Tag: active transport

fitness

Good transit is both a fitness and an equity issue

Diane Harper

A few weeks ago, I did something to my soleus muscle and have been instructed to rest it, or at least take it easier than usual. Last week, I had an angiogram and was under instructions not to drive for 24 hours or lift anything over 10 lb.

Since it had snowed overnight, I decided to take public transit rather than ignoring the doctor’s instructions and shovelling out my car or trying to ride my bike. Big mistake, but also a useful reminder.

My first trip was to work, which under normal circumstances would take 30-45 minutes by bus. I had looked up the schedules and left the house at a time that should have gotten me there 20 minutes early. Instead, my first bus was cancelled; I walked almost 2 km so I could catch the connecting bus that would still get me there just in time. It got cancelled, as did the one after that. The third one finally showed up five minutes before I was due to start work. I had been waiting for half an hour. Needless to say, I was late.

The next trip was to dance class. The schedule showed a bus would pass 10 minutes after my shift ended, so I raced to the bus stop without even changing out of my swimsuit. Then I waited. And waited. There are three possible connecting buses that would have gotten me the dance school in plenty of time. I missed all three and ended up walking another 2 km. I was late again, and did the entire class in my street clothes and bathing suit.

The next walk was planned because I know from experience that it is faster to walk than to rely on the buses to get home. Another 1.3 km. By this time I was thinking about Christine’s making space posts and the importance of finding ease. I was not finding ease.

A photo I snapped years ago at a bus stop on my way to work. As I recall, it was snowing and the bus was ridiculously late. Someone had taped up this image, which perfectly encapsulated the schedule on that particular route.

Then to a much-needed massage and home again. Another 1.3 km. By that time, i had accumulated 11.5 km of walking for the day, on top of dance class.. I was tired and grumpy enough that I shovelled out the car, even though I had no plans to use it that night. So much for following instructions!

It was a lot of walking and anxiety, but I am lucky compared to many people who rely on public transit every day.

  • I had a phone so could contact my supervisor and my job is not at risk.
  • I was physically able to do all that walking and standing in the cold.
  • I was late for dance class, not trying to pick up kids from daycare, and being charged $20 or more for every 5 minutes I was late.

fitness

Urbanism and Active Transit

Diane Harper1 Comment

Last year I started volunteering with Bike Ottawa, a group that advocates for better cycling infrastructure to keep the increasing number of people on bikes safe.

It turns out that when you start thinking about what makes people on bicycles safe, you quickly start thinking about how similar changes can make the lives of pedestrians safer. And that leads to how we design our streets to make them more accessible for people with mobility issues (and other disabilities). and then how all those things connect with public transit (or more to the point, how much better public transit needs to be both in terms of service and in terms of connectivity to bike paths and sidewalks, and providing benches and shade for people waiting).

I have been connecting with all sorts of people who know lots about these issues, and it has been a great year of learning – about how to get around my city more effectively, how much I am capable of on foot or by bike, and how to spot and (occasionally) fix problems. I am now a master of Guerilla construction signage adjustments to clear sidewalks and bike paths.

That culminated this weekend with a lovely walk around anOttawa neighbourhood that has been in the news a lot this year because of big, sometimes expensive, questions about how to use some public spaces.

I biked there, met up with other people I know from various cycling groups plus the guy who now leads an urbanist book club and some complete strangers. We were led on our walk by a woman who walks everywhere – an average of 120 km per week.

We talked about the environment, smart density, desire lines, the importance of consultations with users to ensure designs work (hello Flora Street pedestrian bridge with your incredibly sharp turns and unploughed stairs in winter).

Flora Street Bridge in Ottawa, showing the ramp on left, with cyclists and pedestrians, and stairs on right, with people climbing them or walking by. Image on left is from canadianconsultingengineer.com and the one on the right by Scott Norsworthy.

It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon, and it reinforced my view from earlier this year that infrastructure is a feminist issue.

We are already planning our next walk, ideally to a suburban area to look at the challenges for people who want to get around without a car.

Until then, we will be dreaming of active transportation and urban spaces that look more like this:

Clockwise from top left: Alexandra Bridge in Ottawa, with many pedestrians; a bike lane that goes right through a mall in Singapore; a bike lane in England being used by someone in a wheelchair. She is protected only by flexiposts as large vehicles drive by; the very busy pedestrianized Rue Mont Royal in Montreal.