| Abstract |
In March of 2020, Pollution Probe and The Delphi Group
finalized a study entitled Opportunities for Low-Carbon Mobility Actions
in Canadian Municipalities: Best Practices and Guidance. This
comprehensive study explored a wide variety of collaborative actions
that Canadian cities can lead to encourage the use of zero emission
vehicles (ZEVs) across all modes of transport to address greenhouse gas
(GHG) and air pollutant emissions and alleviate congestion. Since the
study’s completion, urban mobility trends and practices have been
dramatically upended due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns,
layoffs and work-from-home policies in major urban centres have caused
traffic levels to plummet. Social distancing mandates and virus-related
fears have led travellers to avoid public transit. Early indicators
suggest that people are viewing privately-owned vehicles as the safest
mode of travel, threatening to reverse the decades-long trend of
declining vehicle ownership levels in cities. This report revisits some
of the actions explored in the original report in light of the dramatic
impacts of the pandemic on transportation systems globally. Its purpose
is to share guidance and best practices, and identify barriers and
challenges faced by municipalities and transit agencies across Canada as
they respond to, and recover from, the global pandemic. |