Submitted by yvonne on 20 August, 2010 - 16:23

Ward Advocacy Program

The Ward Advocacy Program is receiving a make-over!  Andrea Garcia, our Director of Advocacy and Operations, has been working on ways to improve the program and run it more effectively.  A big thank you to the ward groups who have been engaged in this process thus far, including ward group members and city staff!  Andrea has also been looking at other models for neighbourhood-based advocacy which is informing this process as well.  Some of the changes that will take place for the Ward Advocacy Program include better communications tools for the ward groups and increased support from the bike union.  This process is on-going and the bike union hopes to relaunch the Ward Advocacy Program towards the end of the summer.  Moving forward, we will be featuring one ward advocacy group per newsletter.

If you're interested in joining a ward group or starting one up, please contact Andrea via e-mail at andrea.garcia@bikeunion.to or via phone at 416-644-7188 ext. 2. 

Cycling Petition

Last week the bike union endorsed a cycling petition organised by Alan Heisey, a bike union member.  The petition included recommendations for bike lanes on John Street, closing the gap between the Harbord and Wellesley bike lanes, installing a curb or bollards to separate the Simcoe bike lane, and installing physically separated bike lanes on Richmond/Adelaide.   The petition was forwarded to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) by Councillor Adrian Heaps and brought forth to the agenda by Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker.  Over 100 of you e-mailed their support to PWIC for this petition and it passed!  The petition, along with three other recommendations put forth by Councillor Adam Vaughan, has been referred to staff for proposals on design and installation.  Staff will report back to PWIC with recommendations in early 2011!  We'll makes sure to keep you informed of how this campaign continues to develop.  For more information on PWIC's decision, go here: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2010/pw/decisions/2010-08-18-pw35-dd.htm

2010 Municipal Election

The bike union has signed on to a coalition of organisations and individuals supporting the implementation of Complete Streets in Toronto, which also encourages all municipal candidates to support the concept.  The bike union believes that a broader focus of livable streets will draw a larger group of people for support rather than focusing only on cycling issues.  As part of our election strategy we will be recruiting citizens and organisations to support Complete Streets in Toronto to prove to candidates that this is an important issue for all road users.  The open letter to candidates regarding Complete Streets will be posted on http://completestreets.ca.  As we continue to build our coalition and work out the details of gathering signatures we will make sure to keep you informed via bi-weekly updates and on our website!   

John Street

A big thank you to all of the people who sent in an e-mail in support of bike lanes on John Street.  The project is on-going and the bike union is actively involved in discussions regarding its final design.  This project has been included in a cycling petition for consideration at the next City Council meeting scheduled for August 25th/26th.  Please e-mail your support for bike lanes on John Street by contacting your local Councillor requesting them to vote in favour of the petition.

Leslie Street

The bike union is working with the Ward 30 advocacy group, SoDa bikes, on the upcoming Leslie Street re-design, which is tied to the new TTC streetcar maintenance facility.  SoDa bikes and the bike union are becoming actively involved with the City and the TTC regarding the project.  Our involvement in this project has just begun so look out for more news in upcoming updates!