Below are a few items that I think that you might find interesting:
The Transportation Association of Canada's (TAC) 2024 Conference will be taking place in Vancouver September 22-25 and their call for presenters is open until January 29th. I had the opportunity to attend the 2023 conference and participate in a panel discussion, and it was definitely a worthwhile experience!
Bike Share Toronto recently introduced a reduced fare pass program. The program is open for Toronto Community Housing tenants and Ontario Disability Support Program recipients who now qualify for a $5 annual bike share membership. The reduced fare program provides a 95% reduction in annual membership fees for qualifying low-income residents and the program is part of the system's commitment to serving as many people as it can, and ensuring that income level is not a barrier.
I am still tracking funding announcements from the National Active Transportation Fund! As of writing this, $128 million in funding has been announced (about ⅓ of the total fund value of $400 million). This has been an extended announcement period, as I started this tracking sheet when I was preparing my winter 2023 newsletter. One year later, project announcements are still underway, and it is my understanding that the announcements will continue in 2024. I aim to keep the tracker updated on at least a monthly basis, sometimes more frequently, and I appreciate everyone who has shared announcements to add to the tracker by email and LinkedIn. An important note for sharing projects - the tracker only includes projects that have been publicly announced. (I know there are a lot of confirmed funding allocations that aren't public yet, and I'll add those to the tracker once they are).
At the end of December, there was an e-bike battery fire on the Toronto subway that left one person with non-life-threatening injuries. Fire officials in Toronto have noted that lithium ion battery fires increased nearly 90% in 2023, but also that batteries are safe when used properly. Toronto Transit Commission officials will be examining similar incidents of e-bike fires on transit systems across North America and Europe, and the fire department has created an internal working group that has developed operational policies for responding to these types of fires. Toronto Fire has also issued a series of safety tips, including using authorized chargers and avoiding battery modification. E-bike battery safety is something Stuckless Consulting Inc. is taking seriously and continuing to monitor as we promote increased access to e-bikes.
As I pushed my toddler and her stroller through the snow yesterday on the way to daycare, I thought about this great article by Nicole Roach for Women in Urbanism in Canada about why Snow Clearance Isn't Gender Neutral. Nicole looks at how the schedules, methods, and location of many snow clearance policies often prioritize men over women. Check out the article to learn more!
