Workshops
1. The Growth in Bicycle Tourism
Speakers:
Justin Lafontaine — Project Founder and Director, The Bike Train Initiative
Ginny Sullivan — Special Project Director, Adventure Cycling Association
There is a growing interest in Bicycle Tourism around the world. Hear speakers from the United States and Canada address how they have capitalized on this burgeoning business, and learn how strategies close to home are engaging cycling enthusiasts from across the country and around the globe.
Timing: Monday Workshop Session 1: 9:30 to 10:15 a.m.
2. The Role of the Regional Municipality in Active Transportation
Speakers:
John D. Hill, Principal Planner, Transportation Demand Management, The Regioanl Muncipality of Waterloo,
Loy Cheah, Manager, Transportation Planning, The Regional Municipality of York
Yvonne Kaczor, Sustainable and Active Transportation Coordinator, The Regional Municipality of York
Find out how York Region and the Regional Municipality of Waterloo are working with their respective municipalities to plan and execute effective cycling master plans. John Hill will outline details of Waterloo Region's recently announced rapid transit system and its integration into the Transportation Master Plan and include details of Waterloo Region's Cycling Master Plan, Official Plan and the Active Transportation Master and how all three work together. Highlights will include an overview of the Region's Commuter Challenge and its impressive participation rate.
Yvonne Kaczor and Loy Cheah will provide an overview of York Region's Award-winning Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan (PCMP) including lessons learned after its approval and implementation. In 2007, York Region's Cycling Master Plan won the Transportation Association of Canada's Urban Transportation Awardand in 2008, York Region was awarded the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Sustainable Community Award for Transportation.
Timing: Monday, Workshop Session 3: 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.
3. Three Cities' Local Master Plans from Start to Finish
Speakers:
Jason Leach, Senior Transportation engineering Technologist, Transportation and Public Works Department, the Corporation of the City of Cambridge;
Chris Hodgson, Project Manager, capital Projects & Services, City of Waterloo;
Ronald Schirm, Transportation Manager, City of Kitchener
Timing: Monday, Workshop Session 2: 11:00 to 12:15
Speakers from the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener will present details of their cycling master plans, all at different stages from early initiation to the challenges of implementation. Kitchener is just getting started second time around. Waterloo is developing a new policy framework not yet approved. Cambridge is challenged in the implementation of a newly approved plan. Highlights will include details from their past, present and future master plans. The City of Kitchener will reflect on the purpose that their first master plan served, why aspects of the plan sat on the shelf, and their vision for a ‘second edition’ master plan. The City of Cambridge will feature challenges, solutions and tips on how to shift from policy to implementation. The City of Waterloo is moving forward on gaining public acceptance and Council approval of a draft “Complete Streets” policy. How did they arrive at this decision and how will this policy be aligned with the City's official plan? Learn from the experiences of these municipalities in cycling master planning from start to finish and back again.
4. Bicycling and the Law — Risk Management Guidance for Cyclists and for Municipalities
Speakers:
Doug Wyseman — President, Municipal Risk Services
Judith Hull — Partner, Judith Hull and Associates Personal Injury Lawyers
Cycling safety is a pre-occupation we all share. Speakers in this workshop will outline how understanding your legal rights and responsibilities can lead to informed decisions. Municipalities will benefit from understanding how they can design and implement safe cycling facilities. Cyclists will gain an understanding of the law and what happens in the event they are involved in a collision.
Doug Wyseman will describe how bicycling facilities can provide great benefits to users and to the community as a whole. However, without proper consideration they can lead to injuries, death and litigation. Doug will outline how to avoid risk in designing and implementing cycling accommodations.
The current President of the Trial Lawyers Association Ms. Hull will share her significant knowledge of personal injury law, provide advice as to the various legal liabilities and outline how the legal system works in the event of a collision.
Timing: Workshop Session 4: 2:15 – 3:30 p.m.
5. Cycling and Active Transportation Master Plans: It’s all about context
Speakers:
Chris Clapham, Sustainable Transportation Program Coordinator, Traffic Engineering Section, Engineering and Construction Department , Town of Oakville.
