Leading-edge environmental, health and business organizations support TCATs cycling and pedestrian plan

Glen Murray answers press questions as panelists (left to right) Dylan
Reid, Martin Koob, Dr. Alan Abelsohn, and Gil Peñalosa look on at the
TCAT Press conference at Mountain Equipment Coop.

“Lack of political will and funding” to implement previously approved initiatives, says former City Chief Planner

TORONTO, ON, October 31, 2006: Glen Murray, Chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Dr. Alan Abelsohn of the Ontario College of Family Physicians and Gil Peñalosa of Walk and Bike for Life will be joining the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT) at a November 1st press conference to demand that the next City Council make Toronto a truly enjoyable and safe place for cycling and walking.

“Transportation is a major issue in the November 13th municipal election but, to this point, only tearing down the Gardiner Expressway and building subways has been mentioned”, says Martin Koob, a founding member of TCAT. “These are multi-million dollar projects which will take years for the city to complete. Expanding and improving the cycling and pedestrian network can be implemented much quicker and at a fraction of the cost.”

“Active transportation is the most sustainable, equitable and healthy way to travel”, states Koob. “The City of Toronto recognizes the importance of active transportation through its new Official Plan, the 2001 Bike Plan and 2002 Pedestrian Charter but, in practice, the city has not lived up to its promises.” TCAT cites several examples:

• Improvements to pedestrian and cycling infrastructure are rarely made when roads are reconstructed.
• During the last three years, less than $15 million (2%) of the $738
  million transportation budget has been dedicated to cycling and
  pedestrian infrastructure.
• In 2005, over 16 km of bike lanes were proposed in the city’s bike plan, but only 1 km was built.
• Based on the proposed parks capital budget for state of good repair, it
  will take 80 years to fix the walkways and bike paths located in
  Toronto parks.

To make walking and cycling an integral component of sustainable transportation planning in Toronto, TCAT has sent surveys to 247 municipal election candidates and posted their responses at www.torontocat.ca on five active transportation themes:

• BUILD a continuous cycling and pedestrian network
• INTEGRATE cycling and pedestrian issues into city planning
• PROMOTE walking and cycling as safe transportation
• PROTECT vulnerable road users through better policy and design
• LEAD by example as a cycling, walking city

Former Chief Planner Paul Bedford is impressed by the TCAT plan. “There has been a lack of political will and funding to carry out the City’s Bike Plan and Pedestrian Charter. I think that TCAT's active transportation strategy is a very creative and practical initiative and I would like to see city council candidates embrace these ideas so that the bike and pedestrian plans become reality by 2010."

Established in January 2006, TCAT provides a unified voice for over 20 environmental, health, transportation and business organizations which are working to reduce Toronto’s gridlock and smog through better cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.