The goal of Metcalf’s Cycle City Program is to help build a constituency and a culture that support cycling in Toronto.
Cycle City funding supports public education and community organizing, network building and convening, research and public policy analysis, and other complementary efforts that can advance the implementation of recent cycling commitments in Toronto.
Eight grants have been approved in the last two funding cycles.
The David Suzuki Foundation collaborates with Canadians to find solutions that will create a sustainable Canada through science-based research, education, and policy work. Cycle Toronto is a diverse member-supported organization that advocates for a healthy, safe, cycling-friendly city for all.
Building on recent cycling achievements, the two groups will coordinate their efforts to expand Toronto’s cycling infrastructure along the key Bloor, Danforth, and Yonge Street corridors.
The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) promotes environmentally sustainable cities by advancing knowledge and evidence to build support for streets that are safe and inclusive for walking and cycling.
TCAT will research the feasibility of developing a car driver safety course focused on active transportation. Participants in the course would learn how to operate a vehicle safely around cyclists and pedestrians, while potentially receiving a discount on their auto insurance.
The University of Toronto’s Cycling Think and Do Tank is a multidisciplinary, multi-sector research project focused on increasing cycling as a primary transportation choice.
In partnership with Swerhun Facilitation, researchers will examine the prospects of developing a shared set of cycling indicators for Toronto and its surrounding region. Their research will culminate in a briefing package for senior public sector leaders and other key stakeholders on the value of using common cycling data collection methods in order to support increased collaboration across sectors.
Since 2014, Open Streets Toronto has annually organized two free and publicly accessible half-day events in which streets in downtown Toronto (Yonge and Bloor) are temporarily opened to people and closed to cars.
The goal of the event is to help Torontonians reimagine our streets as “paved parks” where people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds can participate in physical activity, safe cycling, and healthy recreation. Metcalf funding is supporting the event’s continued expansion.
The Canadian Urban Institute delivers non-partisan information in support of decision-making that sustains economically, socially, and environmentally resilient communities.
Working with The Laneway Project and the Community Bicycle Network, they’ll launch “Laneways as Bikeways”— a project that will explore opportunities for using laneways to address the current gaps in the planned Toronto cycling network before its completion. The project team will conduct research, mapping, and outreach activities with city residents and stakeholders to identify and recommend possible solutions for adapting our city’s laneways into safe and efficient cycling routes.
Since 2015, the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation, Cycle Toronto, CultureLink Settlement Services, and the University of Toronto’s Cycling Think and Do Tank have acted as collaborative partners in the Scarborough Cycles project. In 2016, Scarborough Cycles opened two community bike hubs at AccessPoint on Danforth, and Birchmount Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre.
Over the next two years, these partners will continue to support cycling in Scarborough by creating and disseminating new knowledge about cycling in the suburbs, building capacity among local agencies, institutions, and individuals, and engaging residents and stakeholders by organizing public meetings, events, and other awareness-building activities.
The Pembina Foundation provides reliable and relevant information on issues such as climate change research and education, energy research and education, and environmental capacity building.
Through the Pembina Institute, research will be undertaken on the opportunity to reduce emissions within the goods movement sector via the use of bicycles for deliveries in Toronto. The project will look at barriers and opportunities to expand the “goods-by-bike” sector and lay the groundwork for a possible bike delivery pilot project in partnership with a major delivery company.
Regenesis is a Canadian university- and college-based environmental and community organization that creates and manages student-involved initiatives and social enterprises that transform campuses and communities into vibrant, sustainable, and equitable places.
This September, Regenesis will open a community bike centre at the edge of York University’s campus that will provide free cycling education, low-cost bike rentals, DIY bike repair, and expert mechanic services to the York University, University Heights, Jane-Finch, Westminister-Branson, and Downsview communities. Metcalf funding will support the bike centre’s community outreach efforts.