The Car Is No Longer King!

In July 2007, Toronto City Council adopted an 80% reduction target for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, and a 20% reduction target for locallygenerated smog-causing pollutants from 2004 levels by 2012. In establishing these targets, City Council recognized that approximately one-third of the locally-generated GHG emissions and a significant portion of smog-causing pollutants come from the operation of motor vehicles. Consequently, the City is developing a Sustainable Transportation Implementation Strategy that will look to long-term structural changes, such as the implementation of the “Transit City” plan, which will create significant and lasting changes in aggregate travel behaviour. In the meantime, City Council has approved a series of short-term Sustainable Transportation Initiatives. This report provides a description of the short-term initiatives being considered, the issues and implications associated with these initiatives, and where implemented, their effectiveness and impacts. It is recognized that these short-term sustainable transportation initiatives are modest in scope and, by themselves, do not go very far in achieving the City’s reduction targets for GHG emissions and smog-causing pollutants. However, collectively, they signal a new way of looking at, implementing, and operating the City’s transportation system. The objective is to speed up progress along the path of sustainability, and to build public understanding and support for greening Toronto’s transportation system.