Ryan Whitney, the Complete Streets Researcher and Program Manager here at TCAT, has been busy establishing the methods for the Complete Streets Gap Analysis due to be completed in mid-January 2012. The Gap Analysis will provide a comprehensive overview of Complete Streets policy language, or similar policy language, in Ontario as well as barriers to implementing these policies. The research will also include a Case Studies section that will profile several exceptional communities across the province working towards Complete Streets.

On September 7, 2011 Toronto's Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) adopted, with amendments, two items relating to cyclist and pedestrian safety.

More and more people are turning to bicycling as a mode of transportation and as a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. According to a recent study by the London School of Economics, featured in Bike Biz, the bicycle industry is booming. However, along with this transition are growing concerns over the safety of cyclists.

While the bikeway decisions were a mixed bag, at its July 13 2011 meeting, City Council approved two important decisions to improve pedestrian safety.

To have separated bike lanes or not to? Over the last four years, New York City has transformed some of its major arterial streets to make them safer for all road users and to provide more space for walking, biking, and transit. These streets have been redesigned with broad support from the community, leaders, experts, and local businesses and the results have been dramatic.

Green Communities' Canada Walks presents a free 90 minute webinar featuring presenter, Kim Bergeron, PhD. Candidate, Queen’s University. This webinar will answer the question, “From the evidence, what do we know about the association between the built environment and injury risk and prevention?” This session will also present strategies to reduce injury risk through the design of the built environment, with a focus on pedestrian design.

Date: Thursday, October 28, 2010

Time: 9:30 am to 11:00 am

The City is continuing to install zebra markings at pedestrian crossings. Zebra striped pedestrian crossing make pedestrian crossings more visible, with the goal of making our streets safer.

In 2006, City Council adopted the Zebra Crossing Policy, which makes the markings "the standard crosswalk marking treatment for all signalized intersections and pedestrian crossovers in conjunction with all road reconstruction and resurfacing projects, and with all new traffic control signal and pedestrian crossover installations."

Green Communities Canada officially launched the iCANwalk Campaign on Friday, September 10th, to run through March 2011. The purpose of iCANwalk is to: