Fare/Fair: CT Senior's Pass

New year, new transit fares. Calgary's transit rates are going up (from $90 to $94 for my monthly pass), but the big story is the senior's pass increase, which is going from $35/year to $55/year. (Low-income seniors are still able to ride for $15/year, and it should be noted that a senior's pass cannot be used for Access Calgary rides.) Meanwhile, in Halifax, the push is for seniors to ride transit for free, with a petition appearing on the mayor's website this week.

Personally, I'd like to see no fares for transit (recognizing that this would mean transit funding would likely come from increased taxes for all Calgary citizens, including myself). And because I work with seniors, I am very aware that their costs are increasing faster than their incomes are (even those not yet retired).

However, in this case, I think that the City of Calgary has made the right move. If we are to develop a transit system that works for everyone, it needs to be fairly supported by everyone. Giving seniors a break on the pass rate simply because they're 65+, in a world where more and more seniors continue to work after that age, no longer makes sense.

Instead, I'd like to see a move toward two transit rate categories (regular and low income) and then look at how transit fares can be reduced and/or eliminated so that more people can use transit effectively. This is what should be really be part of the discussion on Calgary Transit priorities in 2012 and beyond.

(Cross posted at Witch-Ways, where I've been crafting magic on the internet since 1994.)

Quebec exports millions for cars and gas

Henry Aubin: Proposal to cut cars by 20% makes sense: "- The Quebec economy would benefit if some of the billions of dollars that Quebec motorists now spend every year on 100,000 additional cars and on 12 billion litres of gas - most of which money flows to manufacturers and oil producers outside the province - were instead used to purchase local services and made-in-Quebec goods. More jobs here, more tax revenues from people with those jobs, more prosperity for all."

'via Blog this'

CUTA | Public transit ridership shows impressive increase in first half of 2011: CUTA

CANADIAN URBAN TRANSIT ASSOCIATION | Public transit ridership shows impressive increase in first half of 2011: CUTA: "TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2011 /CNW/ - Canadian public transit ridership statistics for the first six months of 2011 show an increase of 4.93% as compared to the same January to June period in the previous year, according to the Canadian Urban Transit Association."

'via Blog this'

Ottawa Students Stand Opposed to 24% Transit Fee Increase | STUDY Magazine

Ottawa Students Stand Opposed to 24% Transit Fee Increase | STUDY Magazine: "10,000 Students Against 70 dollar U-Pass Hike
Written by Ryan Leclaire
Thousands of students are united in their outrage over a proposed 24% increase to the price of the Universal Transit Pass (U-Pass).
They are equally upset that Ottawa’s transit commission has also recommended the elimination of the student semester and annual pass."

'via Blog this'

Transit ridership doubles in Strait area - Local - The Cape Breton Post

Transit ridership doubles in Strait area - Local - The Cape Breton Post: "SYDNEY — Strait Area Transit has almost doubled its ridership for the transit service it offers in Port Hawkesbury and throughout areas of Richmond and Inverness counties."
http://www.townofporthawkesbury.ca/strait-area-transit

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Campaign to stop Winnipeg #transit fare hikes

Why This Is Important

Many sustainable lifestyle choices are easily motivated with financial initiatives; and choosing public transportation is no different. So why has Winnipeg city council approved yet another 25 cent fare hike to pay for rapid transit? A proper move by a city council would be to motivate their residents to choose sustainable transportation; instead of penalizing those who make this choice.

In rush hour, there’s an average of 1.2 persons per car. At that rate 2 buses can carry as many people as a hundred cars. In a single lane the cars would stretch over a third of a mile; the buses only 90 feet – and that can reduce congestion, noise and air pollution by over 90%. [SOURCE]

Why is this important?

Adding lanes and expressways brings more cars, more congestion--and of course--longer commutes in the long term. In addition, car traffic is, indirectly, the most expensive burden there is for urban taxpayers. City budgets are stretched all over the continent - not just here in Winnipeg.

Coun. Justin Swandel made the motion for the fare hike on Wednesday, saying it is one way to cover the expense of speeding up the construction on the city's rapid transit routes. A transit fare increase would have to be endorsed by the Manitoba government and Premier Greg Selinger appeared supportive of the idea.

