Cook County Government’s Post

There has never been a better time to start biking in Toronto. For distances under 5km biking is the fastest, most affordable and sustainable way to get around. The City of Toronto's Cycling and Pedestrian Unit, under Becky Katz's leadership has paved the way for implementing best in class examples of cycling infrastructure that is slowing transforming our city. #BikeShareToronto demonstrates that there is a huge demand for affordable bike rental (especially for those without access to secure bike parking). Despite these achievements in making Toronto a better biking city, we have a growing public health crisis unfolding on our streets. Traffic collisions, caused by distracted and dangerous driving, have led to 32 human deaths on our streets (7 of them being people riding bikes) in 2024. As the city seeks to expand its network of Complete Streets, the calls from folks to stall and prevent the implementation of safe infrastructure is growing and is increasingly becoming a barrier to making progress. Please support the work of Cycle Toronto by supporting our annual fundraiser The Big Toronto Bike Ride. Biking shouldn't be a healthy way to die. https://lnkd.in/gsxEakYu

55,000 tennis balls from Wimbledon are upcycled into tiny homes for mice - we 💚 this positive upcycling story Instead of discarding thousands of tennis balls after the tournament, many get repurposed as tiny shelters, providing a safe haven for wildlife like small harvest mice. 🐭 💬 Dr Simon Lyster, Director General of the Wildlife Trusts, said: "In recent years it has been under increasing pressure and we hope that by specific harvest mouse projects such as artificial nests we will provide them with the help they need to survive." It's a brilliant example of how we can rethink waste and create value in unexpected ways. #CircularEconomy #Wimbledon #Upcycling #HarvestMice #Sustainability #PositiveNews

Over $6.5 million has been awarded to 21 local governments to support the delivery of priority bike riding routes and walking network planning over the next two years. This funding – through Cycle Network Local Government Grants and Walking Local Government Grants programs – will go towards 31 new bike riding projects and 16 new walking projects, including shared paths, crossings as well as planning. The projects will plan and deliver key active transport links such as bike routes and prepare walking network plans around key destinations like schools, public transport and town centres from the Gold Coast to Torres Shire in far north Queensland. The $6.5 million local government grant investment builds on the $12.45 million already committed to projects underway with local governments. The State Government has awarded $144 million to local governments since 2015, including $128 million for construction projects to support delivery of 201 kilometres of local government active transport network. Cycle Network Local Government Grants and Walking Local Government Grants projects are generally funded on a matched 50:50 basis with local governments. https://lnkd.in/gszEMe6R https://lnkd.in/gyt9t5i9

Dream Big - Impact Lives and Your Community 4 years ago a group of us at a board meeting for Coalition 4 Cyclists came up with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audatious Goal) to put a separated bike way along Highway 36 from Boulder to Lyons. We were sickened by the number of deaths and car on bike impacts on that stretch of road - one of the worst in the country. It was just a dream and it seemed somewhat insurmountable at the time. We are not there yet but two major milestones happened this year: 1. The feasibility study. 2. Approval from the County to start the design. We are moving this thing forward slowly but surely. There is a light at the end of the tunnel that looks like 2029 for completion. The lesson? Big ideas need a vision and the grinding will to push it forward. If you truly believe in it, you can make it happen. My heart is full of pride in my little not for profit in Boulder that had the vision, raised the money needed to seed this process, and pushed this rock up the hill. We will save lives and truly positively impact the community I live in.

Why are we still campaigning for East London Waterworks Park to be created on the Thames Water depot, despite the threat of development? Because we know this is the future of the land that benefits everyone! It was announced recently that number of visitors to Walthamstow Wetlands has surpassed three million! With the creation of brand-new wetlands in an important heritage setting, our park could also benefit millions of Londoners. We will do everything we can to create opportunities for genuinely inclusive open-water swimming. Local open-water swimming is a provision Waltham Forest Council promised local people but has failed to deliver. Recent studies have shown the huge impact that being in green and blue spaces has for us all - not just our mental health and sense of well-being - but also on our cognitive function and ability to learn. This is particularly the case for young people: the next generation. This recent article in The Guardian is one of a whole series proving the link between contact with natural open space and all sorts of beneficial impacts for individuals, and in turn our society: https://lnkd.in/ebG_re8Q

Scott Waters MAICD MLGMA. We could do this. A massive number of people in Chicago are riding bikes to shopping and getting around for a snippet of the cost of driving reducing council's burden on road building. Imagine if households could spend $15k less a year on their transportation by giving up a second car and getting an ebike so they could pay their mortgages and spend on #moretonmoney. Shops that are bike-friendly increase their income by 130%. A community win for the cost of living crisis for families, small businesses and the council. What Chicago is doing: https://lnkd.in/gz2sXu9P What San Diego is doing: https://lnkd.in/g6r3vka3 #bikes #transportation #council #finance

