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In preparation for the upcoming municipal election, TCAT has been working through a process to review its 2006 platform and make updates for 2010. Following the background research, key interviews and meetings, on-line survey and public meeting on November 16, we are getting close to releasing a draft platform for our supporters to review and comment on before we finalize it and make it public. This final document will outline the coalition's priorities for the next term of Council to truly embrace and support biking and walking.
Please look out for the draft platform in early January and mark your calendars for another TCAT supporter meeting on January 25th. At this meeting we will present the final platform and develop a plan of action for raising the profile of active transportation in the 2010 election. We highly appreciate the input we've already received from our supporters and your insights and final approval are important to continuing the work of your coalition. Thank you.
The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT), a project of the Clean Air Partnership since 2008, is organizing its third annual active transportation conference in Toronto on Apr 22-23, 2010. (Please note the one day date difference from what was announced in the most recent TCAT News.)
The Complete Streets Forum has an number of unique elements that make it exciting for us to be working on and that we expect will also result in a valuable and stimulating event for participants.
Overall Goals
Government Partners
We are working closely with several municipal government partners to develop the program and to secure financial resources. Many thanks to our confirmed government partners to date: the City of Toronto (Transportation Services and Public Health), Halton Region, Region of Peel, and Regional Municipality of York.
Other Partners
We are just starting to invite other partners to participate but are so pleased to announce our first corporate sponsor is Mountain Equipment Co-Op and our first community partners are the Toronto Cyclists Union and the Share the Road Cycling Coalition.
Executive Committee
The Complete Streets Forum is being organized by an executive committee consisting of an experienced professional team, a unique collaboration between municipal staff and community groups who share the goal of promoting active transportation. Nancy Smith Lea, TCAT's Program Director, is taking the lead. The other members of the executive committee are Justin Lafontaine, Project Director of the Bike Train Initiative at Transportation Options who organized a high-profile Ontario Cycle Tourism Forum earlier this year and is developing a follow-up strategy session to that forum in conjunction with with the Complete Streets Forum. The third member of the team is Sean Wheldrake, Bicycle Promotions Coordinator in Transportation Services at the City of Toronto.
Participants
The active transportation communitiy is growing every day and it's a diverse and impresive group: transportation planners, engineers, transportation demand management and smart commute coordinators, public realm and pedestrian professionals, bicycle tourism and cycling events programmers, public health experts, urban designers, landscape architects, injury prevention specialists, cycling educators and researchers, authors and journalists, industry leaders, political champions, the advocates who break new ground, and so many more!
We want to give our participants the opportunity to tap into this joint expertise that is being developed and to proactively address the common issues we face together. We are building in lots of networking time into the Forum and we hope you will join us! Stay tuned for registration details in early 2010.
With the world's attention focused on the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, it's perfect timing to highlight how the Danish have embraced the bicycle, with all of its accompanying environmental, health and societal benefits. The Toronto Star has done just that over the past few days.
On Sat Dec 12th, Tess Kalinowski's article highlights ways in which Toronto is lagging behind Copenhagen in terms of accommodating cyclists. While some believe that Toronto could never see the level of cycling that a city like Copenhagen does, these objections are addressed by TCAT's Fred Sztabinsk, who recently returned from a year in Amsterdam and Copenhagen:
"Copenhagen was designed for the car in the 1950s through the 1970s," he said. "We need to get the message out that the majority of European countries were pursuing policies that favoured car travel in the decades following the Second World War as the car became easier to own.
"Things didn't happen overnight. These aren't cities that were always bike-friendly. They had to start over again. We're where they were 20 or 30 years ago," Sztabinski said.
The article also takes aim at Toronto's slow progress on providing bike lanes on Bloor Street. A Toronto Councillor was quoted as saying that so far we only have anecdotal evidence about the economic impacts of bike lanes on Bloor St. Yet in fact we do have scientific evidence in the Clean Air Partnership's research report released earlier this year. TCAT's Program Director Nancy Smith Lea wrote a letter of response that was published this week. The letter in full can also be downloaded here.
