Ian Semple
@ianjsemple.bsky.social
Transportation & Transit Director for a growing Canadian city. Working to create complete communities with sustainable, multi-modal transportation solutions. Committed to building safe, accessible, and reliable ways to move, connect, and thrive.
I’ll keep these photos and repost when they are streets.
Have you heard about “stroads?” Not a street, not a road, bad combination…North America is FULL of them (ht @strongtowns.org). Today in Kingston we’ve been workshopping a “Stroad Strategy” with @ianjsemple.bsky.social and his enthusiastic team, on how both street design and land-use can transform!
June 6, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I’ll keep these photos and repost when they are streets.
Excited to have @brenttoderian.bsky.social come to Kingston and lead this incredibly important discussion!
If you want to hear “The Truth About Traffic,” you can get a free ticket to be there in-person in Kingston (limited capacity), OR you’ll be able to watch live on-line from anywhere!
See you June 5th! #TheTruthAboutTraffic
See you June 5th! #TheTruthAboutTraffic
May 22, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Excited to have @brenttoderian.bsky.social come to Kingston and lead this incredibly important discussion!
Reposted by Ian Semple
NEW: What makes BLUESKY the new “IT” place for Urbanists? It’s pretty significant that the American Planning Association is putting this out there to its huge membership. I was interviewed for it, as was @mitchellsilver.bsky.social & others.
Please share!
@bsky.app www.planning.org/planning/202...
Please share!
@bsky.app www.planning.org/planning/202...
What Makes Bluesky the New ‘It’ Space for Urbanists
Planners are turning to the up-and-coming platform, as well as other social media, to expand their reach and increase community engagement.
www.planning.org
February 13, 2025 at 7:39 PM
NEW: What makes BLUESKY the new “IT” place for Urbanists? It’s pretty significant that the American Planning Association is putting this out there to its huge membership. I was interviewed for it, as was @mitchellsilver.bsky.social & others.
Please share!
@bsky.app www.planning.org/planning/202...
Please share!
@bsky.app www.planning.org/planning/202...
New podcast episode from City Space - great listen for urban issues with a Canadian perspective - bike lanes and data and politics…
www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/art...
Pedal politics: How Toronto’s bike lanes became so divisive
Study after study shows that bike lanes make roads safer for everyone and have a minimal effect on traffic congestion. Yet, in Canadian cities, they’re not always popular
www.theglobeandmail.com
February 5, 2025 at 12:32 AM
New podcast episode from City Space - great listen for urban issues with a Canadian perspective - bike lanes and data and politics…
www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/art...
www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/art...
Highly recommend this article by @taras-grescoe.com about the thoughtful, precise, deliberate Swiss transportation system choices and the comparisons to our North American approach.
January 25, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Highly recommend this article by @taras-grescoe.com about the thoughtful, precise, deliberate Swiss transportation system choices and the comparisons to our North American approach.
So many implications from the increase in telework that we are just starting to study and understand. In my city we have a full travel survey from Sept 2019 that we will soon be able to compare with a full travel survey completed in Sept 2024. Cannot wait to dive in...
Georgia Tech prof Pat Mokhtarian has studied remote work for 40 years. She told me 15% of Americans now telework, triple the share before Covid.
Mokhtarian believes the shift is permanent -- and that it will transform US transportation.
My interview, in CityLab
Mokhtarian believes the shift is permanent -- and that it will transform US transportation.
My interview, in CityLab
Will Americans Ever Lose Their Taste for Telework?
The pandemic-era rise of remote work has hammered transit ridership and devastated downtowns. A transportation researcher looks at the long-term effects of our new commutes.
www.bloomberg.com
January 16, 2025 at 7:00 PM
So many implications from the increase in telework that we are just starting to study and understand. In my city we have a full travel survey from Sept 2019 that we will soon be able to compare with a full travel survey completed in Sept 2024. Cannot wait to dive in...
One of my favourite resources to share with people (and to refer back to myself) is the work by Todd Litman’s at the VTPI. This article by Todd and Rowan Steele is excellent and helps frame so many of the discussions I am having in my community right now.
www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf
www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf
www.vtpi.org
January 11, 2025 at 2:45 PM
One of my favourite resources to share with people (and to refer back to myself) is the work by Todd Litman’s at the VTPI. This article by Todd and Rowan Steele is excellent and helps frame so many of the discussions I am having in my community right now.
www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf
www.vtpi.org/landtravel.pdf
Reposted by Ian Semple
Making public transit free can be a popular and highly symbolic action, but I’ve been on the record for quite a while saying that it should be compared with the projected/expected effects of spending the same amount of public money on increasing frequency and other elements of improved service. 1/
January 4, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Making public transit free can be a popular and highly symbolic action, but I’ve been on the record for quite a while saying that it should be compared with the projected/expected effects of spending the same amount of public money on increasing frequency and other elements of improved service. 1/
Great perspective on all the benefits of moving the curb when the opportunity presents itself.
