Eric Doherty

@ericdoherty.bsky.social

4718 Followers 3098 Following

Transportation Planner. #Climatejustice activist. He/him. Lekwungen Territory (Victoria Canada). @eric_doherty on Twitter https://ecoplanning.ca/ #yyj #ElbowsUp

Family with two small children riding bikes through McClure pocket plaza on Vancouver St bike & roll route (with new tree and gardens)
Two adults on cargo bikes and two small children on own bikes on bike lane through a pocket park. Photo taken today on Vancouver St bike and roll route in Victoria Canada.
Two people on power wheelchairs using a protected bike and roll lane. This is Blanshard Street in Victoria Canada earlier today.
Small dog in rear carrier of red electric trike ridden by Grey haired person on Janion Plaza in Victoria BC.
Randall Garrison ptndsoroeS7730u54gf8ttuf84907glhut2g4htt340616t255la6fm639ac · Signed the Open Letter below from former BC NDP MLAs and MPs, along with other prominent leaders calling on the BC government to recommit to provincial climate leadership amid fossil fuel expansion and worsening climate disasters. Dear Premier Eby and the BC NDP caucus, We write as concerned British Columbians. Some of us have long associations with the NDP, while others have played key roles in the creation of B.C.’s climate plans. Today, we are reaching out to express our grave concern about the state of climate action in British Columbia. B.C. once led North America in its climate targets and mitigation and adaptation plans. The province was a leader in equitable climate pricing, and many of our municipalities have led on decarbonization. In 2019, B.C. became the first jurisdiction in the world to legislate a target to transition to 100% electric vehicle sales. B.C.’s climate leadership has been a source of pride. Now, however, B.C. is backtracking on nearly every metric of progress. The BC Climate Emergency Campaign, representing 650+ organizations and businesses, assigned the B.C. government eight out of ten failing grades in its 2025 Climate Action Progress Report. This is the worst outcome since tracking began in 2021. We are no longer seeing the climate leadership that we and other British Columbians expect and deserve. If a plan is defined as setting appropriate targets, with a credible path for achieving them, then B.C. no longer has a climate plan. Instead we are witnessing widespread capitulation to the fossil fuel industry under the guise of safeguarding our economy against U.S. threats and other geopolitical shocks. There are now multiple LNG projects championed by your government, and ironically, some that are backed by Wall Street billionaires with close ties to President Trump. Last year, gas royalties contributed just over one per cent of B.C.’s total revenues, less…
Pride parade in downtown Victoria.
Young doe and buck calmly grazing on front lawn of house.
Newly painted crosswalk with traffic cones in foreground.
Bicycle and mobility scooter passing in opposite directions on Pandora protected bike and roll lane at Government Street. Brick historic building in background.
DJ smiling and looking to side as people dance in Fernwood Square.
Post ‪Dave Thompson 🇨🇦‬ ‪@davethompsonvic.bsky.social‬ · 7h Johnson Street parkade rooftop generally has a lot of vacant spaces, including now. What do you think of allowing Downtown Residents Assoc. to have a community garden on it? (Motion on Thursday, with @jeremycaradonnayyj.bsky.social & @kristaloughton.bsky.social ) #yyj @downtownresidents.bsky.social ALT ALT Eric Doherty ‪@ericdoherty.bsky.social‬ Maybe it is the on-street parking spots that should become space for trees and gardens, and the cars should go in the parkades? This is what Paris and other leading cities are doing. #yyj 12:33 PM · Jun 8, 2026 1 repost 8 likes ‪Eric Doherty‬ ‪@ericdoherty.bsky.social‬ · 1m Really, we need to do both plant trees and gardens on a lot of #VictoriaBC 's on-street parking and street space *and* plant veggies on the top levels of parkades. But but making our streets delightful and climate ready (shade trees!) needs to be the higher priority. #yyj Following Discover Popular With Friends Urbanism+ Climate Politics #Transitsky Victoria BC ++ YYJBike More feeds 2026 NBA Finals Trending 1. Knicks 2. Ted Cruz 3. Spurs Booing 4. Benson & Stabler 5. Wemby Feedback ∙ Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Help Power wheelchair user rolls in partial shade of recently planted shade tree in new pocket park on Vancouver Street bike and roll route.
Power wheelchair user rolls in partial shade of recently planted shade tree in new pocket park on Vancouver Street bike and roll route.
Flipchart poll "how concerned are you about climate change" with almost all the dots on "somewhat or very concerned".
Small wooden bench under a tree against rock slope in front yard (by sidewalk, accessible to public)
It always seems impossible until it's done. Nelson Mandela. orange flowers in background.
Crosswalk construction at Cook and Kings.
Image of CBC article on website with photo of proposed location of LNG plant (beautiful cove with forest and mountains in background) Unclear if project would reduce global emissions The project's proponents argue that even if Ksi Lisims increases B.C.'s and Canada's greenhouse gas emissions, it's still an overall win for the planet because it would replace dirtier forms of energy such as coal, and its product would have lower-intensity emissions than LNG from other countries. "That's certainly possible, but it depends on a lot of things happening. And as we know from the last three months, things can get screwed up really fast," Olewiler said.
One person on a mobility scooter and two on bicycles on a protected bike and roll lane with gardens and trees on both sides. This is Pandora Avenue, and the brick building in the background is City Hall.
