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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0
1.1 1.2 1.3
INTRODUCTION
Who should use this guide How to use this guide Key terms
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2 3 5
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2.1 2.1.1 2.1.2 2.1.3 2.1.4
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7 8 11 13 17
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3.1 3.2 3.3
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21 22 28
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4.1 4.1.1 4.1.2 4.1.3 4.1.4
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38 40 53 58 75
5.0
5.1
APPENDICES
Tools and Resources
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IV
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INTRODUCTION
Active Transportation in Canada: a resource and planning guide is a resource tool for transportation planners and related professionals (e.g., city or town planners, town engineers, etc.) to accommodate, promote and support active transportation in current and long-range planning and development. With an emphasis on Canadian cities and regions where planning for active transportation might be a new or recent undertaking, this guide includes the following sections: ! Active Transportation: a primer - This overview and rationale section asks the question, What is active transportation and why is it important? In answering it, the section provides an overview of the key drivers or rationale for active transportation, including its public health, environmental, social/community, and local economic benefits. Active transportation in Canada - This section looks at who is doing what in the realm of active transportation in Canada. It traces the evolution of active transportation in Canada from bicycle and pedestrian plans to todays more integrated, sophisticated and comprehensive strategies and plans. A summary of trends in active transportation behaviour and a key opportunities that planners can leverage, as well as the challenges that need to be addressed is outlined.
ACTIVE TR ANSPORTATION
Active transportation refers to all humanpowered forms of transportation, in particular walking and cycling. It includes the use of mobility aids such as wheel chairs, and can also encompass other active transport variations such as in-line skating, skateboarding, cross-country skiing, and even kayaking. Active transportation can also be combined with other modes, such as public transit.
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INTRODUCTION
Planning for Active Transportation - This section provides a simple and effective planning approach for developing active transportation projects in your community and/or incorporating active transportation into existing planning and policy documents (e.g., transportation plans, land use plans, etc.). It is organized around a planning framework that will help you determine: " " " " Current active transportation situation, opportunities and trends in the local area; Priority areas for action (i.e., What matters most in my community?): Strategies and actions to respond to community active transportation priorities; and, How to monitor and evaluate active transportation activities to support future projects and/or program expansion.
This section also includes a series of handy speaking points on the benefits of active transportation, intended for use when working with elected officials, municipal departments, active transportation stakeholders and the community at large. ! Tools and Resources - An appendix of supporting tools, case studies and links to other resources.
1.1
This guide is intended primarily for municipal and regional transportation planners in, communities with limited active transportation planning and implementation experience, but can also be used by other individuals, including allied professionals (e.g., community planners, engineers, public health officers, etc.). While the guide is intended primarily for town and transportation planners, it recognizes that all types of planners (e.g., recreation, environmental, economic development, etc.) at all levels (e.g., local, regional , provincial, etc.) have a role to play in promoting and supporting active transportation in their communities. Another group that can use this guide is elected representatives, who are a communitys major decision-makers and are critical players in helping support and promote active transportation. Finally, representatives from local advocacy organizations (e.g., environmental groups, healthy living associations, etc.) and community groups with an interest in active transportation (e.g., Chambers of Commerce) can also use this guide to support communitybased active transportation projects initiated outside of City Hall, or as a resource guide to help better support and engage with active transportation projects initiated by the local government.
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.2
This guide is designed to be used as a step-by-step planning guide to help design, implement and evaluate active transportation initiatives (programs, projects, policies) in your community, as a general resource for individuals interested in learning more about active transportation, or for communities looking to develop a specific active transportation project or program. This guides active transportation planning framework is organized around a ten step planning approach. The approach has four phases that correspond to the key planning questions each section asks What is happening? What matters most? What can we do about it? Are we doing it? Answering these questions will require guide users to go through a corresponding set of individual planning steps. Each of the ten steps is further broken down into more detailed tasks, which are supported by corresponding tools, planning tips and case study illustrations. A table illustrating a range of typical active transportation projects is also provided that indicates the potential time, capital costs and technical resources required for each project type.
Figure: Guide Organization and Framework
PHASE What is happening? PLANNING STEP 1-Getting Started 2-Stakeholders & Participation 3-Situation Assessment KEY QUESTIONS What matters most? 4-Vision 5-Objectives What can we do about it? 6-Option Identification 7-Option Evaluation What needs to happen first? Who needs to be involved and how? Whats the state of active transportation in your community? Whos doing it? Where? When? What are the opportunities and barriers to increasing the active transportation mode share? Whats the vision for active transportation in your community? What does the community care most about or value most? Are these values captured in existing planning and policy documents? How can these community values be used to identify active transportation priorities? What active transportation options, or actions, can we undertake? What active transportation options best support other community development objectives and priorities (e.g., downtown revitalization, improved transportation)? How can we organize active transportation actions to integrate and coordinate them with other town planning initiatives? How do we implement active transportation actions? How can we monitor and evaluate our active transportation actions to see how effective they are? What should be monitored and who should be responsible for evaluating? How can we be sure our active transportation actions stay relevant and effective in the future?