February 15, 2011
Recent TCAT activities and news items:
- Complete Streets Forum: Keynote Speakers Announced!
- TCAT Welcomes New Steering Committee Members
- Toronto Walking Strategy wins FCM Transportation Award
- More Buzz About Separated Bike Lanes
1. Complete Streets Forum: Keynote Speakers Announced!
We are very excited to announce some of the world's foremost authorities on active transportation as keynote speakers for TCAT's 2011 Complete Streets Forum. Our guests are respected and accomplished leaders who have made great things happen in their communities for pedestrians and cyclists – and in doing so, helped make their cities healthy, livable, and vibrant.
Save the date for the Forum (April 28 & 29) – registration will open soon! Join us as we work together to make Complete Streets a reality.
MIA BIRK
Mia Birk is President of Alta Planning + Design, Principal at Alta Bicycle Share, and co-founder of Portland State University’s Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation. Formerly the Bicycle Program Manager for the City of Portland, she recently wrote a book titled Joyride: Pedaling Toward a Healthier Planet.
MICHEL LABRECQUE
Michel Labrecque is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Société de transport de Montréal. A former city councillor and radio/television commentator, Labrecque was involved in the creation of Maison des cyclistes, the Tour de l’Île de Montréal and La Route verte (4000 km of bikeways – the longest cycling route in the Americas) as President of Vélo Québec.
ROELOF WITTINK
Roelof Wittink is a specialist on traffic behaviour who has widely published on the topics of behavioural modifications, traffic education, attitudes on road behaviour, social marketing, and the benefits of cycling. One of the founders of I-CE, Wittink received the 2010 Leadership Award for Cycling Promotion from the Cycling Embassy of Denmark.
We are very grateful for the support of our partners. Learn more about our sponsors or how to partner with TCAT here.
Stay tuned for more announcements including the full slate of knowledgeable and inspiring local speakers included in our program. Registration opening soon!
2. TCAT Welcomes New Steering Committee Members
In 2010 TCAT underwent a strategic planning process. Steering committee members reached out to key stakeholders to get feedback on TCAT's past projects and solicit advice on future directions. It was an extremely useful and confirming process for the work we are doing, and provided TCAT with a solid framework to move forward. For the duration of the strategic plan process, the steering committee decided not to fill spots that became vacant as members completed their terms. As a result, by the end of 2010 there were seven open spots on the committee.
In December 2010, a call was issued a for new steering committee members for a minimum two-year term. We were pleased to receive a large number of high quality applicants, but this also meant we had to make difficult choices in filling a limited number of spaces. A sub-committee of the steering committee reviewed the applications, interviewed the candidates, and made selections based on TCAT's needs as determined by our strategic planning process.
We are extremely pleased to welcome our new members to the steering committee, who bring a range of expertise, talent and experience to guide TCAT's work. The new members are: James Chan, Keagan Gartz, Chris Hardwicke, David McElroy, Thomas Smahel, Jonathan Yazer, and Darryl Young. Find out more the new and continuing members here.
We want to take this opportunity to thank our outgoing 2010 steering committee members for their time, dedication and numerous contributions, made both collectively and individually to building TCAT: Allyson Amster, Andrew Bieler, Anthony Humphreys, Rebekah McGurran, Jennifer Niece, Dylan Passmore, and Stephanie Tencer.
3. Toronto Walking Strategy wins FCM Transportation Award
Congratulations to the City of Toronto Public Realm Office for winning an award for their excellent Walking Strategy. The award was announced in Vancouver last week by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for excellence, leadership and innovation in the transportation category.
"This is a terrific honour for the City of Toronto," said Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong (Ward 34 Don Valley East), Chair of the City's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. "This award recognizes the City's efforts to improve our communities so people can enjoy opportunities to walk safely and comfortably."
4. More Buzz about Separated Bike Lanes
In the last TCAT News we reported on some new studies that showed increased ridership in London and Montreal after the installation of "separated bike lanes". Separated bike lanes, also known as cycle tracks, provide some kind of barrier between motor-vehicle and bicycle traffic. An on-line buzz has continued on this topic over the last two weeks.
As reported in Streetsblog, another new research study has been released, this time from Harvard's School for Public Health, published in the journal Injury Prevention. The study found that cycle tracks attract 2.5 times more cyclists and result in fewer injuries. A Streetsblog reader posted this excellent video that focuses on how cycle tracks work at intersections in the Netherlands.
Also in recent news is a report from Vancouver about "Business for Bikes", a coalition of Vancouver businesses who believe separated bike lanes will "benefit their bottom line and make the region a better place to do business."
And finally, the iBikeTO blog provides a list of reasons why separated bike lanes should be given a chance in Toronto.