Obviously: better transit systems are the most effective way of improving traffic flow. It benefits drivers and transit riders. Most North American cities have learned the inefficient way that emphasizing car traffic over other modes of transportation actually makes things worse for drivers.

Why do we need to petition for this?

As residents of Winnipeg, we also pay taxes. The more cars there are, the more sprawl, and the less efficient your infrastructure is. You have more and more kms of roads serving a lower and lower population density--which is bad for your wallet, and the environment. The relative costs of maintaining this infrastructure skyrockets too.

Everyone subsidizes the roads in the city, even those of us who choose not to live in the the typical suburbs and drive our SUV everywhere. Make your voice heard today, and help make a Change in our beautiful city.

The cities that are doing well in terms of commute times, costs, budgets and tax burdens are the ones that have fought back urban sprawl and congestion with dense communities and effective transit.

Please sign if you endorse a better transit service and to put a stop to rapid and unreasonable increase of bus fares in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Link to Petition

L'avenir du transport collectif passe par les redevances sur les cardurants, plaide le groupe TRANSIT | Montréal | Radio-Canada.ca

Un bus de la Société de transport de Laval

L'avenir du transport collectif passe par les redevances sur les cardurants, plaide le groupe TRANSIT | Montréal | Radio-Canada.ca: "Pour doter les services de transport publics des ressources nécessaire pour faire face à l'augmentation croissante de leur clientèle, TRANSIT demande à Québec de multiplier par cinq la redevance sur les carburants et les combustibles fossiles.

Selon TRANSIT, une telle mesure permettrait de faire face à une augmentation d'au moins 40 % de l'achalandage dans les transports en commun d'ici 2020.

« Manifestement, le public est au rendez-vous, mais si on veut qu'il continue à préférer le transport collectif au transport individuel, il faudra qu'il y trouve son compte, c'est-à-dire que l'offre réponde à la demande en qualité et en quantité. » —
Karel Mayrand, directeur général de la Fondation David Suzuki"

'via Blog this'

What if transit were free?

Metro:

This city spends tens of millions on planning, building and maintaining roads every year, primarily for the benefit of private automobile owners.
The new Transportation Master Plan calls for $2.1 billion in new roads and bridges to be built over the next 20 years. Billions more will be needed to maintain our existing crumbling streets.

But we could potentially save much of that expense if we could simply get more people out of their cars and on to transit.

It wouldn’t be cheap; we’d need more buses, more drivers and more public-operating subsidies. But the benefits are clear. It would reduce traffic congestion, speed up everyone’s commute and eliminate the need for more road capacity. It would benefit the environment, encourage more compact development and enhance mobility for people who can’t drive or afford a car.

Montrealers using public transit like never before

Photograph by: Vincenzo D'Alto, The Gazette

Montrealers using public transit like never before: "MONTREAL - Never before have Montrealers used public transit as much as they do today.

In 2011, Société de transport de Montréal expects 405 million trips to be taken on its buses and the métro, STM president Michel Labrecque announced Tuesday.

That will beat the previous record: 398 million trips, set in 1947, when the city had an extensive tramway network. The tramway was gradually removed before being eliminated in 1959."

'via Blog this'

Montreal - #transit investment pays big dividends

FOR THE RECORD: Fund transport and boost the economy | iPolitics: "For over 150 years, public transit has been instrumental to Montreal’s economic development, boosting productivity and economic activity for the region’s businesses and agencies. With over 1.2 million trips daily, the STM helps Montrealers commute to work, attend school and patronize businesses.

Public transit also helps reduce road congestion, which each year costs Metropolitan Montreal $1.4 billion, or 1% of Montreal’s GDP. Less road congestion means reduced travel times for all Montrealers, including non-riders. Each public transit user means one less car on the roads, thereby cutting down travel time for goods and people (BTMM, 2010)."

'via Blog this'

Chow calls for national transit strategy - Canada - CBC News

Olivia Chow, the NDP's transport and infrastructure critic, says the lack of a national public transit strategy is hurting Canada's economy and environment, and putting pressure on big cities. Canadian Press

Chow calls for national transit strategy - Canada - CBC News: "NDP MP Olivia Chow says Canada needs to join other G8 and leading industrial nations and adopt a national transit strategy."

