Resources for Students, Parents and Teachers

Check out the FREE, downloadable PDF with discussion questions and ideas for extending learning on the issues discussed in City Streets are for People.

Did you know?

• Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to the climate crisis. Over 90 per cent of vehicles are still fuelled by oil and gas.
• Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for kids and young adults.
• The omnibus—a horse-drawn carriage—was the first regular public transit. It began in the 1820s in England and France.
• Streetcars in Toronto were pulled by horses until 1892.
• The first bicycle hit the streets in 1817 but it didn’t have any pedals and the tires were covered in leather. By the 1890s, bikes were easier and more fun to ride, and everyone wanted one. People called it Bicycle Fever!
• The first subway opened in London, England, in 1863. It was powered by steam and the underground tunnels were choked with fumes and soot.
• There are more bikes than people in Copenhagen.
• Public transit is free in the country of Luxembourg.
• One bus can replace up to 30 cars on the road.
• It’s safer to travel in a bus than a car.
• There’s a 100-year-old tram in Wuppertal, Germany, that hangs from a track feet 12 m over the city.
• One of Moscow’s subway stations is as deep underground as a 19-storey building is tall.
• The Shanghai Maglev train travels up to 430 km per hour.
• Many countries have banned the sale of new gas-powered cars after 2030.
• When Oslo, Norway, went almost entirely car free in the city centre, there were zero cycling and pedestrian deaths.