Also on Dec 12th, TCAT's Fred Sztabinski is quoted about the importance of removing snow from bike lanes and sidewalks.
On Sun Dec 13th, Christopher Hume's column provided a great summary of how Copenhagen became the great city it is today for cyclists, pedestrians, and an improved quality of life. It all stems back to decisions made in the early 1970s when the Danes "set out to wean themselves off oil... Now, 40 percent of all journeys in the city are on bicycle."
Asya Bidordinova, a UofT graduate student, is looking for participants in a survey that is part of her Master of Science in Planning thesis in the UofT Geography Department and Program in Planning. Both cyclists and non-cyclists commuting to the UofT St. George Campus on a regular basis are invited to participate in this survey.
This online survey is anonymous. It will take about 10 minutes of your time. To participate in the survey, please follow the link.
In order to help make cycling a more popular mode of transportation in Toronto, Asya is studying factors that contribute to utilitarian cycling (non-recreational commute to work, school, or to carry out other activities worked into our daily routines) or deter commuters from engaging in cycling to the UofT St. George Campus and other downtown destinations.
Results of the survey will be provided to organizations and groups working on cycling issues on the UofT St.George Campus and beyond, including Bikechain, the UofT Sustainability Office, and the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation. You will find the results of the survey here.
Four wonderful and talented volunteers stepped down from the TCAT steering committee this year: Laurel Atkinson, Gord Brown, Jennifer Niece, and Luke Rodgers. They each contributed so much to TCAT and are sorely missed already. Thanks so much to each of them for their time and energy in guiding TCAT and to their commitment to active transportation. A special recognition and heartfelt thanks goes out to Jen Niece for her dedication serving as the chair of TCAT's steering committee for nearly 3 years.
These resignations do present an opportunity for others who have an interest in being more closely involved with TCAT. At our upcoming TCAT supporter meeting on Jan 25th we will be providing more information about the kinds of skills, time commitment, and roles the steering committee members play. If you are interested in joining the TCAT steering committee, please save that date and plan to attend.
Did you know that you can support TCAT by making a donation to Clean Air Partnership and receive a charitable tax receipt? You would be helping TCAT to continue its important work and reduce your income taxes at the same time!
TCAT recently received a generous donation from an individual supporter. The donation was accompanied by these special instructions: "No strings attached except to use it to raise more money for TCAT." With that, we hope you will consider making a year-end gift to TCAT today to support our work.
While TCAT has been successful in generating funds for special projects, research and events, it has not yet established a stable source of funding for the core activities that our supporters rely on – the e-bulletins, policy work, maintaining regular communication with councillors and staff, speaking engagements, hosting seminars and other public events and campaign work. If any of the many activities that TCAT engages in holds value for you we urge you to donate today.
TCAT is a project of the Clean Air Partnership. Any donations in support of TCAT's work will receive a tax deductible receipt from CAP. You can donate online by clicking here. When asked the name of the charity, please type in "Clean Air Partnership". In order to make sure your donation gets directed to us, please note "TCAT" in the message/instruction section.
You may also mail or drop off a cheque to TCAT at 75 Elizabeth St. (right behind City Hall). If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how your contribution will be used, please don't hesitate to contact us.
We are dedicated to our mission to create a better city for cycling and walking. With your help TCAT can continue to grow and thrive.
If you know of other cycling or pedestrian related calendars to include, please let us know by e-mailing info@torontocat.ca
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.
To learn more about TCAT, visit our web site at www.torontocat.ca, e-mail info@torontocat.ca or call 416.392.0290
To subscribe to TCAT News, click here
To join TCAT on Facebook click here and become a fan today!
Please consider making a financial contribution to support TCAT's work. To find out how to make a charitable donation, click here.
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