'via Blog this'

Child-friendly neighbourhoods - About Kids Health

Child-friendly neighbourhoods - About Kids Health: "Where not to live
If you and your kids sat down to invent the place you would least like to live, the list of features might include: nowhere to play, nowhere to go, nothing to do, no stores, no friends nearby, speeding traffic, lots of crime, and a long drive to school and back every day."

'via Blog this'

Oil-Rich Emirates all about transit even #freetransit

MoF encourages employees to use Dubai Metro by providing them with free Nol cards | Al Bawaba: "In line with its commitment to support important environmental and development projects, and marking the launch of Dubai Metro’s Green Line on September 9, 2011, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has provided its employees with free metro Nol cards (used for all public transport modes in Dubai). Carried out in partnership with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), MoF aims to encourage its staff to use public transportation, particularly the Dubai Metro, when travelling to and from their Dubai headquarters. "

'via Blog this'

Fare-free transit and sensible liquor laws among policy initiatives passed by Greens | Green Party of Manitoba

Fare-free transit and sensible liquor laws among policy initiatives passed by Greens | Green Party of Manitoba: "Fare-free transit and sensible liquor laws among policy initiatives passed by Greens"

07/24/11

A Fare-free transit policy for all urban centres in Manitoba passed with unanimous support at the Green Party of Manitoba's Special General Meeting held this past weekend in Winnipeg.

A round trip on the bus in Winnipeg is nearly $5.

“That is $5 which will be spent in the local economy. This policy is good for Manitobans and it's good for business,” said James Beddome, Leader of the Green Party of Manitoba.

“At this moment, the City of Winnipeg and province are planning on spending $10 million on new fare collecting equipment – let's invest that money in better service for everyone who uses the road,” added Beddome.

The GPM also adopted policy to modernize outdated and onerous liquor laws to permit market freedom to independent liquor merchants and reduce over-regulation of the hospitality industry, among other polices.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
CONTACT:

Caitlin McIntyre
204-999-4064
secretary@greenparty.mb.ca

The shocking truth about electric cars - The Globe and Mail

The shocking truth about electric cars - The Globe and Mail: "Here’s another catch: Electric cars aren’t necessarily green at all. Electric vehicles require large amounts of electricity – so much that Toronto Hydro chief Anthony Haines says he doesn’t know how he’d get it. “If you connect about 10 per cent of the homes on any given street with an electric car, the electricity system fails,” he said recently."

'via Blog this'

Free Transit first on the list for Socialist Party of Ontario

The party itself was founded earlier this year with a core platform of:

• Free accessible public transit

• A $15-per-hour minimum wage,

• Civilian oversight for the police, courts and jails

• Public pharma, dental, and eye care for everyone

• Comprehensive public housing and anti-poverty strategy

Min Reyes » Archive » a silent story of invisible people

Min Reyes » Archive » a silent story of invisible people: "a story not mine to tell
but it must be told
for some stories are buried with bodies
and while remaining untold
not the rotting flesh nor bones, nor the silent soul
will stop haunting those who seek truth"

'via Blog this'

CONSEIL REGIONAL DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT DE MONTREAL | Crise des infrastructures de transport : Sans investissement massif dans les transports collectifs, le sud du Québec sera paralysé

CONSEIL REGIONAL DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT DE MONTREAL | Crise des infrastructures de transport : Sans investissement massif dans les transports collectifs, le sud du Québec sera paralysé: MONTRÉAL, le 24 août 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - TRANSIT, l'Alliance pour le financement des transports collectifs au Québec, a été créée aujourd'hui à Montréal, afin de décrire l'état de la situation et tenter d'influencer les décisions budgétaires publiques. Ses membres fondateurs ont rappelé que si la présente crise du réseau routier révèle le sous-investissement chronique en matière de grandes infrastructures de transports, les transports collectifs subissent cette même dynamique.

CTV Ottawa- Arrests made at oilsands protest in Washington - CTV News

CTV Ottawa- Arrests made at oilsands protest in Washington - CTV News: Alberta's embattled oilsands are at the centre of a mass protest that began this weekend with arrests in front of the most prominent government building in the United States.

Crowds descended upon the White House early Saturday morning, prepared to spend two weeks hosting daily sit-ins to denounce a proposed pipeline that would transport oil from Alberta's infamous tarsands to a refinery in Texas.

