TCAT e-Bulletin: August 13

1. Pedestrian Committee Call for Nominations – Applications due August 22nd

Have your say as part of the walking community’s voice to City Council: the Toronto Pedestrian Committee (TPC)

The TPC is a special committee of Toronto City Council. Its mandate is to promote improved pedestrian safety, pedestrian access and initiate programs that enhance walking in Toronto.

Citizen members are appointed for a four-year term or until their successors are appointed or City Council terminates an appointment.

Anyone interested in a position on the committee must complete an application form in order to be considered.

Forms can be downloaded at: http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/pedestrian/ped_committee/index.htm
Forms must be completely filled out and returned by Wednesday August 22, 2007 before 4:00 p.m.

For more information, call or e-mail Natalie Bogues at (416) 392-5341 or nbogues@toronto.ca or refer to http://www.toronto.ca/tpc

2. TCAT meets with Bike and Pedestrian-Friendly Councillor Joe Mihevc – More Bike Routes coming to Ward 21!

On August 3rd TCAT met with veteran City Councillor Joe Mihevc, Ward 21 – St. Paul’s. Councillor Mihevc voiced his support for TCAT, and noted that he is inspired by our message. This year, Councillor Mihevc led and received Council approval for three major bike projects in his ward: Christie Street bike lane, Vaughan Road shared lane (“sharrows”), and Benson Avenue signed route. Next on the list for implementation in 2008 are: Glencedar Road signed route and contra-flow bike lane and a signed route connection (still to be determined) between Vaughan Road and Davenport Road.

Councillor Mihevc is also leading some new policies and standards that support pedestrian safety on St. Clair Avenue and on local streets. TCAT applauds Councillor Mihevc on his efforts so far, and will continue to monitor these developments and support him in his efforts to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Ward 21 and across Toronto.

3. Welcome Go for Green, Grassroots and I Bike TO – New groups join TCAT’s growing list of Supporters

It helps to be able to say how many individuals and groups support the work we do when we speak with City Councillors, City staff, and the media, or put out a publication. As part of our effort to grow the collective voice of TCAT, three new groups have joined our list of supporters. They are:

• Go for Green (www.goforgreen.ca)
• Grassroots Environmental Products (www.grassrootsstore.com)
• I Bike TO (www.ibiketo.ca)

The TCAT Steering Committee welcomes these groups to TCAT.

4. Official Launch of Quebec’s Route Verte – Celebrations across the province

[with details from www.routeverte.com]

It’s not focused on Toronto. It’s not even focused on Ontario. But TCAT still wants to acknowledge the momentous unveiling of the 4,000-kilometre-long network of cycling paths whose development, led by Vélo Québec (www.velo.qc.ca), has taken over 12 years and involved nearly a thousand organizations and businesses. The official international unveiling of the largest unified system of bikeways in the Americas took place last Friday, August 10th.

The official ceremonies were held at some 20 locations across the province, accompanied by cycling events, community celebrations, tributes to local artists and craftspeople and many other activities. The month-long celebrations included a 26-day Grand Tour of 2,000 cyclists, which crossed the various regions of Québec in order to encourage people across the province to discover the Route Verte on their own.

Though Torontonian’s will require a bit of a trip to be able to visit and ride this exciting piece of active transportation infrastructure, we can still appreciate the Route Verte as a representation of strong community involvement and political support working together. There is also a similar project envisioned for Ontario – the Ontario Bicycling Route (http://www.cycleontario.ca/ontario-bicycling-route.html).

Congratulations Route Verte and Vélo Québec!

5. Pedestrian Sundays on Baldwin – This Sunday, August 19th , 11am to 10pm

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, not in Kensington Market but in Baldwin Village (Baldwin Street near McCaul Street). Streets are for People are also one of the over 25 community organizations that support TCAT.

The merchants and residents of Baldwin Village invite visitors to join them this summer as they introduce Toronto's best-kept secret to the city through a series of Pedestrian Sunday celebrations (the final event of the summer is planned for September 16th). Baldwin Village is a hidden treasure nestled in the heart of downtown – a history-rich urban village that represents the culturally diverse heartbeat of Toronto. Composed of a collection of 38 independent restaurants and retailers, this community is amplified by an abundance of international cuisine.

Named after Dr. William Baldwin in the early 1800's, over the years, the neighbourhood has been home to many different groups: Jewish settlers in the 1920's, expatriate American draft dodgers and hippies during the Vietnam War, and the Asian community, already rooted in nearby Chinatown, flourished here in the 1980's.

Time: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm

For more information visit: www.pskensington.ca

TCAT News – Help spread the word!

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

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