Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, PhD

I'll be taking a break from my phone and social media for the next few weeks. If you want to reach me, email is best: m.bonsma@utoronto.ca. See you in April!

Want to walk more without trying? Move here Researchers found that walkable city design—not personal motivation—was the key factor behind people taking 1,100 more steps per day

City design - not personal motivation- is the key factor behind people walking more

And it's not impossible or unimaginable to design the system so that no one dies. Lots of places have done it, and when we don't make the necessary changes we are making a choice that those deaths are acceptable.

I strongly disagree because I think children and people with disabilities should be allowed to exist in public. "Moving in an unpredictable way" is not necessarily a choice, it can just be the way many people naturally move!

I'm very sorry for your loss!

The thing is, I understand the urge to want to feel like you did nothing wrong if you hit someone by "accident" under normal driving conditions. But we need a major culture shift to an understanding that getting behind the wheel means you might kill someone!

When people (drivers) are upset about distracted pedestrians, what they really mean is: I don't want the responsibility of driving my car with awareness and care, as if it might kill someone

Talking about distracted driving and distracted walking as if they are similar problems is ludicrous. You are simply not going to kill someone by bumping into them while walking!

Changing Lanes Documentary Screening at City Hall A free screening of the documentary Changing Lanes at City Hall to celebrate the groundswell of support for neighbourhood retail.

Two more sleeps until you can watch a movie about traffic calming and civic participation in Toronto City Hall chambers!!! We're near capacity, reserve your spot now! www.eventbrite.ca/e/changing-l...

I tried searching #BikeSky and #KnitSky without luck. It was something about "are there any urbanists who would appreciate these mittens" or something like that.

🤯 this could induce me to try knitting a sweater for the first time!

Someone (wish I could remember who!) posted the pattern on here back in the fall and they've been on my list since!

These are the "fuck cars" mittens by Erin Megenity:
www.etsy.com/listing/1841...

At the rate I knit these will be ready in time for next February

A partially-knitted mitten with a bike design on it held up in front of the window and seat of a VIA train

Working on my bike mittens on the train 🚲🤝🚃

It might as well be on purpose! More and more I feel like getting in a car is just giving a big middle finger to everyone around you

He was like "Why did they do this?? They need to come back and say sorry!" and the futility of his rage and the fact that the driver almost certainly doesn't even realize they did it just added salt to the wound. I've felt it myself too.

6-year-old was already pretty anti-car for environmental reasons but he got splashed by a car today while out walking and I think it has fully radicalized him.

Cities don't smell bad, cars smell bad

Taylor Creek trail two weeks after the big snowstorm showing a well-packed footpath that is not dirty at all and some cross-country ski tracks beside it.

This is what winter looks like on one of the busiest trails in Toronto. Hundreds of people traveling on foot, ski, fat bike - no road filth.

💯

I love winter and I will be the first to admit that walking around on city sidewalks covered in grey-brown sludge is pretty unpleasant!

How many people who "hate winter" actually just hate how snow retains and reveals the unbelievable filth smeared all over by cars

Matt Elliott: Toronto police are doing less — but asking for more money. Why is Olivia Chow determined to give them what they want? At Tuesday’s budget meeting, city councillors will debate the mayor’s 2026 spending plan, which includes a $94-million boost for the Toronto Police Service.

My @thestar.com column: With Toronto cops facing a huge corruption scandal, it should be impossible for Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto council to just rubber-stamp yet another big police budget increase today.

The job of police reform is not done. Not by a longshot.

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

"We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas." Oregon has a mandatory road usage charge that uses GPS to track car mileage. The data is not stored long-term, you can choose from multiple providers so the government doesn't have your data, even in theory. This is a solved problem!

Why not both? Improving public transport is a carrot and lowering car speeds is a stick. Induced demand goes both ways.

If no funswick is getting clean air in schools your province should be getting it too; don’t let NB beat you that’s just embarrassing 🥰

The Olympics, the halftime show - humans can do so many incredible things. Not sure if this is the Monday inspiration I need but I'll take it

Yes I think we saw you on the platform! I was with my family, notable members including orange snow suit kid haha

I think we saw you at Kennedy handing them out! Was that you?