Green Policy Asks: To Make Public Transportation Fare Free! | Green Party of Manitoba

Green Policy Asks: To Make Public Transportation Fare Free! | Green Party of Manitoba: "The City of Winnipeg should hold off on plans to spend as much as $10 million on new electronic equipment for collecting bus fares from Winnipeg transit riders, says James Beddome, Leader of the Green Party of Manitoba.

'Any commitments that Winnipeg's Council has made in this matter should be delayed till after the public has had an opportunity to vote for zero fare bus service in Manitoba, by voting Green with their October 4 election ballots,” said Beddome.
“I fully anticipate that the Green Party of Manitoba will raise the issue of fare free bus service in the next general election,” said Beddome
“Free public transportation is as Canadian a concept as user free public education, and user free public health care,” Beddome went on to say."

Futurity.org – Tundra fires may speed climate change

Futurity.org – Tundra fires may speed climate change: "The 2.1 million metric tons of carbon released in the fire—roughly twice the amount of greenhouse gases put out by the city of Miami in a year—is significant enough to suggest that Arctic fires could impact the global climate, says Mack, an associate professor of ecosystem ecology at the University of Florida."

Free transit in Kingston? Let's do it!

Photo from skew-t

What if Kingston… – Kingstonist: "Do you think many Kingstonian’s would relinquish their automobiles in favour of a free, lifetime public transit pass?  Would taxpayer funds be better spent on offering free transit service rather than spent on lane expansions and third crossings?  Not only do I think the answer to both of those questions is yes, but I believe the positive ramifications would far exceed beyond curing traffic congestion and greenhouse gases, as the result could include more bike lanes, business opportunities for car sharing, and increased levels of personal fitness.  By leading the way and becoming the first Canadian city to adopt a free transit system, Kingston could set itself apart from other sustainable wannabes and reap the benefits."

The Radio Ecoshock Show: KILL THE CAR

The Radio Ecoshock Show: KILL THE CAR: "It is a mark of our deep insanity that politicians keep promising and building more roads, highways, freeways, and bridges for the last days of the private car, the last decade or two of oil. Tell them to stop! Stop wasting our money, the last of the oil, our atmosphere, and our future!"

Speak up for pedestrians - Cars are not gods

Drawing Attention to Pedestrian Safety is Appropriate – From My Bottom Step: "The incidence of vehicle/pedestrians collisions, and the percentage of those collisions that result in injuries to pedestrians, is apalling.

What’s even more apalling is the apparent lack of police enforcement of pedestrian rights in this City and the way that pedestrian issues are given so little attention by our City Council."

James Hansen slams Keystone XL Canada-U.S. Pipeline: “Exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts” | ThinkProgress

James Hansen slams Keystone XL Canada-U.S. Pipeline: “Exploitation of tar sands would make it implausible to stabilize climate and avoid disastrous global climate impacts” | ThinkProgress: "The Canadian tar sands are substantially dirtier than conventional oil as the chart above shows (longer analysis here).  They may contain enough carbon-intensive fuel to make stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at non-catastrophic levels all but impossible.
And that is the point of Dr. James Hansen in a must-read essay on the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline to bring that dirty fuel into this country, “Silence Is Deadly: I’m Speaking Out Against Canada-U.S. Tar Sands Pipeline.”"

New Transit Planning Tool - Mapnificent!

I just heard (on Twitter) about a great new tool - Mapnificent - for transit users like me. Type in an address, pick a time estimate, and you'll see how far you can go in that time on your local transit system.

So, just to compare, here's what I can get to from Bow Cliff Seniors in 15 minutes:

And here's what I can get to from my neighbourhood in 15 minutes:

Of course, this is an estimate and doesn't take delays/etc. into account. Still, I can see it being a useful tool for trip planning when thinking about changing work/home locations, for nonprofits thinking about where to locate in relation to clients, etc. 

(Cross posted at Witch-Ways, where I've been crafting magic on the internet since 1994.)

Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism, Public Forum May 12 Toronto

Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism, Public Forum May 12: "In North America, human beings have become enthralled by the automobile: A quarter of our working lives are spent paying for them; communities fight each other for the right to build more of them; our cities have been torn down, remade and planned with their needs as the overriding concern; wars are fought to keep their fuel tanks filled; songs are written to
praise them; cathedrals are built to worship them." Read More on Facebook

CAA-Québec - Take advantage of free public transit on April 22!

