*Why There's No War Between Drivers and Cyclists in the Netherlands*
Sarah Goodyear <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/authors/sarah-goodyear/> /
May 08, 2012
Bicycling is such an integral part of life in the Netherlands, you might
think that Dutch people are born knowing how to cycle.
They aren’t, of course. What’s kind of wonderful is the way that they learn.
It’s not just a matter of going to the park with a parent, getting a push,
and falling down a bunch of times until you can pedal on your own. Dutch
children are expected to learn and follow the rules of the road, because
starting in secondary school – at age 12 – they are expected to be able to
ride their bikes on their own to school, sometimes as far as nine or 10
miles.
Because this independent travel for children is valued in Dutch society,
education about traffic safety is something that every Dutch child
receives. There's even a bicycle road test that Dutch children are required
to take at age 12 in order to prove that they are responsible cycling
citizens.
*Read full article & see videos: *
*
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/why-theres-no-war-between-…
*<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/why-theres-no-war-between-…>
(Thanks to Dave Elmore for sharing.)
This Wednesday, May 9^th , the City of Winnipeg will be hosting an open
house giving an opportunity to review three options being proposed for
improvements to the Pembina Highway Underpass (at Jubilee).Only one of
the proposed options meets the minimum requirements for active
transportation.Only option 3 includes the long promised pathway to
safely carry cyclists and pedestrians over Pembina Highway.This crossing
has consistently been included in public plans
<http://winnipegtransit.com/assets/80/Southwest_Rapid_Transit_Corridor_-_Sta…>
for the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor, the City has chosen to present
the public with two options for the Pembina Underpass that exclude
pedestrians and cyclists from having a safe, convenient way to cross one
of the busiest roadways in the city.
What difference would the exclusion of this pathway make?For those that
Portland terms the "interested but concerned" cyclist (they estimate
this represents 60% of their population), it means a lot.These potential
cyclists will not choose a high traffic roadway like the Jubilee
Overpass, nor will they suffer constant stopping and dismounting to get
to their destination along lower traffic routes that avoid Jubilee
Overpass (and incidentally cause them to stop all traffic on Pembina
when they cross just south of Jubilee).For these cyclists, the lack of a
safe, convenient, and separated pathway across Pembina will mean
choosing their car over their bike for trips that they would otherwise
gladly make by bike.
We are asking all members to make an effort to get out to the open house
<http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/PembinaHighwayUnderpass/defaul…>
this Wednesday, fill out the on line survey (available after May 9^th )
and write your City Councillor and Provincial MLA to make it known that
the only acceptable option for the Pembina Underpass is one that
includes room for a separated AT Pathway over Pembina Highway when Rapid
Transit is extended.The open house is being held at the APEGN office
(870 Pembina Highway) just north of the underpass.Comments can be sent
to the project web-site
<file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMCohoe%5CDocuments%5CBike%20to%20the%20Future%5CCity%20Committee%5CBikeways%5CPembina%20Bikeway%5CPembina%20Underpass%5C%28http:%5Cwww.winnipeg.ca%5Cpublicworks%5CMajorProjects%5CPembinaHighwayUnderpass%5Cdefault.asp%29>
or sent directly to the head planner in charge of this project,
Jacqueline East <mailto:jeast@dillon.ca>.
Sincerely,
Mark Cohoe
Bike to the Future
Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a
local viewing of the upcoming APBP webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303
Portage Ave) followed by group discussion.* *Detailed descriptions provided
below.*
*In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much?
Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST
RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then!
cheers,
Beth
925-3772
* * * * *
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) presents:
In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much?
Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST
Increasingly communities face the dilemma of bicycles and pedestrians
competing for scarce sidewalk space. As pedestrian activity increases wider
sidewalks are needed, while as cycling increases more bicycle
parking—traditionally placed on sidewalks—is also needed. In-street bicycle
corrals allow agencies to place bicycle parking in the street, off the
pedestrian way, resolving this conflict and making more efficient use of
existing parking spaces. However, jurisdictions may hesitate to undertake
bicycle corrals since there are few design examples and little specific
guidance on which to base such projects. Planners, engineers, developers
and advocates should attend this webinar to learn how to scale up bicycle
parking to meet growing demand while avoiding negative impacts to the
pedestrian environment.
Placing bicycle parking in the street presents unique challenges for
traffic engineers and streetscape designers. Issues include roadway
operations, cyclist and pedestrian safety, placement of a bike corral in
relation to other sidewalk and street design elements, pedestrian flows and
adjacent land uses. The webinar will address these challenges with examples
of successful in-street bicycle parking projects (examples from New York
City, Portland, and Washington D.C.). Presenters will also define best
practices for providing bicycle parking in the street and discuss how a
program might progress, beginning with public process and moving through
costs, installation, and maintenance.