Norma Moores, P.Eng., Senior Transportation Engineer, IBI Group was involved in the Transportation Association of Canada's (TAC) original Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada (1998), a seven-year volunteer effort to publish national guidelines on signs and pavement markings for bikeways.
Timing: Workshop Session 1: Monday 9:30 – 10:15
6. Road Safety — the Role of Law Enforcement in Building a Bicycle Friendly Ontario
Speakers:
Staff Sergeant Chris Whaley, Manager of Specialized Patrol, Ontario Provincial Police
S. Brent Thomlison, Deputy Chief of Police, Administration, Waterloo Region Police Service
Cst. Hugh Smith, Traffic Services, Can Bike Instructor, Metro Toronto Police Service
As vehicles under the Highway Traffic Act, bicycles and their operators have rights as well as responsibilities. It is important that cyclists improve their understanding of their rights and obligations under the law, as is an understanding of the role of police officers in enforcing the laws that apply to motorists and cyclists alike. Recent proposed changes to laws governing EBikes for example have prompted discussion and will be addressed in this session. Local initiatives whose goal is to improve the education and awareness of cyclists and motorists alike will also be discussed, as a way of improving relationships among all parties.
Timing: Monday Workshop Session 2: 11:00 – 12:15
7. Making the Case for Cycling — Articulating the benefits
Speakers:
Chris A. Cavacuiti MD, CCFP, MHSc, ASAM , Family Physician, Departmnet of family and Community Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital;
Todd Litman, Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute
This session focuses on the benefits of cycling and on the link to global challenges such as health, climate and economic development. Toronto physician Dr. Chris Cavacuiti will speak to the health benefits of cycling and Todd Litman, Executive Director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute in Victoria B.C., will outline how investments in cycling and active transportation represent a powerful return on investment. This session will focus on providing evidence-based information that you can take back to your communities which will help you make the case for cycling where you live, by stressing the benefits of cycling as a solution to the major challenges facing our world and our communities.
Timing: Monday Workshop Session 5: 5:15 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.
8. The Design and Promotion of Active Living Programs in Ontario
Speakers
Jason Murray, Ontario Representative, International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA)
Donald F. May, President, Parks and Recreation Ontario and Professional Planning Consultant in his own firm, Almost There Inc.
Speakers in this workshop will outline how their organizations are working with communities across the province to develop active living strategies and programs. Both Parks and Recreation Ontario and the International Mountain Biking Association (Ontario) are investing in programs and initiatives across Ontario to encourage cycling and active living. Join us to hear details on how both of these organizations are playing an important role and how they can work with you to develop active living strategies in your community!
9. Making the Case for Cycling — How to develop productive relationships with Government
Speakers
Paddy Torsney — Vice President, Capitol Hill Group
Gary Murphy, Vice Chair, Garden City Alliance for Sustainable Transportation (GCAST)
Kris Jacobsen, Transportation Services Manager, City of St. Catharines
Wondering how to develop effect relationships with government representatives from all levels of government, in your community? Valuable tips from a representative from one of Canada's most prominent government relations companies will show you how. And what about closer to home and working with your community leaders, the Mayor and City Council? The team of local cycling advocate Gary Murphy, and Kris Jacobsen from St. Catharines will reinforce the importance of working together and will outline how developing effective relationships has contributed to tremendous advances in cycling facilities in St. Catharines in the last year.
10. Urban Mobility
Speakers
Dr. Pierre Filion, Professor, School of Planning, University of Waterloo
Dr. Jeff Casello, Associate Professor, School of Planning, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Briana Illingworth, Transportation Policy and Planning Advisor, Metrolinx
What are the characteristics of an urban transport system? What are some of the challenges with regards to urban mobility? What are the trends in multi modal transportation? How can the bicycle be a link in the transport chain? Speakers in this workshop will shed light on these topics in the context of planning and building bicycle friendly communities now and in the future.
