consistent: to create change for cycling we need strong and passionate political leaders and an actively engaged public to support change. TCAT steering committee members Chris Hardwicke and Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati are also presenting and Jacquelyn is posting updates on twitter as are many conference-goers.

3. Active Transportation Internship opportunity
Clean Air Partnership is seeking an Active Transportation Intern who will:

  • Undertake a literature review of reports identifying the costs and benefits of active transportation and addressing the business case for the public health benefits for active transportation;
  • Summarize the key lessons learned and findings of the above reports;
  • Identify and document the health care costs associated with reduced physical activity and obesity highlighted in the report; and
  • Identify general costs associated with various forms of active transportation infrastructure.

The intern can be accommodated by a full time position for the summer months (July and August) and/or part-time (continuing into the fall of 2012). This intern position will be compensated by honorarium.

Download the full job description here. If interested, please send resume and cover letter to gkalapos@cleanairpartnership.org by Friday July 6th.

4. Cycling Death Review - Coroner's Report Released

This month, the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario released its report reviewing all 129 accidental cycling deaths in Ontario between 2006 and 2010. The report notes that every cycling death reviewed was preventable and includes 14 recommendations, each supported by data from the cases reviewed. These recommendations fit into four categories put forward by the report; Infrastructure, Education, Enforcement, Legislation. 
 
While there has been much attention and discussion about the recommendation calling for mandatory helmet legislation, recommendations for infrastructure, education, and enforcement also have great potential to make cycling safer. Notably, the first recommendation proposes a complete streets approach for new and redeveloping communities. This theme recognizes the importance of physical roadway characteristics in making our streets safer for cyclists (and all road users in general). 
 
The complete report, with details of all 14 details recommendations, is available online. TCAT's contribution to the call for public feedback is available on our website.

5. MOVE Transportation Expo opens June 30

TCAT was pleased to attend a preview of the MOVE Expo, a transportation multi-sensory tour at Evergreen Brick Works that explores the past, present and future of transportation; an exploration of the innovative ideas and technologies needed to build and connect our communities in efficient and sustainable ways. The exhibit will run until October 28th and is definitely worth checking out.

In the months leading up the Expo, Evergreen staff posed 10 regionally-based transportation challenges to leading innovators and experts who were asked to share their ideas in a series of brainstorming sessions, or “charrettes”. TCAT staff and steering committee members were invited to participate in three of the challenges: Shared Spaces, Energyway, and Boom or Bust.

An ingenious part of the exhibit is Month in a Car, where a student has agreed to spend a month in a car. With an average car commute of 80 minutes on average per day, this live demonstration represents the entire month (!) that many Torontonians spend in their car each year.


6. Wellesley St. and Hoskin Ave. Bike Lane Upgrades - Open House tonight!

Cycle Toronto (formerly the Toronto Cyclists Union) encourages you to attend a community meeting regarding the Wellesley-Hoskin bike track project, on Wednesday June 27th from 6-8:00 pm at 444 Sherbourne St. This public open house will provide an opportunity to discuss the project, provide input on the development of the roadway, and review the designs for improved bike lanes. Information about this project is available on the City of Toronto's website, while details about the open house, including other ways to provide input if you cannot attend, are found in the meeting notice.