Presenters include Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley, California; Sarah
Figliozzi, Portland Bureau of Transportation; Chris Holben, District
Department of Transportation; and Hayes Lord, New York City Department of
Transportation. APBP has applied to the AICP for one Certification
Maintenance credit for this webinar, and will provide an attendance
certificate to those who document their professional development hours.
--
*Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action
Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/>
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us
here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living.
Support our work by becoming a
member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>
Saving lives by slowing down on city streets Kelly Grant From Monday's
Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Apr. 29, 2012 9:08PM EDT
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/saving-lives-by-slowing-down-o…
Toronto’s top doctor wants speed limits in Canada’s largest city reduced by
10 to 20 kilometres an hour, an idea that’ll be a tough sell when he
pitches it to the Board of Health on Monday.
When Medical Officer of Health David McKeown revealed his proposal last
week, it was panned faster than the speed of a car on one of Toronto’s 60
km/h arterial roads.
Mayor Rob Ford dismissed it as “nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts,” while the head of
the public works committee urged Dr. McKeown to “stick to his knitting,”
unless he’s after a job in the transportation department.
But Dr. McKeown’s proposal isn’t outrageous. Other major cities around the
world are experimenting with lowering speed limits as part of their efforts
to keep pedestrians, cyclists and drivers safe, something supporters hope
will nudge urban dwellers out of their cars.
New York implemented its first “slow speed” 20-mph (about 32 km/h) zone in
the heart of the Bronx last fall. Edmonton recently wrapped up a pilot
project testing a 10 km/h reduction – to 40 km/h from 50 – in six
neighbourhoods, three of which have elected to retain the lower speed caps.
And Portsmouth, England, has received calls from across the globe about its
decision to implement a nearly city-wide speed limit of 20 mph.
These interventions go beyond traditional traffic-calming measures, such as
speed bumps.
“I’m not surprised that on first blush, some people might be concerned
about the recommendation,” Dr. McKeown said in an interview. “[But] the
evidence of the relationship between speed and mortality and fatality is
very strong.”
Pedestrians are eight times more likely to die when hit by cars travelling
50 km/h than when struck by vehicles travelling 30 km/h, according to the
World Health Organization.
Strong as it may be, the science supporting lower speed limits isn’t
exactly surprising. Slowing down saves lives.
However, municipal leaders must balance safety with the need to get from
point A to point B in a reasonable time. That’s why most of the cities
testing lower speed limits are using neighbourhood streets, not arterial
roads, as their petri dishes.
Take New York. In a bid to cut traffic fatalities in half by 2030, the Big
Apple has implemented a raft of measures to persuade motorists to slow
down, including cheeky commercials reminding New Yorkers there actually *is
*a speed limit in the city, and it’s 30 mph.
New York’s Department of Transportation has taken a particularly aggressive
step in the Claremont section of The Bronx.
Often abused as a shortcut, the quarter-mile residential neighbourhood saw
46 people killed or seriously injured in motor-vehicle crashes from 2006 to
2010, prompting the city to make Claremont its first 20-mph zone.
The zone is marked with 14 distinctive gateway entrances, 28 posted speed
limit signs and nine speed humps.
“It sends a clear message to those drivers that neighbourhood streets are
not shortcuts, they are not speedways,” said New York Transportation
commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan.
She said residents were “wildly supportive” of the new zone. “People were
happy because they were tired of seeing their streets used as speedways.”
Now more than 100 New York neighbourhoods have applied for slow-speed
zones, she added.
“I think that you’re starting to see cities all over the country look for
these kinds of interventions. There’s a big hue and cry to have safer
streets,” she said.
It’s still an open question whether reducing the posted speed limit alone
actually compels motorists to ease off the gas.
Claremont’s experience is still too fresh to have produced useful data. In
any case, the neighbourhood’s slow zone includes speed bumps, making it
difficult to separate their effects from those of a lower posted speed
limit.
Edmonton, on the other hand, has the hard numbers to show that a reduced
speed limit is little match for road design.
Beginning on May 1, 2010, the Alberta capital reduced speed limits in six
very different neighbourhoods to 40 km/h from 50, using only signs and
enforcement, including photo radar.
Overall, operating speeds fells by 7 per cent or about 3.5 km/h. The number
of serious crashes dropped slightly in all but one of the test areas, where
severe collisions actually increased.