Bike lanes make life better for everyone Re: “Bike lanes and the rise of outrage in our society,” commentary, May 13. I was in Paris last year and saw what a network of quality bike lanes can do. Traffic volumes have been cut in half. Life is better for everyone, including drivers. The smiling faces of parents carrying kids on cargo bikes and grandparents ­riding three- and four-wheel mobility scooters in Paris (and Victoria), are a great reminder that you don’t have to ride a bicycle to use bike and roll lanes. And in the 2024 French national ­elections, Paris was a bright spot, soundly rejecting the far right. Paris elected a mayor and council committed to more trees, bike lanes and bus lanes. Nobody should be surprised by this. The evidence is overwhelming that creating bike or bus lane networks reduces car traffic (the technical term is “traffic evaporation” if you want to look it up). In our region, with a growing population and car ownership, traffic would be worse without bike lanes. There is also good evidence that people who live in places where walking and cycling are safe and pleasant, and casual socializing is easier, tend to be more resistant to misinformation and extremist politics. What we should be outraged about is having toxic misinformation printed in our daily newspaper. Eric Doherty Registered Professional Planner Victoria
Partially completed crosswalk with yellow tactile pads. Pickup truck on Cook Street
Three people on bicycles riding up a steep hill in a newly paved protected bike and roll lane.
Letter in Times Colonist newspaper: Bike lanes help everyone, including drivers A recent critique of bike lanes contains numerous errors. The commentary claims that bike lanes have only helped cyclists. ­However, numerous studies have shown that bike lanes improve safety for cars, bikes and pedestrians by providing better ­separation and by forcing drivers to slow down and pay more attention. The author notes that the number of cars in Greater Victoria has increased, but what matters is the number of car trips, not the number of vehicles. Data from the Capital Regional District shows that car trips have been decreasing over the past decade. Providing infrastructure to encourage cycling and walking does, in fact, encourage more people to switch modes and drive less. According to the last census, just 74% of Greater Victoria commuters drove to work — one of the lowest levels in Canada, thanks to our high rates of cycling and walking. If Victoria had the same rate of driving as other mid-sized metropolitan areas (88%), that would mean an extra 41,000 car trips in our region each day for commuting alone — and likely tens of thousands more car trips for all other purposes each day. If you think traffic is bad now, imagine how bad it would be under this scenario. The author seems to believe that if we didn’t have bike lanes, the extra space for cars would improve traffic. Thanks to induced demand, that is not the case. Every time in the last century, in every city, when road capacity has been increased, it has only encouraged more driving and has not solved congestion. Bike lanes and other policies that ­provide people with more choice on how to get around benefit everyone. Steven Murray Victoria
Times Colonist op-ed "Bike lanes and the rise of outrage in our society" photo of line of car traffic beside a protected bike and roll lane.
Movie set in Victoria's Trounce Alley with fake East Village subway station.
Post blocked. Reply: When you see a bike lane. BORS cartoon of person getting a swastika tattoo and shaving head saying "I just hate to do this. . . I feel bullied really.
Calgary Herald headline - May 7 Bell: Alberta to bring in law to rip out bike lanes and stop new ones Danielle Smith government ready to crack down on bike lanes with a hammer
Mobility Scooter rider on two-way protected bike and roll lane with trees and gardens on both sides.
One person on a mobility scooter, one on a cargo bike, and one on a regular bicycle on a two way protected bike lane with trees and gardens on both sides.
Person wearing party hat speaking in Centennial Square.
Person wearing hat speaks to crowd as children play in sun in Centennial Square.
Brightly painted concrete planter on Kings Road.
Dead end street (for cars) at a crosswalk under construction. Pickup truck driving past on main road (Cook). Big oak tree overhanging Kings Road.
NO Fishing sign with Herron standing in background
Herron swallowing a fish by edge of a pond.
Bright purple Camas flowers with Garry Oak trees in background.
Times Colonist letter - Letter promoted conspiracy theory Re: “Pushing us toward 15-minute cities,” letter, April 11. I cannot believe the Times Colonist chose to publish a letter espousing the ludicrous conspiracy theory that shady forces are working to trap people in “15-minute cities.” What’s next, tips for designing effective tinfoil hats? Shame on your editorial team. Shame. Sarah Starkweather Oak Bay
Large solar farm seen from above.
BC Rail electric locomotive
Image of top of letter from the US Secretary of Transportation to "Dear Mayor". link to full letter in thread
Person riding adult trike on Government Street pedestrian area.
Driver of BMW convertible drives a past Grey haired pedestrian waiting at median to cross. This is Cook Street in Oaklands today.
photo of three people walking on a wide sidewalk beside a protected bike lane with three rows of trees.
Massive night demonstration, this is last night's opposition rally in Budapest.
Two Mallard ducks sleeping on muddy path.
Patch of purple Camas flowers with rail fence and oak trees in background. This is in Summit Park.
Bill McKibben and Amber Bennet on zoom webinar.
Trees along Victoria's first protected bike lane, on Pandora Street, are blooming this week.
Protected bike and roll lane with young street trees on both sides. There are pink blossoms 🌸 on the trees on the right side.