A recent independent survey commissioned by charity Sustrans of 21,374 residents in 18 UK Index cities found that a majority (56%) of people want to shift investment in road building schemes to funding options for walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport - only 17% would oppose such a move. Sustrans CEO, Xavier Brice said: "The UK is spending record sums on transport but the message from the public is clear. "They want a real choice. They don’t want to be locked into driving a car because there are no other options. "Now the opportunity is for government at all levels to listen to what people want and shift future investment to options that benefit us all." This resonates well with a number of my recent posts on the need as a country for a paradigm shift in the way we envisage our communities and the use of transport, and think again about the concept of 15 minute cities. Now I can already hear the conspiracy theorists jumping on this post saying that the concept is an instrument of government repression and that citizens are not allowed to travel beyond this 15 minute limit. However, this of course simply isn’t true and shouldn't be entertained. The 15-minute city is purely an urban planning tool designed to make most daily necessities and services such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure easily reachable within a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transport ride from any point in the city - whole system thinking at it's best. By reimagining urban spaces and fostering local connections, we can create environments that enhance our lives, promote environmental stewardship, and strengthen the bonds within our communities. It is now time for a national debate on prioritising well-being, sustainability, and community over the relentless pursuit of constant movement. Roddy Crockett, Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom, Confederation of Passenger Transport, #Capita

City Park: Upgrade or downgrade? Here’s what’s going on: We’re looking to add an aquatic center in Manhattan. The city has plans to redevelop City Park and this includes a massive aquatic center. While this is exciting because of the new facilities it will bring—like year-round swimming pools that the high school can use, a gym, and a fitness center—it’s also a bit controversial. The project will change the current landscape of the park dramatically. I live by City Park and don’t mind having an aquatic center across from my house. However, my wife loves the big lawns and lush look of the park as it is now, and she’s not on board with the change. What do you think? Does Manhattan need this aquatic center, or should we keep the park just the way it is? Drop your thoughts below! #CityPark #ManhattanLife #AquaticCenter #UrbanDevelopment #CommunityFeedback #ParkLife #Cityscape #PublicOpinion #GreenSpace #DerekRichards #MHK #LoveMHK #KansasRealEstate #KansasRealtor #MoveToKansas #AllianceRealty #Kansas #KState #KansasState #Wildcats #KStateWildcats

Preservation news you can use coming in from beloved Belle Isle in the City of Detroit and Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Preservation friends, take a minute to process: The fight to save the historic Belle Isle Boat House and the deadline that looms❗️ The details are as follows: ❗️ The Belle Isle Boat House is home to the Detroit Boat Club, a club that goes back all the way to 1839. ❗️The Belle Isle Boat House is home to one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, training Olympians as well as high schoolers. ❗️Time is ticking as it may soon be demolished. ❗️The boat house is overseen and maintained by the nonprofit Friends of Detroit Rowing under a lease agreement. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources handles the park's overall management, and the DNR says there's just no funds to upkeep the building anymore.  ❗️The state Legislature approved $2 million of the funds to specifically address the Belle Isle Boat House. ❗️The DNR was officially accepting proposals for renovation efforts from private and public entities until the spring but have extended that to the end of JULY. If there is no proposal that would cover restoration, the only option left for the DNR would be to tear the building down. ❗️A petition has been started to save the boat house from demolition: click on article, scroll to bottom, hover over sign the petition. If you'd like to learn more about historic designations associated with the property, funding mechanisms to consider to make this a viable historic redevelopment opportunity for you or your fellow preservation friends, and creative solutions for redevelopment of this historic boat house, let's chat. #CityofDetroit #boat #rowing #historicbuildings #historicpreservation

We want to have New Earswick Pool as our home for swimming lessons (& more) for a long time to come so we are really excited that the plans (that our Louise got a sneaky peek at a couple of months ago) have now been submitted for approval!! FoNESP have drawn up ambitious plans to totally transform the building which includes: 🏗 Demolition of the existing changing rooms & spectator gallery. 🏗 Creation of a mixed sex community changing village with cubicles. 🏗 Relocation of the spectator gallery to the first floor, accessible by lift & stairs. 🏗 Installation of solar panels, battery back-up & an air heat pump to reduce energy costs & make the pool more sustainable to run! The plans can be viewed on the CoYC planning portal – click here for full details: 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eJVUpB7Y It's really important that the cyc planning committee see the value of this upgrade to the users & wider comminuty, so please let them know before the consultation deadline (26th August) ... and if could tag (&/or let) your friends (know) and ask them to do the same we (& the Friends of New Earswick Swimming Pool) would be very grateful. Thank-you in advance for your support! ............................. Additional Info From FoNESP: WE NEED THE HELP OF ALL OUR FRIENDS, SUPPORTERS AND SWIMMERS PAST & PRESENT. FoNESP have submitted a planning application to City of York Council (CoYC) for a total redevelopment of the pool building which is is now 57 years old and in desperate need of modernisation. If we don’t take action, then it’s unlikely to last another 5-10 years. PLEASE GIVE YOUR SUPPORT by letting CoYC know just how much the pool means to you. You can do this on their online portal or via email or by post – full guidance on how to add your support can be found here: 🌐 https://lnkd.in/eRxUkiRb ✍️ If you are responding by email or post please quote the application reference number 24/01298/FUL #SwimSchool #SwimmingPool #Swimming #SupportLocal #SupportLocalBusinesses #SupportSmallBusinesses #Charity #York #NewEarswick