February 9, 2010
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Recent TCAT activities and news items:
- Pedestrian Media Attention Continues
- TCAT at #voteTOin416: Feb 11
- Trinity Bellwoods Multi-use Path Upgrade Open House: Feb 24
- TCAT participates in York-Bay-Yonge Urban Design Workshop
- Bike Summit 2009 appreciated stateside
- Save the Date for TCAT's Complete Streets Forum: Apr 22-23
- Recent Research Reports
1. Pedestrian Media Attention Continues
In the last TCAT News we noted that the bulk of the Toronto media coverage of January's pedestrian fatalities was unbalanced by concentrating more on pedestrian behaviour than on street design. We are happy to report that there has been some excellent coverage in recent weeks. Follow the links below for some of the best we've seen or heard.
- Design Flaws: An audio interview with Paul Hess, professor of urban planning at the University of Toronto, on CBC's Metro Morning.
- Anatomy of a Toronto street corner. Christopher Hume, Toronto Star, examines how poorly pedestrians are being served at Bay and Front.
- Car-friendly suburban streets can be deadly for pedestrians. Toronto Star opinion piece written by Dylan Reid, Co-Chair of the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, and associate editor of Spacing magazine.
- Who's to blame: jaywalkers or drivers? Jane Farrow, Executive Director of Jane's Walk is interviewed in a Globe and Mail video. (Jane's interview starts at 0.48)
- Why did the police take aim at pedestrians? Dylan Reid, Spacing, provides an analysis of the police's pedestrian ticketing blitz.
- Maybe we'd all be safer jaywalking. Christopher Hume, Toronto Star, critiques the crackdown on "jaywalking" and points out that in the majority of the recent fatalities, the pedestrians were crossing legally.
2. TCAT at #voteTOin416: Feb 11
#voteTOin416 is an innovative event featuring fourteen speakers who have been selected to pitch their alternative visions of a better City of Toronto in four minutes and 16 seconds or less. Nancy Smith Lea, TCAT's Program Director, will talk about the need for a complete streets policy that ensures that streets are designed for the safety and comfort of all road users.
Date: Thursday, February 11
Time: Doors: 6:00 p.m., Presentations and performances: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Location: The Annex Live, 296 Brunswick Avenue (at Bloor), about mid-way between Bathurst and Spadina stations
Cost: Free
3. Trinity Bellwoods Multi-use Path Upgrade Open House: Feb 24
The City of Toronto's Cycling Infrastructure and Programs unit is hosting a Public Open House on proposed upgrades to the existing multi-use paths in Trinity Bellwoods Park. It will be important for cyclists and pedestrians to attend and share their feedback on the proposed realignment and resurfacing, both with City staff and fellow park users.
Date: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 4:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Location: Trinity C.R.C., 155 Crawford St., Assembly Hall
Background
In the fall and winter of 2008-09, the City of Toronto worked with local cyclists to identify ways to improve cycling conditions in the west end of downtown. Two routes identified through this process (10 Argyle-Robinson, and 29A Strachan-Shaw) require connections through Trinity Bellwoods Park.
To provide these connections through the park, the City is proposing to upgrade the existing multi-use path through realignment and resurfacing. The purpose of the proposed changes is to improve bikeway connections while making the paths safer and more comfortable for all path users, including pedestrians. Detailed drawings will be on display at the Open House.
For more information click here. If you are unable to attend the open house and would like to provide feedback, a comment form will be posted online during the week of the Open House.
4. TCAT participates in York-Bay-Yonge Urban Design Workshop
TCAT was invited to participate in an urban design workshop as part of the York-Bay-Yonge Interchange Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment. Participants explored design strategies and community building opportunities made possible by the proposed reconfiguration of the Gardiner Expressway interchange.
Michelle St-Amour, TCAT steering committee member co-chair, attended and provided input into preferred design options from a cyclist and pedestrian perspective. One of Michelle's photos from the day can be seen here. Also, Michelle is posting this and other updates on a regular basis to TCAT's Facebook page. Click here and become a TCAT fan today!
5. Bike Summit 2009 appreciated stateside
In a recent blog entry, the Alliance for Biking and Walking based in Washington, D.C. had some kind words to say about TCAT's Bike Summit 2009 videos and summary report.
6. Save the Date for TCAT's Complete Streets Forum: Apr 22-23
Don't forget to save the date for TCAT's upcoming Complete Streets Forum taking place on April 22-23, 2010. Building on the success of TCAT's Bike Summit 2008 and 2009, the Complete Streets Forum will expand the mandate and scope of TCAT's annual active transportation policy conference. Registration opening soon!
7. Recent Research Reports
Two recent research reports that may be of interest:
1. In January 2010, respected researchers John Pucher, Jennifer Dill, and Susan Handy released a comprehensive review of 139 studies to assess the effects of various interventions on levels of bicycling. The researchers found that it was difficult to generalize about which bicycle-friendly policies and programs are the most effective since so few existing research studies contain evaluation both before and after a change is made and "control" groups are rarely used. "Without an experimental design, it is difficult or impossible to control for other relevant factors such as cost and convenience of car use, income levels, urban form, and other factors that might be more important in affecting bicycling levels than explicitly pro-bicycle policies." The report, titled "Infrastructure, Programs and Policies to Increase Bicycling: An International Review," was published in the Preventive Medicine journal and can be downloaded for free "here.
2. A recent technical report by the Center for Transportation Research at the University of Texas at Austin provides an excellent in-depth look at the effects of on-street parking on cyclists. Over 6,400 observations of motorists and/or cyclists adjacent to on-street parking revealed some interesting findings: that "on-street parking has a significant impact on motorist and cyclist position; a bike lane combined with a buffer space is the only way to completely remove cyclists from the door zone, and operationally, a bicycle lane is more effective than a wide outside lane". The researchers also developed a web-based survey completed by 1,863 respondents that found that bicyclists prefer routes without on-street parking. As a result of the study, the Texas Department of Transportation updated its bike facilities guide. Download a PDF version of the report here. Thanks to Active Transportation Canada for posting this report and many more valuable resources.
Cycling events:
- Bikechain events calendar
- Bike Events T.O., a joint project of Toronto Cyclists Union, Community Bicycle Network, and I Bike T.O.
- Biking Toronto events calendar
- City of Toronto cycling events
Walking events:
- Heritage Toronto Walks
- High Park Nature Centre
- Jane's Walk
- A Stroll in the Park
- Toronto Bruce Trail Club
- Toronto Field Naturalists
- Toronto Ornithological Club
If you know of other cycling or pedestrian related calendars to include, please let us know by e-mailing info@tcat.ca
TCAT News - Help spread the word!
TCAT is continually looking to increase its list of supporters. It helps to be able to say how many people and organizations support the work we do when we speak with City Councillors, City staff, and the media, or put out a publication. Please send this message to any groups or individuals you think would be interested in learning more about TCAT, receiving our weekly e-Bulletin, or volunteering with TCAT.
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