There are some great things planned for 2006, not only by the Sierra Club, but also by lots of groups interested in a more sustainable urban lifestyle in the city. I'll give you a teaser here (I don't know a ton about them all yet), and will update you as I know more.

1) Metropass Affinity Program (MAP) - this is what I mentioned yesterday to you. It's a program which basically makes your Metropass (or, if you don't have a Metropass because you commute by bike, then your spouse/sister/father's Metropass) more valuable by giving you discounts all over the city when you buy stuff. We've got 10 businesses set to go. Mainly what we did / talked about last night was how to make it easier and more practical for everyone involved. My "within 2 months" launch prediction was a little wrong... if everything goes as planned, I think we're looking at mid-March (or the first day of Spring? March 21st? Just in time for the dreaded TTC fare hike).

2) There's also a bunch of people who are coming together in a sort of coalition of transit/pedestrian/cycling groups from all over the city to form a "common front" on issues that effect these kinds of groups. I don't know much about it yet, but it sounds like an awesome idea - One group of many people saying something in unison gets more attention than a few small scattered groups shouting their voices into the darkness. I'll spread the information about it as I get it. I think the first meeting is mid-March sometime.

3) The "final wrap-up" of the City's Policy and Finance Committee happens in less than 2 weeks, on Feb. 28th. It's the final chance for people to let the decision-makers of the city know that junk like bikeplans, cycling safety initiatives, etc. are important to them. There is a fantastic list of the members (complete with contact info!) of both the Policy & Finance and Budget Advisory Committees over on BikeToronto.ca. If you care about cycling, it can't hurt to let the "bigwigs" know.

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