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Consultations, feedback, and events
- CYCLING:
- CycleWR, the new citizen cycling coalition for cycling in Waterloo Region
- Your ideas wanted for a “minimum grid” of protected cycling routes
- TRANSIT: 2018 network public information centres, April 10, 11, online
- TRANSIT HUB: online & at the transit consultations
- GROWTH: Guidance on the growth plan and intensification targets, due May 7
- KITCHENER:
- Comprehensive review of the zoning bylaw, April 30 and May 8
- Urban design guidelines, feedback due May 15
Cycling
There’s a growing chorus of voices for a minimum grid of safe cycling facilities in Waterloo Region. Catherine Thompson of the Record covers efforts to bring a protected network to Kitchener.
- Attitudes to cycling study reveals a third of London’s cyclists started since appearance of safer infrastructure (Cycling Industry News)
- How the humble bicycle can save our cities (Fast Company)
- Instead of whining about people who walk and bike breaking the law, how about fixing the problem? (Treehugger)
- Incorporating multimodal network connectivity measures into planning processes (Alta Planning + Design)
Bike share
The Working Centre has shut down Community Access Bikeshare. To fill the void, the Region appears poised to enter an agreement with Dropbike, a Canadian startup, for a pilot this year, as it prepares plans for a longer-term bikesharing strategy. Dropbike features dockles bikes that can be rented for $1 an hour via a phone app.
- Uber acquires dockless bike-share startup Jump (The Verge)
- Effects of the London Cycle Superhighways on the usage of the London Cycle Hire (Transportation Research)
Vision Zero
- NDP MPP to reintroduce road safety bill aimed at stiffening penalties against drivers (CBC News)
- Safety signs removed from Davisville school zone in the interests of . . . safety (The Star)
- Humboldt team bus crash is a tragic reminder that we need safer roads (Globe and Mail)
- When covering car crashes, be careful not to blame the victim (Columbia Journalism Review)
Transit
Consultations continue for the 2018 transit network changes. The plans still lack a connection between the 202 University iXpress and ION.
- Bus route shakeup reflects a growing community (The Record)
- Wynne says fast trains the route to economic prosperity (The Record)
- High speed rail information meetings coming to Tavistock, New Hamburg (New Hamburg Independent)
- GO Transit calls time on free parking (Globe and Mail)
- To predict with confidence, plan for freedom (Journal of Public Transportation)
- Women’s safety must be part of transportation planning (Next City)
The shape of our cities
Kitchener’s comprehensive zoning bylaw overhaul draws near to a close, sort of. Half the city, including residential areas and locations under Official Plan appeals are being left out, to be dealt with at a later date
- Patios expected to sprout soon along LRT line (Kitchener Post)
- Kitchener OK’s office project (The Record)
- Council endorses pursuing Uptown realm strategy (Waterloo Chronicle)
- Huck Glove redevelopment merges old, modern (The Record)
- Ontario cities are proving themselves as city-building leaders (Pembina Institute)
- The Ontario Municipal Board will soon be no more. Here’s what that means for you (CBC News)
- How transit-oriented development can prevent displacement (CityLab)
- Housing: a shortage of cities (City Observatory)
The road ahead
- Astounding photos capture graveyards of unused dockless vehicles (Slate)
- You can’t be a ‘climate mayor’ if you’re making more room for cars (Curbed)
- The Ben & Jerry’s crash course in transportation economics (City Observatory)
- The bright, shiny distraction of driverless cars (NY Times)
- The driverless future is still a long way off (The Record)
- Car companies failed at regulating themselves. Why would autonomous car companies be different? (Streetsblog)
- In theory, driverless cars could make Toronto’s roads safer, but, if so, when? (Toronto Star)