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Cyclists
call on city to deliver the goods
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From
a courier's `green zone' plan to more bike lanes
Toronto Star, June 18, 2006
By Leslie Scrivener
Wayne Scott has one of those "what if" ideas to make Toronto a better
city. It's not new since he's been advocating it for some time, but now
that we are in an election year, he says this is the time to think
about making the downtown core a "green zone" for couriers.
That means that all letter and small parcel deliveries should be made
by couriers who are walking, cycling or using the subway. A designated
green zone would reduce the number of big-box delivery trucks clogging
city streets and curb carbon dioxide and other emissions.
Scott, 55, the spiritual godfather of city couriers, retired last year
for health reasons. He wants the city to lead the way by adopting a
green zone policy, then promote the idea to private companies. "Every
vehicle we take off the road helps every single living, breathing
individual in this city," he says.
He is a legend among bike and foot couriers for a 1998 Federal Court of
Appeal decision in his favour. It was an 18-year struggle, but in the
end won the right for non-motorized couriers to claim an $11 a day
income tax deduction for food. Food, he argued, was the fuel that ran
the engine — his body — with which he earned his living.
A group he co-founded, Hoof
& Cycle Courier Coalition, now called the Active Transport Workers Guild,
has won one of the City of Toronto's Environmental Awards of Excellence
the last two years, for contributing to the overall health of the city
by reducing automobile use.
He estimates that about one-quarter of Toronto's 1,000 or so local
couriers — that doesn't include multinationals such as Fed-Ex — deliver
their letters and parcels by bike or walking.
Scott's plan fits in with those of a new organization that promotes
cycling and walking in Toronto. The Toronto Coalition for Active
Transportation (T-CAT) has about 15 cycling activists and organizations
on board.
They want the city to keep its promise to increase the cycling budget
to $6 million; include cycling in all city planning; increase the
cycling safety and education budget (it's been stuck at $150,000 for
five years) and identify some of the places in the city that are
dangerous for cyclists. The group also wants city councillors to
support bike lane proposals in their wards.
In short, they say, the city has to show leadership in cycling.
"We're four years into the city's bike plan and there hasn't been
enough progress," says Martin Koob, one of the group's founders. "The
next council will have to get the bike plan on track. It's important
that cycling becomes an election issue and the next council is
committed."
When addressing environmental problems such as smog — Toronto has
already had four smog alerts in May and last year there were a
staggering 48, the most ever recorded — some of the most obvious
solutions are overlooked, says Koob.
"They focus on building retrofits or fuel efficiency in smog summits,
but they don't talk about cycling and walking. They have to start
including emission-free activities."
Scott adds: "We are a sustainable transport industry and our use should
be maximized."
The city doesn't use many couriers. It handles about five million
pieces of mail a year, most going through Canada Post with only12,761
delivered by courier.
Courier deliveries, by car, bike or foot, are contracted out, says
Daphne Gaby Donaldson, of the city clerk's office.
"It's up to the individual courier to use what transportation makes
sense, given the distance," she says. "It's not within our control."
For more information on T-CAT's proposals, email:
tcat@biketoronto.ca
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