CAA-Québec - Take advantage of free public transit on April 22!: "The Avec un ami (with a friend) initiative, proposed by Quebec Earth Day, is a first-of-its-kind campaign across Quebec to promote public transit use. Eleven Quebec transit networks are offering people the chance to try their services free of charge on Earth Day, April 22."

Métro Montréal - La piétonnisation bientôt en marche

Métro Montréal - La piétonnisation bientôt en marche: "Les automobiles seront de nouveau exclues des rues Sainte-Catherine et Saint-Paul cet été. L’arrondissement de Ville-Marie a annoncé jeudi, que ces deux artères seront réservées aux piétons à compter du 18 et 20 mai, respectivement. Elles le demeureront jusqu’au 13 et 26 septembre."

Choices (Political and Transportational)

I'll admit it - I have a political crush on NDPer Megan Leslie (who's running for re-election in Halifax). Why? 

• She was voted "Rookie MP of the Year" in 2009.
• When she spoke on Bill C-449 (giving seniors free access to transit in off-peak hours) she talked about the impact of free transit ("Free transit would greatly increase the quality of life by removing the terrible choice between rent, food, or heat and bus tickets.") and called for the development of a National Transit Strategy for Canada.
• She's had some great clips recently on CBC because of her role as NDP spokesperson on health.

But, most of all, she's running a carbon-neutral campaign that includes transit, cycling and carsharing. It's nice to see someone who actually gets it - how we do the work matters as much as the work we're doing. I look forward to the day when this is the norm, not the exception. Until then, I'll work on convincing people that I'm not a saint just because I use Calgary Transit to get to work-related events, ok? (I'll point out the other reasons instead, hehe.)


**Bonus points for her reference of climate-change discussions in this election campaign as an "issue of inter-generational equity" because, really, isn't it?


(Cross-posted at Witch-Ways, where I've been crafting magic on the internet since 1994.)

Calgary - How about totally free public transit?

The first step is to send a strong signal to people by making hopping on a bus or train absolutely free. Cost is not a deciding factor for a lot of people, but it is for some and, more importantly, anything that makes it easier and more attractive to take transit should be adopted.

The second step is to dramatically increase the places transit goes and how often it goes there. Don’t think you are making a big difference by adding a new leg to a light rail system when you really need a dozen new short and long legs that cover a city like a web. We need busses going up and down major streets every five minutes at all hours of the day. It has to be easy to jump on transit and easy to get to all sorts of places from anywhere in the city.

The third step is to build related infrastructure such as multi-level car parks at train stations, pedestrian tunnels and bridges, and express bus terminals.

Read more: How about totally free public transit? | Troy Media Corporation http://www.troymedia.com/2011/03/11/how-about-totally-free-public-transit/#ixzz1GIYFyqcd

InsideHalton Article: Wrong time to raise transit fares

InsideHalton Article: Wrong time to raise transit fares: "It is socially irresponsible for the Town’s budget committee to consider raising transit fares.
Raising fares or cutting transit service would effectively balance the budget on the backs of seniors, youths, new immigrants and low-income families who rely on this public service for work, shopping, school, healthcare and more.

The price of an adult pass has already jumped over 50 per cent in the past decade; an even higher price for passes really hurts riders on fixed incomes who are trying to save that extra little bit.

Unfortunately, inadequate federal and provincial transit funding in Canada has created a situation where the average rider pays 53 per cent of the costs of transit.

Many European cities have low or free fares to encourage ridership, given the many benefits of public transit.

Last year’s fare freeze and service improvements in Oakville resulted in a seven per cent increase in ridership, which should be seen as a success to build on.

Focusing solely on revenues ignores the other positive effects, such as improving air quality, decreasing congestion and making Oakville a more affordable and livable community for all its residents.

As the cost of such necessities as food, rent and heating continues to increase (and we are being hit with the HST to boot) why would the Town seek to make living here even less affordable for its residents?

James Ede, Oakville Federal NDP Candidate "

"Moving Beyond the Automobile" on Streetfilms

How exciting! Streetfilms just posted the trailer for its new 10-part series on reducing private automobile usage. Check it out below:



A new film will be posted every Tuesday, as well as lesson plans and discussion points if you're planning a screening with a larger audience (especially nice after the DVD becomes available). I'm looking forward to the piece on carsharing, as we just had a great day-long strategic planning session for Calgary Carshare that included some exciting plans for increased visibility and membership in this city. (My to-do list includes "evaluate the membership application process", "explore new partnerships with like-minded groups" and "bribe volunteers to fill out their timesheets". And that's just the first month!)

