traction
Canada's recent transit progress
The Urban Transportation Task Force of the Council of Deputy Ministers (which includes eight provinces and the federal government) has followed up its 2005 report Urban Transportation in Canada: Needs and Opportunities with a new report that highlights trends and challenges related to public transit in Canada.
The report Urban Transit in Canada: Taking Stock of Recent Progress offers a good summary of actions and outcomes in the transit sector since 2005, the status of current transit plans, and the need for non-fiscal support measures. It also makes four cautious recommendations that are sure to leave readers unsurprised.
Perhaps most notable is the very direct statement of an admirable concluding principle: "Canada’s future sustainable development – in terms of competitiveness, environmental stewardship, human health and social inclusion – will require fundamentally different patterns of transport use in small and large communities, in which particular priority is placed on collective forms of passenger transport, on active transport, on non-transport mobility options, and on urban goods movement, over and above the single-vehicle automobile."
Well said.
Pedaling Revolution indeed
This is a great book for those who want to know more about the evolution of cycling in North American cities -- with a focus on what's happening now in key American communities including Portland, Davis and New York. As background, it also presents the European situation with clarity and perspective. The author, Jeff Mapes, is a political journalist and does a great job of identifying the various tensions at play, while underscoring the benefits that stand to be reaped by communities that can make cycling work better. He resists the temptation to call for simplistic solutions, preferring to allow a number of key experts to present their own (frequently conflicting) cases. The Canadian content is glancing at best, but this does little to hinder the book's relevance for cities north of the border.
TDM toolkit for smaller communities
The Fraser Basin Council has published "Transportation Demand Management for Small and Mid-Size Communities," a new resource to help BC local governments – in particular those with fewer than 150,000 people – develop more sustainable transportation systems. The FBC also offers learning opportunities and other resources for local governments.
It's summer... where do I park my bike?
One of David Byrne's bike racks designed for New York City (photo by David Byrne)
Bike parking is not just lacking, but often plainly utilitarian. Bike racks are an overlooked opportunity to interject a bit of fun into the streetscape. And that would be fitting, because fun is a big reason that many of us ride our bikes to begin with.
A recent talk with Robin Bennett, cycling facilities coordinator for the City of Ottawa, turned to bike parking. I mentioned some "artistic" bike racks I had recently read about in New York City, designed by David Byrne of Talking Heads as discussed on his website. Then today, a posting on the transp-tdm listserv from Victor Sandors of Olympia, Washington, included a link to his extensive photo collection of novel and decorative public bike racks from around the world. In response, another listserv reader offered a link to a website documenting New York's recent public competition to design its next-generation on-street bike racks. All food for thought... and makes the good ol' post-and-ring look downright dowdy, doesn't it?
Edmonton's Local Motion project
The City of Edmonton, with funding from Transport Canada's ecoMOBILITY program, recently converted its Parkallen neighbourhood into an "ecomobile" community. The pilot project included creation of some great short documentary videos that are worth a look. Audra Jones, Edmonton's Director of Sustainable Transportation, says the City is now thinking about how it might extend the idea to other neighbourhoods.
Bike and transit to Rogers Cup
Tennis fans can reach this year's Rogers Cup tennis tournament at Jarry Park in Montreal using the free STM transit tickets that come along with their passes. They can also use Montreal's BIXI public bike system -- which has installed a temporary station on-site next to the main gate. BIXI staff were in attendance on Day 1 to help customers and make sure the high-tech BIXI bike stand didn't run out of bikes.
ACT Canada's TDM Summit
This year, ACT Canada will hold its Canadian TDM Summit at Toronto's Royal York Hotel, from November 15 to 18. Noxon Associates is pleased to be a sponsor of this year's event.
"Moving Cooler": Is Canada?
The newly released study, Moving Cooler: An Analysis of Transportation Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, is the first-ever comprehensive U.S. analysis of transportation efficiency and its relationship to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and consumer savings. Sponsored by transportation experts, industry, environmental organizations, federal agencies, trade associations and leading foundations and published by the Urban Land Institute, the report provides an objective and scientific analysis of the effectiveness and cost of almost 50 scalable transportation strategies to reduce GHG emissions. The report finds that combining various transportation approaches together could yield meaningful GHG emissions reductions, while also achieving fuel savings and savings to consumers on their transportation costs.
The only comparable analysis in Canada was conducted more than 10 years ago by the Transportation Climate Change Table. It's time for a new look at the issue, from a Canadian perspective.