[getsmart-l] FW: [TCAT News] e-Bulletin: September 24

[Janet May]

  _____  

From: tcatnews-bounces at lists.torontocat.ca
[mailto:tcatnews-bounces at lists.torontocat.ca] On Behalf Of TCAT
Sent: September 24, 2007 1:57 PM
To: TCATnews at lists.torontocat.ca
Subject: [TCAT News] e-Bulletin: September 24

 

Recent TCAT activities and news items:

 

1.	TCAT Walk21 Session: This Sunday, September 30th - How to bring
pedestrian change to your neighbourhood
2.	TCAT meets with Councillors Anthony Perruzza & Adam Vaughan - Tour
de University Heights bike race
3.	Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy News from the US - Thunderhead
Alliance releases first benchmarking report
4.	Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market - This Sunday, September
30th! & TCAT Volunteer Opportunity

 

 

1.   TCAT Walk21 Session: Sunday, September 30th - How to bring pedestrian
change to your neighbourhood

 

TCAT has been working hard in preparation and is highly anticipating our
next public event, scheduled to coincide with the Walk21 international
walking conference taking place in Toronto in early October. Below is a
brief description of the session. Please mark this date in your calendar -
we hope to see you there!

 

~ Also, please help spread the word and invite others to join us for this
discussion by forwarding and posting the attached flyer. ~

 

Our Streets - inserting oneself into the municipal process: a discussion for
the everyday person on how to bring pedestrian change to their neighbourhood

 

Date: Sunday September 30

 

Time: 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 

Location: Cecil Street Community Centre, 58 Cecil Street (near College and
Spadina)

 

Local residents, community groups and Business Improvement Areas are full of
great pedestrian ideas for their neighbourhoods but feel paralyzed when it
comes to effecting change. Where do I start? Who do I talk to? Where does
the money come from for all this? These are just a few questions. While the
municipality directs change at the citywide level, we have a valuable
resource that can offer input and ideas on the finest details: area
residents and businesses.

 

Come join TCAT for an open and frank discussion about how to insert oneself
in the process and bring pedestrian change to your neighbourhood. Featuring:

*	Paul Hess, Geography & Planning Professor, University of Toronto
*	Paul Bedford, former Chief Planner, City of Toronto
*	Janice Etter, citizen activist involved with the campaign that led
to the ban on new drive-thrus

 

Moderated by Catherine Porter, Toronto Star Environment Reporter

 

Free, no registration required.

 

For more information on the Walk21 conference visit: www.toronto.ca/walk21

 

 

2.   TCAT meets with Councillors Anthony Perruzza & Adam Vaughan - Tour de
University Heights bike race

 

Last week TCAT had two successful meetings - one with Councillor Anthony
Perruzza, the other with Councillor Adam Vaughan.

 

Councillor Perruzza is an avid road cyclist, having completed a 1,500 km
tour through Italy this summer. His office has also helped to organize the
Tour de University Heights - an Ontario Cycling Association youth race in
the Jane and Steeles area on September 29th. Councillor Perruzza has also
supported the installation of bike lanes on Sentinel Road near Finch, which
means removing some space for parking. However, the lanes have not yet been
installed.

More information on the race at:
http://www.ontariocycling.org/web_pages/news1/newslisting.php?id=1371.

 

Councillor Vaughan is anxious to see more priority given to pedestrians and
cyclists in Ward 20. He wants to see streets where people stop and spend
time rather than simply pass through. Specifically, he is pushing for
Richmond and Adelaide to be converted back to two-way streets with space
reserved for cyclists and wider sidewalks.

 

TCAT looks forward to a trusting and mutually-supportive relationship with
these two councillors and their staff.

 

 

3.   Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy News from the US - Thunderhead Alliance
releases first benchmarking report

 

[Originally posted to CenterLines, the bi-weekly e-newsletter of the
National Center for Bicycling & Walking] 

 

Bicycling and Walking in the U.S., the Thunderhead Alliance's first biennial
Benchmarking Report released August 29th, clearly links the decline in
bicycling and walking and the surge in numbers of adults and children who
are obese. The report was released to Thunderhead's network of bicycle and
pedestrian advocacy organizations and government officials throughout the
country.

 

The report compares, for the first time ever, bicycling and walking levels,
investment in bicycling and walking, and public health. The findings reveal
major disparities between cycling and walking levels, traffic fatalities,
and federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects.

 

"Most public health advocates already preach the benefits of biking and
walking," said Sue Knaup, Thunderhead's executive director. "This report
clearly demonstrates that cities and states with the highest rates of
cycling and walking almost always have the lowest levels of obesity, high
blood pressure, and diabetes."

 

Knaup also noted that the data contained within the report can be very
useful for advocates working at local and regional levels. "If you've ever
stuttered when an official demanded data to back up your claims, or wished
for state-by-state data at your fingertips, the Benchmarking Report
delivers," she said.

 

The report provides detailed data and illustrations on bicycling and walking
in 50 states and the 50 most-populous cities. Measurements include bicycle
and pedestrian staffing, funding, written policies, and bike-transit
integration, among others.

 

Thunderhead has released the biennial Benchmarking Report along with a
template press release that can be modified for use at the local level. To
download the report visit: http://tinyurl.com/2lky7r

 

 

4.   Pedestrian Sundays in Kensington Market - This Sunday, September 30th!

 

PS Kensington and Streets are for People are leaders in creating car-free
street festivals, and we encourage you to get out and enjoy their next event
in Kensington Market. PS Kensington and Streets are for People are also one
of the over 35 community organizations that support TCAT.

 

The theme of this month's PS Kensington is: 'Earth! Global Harvest
Traditions'

"Celebrating the bounty of the earth, the cultures of our world, and our
many harvest traditions."

 

Date: Sunday, September 30th

 

Time: 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm (10:00 pm on North Augusta)

* Note that TCAT's Walk21 session is from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at nearby Cecil
Community Centre

 

For more information visit: www.pskensington.ca

 

TCAT LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS

At some Pedestrian Sundays this summer, TCAT setup a successful display,
handing out our brochure and discussing our activities with visitors to the
street festival. We are now looking for volunteers to help us at future
Pedestrian Sunday Events. If you are available and eager to help spread the
word on TCAT, please e-mail info at torontocat.ca with your availability. 

 

Upcoming Pedestrian Sundays are: 

. Sept. 30: Kensington Market (Theme: Global Harvest Traditions)

. Oct. 28: Kensington Market (Theme: Halloween! Honouring Ancestors)

 

 

TCAT News - Help spread the word!

 

TCAT is continually looking to increase its list of supporters. 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

 

To subscribe to TCAT News, go to:
http://lists.torontocat.ca/listinfo.cgi/tcatnews-torontocat.ca

 

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