(Cross-posted at Witch-Ways, where I've been crafting magic on the internet since 1994.)

Working Together to Get Seniors Moving (in More Ways than One)

In October 2007, I started in my current position as an Executive Director of a nonprofit. As many EDs quickly discover, the job description and what you actually end up doing can be two very different things. Part of that evolution for me at Bow Cliff Seniors has been the increased emphasis on transportation issues facing our members: driving cessation, concerns about snow removal in neighbourhoods, changes in transit routes as the new West LRT line is developed, and challenges with Access Calgary and taxi wait times as a result of increased demand for these services, and so on. And, like many Executive Directors, I work best in collaboration.

One of the committees that I sit on, the ElderNet Transportation Planning Table, has been working on a mapping strategy to look at where seniors travel in our city and where the gaps are. It's been a fascinating process already: learning that the trip from one senior centre to a hospital in the same city quadrant can take up to two hours on transit, while another transit route from a hospital to several care facilities has its last bus of the evening leave 15 minutes before visiting hours are over, has us thinking about "what" people are doing when they use transit. This is starting to make the news in Toronto as well: proposed cuts to routes would impact people who are mobile (War on Roller Derby) and not-so-mobile (Fiorito: Cuts threaten bus service to Toronto's deaf-blind community).

Another collaboration opportunity has been the involvement of nursing students from the University of Calgary at our centre. This semester, the group is looking at how our members get to the centre, get groceries and get themselves to health services on a regular basis. I've also encouraged them to do a community survey to assess walking, transit and driving issues in the immediate neighbourhood, as keeping people engaged in community means being able to access it. It will be interesting to see what gaps they find here in relation to the bigger ElderNet project.

This week I'm also meeting with the coordinator of Get Up and Go, which connects seniors with "buddies" in an attempt to get people to ride transit. I'm hoping that the program will be a fit for BCS members, both as a way of getting more people to the centre (so they can participate in programs, access services, and not be isolated!) but also as another way of sparking a transit advocacy strategy process in the community. I still think the key to getting seniors using transit is to get them on it before they're seniors, but that's going to be a bigger project. (Hmmm....)

Trying to address social isolation without looking at root causes like transportation is a futile exercise. I'm glad that there are so many opportunities to work with others in the community, and I'm glad so many of them are recognizing that our transportation systems include more than individual vehicle ownership. What a radical concept, non?

(Cross-posted at Witch-Ways, where I've been crafting magic on the internet since 1994.)

Western governments prop up brutal regime to insure access to oil

Land fizzing like soda pop: farmer says CO2 injected underground is leaking - Winnipeg Free Press

Yet another false "solution" fails. The fossil-fuel and autosprawl industries keep trying to come up with ways to save their subsidized gravy train. One by one, REDD, Ethanol, Geothermal, and now CCS, their "solutions" keep failing. Before we look for alternatives -- why not STOP producing 50 million new autos per year? Stop building houses reachable only by auto? Stop spending billions for energy wars? Stop soaking the taxpayer to pay for this insanity?

Land fizzing like soda pop: farmer says CO2 injected underground is leaking - Winnipeg Free Press: "A Saskatchewan farm couple whose land lies over the world's largest carbon capture and storage project says greenhouse gases seeping from the soil are killing animals and sending groundwater foaming to the surface like shaken soda pop.
The gases were supposed to have been injected permanently underground."

your heart's on the left: From Henry Ford to Rob Ford: auto-destruction, and possibilities of a car-free future

your heart's on the left: From Henry Ford to Rob Ford: auto-destruction, and possibilities of a car-free future: "From car assembly-line pioneer Henry Ford, to Toronto's new pro-car mayor Rob Ford, we are living in an auto-dependent and auto-destructive society that is harming our health and our environment. But a healthy and green, car-free world is still possible.

KILLING US SOFTLY
During every hospital shift I see people who have been directly injured by cars—from whiplash and bruising, to broken bones, to fatalities. Car crashes are so common as to be simply part of the daily hospital routine. Listening to the radio traffic report outside the hospital is no better: collisions are presented as daily nuisances to be avoided, their human toll hidden."