What’s new with the Mobility Council

This is part of a series of articles profiling the online meetings of TAC’s six councils and their committees that occurred in April 2023.

TAC’s Mobility Council welcomed 33 attendees to its spring meeting on April 26.

Guest presentations

The Council received presentations from Nour Elnawawi (WSP Canada) on the pooled-fund project Mobility Pricing Opportunities and Challenges, and from Simon Minelli (Canadian Urban Transit Association) on “Reimagining Transit in Canada.”

Technical projects

The Council received a presentation from Roy Symons (ISL Engineering) about an Active Transportation Integrated Committee volunteer project that will lead to TAC’s first emerging practice briefing on continuous sidewalks and bike paths, and approved the volunteer project report.

It also approved the volunteer project report “The Importance of Transportation Funding: Framing the Issues”, prepared by a working group of the Transportation Finance Committee.

Finally, the Council approved two new pooled-fund project proposals, one on curbside charging for electric vehicles and one on alternative financing and procurement models for major transportation projects. The TAC Secretariat will now seek funding commitments in support of both projects.

Committee updates

The Mobility Council received updates from its four committees.

The Active Transportation Integrated Committee meeting on April 24 attracted 56 attendees who discussed ongoing design guidance updates, improving member engagement, and increasing volunteering opportunities. Members also heard a presentation from Lui Greco (Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB)) on accessibility around construction sites and approved a volunteer project report on continuous sidewalks and bike paths.

The Mobility Management Committee meeting on April 25 involved 36 participants. The committee approved a new pooled-fund project proposal on curbside EV charging, received updates on TAC’s pooled-fund project to synthesize experience with shared micromobility services in Canadian communities, and advanced plans for an upcoming lunch-and-learn on managing parking through progressive pricing.

The Transportation Finance Committee meeting on April 20 attracted 12 participants. The committee approved a new pooled-fund project proposal on alternative financing and procurement models for major transportation projects and approved a volunteer project report on the importance of transportation funding. The committee also heard a presentation on the ongoing pooled-fund project on mobility pricing opportunities and challenges.

The Transportation Planning Committee meeting on April 19 attracted 22 participants. The committee approved terms of reference for a new Transportation Modelling User Group, discussed establishing a working group to make updates to the 2014 TAC guide Changing Practices in Data Collection on the Movement of People, and advanced plans for an upcoming lunch-and-learn event.

Mobility Council Executive volunteers

• Chair – Brian Hollingworth (City of Hamilton)
• Vice-Chair – David MacIsaac (Halifax Regional Municipality)
• Chair, Active Transportation Integrated Committee – Elizabeth Pugh (Nova Scotia Public Works)
• Chair, Mobility Management Committee – Rob Poapst (City of Winnipeg)
• Chair, Transportation Finance Committee – Jacquelyn Hayward (City of Toronto)
• Chair, Transportation Planning Committee – Mehemed Delibasic (McIntosh Perry)
• Past Chair – Lisa Salsberg (Access Planning)
• Board Liaison – Michael Thompson (City of Calgary)