April 16, 2010

15 Apr 2010

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Recent TCAT activities and news items:

  1. Strong Show of Support Needed from Active Transportation Community - Apr 20
  2. Complete Streets Forum - Apr 22-23
  3. College Street Cycling Survey - Call for Participants - Apr 30
  4. TCAT Releases its New 2010 Platform and Review of AT Progress 2006-2009!

1. Strong Show of Support Needed from Active Transportation Community - Apr 20

There are several exciting and ambitious active transportation reports going forward to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) next week. Some, but not all, will require a strong show of community support in order to be approved at PWIC on Apr 20th and by City Council on May 11-12. Please email your support for these motions by April 19th at 12:00 noon to Candy Davidovits, Committee Administrator at cdavidov@toronto.ca or 416-392-8032.

Some highlights of the active transportation are below. The complete agenda of the Works Committee meeting can be found here.

  • PW32.6 Prohibition of Stopping at all Times Within 15 Metres on the Approach to a Pedestrian Crossover (PXO)

    • The current stopping prohibition in advance of PXOs is currently 9 metres. Extending it would provide an unobstructed advance sight line for drivers and enhance pedestrian safety. The full staff report on this item can be found here.

  • PW32.8 Proposed Public Bicycle Program

    • The last time TCAT reported on this issue the program was in jeopardy. Thanks to the 300+ support letters that Councillors received, and the tireless efforts of City staff, a public bikeshare system in Toronto is now much closer to reality! We urge readers to once again respond to the Toronto Cyclists Union 5-minute Call to Action to ensure this exciting program moves forward.

  • PW32.9 2010 Bikeway Network Program

    • Transportation Services is submitting its bikeway implementation plan based on the priorities it presented to Council last year. This plan calls for an increase of on-street bikeways in the downtown area and off-street bikeway trails in the North York and Scarborough Districts. Council approval is required for several new bicycle lanes (Bay St, Landsdowne Ave, Rathurn Road, Spadina Crescent, York Mills Road and Westhumber Blvd), for minor modifications to the existing bicycle lanes on Annette Street and Pharmacy Avenue, for a contra-flow lane on Brunswick Ave (pending community approval at a public meeting on Apr 19), and a pilot project to install and evaluate protected bicycle lanes on University Avenue and Queen's Park Crescent. A photo of what the proposed new pilot bike lanes on University would look like can be found here. The staff report for this item can be found here.

  • PW32.10 2010 Pedestrian Collision Summary Report

    • The Toronto Pedestrian Committee has recommended improvements to enhance pedestrian safety including accelerating the zebra crossing program and improving the function of the pedestrian countdown signals. The letter from the Toronto Pedestrian Committee can be found here and the staff report here.

2. Complete Streets Forum - Apr 22-23

Only one more week until TCAT's Complete Streets Forum on April 23, 2010 at Fairmont Royal York in Toronto with pre-conference activities taking place on April 22, 2010 at various locations.

With a stellar line-up of speakers, break-out sessions, workshops, networking opportunities and a beautiful venue, this is an event that is not to be missed. Over 185 people have signed up and we are nearing capacity. If you are planning on attending, please don't wait till the last minute - register today!

TCAT's Complete Streets Forum comes at an excellent time in Toronto as the debate about best to balance the needs of all road users swirls around us both in the media and in the mayoral candidate debates. Lorenzo Mele, Markham's transportation demand management coordinator, wrote a great article in yesterday's Toronto Star. Not only does he lay out a cogent argument about the need to apportion road space more equitably but he also informs readers about TCAT's Complete Streets Forum.

For more information, view the program agenda and event flyer and feel free to distribute widely to others who may be interested.

Please note that the preconference community event on Apr 22nd at 7 pm at Hart House is open to the general public as well as forum registrants. The event features Kaj Mook, Director, NS OV-Fiets (Bike Share), Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) and is co-sponsored by the Toronto Cyclists Union and the Netherlands Consulate General in Toronto. Register here.

The Complete Streets Forum is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and partners.

3. College Street Cycling Survey - Call for Participants - Apr 30

As announced in the last TCAT News, TCAT is working with the City of Toronto to evaluate cycling conditions on College Street before and after the installation of a new bicycle pavement marking application. By Apr 30th we are requesting that cyclists who ride along College Street during rush hour between Lansdowne Ave and Manning Ave complete a survey about your experience. Sign up and find more information about the survey here.

4. TCAT Releases its New 2010 Platform and Review of AT Progress 2006-2009!

With a municipal election on its way, we are pleased to release TCAT's 2010 platform titled Action 2014: Taking the Next Step (download in PDF format here.) TCAT's platform provides a detailed analysis of concrete steps that the city can take in all areas of its operations to improve walking and cycling in the next term of council from 2010 to 2014.

TCAT is also pleased to release its review of progress made during the current term of council up to the end of 2009. This detailed review can be found on-line here.

TCAT's new 2010 platform and its review of the 2006 platform was the result of hours and hours of hard work by many people. We have many to thank. First off a big thank you to TCAT's supporting organizations (now over 60) who shared their priorities and experience in an on-line survey and by attending two public meetings. City staff were also generous with their time in answering our questions and responding to requests for information. With many thanks to Martin Koob, Fred Sztabinski, Mateen Mahoboubi, and the members of the TCAT Steering Committee for all of their hard work in developing this new platform. 

TCAT is currently seeking funding to conduct a survey of all candidates in Toronto's 2010 municipal election based on the work of our new platform. The survey would provide an opportunity to raise candidates' awareness of active transportation challenges and solutions. It would also provide voters with information about the candidates' views on these issues. Please consider making a donation to TCAT to fund this work. For more information on TCAT's platform, click here.

Cycling events:

Walking events:

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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