For immediate release (April 20, 2012) - On April 23, 2012, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT), a project of the Clean Air Partnership, is hosting its annual active transportation policy conference. The conference will be held at Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue.
This is TCAT’s fifth and largest active transportation conference, with 225 registrants. Due to overwhelming demand, the Forum sold out three weeks before the event with a broader spectrum of participants than ever before.
The goal of the 2012 Complete Streets Forum is to accelerate the implementation of Complete Streets across Canada. The program features North America’s foremost authorities on Complete Streets as keynote speakers for this event, including:
Dan Burden - Executive Director and co-founder of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, Washington State
Dan’s distinguished career has been acknowledged with the first lifetime-achievement award from New Partners for Smart Growth and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, being named “one of the six most important civic innovators in the world” by TIME magazine, and recognized as “one of the top 100 urban thinkers of all time” by Planetizen.
Gary Toth - Director, Transportation Initiatives with the Project for Public Spaces, New York City
Gary’s wealth of experience spans both transportation engineering and placemaking, as former Director of Project Planning and Development at NJDOT and founding member of NJDOT’s Context Sensitive Solutions.
Conference Participants
The dialogue about Complete Streets has been expanding. This year includes more participants from outside of Greater Toronto area than previous years, including Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, Montreal, Chicago and New York, as well as increased interest from the private sector. The interest in the Complete Streets Forum 2012 reflects the rapidly growing Complete Streets movement. The conference and TCAT are making significant strides in working toward roads that safely accommodate road users of all ages and abilities.
TCAT Reports Released
At the Forum, TCAT will release a report: titled Complete Streets Gap Analysis: Opportunities and Barriers in Ontario: This research report, funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, provides an analysis of the potential for Complete Streets in 17 of Ontario’s largest municipalities. Also featured at the Forum is TCAT’s new resource - Complete Streets by Design – that shows how six Toronto streets could look and feel redesigned as Complete Streets, produced with funding from the Toronto Community Foundation.
About TCAT
The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation, a project of the registered charity Clean Air Partnership, works to create a better city for cycling and walking by conducting research, developing policy, and creating opportunities for knowledge sharing, all with the goal of providing evidence and identifying workable active transportation solutions.
The Complete Streets Forum is made possible by generous sponsorship, including a record number of new sponsors:
Platinum:
ING Direct
Gold:
Metrolinx
York Region
Silver:
City of Mississauga
Josta Bike Parking Systems
Halton Region
Region of Peel
Simcoe County
Toronto Public Health
Bronze:
BA Group Transportation Consultants
BIXI Toronto
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
City of Calgary
City of Hamilton
LEA Consulting
Mountain Equipment Co-op
Ontario Ministry of Transportation
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
Parsons Brinckerhoff
Community Partners:
Evergreen Brick Works
Share the Road Cycling Coalition
Toronto Cyclists Union
For media or interview inquiries, please contact:
Nancy Smith Lea
Director, Toronto Centre for Active Transportation
416-392-0290
nsmithlea@tcat.ca