11. The Role of Public Health Agencies in Building Bicycle Friendly Communities
Speakers
Sue Shikaze, Health Promoter, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit.
Colleen Cooper Public Health Nurse, Health Lifestyles Program, Region of Waterloo Public Health
Speakers in this workshop will outline how public health promoters are natural partners when it comes to promoting cycling in your community. Case studies from Haliburton County and Waterloo Region will provide information on how to develop those relationships, and how health promoters play a key role in building cycling friendly communities in Ontario.
12. Transportation Demand Management — what is TDM and what is its role in cycling planning?
Speakers
Lorenzo Mele, Coordinator, Transportation Demand Management, Engineering Department, Town of Markham;
Susan Sauvé, Transportation Demand Management Planner for the City of Peterborough
So what is “TDM”? How does it work and what role does it play in cycling planning and promotion at the community level? Speakers will outline how TDM works in their communities, and in particular how TDM practices work in Markham and Peterborough in relation to active transportation and cycling planning and promotion.
13. Designed For Cyclists: Best practice examples from urban and rural environments
Speakers:
Dan Egan, Manager of Pedestrian and Cycling Infrastructure, City of Toronto
Gary Shaw, director of Transportation and Public Safety, County of Grey
Across Ontario, innovative design and planning changes are being implemented in the interest of incorporating cycling into the transportation mix and making the roads safer for cyclists.
In this case study workshop, Daniel Egan will outline how road diets were used as part of the St. George Street revitalization in Toronto. In order to increase pedestrian and cycling amenities on this street that flows through the University of Toronto campus, traffic calming was used, resulting in a better multi-modal mix, and a more pleasant area. Speed and traffic collisions have decreased even though the number of cars carried on the road did not.
Paved or gravel shoulders? This is a debate which takes places across the province and particularly in rural Ontario. Gary Shaw will outline the research and implementation behind the recently passed “Paved Shoulder Policy” in Grey County, and in particular how the research demonstrates that implementing paved shoulders represents cost savings over time.
Timing: Monday Workshop Session 4 3:45 – 5:00 p.m.
14. The Link Between Effective Parking Management and cycling: strategies and research
Speakers:
Todd Litman, Founder and Executive Director, Victoria Transport Policy Institute
Evidence-based tools for engineering change in on-street parking to encourage utilitarian bicycle trips and tips on designing effective parking strategies are the topics that will be covered in this workshop.
Proposals to install bike lanes on major streets often meet with opposition from merchants who fear that the reallocation of road space from on-street parking to on-street bike lanes would hurt business. In July 2008, the Clean Air Partnership conducted a study in order to better understand and estimate the importance of on‐street parking to business. The study “Bike Lanes, On-Street Parking and Business” was published in February 2009 and was featured at the Velo-City Conference in Brussels in May, 2009.
Highlights of the study provide valuable information about the economic impact of reallocating road space. New analytic tools to determine public acceptability and economic impact were developed in the creation of this study which surveyed the opinions and preferences of merchants and patrons in Toronto's Annex neighborhood. The spending habits of cyclists and pedestrians, their relatively high travel mode share, and the minimal impact on parking are all outcomes of this ground breaking study which will provide valuable insights to planners and cyclists alike.
Researcher Todd Litman will share insights from his 2006 book “Parking Management Best Practices”. The typical automobile is parked 23 hours a day. Where and how can make a big difference to economic development, traffic reduction, smart growth, historic preservation, and many other planning efforts.
The parking management strategies described by Todd will help planners increase parking facility efficiency and reduce parking demand. Parking management offers an alternative to traditional "predict and provide" parking planning, which has contributed to widespread auto dependency and urban sprawl. Instead of providing plentiful free parking, parking management provides optimal parking supply and pricing. Its benefits include support for transit-oriented development; improved travel options for non-drivers; lower housing costs; and more livable communities.
For municipalities and planners who need to establish more accurate and flexible parking standards, Todd's insights provide a blueprint for developing an integrated parking plan.
Timing: Monday Workshop Session 2 11:00 – 12:15 p.m.