With the multi-decade lifespan of a street we really do get one shot to save money, increase safety, help the climate, and generally make things more pleasant.
With the multi-decade lifespan of a street we really do get one shot to save money, increase safety, help the climate, and generally make things more pleasant.
If the reconstruction project involves replacing the curb, don’t miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do something transformative: move the curb.
Read more in “Reconstructing the Street? Move the Curb!” on our site: www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023...
Read more in “Reconstructing the Street? Move the Curb!” on our site: www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023...
Reconstructing the Street? Move the Curb!
If your city is doing a street reconstruction project that involves replacing the curb, then don’t miss the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do a something majorly transformative…by simply moving the...
www.strongtowns.org
December 28, 2024 at 11:01 PM
Great perspective on all the benefits of moving the curb when the opportunity presents itself.
With the multi-decade lifespan of a street we really do get one shot to save money, increase safety, help the climate, and generally make things more pleasant.
With the multi-decade lifespan of a street we really do get one shot to save money, increase safety, help the climate, and generally make things more pleasant.
“Though restricting some vehicle access to the city may seem like a bold move akin to the controversial congestion fee, it is just the latest in a series of steps that Paris has taken toward having less gridlocked, more ‘complete,’ as Toronto would say, streets”
www.blogto.com/city/2024/12...
www.blogto.com/city/2024/12...
People on board with new solution to Toronto traffic that would limit cars on city streets
Fixing Toronto's gridlock is now so high on the political agenda that the Province is ripping out brand-new bike lanes in a misguided attempt to get …
www.blogto.com
December 22, 2024 at 1:01 AM
“Though restricting some vehicle access to the city may seem like a bold move akin to the controversial congestion fee, it is just the latest in a series of steps that Paris has taken toward having less gridlocked, more ‘complete,’ as Toronto would say, streets”
www.blogto.com/city/2024/12...
www.blogto.com/city/2024/12...
I also took in the "The Master Plan" at Soulpepper last week and completely agree! Also a sneaky way to rope your non-planning friends and family into 2.5 hours of Planning 101.
Saw “The Master Plan” at Soulpepper tonight with work colleagues. Absolute politics/planning nerd catnip and surprisingly YIMBY! Would highly recommend.
December 21, 2024 at 8:35 PM
I also took in the "The Master Plan" at Soulpepper last week and completely agree! Also a sneaky way to rope your non-planning friends and family into 2.5 hours of Planning 101.
The scale and time associated with reprioritizing our built form back to the people it is meant to serve feels daunting…
…but also so urgently needed to face climate action, housing affordability, and the task of creating complete communities head on.
…but also so urgently needed to face climate action, housing affordability, and the task of creating complete communities head on.
Our values & priorities are revealed in thousands of small but important details in our city design, deliberate decisions that have prioritized cars over people for decades. It will take equally deliberate decisions to change to cities for people. HT Dutch cartoon by Verwey, 1980
December 21, 2024 at 1:25 PM
The scale and time associated with reprioritizing our built form back to the people it is meant to serve feels daunting…
…but also so urgently needed to face climate action, housing affordability, and the task of creating complete communities head on.
…but also so urgently needed to face climate action, housing affordability, and the task of creating complete communities head on.
The “moments of change” concept in this article is interesting in considering how to maximize (always limited) TDM incentives.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
The Psychological Traps That Keep Us Stuck Commuting Via Car
Even when better options are available, switching modes is tough.
slate.com
December 20, 2024 at 11:45 PM
The “moments of change” concept in this article is interesting in considering how to maximize (always limited) TDM incentives.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
If you corner me at a party I’m going to talk to you about the perils of induced demand…
Great article with some Canadian examples.
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...
Great article with some Canadian examples.
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...
More highways likely won’t clear Ontario’s traffic. What will? | The Narwhal
Decades of research shows new lanes attract more drivers, but internal emails show some in the Ontario government think that’s ‘silly’
thenarwhal.ca
December 20, 2024 at 11:33 PM
If you corner me at a party I’m going to talk to you about the perils of induced demand…
Great article with some Canadian examples.
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...
Great article with some Canadian examples.
thenarwhal.ca/ontario-high...
Always keen to learn about multi-modal success stories like this one in Vancouver.
WATCH: If you want to better understand Vancouver’s renowned success in multi-modal (aka walking, biking & public transit) city-making, watch this excellent @streetfilms.bsky.social video from years ago. It also shows some of @modacitylife.com’s cool “origin story!” www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9JH...
Vancouver’s Multi-Modal Success Story
YouTube video by Streetfilms®
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2024 at 2:46 AM
Always keen to learn about multi-modal success stories like this one in Vancouver.
Excited to join Blue Sky! Looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas on creating, tuning up, and growing multi-modal transportation systems to shape better cities.
December 19, 2024 at 1:30 AM
Excited to join Blue Sky! Looking forward to connecting and sharing ideas on creating, tuning up, and growing multi-modal transportation systems to shape better cities.