Transportation : Featured Stories

If Torontonians could only depoliticize the debate over transportation, we all might get further faster. Panelists at Yonge Street's Feet & Wheels event had more than a few ideas about how to improve the city's streets for everybody—and so did attendees.

Join Yonge Street on Thursday, Jan. 19, for a discussion on Toronto's transportation options. Our third public event will focus on how our streets can get everybody where they want to go, safely and harmoniously. Transportation advocate Nancy Smith Lea, National Post columnist Chris Selley and architect Chris Hardwicke lead the discussion. The Yonge Street Speaker Series is sponsored by the Toronto Community Foundation and Waterfront Toronto.

The growth of car-sharing services like Autoshare and Zipcar suggests it's ownership of vehicles, not access to them, that's the biggest contributor to Toronto's gridlock.

As industry players gather in Toronto this week to talk about the national rollout of electric vehicles, the trickiest part of the equation is getting consumers to change their ideas about what's makes for a good ride. Mike Elwood, chair of Electric Mobility Canada, tells us about the road ahead.

A GTA-based battery manufacturer gets revved up to supply the new wave of electric cars about to hit the streets. With over 150 patents to their name, Electrovaya is poised to take a profitable role in not just e-car battery production, but lead the way with a zero emission, non-solvent and non-toxic manufacturing process.

A town not known for its pro-pedestrian planning is redeveloping a historical site according to the principles of new urbanism. Oakville will be limiting car-related uses in Palermo Village, all the while trying to promote public transit and neighbourhood employment.

Yonge Street's Bert Archer recently sat down with Ontario's new Minister of Research and Innovation, Glen Murray, to talk about urbanism, sustainable transportation and technological and social innovation in and around Toronto.

Along the new TTC St. Clair streetcar line, a public art project with 24 new works is providing both wayfinding tools for riders and moments of wonder for the neighbourhood residents along the way.

As the big auto companies get ready to roll out their new electric vehicles, governments and other agencies in Toronto and Ontario are working to make it easy for drivers to go green with expanded e-car infrastructure projects and policies.

When it comes to advocating for more and safer cycling in Toronto, Janet Attard prefers the soft sell of her bicycle art. Apart from making her a living, her art has helped change the perception of bikes in the city.

Cycling isn't just for recreation as more and more Torontonians are pedaling around the city. Manual Cappel makes bikes and cargo trailers that help make that easy.

Zoe Hayes and Caitlin Carlisle wanted to get kids rolling, so they started Charlie's Freewheels, a volunteer-based community program that teaches bike mechanics and career development to Regent Park youth.

Nancy Smith-Lea became a cyclist almost by accident. But now she's helping change the way we think about our streets (and the role of engineers) in the 416 and 905 so cars, bikes, transit and pedestrians can finally all get along.

Frustrated by the problems and oversight in the bicycle market, an Annex bike store manager designed a bicycle specifically for Toronto's geography and climate, realized he'd found a niche need, and started manufacturing and selling the two-wheeler across North America.