Week in review: March 3, 2018

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Consultations, feedback, and events

• MOVING FORWARD: Public consultations March 6-8
• CYCLING: #CycleON strategy Action Plan 2.0, comments due March 7
• TRANSIT: 2018 network public information centres, March 21, 22, April 4, 5, 10, 11
• UNIVERSITY AVE: Streetscape public consultation
• MHBPNA PRESENTS: Sustainable streets April 6
• EMISSIONS: Guidelines on community emissions planning, comments due March 4
• GREENBELT: Growing the Greenbelt in the outer ring, comments due March 7

Crossings

• BIA adding colourful designs to downtown streetscapes (Kitchener Post)
• Victoria Park neighbours present action plan (Kitchener Post)

Cycling

• Five tips from SF’s lightning-fast, dirt-cheap protected bike lane projects (People for Bikes)
• The design Bible that changed how Americans bike in cities (The Atlantic)
• Health impact assessment of cycling network expansions in European cities (Preventive Medicine)
• Women In Urbanism: Laura Jane on making cycling a normal part of our culture (Modacity)

Transit

This past week, beta testing was kicked off for the new EasyGO fare cards on GRT buses. These fare cards aren’t the only way in which fare collection will be changing in the Region - ION vehicles will have off-board fare collection and proof-of-payment inspections. This enables faster boardings so trains don’t have to stop at stations for very long before moving again, but comes with its own challenges in ensuring enforcement is applied equitably, as the next two links highlight:

• TTC investigating after video shows fare inspectors in altercation with teen (The Star)
• The case for decriminalizing fare evasion (Streetsblog)
• GRT buses don’t need to be totally wrapped in ads (Kitchener Post)
• Transit investments maintained in federal budget as long-term national transit infrastructure program prepares for launch (Canadian Urban Transit Association)
• PC leadership candidate Christine Elliot backs Windsor to Toronto high speed rail (London Free Press)
• The Liberals think hydrogen trains are the future — but what if they’re wrong? (TVO)
• Basics: the ridership-coverage tradeoff (Human Transit)

Vision Zero

• Two pedestrians injured in hit-and-run (The Record)
• Toronto’s ex top planner warns ‘our streets are unsafe’ after pedestrian deaths (CBC)
• To save lives in Toronto, slow down the vehicles (The Globe and Mail)
• More CARnage. More Silence (Strong Towns)

The shape of our cities

• No greenbelt expansion unless changes made, says Waterloo Region staff report (The Record)
• Irony squared: inclusionary zoning edition (City Observatory)

The road ahead

• Is microtransit a sensible investment? (Human Transit)
• Uber’s latest carpool service looks a lot like a bus (Next City)
• Studies are increasingly clear: Uber, Lyft congest cities (AP)
• Road pricing for all vehicles, not just ride-hailed ones (City Observatory)
• Automated vehicles can’t save cities (New York Times)
• Is the Hyperloop taking cities for a ride (Streetsblog)