Writing the 8 Secrets to Cycling in Traffic (which aren't really secrets if you're a cyclist...) all at once and then spacing out the posts spoiled me. I have to get back into writing every day.

I'll start by talking about a few links I've come across that emphasize the importance of human activity over vehicular activity.

Transportation Alternatives in New York City are currently campaigning for a Car Free Central Park this summer. It's actually a bit of a misnomer, as they're only calling for the "Loop Drive" (the white roads on the map to the right - you can click it to go to the GoogleMap of the park...) to be closed to traffic in the summer, not the east-west "transverses". Apparently Frederick Law Olmsted originally designed the Loop Drive to be for recreation only, but it has since been turned into a thoroughfare for drivers heading for Midtown Manhattan:

Central Park was created 150 years ago as a refuge from the street noise and bustle of the surrounding city. Tragically, the park’s status as a retreat from the urban din is compromised every weekday by the presence of drivers on the loop drive. Families with strollers, runners, bicyclists and tourists seeking respite must jockey for space in a narrow “recreational lane” inches away from the car traffic they are trying to escape.

Needless to say, I really hope they can get Loop Drive to be free from cars for atleast the summer months.

The Project for Public Spaces is based in New York but works all over the world helping people to grow their public spaces into vital community places. They are compiling tips on the simple steps people can take to improve their own neighborhoods, turning them into great public spaces. They even mention Dufferin Grove Park.

Places built with people in mind are good for cities and towns. Especially for attracting tourists. When's the last time you heard of someone visiting Woodbridge to drive around the crescents and cul-de-sacs? Uh... never.

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