鈥�This year, we wanted to focus on road safety and rethinking streets,鈥� said Kevin Manaugh, Professor in 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Department of Geography and 9I制作厂免费 School of Environment, as he opened the second Sustainable Transportation Roundtable hosted by 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI) and sponsored by . 鈥淗istorians of the future will look back at the last 100 years confused about why we designed streets around inefficient, dangerous modes of transportation like cars.鈥�
The event, organized by Manaugh, head of the Office of Sustainable Mobility at SGI, and Owen Waygood, Professor of Transport at Polytechnique Montreal, drew in students, industry leaders, media representatives, and policymakers. It followed the success of the inaugural 2024 roundtable, which focused broadly on transitioning to sustainable, inclusive urban mobility.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been sold on the idea that cars are the way that we get around the city,鈥� continued Manaugh. 鈥淲hy have we ended up this way, and how can we change?鈥�
After opening remarks, SGI Associate Director Caroline LeBlond led an introduction, and the event began in earnest.
Tom Flood: Violence in the media and the streets
The roundtable kicked off with a keynote presentation from longtime advertising professional, Tom Flood, who virtually delivered an impassioned speech that focused primarily on road safety. Flood approaches the questions of street design from a communications standpoint rather than a technical one 鈥� and, importantly, as a concerned parent.
Flood argued that media and car ads don鈥檛 just reflect our values but reinforce them and offered a wide range of examples, including an advertisement for the , and a , illustrating that the 鈥渁bsurd鈥� messaging that normalizes car use, obscures (or even glorifies) its violence, and shifts blame onto pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
If the streets are built for primarily for cars, he said, then they are unsafe for humans. Traffic violence, Flood argued, 鈥渋s not accidental; these are results. This is how we have designed the system.鈥�
The antidote is to 鈥渇lip the script鈥�: first by exposing the traditional narratives for what they are, then by reshaping them. 鈥淲hen these are the only type of road violence messages that people see, that鈥檚 all they have to reference,鈥� he stated. 鈥淲e need to reach people who just haven鈥檛 realized yet that they are being propagandized.鈥�
Flood鈥檚 work with Rov茅lo Creative shows how the same marketing strategies can be used in service of sustainable transportation. 鈥淢ake the messaging simple, emotional, relatable,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f people realize that safer streets, walkable neighborhoods, and 15-minute cities would also make their lives easier, we鈥檒l see change.鈥� Instead of focusing only on death tolls and preventative measures, he urged shifting attention to metrics that measure the positives of sustainable transportation: 鈥渕obility, independence, and joy.鈥�
Panel 1: Re-thinking streets
Moderated by Owen Waygood, the first panel featured Marie-Soleil Cloutier, Professor at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS); Shabnam Abdollahi, a Postdoctoral Researcher at Polytechnique Montr茅al; and Zo茅 Poirier-Stephens, Consultant at Ville de Montr茅al.
The panel focused on the dominance of cars in urban design and how to reclaim streets as inclusive public spaces. 鈥淪treets should be shared by many types of transport,鈥� said Cloutier, while Abdollahi called for reimagining streets as spaces for walking, cycling, and socializing. Poirier-Stephens, however, urged nuance, asking: 鈥淗ow much do we share? And should we share everything?鈥�
Panelists agreed on the importance of designing streets for vulnerable users 鈥� children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Poirier-Stephens pointed out, 鈥淭he city is reactive in our planning. We focus our attention where there is tension.鈥� Instead, she argued, 鈥渨e should be ranking and mapping vulnerable people and places in the city, and prioritizing investments there.鈥�
Abdollahi highlighted how traditional metrics can hide risk: a low collision rate doesn鈥檛 always mean a street is safe, especially if people avoid it altogether. Better use of data and more public education, she said, are key to systemic change. The panel was then opened to questions, with one audience member noting that people are often nervous about change, and even if the result is beneficial, the transition period is challenging. The panelists unanimously agreed that communication is key.
Lightning talks
Thirteen 9I制作厂免费 graduate and undergraduate researchers participated in a series of five-minute 鈥渓ightning talks鈥� presenting their research and its connection to the theme of 鈥渞e-thinking streets.鈥� These lightning talks highlighted the breadth of transportation research at 9I制作厂免费 and offered fresh perspectives on everyday issues, from how people navigate snowy sidewalks to how different populations experience fear on public transit.
Panel 2: Overcoming barriers to public transportation implementation
Moderated by Manaugh, the second panel turned to challenges and opportunities in public transportation. Speakers included Zahra Zarabi, Postdoctoral Fellow at Polytechnique Montr茅al, Genevieve Boisjoly, Associate Professor at Montreal Polytechnique, Chris Harding a consultant at ARTM, and Laurence Lebel, the Systems Engineering Director at AtkinsR茅alis.
Boisjoly pointed to 鈥渓ack of integration and coordinated planning. We focus on tech, but stations are hard to access.鈥� Harding agreed, stating, 鈥渢he greatest barrier to public transit use is density. There needs to be more public transportation, and transportation infrastructure spending should be aligned with what helps the city.鈥�
Public funding was another key theme. Boisjoly suggested that this is a communications issue in that the public are unaware of all public transportation benefits. Lebel agreed, 鈥渢here is economic value 鈥� a lot of jobs get created. That needs to be communicated.鈥�
The panel called for better transit education. Lebel advocated for 鈥渟ystems thinking鈥� to be taught in urban planning programs. Harding agreed, 鈥渟tudents should ask why questions are asked 鈥� not just answer them. And think about what these answers mean.鈥�
Though political turnover can slow progress, panelists stressed the urgency of action. Lebel stated: 鈥淐limate change is a constant, and because of it we need to make changes.鈥�
Takeaways
The roundtable made one thing clear: we鈥檙e on the cusp of a necessary paradigm shift. As Flood said, it鈥檚 time to 鈥渇lip the script鈥�. That shift may involve communications strategies like those of , or tools like that help the public grasp the benefits of sustainable transportation. It also requires more nuanced engagement from planners鈥攅specially a commitment to including voices often left out.
Education systems must teach this kind of systems thinking, and may be starting to: as Lebel noted, Ontario Tech and Polytechnique Montr茅al have launched Canada鈥檚 first听 in railway studies. Ongoing dialogue between users, students, industry leaders, and policymakers is essential 鈥� and no doubt will continue at the third Sustainable Transportation Roundtable to be held in 2026.
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