Toronto Commuters shift to car-free mode

[marmar]

from The Toronto Star:



Commuters shift to car-free mode
VIDEO: Workers turning green for commute http://www.thestar.com/article/409412


Apr 03, 2008 04:30 AM
Francine Kopun
Feature Writer


Toronto commuters are going green.

Census figures released yesterday show greater numbers of commuters are walking or cycling to work in the city or using public transportation.

"I have a car, I have access to public transit. I choose to do this, even in the middle of winter," says Chris Blackloch, 44, who cycles 45 kilometres from Oakville to Toronto, winter and summer, weather permitting. "It's a good way to blow out any frustrations and cobwebs on the way home from your work."

Blackloch is one of the thousands of people who took up cycling to work in Toronto between 2001 and 2005, the time period covered by the last census. The number of people cycling to work in the Toronto CMA rose 33.2 per cent over those five years, to 22,540.

"I was an out-of-shape, pretty overweight guy when I started and within a few years of riding my bicycle I've lost weight and found a new lifestyle," says Blackloch, a film technician who lives in north Oakville and works near Adelaide and Sherbourne.

Thousands more commuters began walking or hopping on public transit during the same period – travelling green grew by 7.2 per cent in the CMA. Toronto was also the Canadian CMA with the highest public transit use by commuters.

"By the end of this year we'll be up over 70 million rides from 2001," said TTC chair Adam Giambrone yesterday. Ridership peaked last year at just under 460 million rides. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/article/409412