Health experts have given clear guidance that if we need to go out in public, we should maintain a two-metre distance from others. Cities are now grappling with the fact that sidewalks are less than two metres wide. Add in a lamp post, a transit stop, or a queue of people waiting to enter a store, and maintaining two metres of space quickly becomes impossible, unless you step off the curb and walk in the road.
In many cities around the world, people walking and cycling are now being invited to do exactly that. With fewer cars traveling on the roadways, cities are closing curb lanes to cars and creating additional, temporary spaces to help cyclists and pedestrians maintain their distance.
To dive deeper into the question of how and when to re-balance streets, TCAT has teamed up with Share the Road and is hosting a conversation on Making Space for Physical Distancing in Ontario (Wed Apr 22, 3pm). Participants will hear from Dr. Anne Harris, an epidemiologist from Ryerson University who recently co-wrote a letter of support for rebalancing streets and making more space for sidewalks and for cycling. Representatives from Brampton, including Councillor Rowena Santos, will also be sharing insights from the street rebalancing initiative currently underway there – one of the first in Ontario. Lastly, participants will be invited to participate in an initiative to co-develop a set of key questions for planners and advocates to use while rebalancing streets.
Webinar Details:
Wed April 22, 3pm EDT
Register online at this link: Making Space for Physical Distancing in Ontario