Sounds promising, until you look at the actual speeds logged during the
six-month experiment. In two older neighbourhoods, operating speeds fell to
51 km/h from about 53; in two grid-patterned areas, speeds dropped to 53
km/h from 55; and in two newly built pockets, speeds fell to 57 km/h from
60.
In other words, next to nobody respected the 40 km/h limit. Road design
mattered. Motorists drove slower on older, narrow streets lined with parked
cars, and faster on new, wider thoroughfares with little parking.
“One of the things about reducing the speed limit on any given road is that
it needs to make sense to the public,” said Scott McDonald, senior speed
management co-ordinator for Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety.
That’s one of the reasons Dr. McKeown’s recommendations have taken such a
beating.
Right now, Toronto’s speed limit, unless otherwise posted, is 50 km/h. Some
wide arterial roads are 60 km/h, most residential streets are 40 km/h, and
streets with speed bumps are 30 km/h.
The Medical Officer of Health favours reducing the residential limit to 30
km/h and the default speed limit to 40 km/h.
In a city strangled by gridlock, the thought of puttering along at 40 km/h
on an arterial road isn’t likely to be embraced. At least not by Toronto
city council, which has the final say on speeds within city limits.
That doesn’t discourage Dr. McKeown. Slower speeds are just a small – if
controversial – part of the report he’ll be championing on Monday.
“We are facing a significant burden of illness associated with obesity and
diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and being more active in our
day-to-day activities is a very important way of combatting those major
health threats,” Dr. McKeown said.
*Lower speeds, higher savings*
One English city has found that the slow way can also be the safe and cheap
way.
There hasn’t been a single fatality on the roads of Portsmouth since the
island city of 207,000 on the south coast of England implemented a 20 mph
(or 32 km/h) speed limit in 2007-2008. The cap applies to 1,245 streets, or
94 per cent of Portsmouth’s roads.
Unlike most cities that try to slow down motorists, Portsmouth’s limit
isn’t reinforced with speed bumps or other physical changes to the road.
“We decided to do it because we had a triple fatality on a residential road
and, obviously, we had members of the public that were extremely
concerned,” said Adam Bunce, an assistant traffic engineer and project
manager for Portsmouth’s 20-mph project.
Reaction to lowering the speed limit by 10 mph was mixed at first.
Residents doubted that signs and the occasional police blitz would compel
drivers to take their foot off the gas. (Drivers nabbed breaking the 20-mph
rule are slapped with a £60 ($95) fine and three-point loss on their
licences, unless they agree to attend a one-hour safety seminar, complete
with videos of horrible car crashes.)
But a 2010 interim evaluation found the lower limits worked – for the most
part.
Average speeds dropped by just 0.9 mph overall. On blocks where the average
“before” speed was higher than 24 mph, the average speed fell by seven mph.
Total injuries for pedestrians, passengers and drivers, though, was down 22
per cent.
The biggest knock on the plan is that serious injuries actually increased
by six per cent, a result Mr. Bunce dismissed as statistically
insignificant because the city has so few auto accidents.
In other words, Portsmouth’s motorists were already taking it slow.
The city’s narrow residential streets, lined with Victorian homes and
parked cars, aren’t conducive to speeding. The 20-mph limit doesn’t apply
on the major motorways and distributor roads that carry most commuters.
Toronto and the majority of Canadian cities, especially those built out
after the Second World War, don’t enjoy the same advantages of urban form.
However, if any do decide to follow Portsmouth’s lead, they’ll find one
advantage applies as much here as it does across the pond: A sweeping
speed-limit reduction is cheaper than traditional traffic-calming measures.
Portsmouth was preparing to dole out £2-million ($3.2-million) over five
years, mostly on speed bumps, when it switched gears to lowering the speed
limit almost everywhere.
“Implementing a city-wide speed limit at £623,000 ($993,000), we saved
ourselves £1.5-million ($2.4-million),” Mr. Bunce said.
Graphics:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/your-probability-of-de…http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/the-faster-you-drive-t…
The Dutch are particularly good at using humour to make a point. Would be
great to see something like this for Winnipeg and other urban centres in MB.
http://youtu.be/y60YQOzNWYE
Thanks to Jonathan Borland for sharing the videos!
cheers,
Beth
[Thanks to Bjorn Radstrom for passing this along - a very valuable training
opportunity for engineers interested in designing for the bicycle - Anders].
“Bicycle Facilities Design Course” is being offered at the annual Canadian
Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE 2012) conference in Winnipeg.
The workshop is on Sunday, May 27th from 08:30 to 16:30.
There are details at:
http://www.cite7.org/Winnipeg2012/WinnipegWorkshops.php.
You can register for the workshop without registering for the rest of the
conference.
