AT-Network July 2020

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5 participants
32 discussions

WFP: Lower speed limit for student safety: councillor (Jul22'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Lower speed limit for student safety: councillor https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/lower-speed-limit-for-student-safet… CHILDREN are set to face a pandemic- caused “mobility emergency” when school resumes in September, sparking the need for immediate action to support active transportation alternatives, according to the Winnipeg Trails Association. “We’re looking forward to a September where there is a lot of uncertainty for parents. They’re being told to find (alternative modes of transportation to school buses) and really the alternatives that are mostly being (pointed to are) essentially the private automobiles,” said Anders Swanson, the association’s executive director. If all school bus demand shifts to personal vehicles, it could fuel major congestion and pollution around schools, said Swanson. In late June, Manitoba Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen said parents will be asked to drop off and pick up children from school every day to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 on school buses. Students whose parents are unable to provide any other transportation to school will be given priority bus seating. Swanson called on the city to quickly reduce the speed limit on all residential streets to 30 kilometres per hour, add traffic-calming measures and create neighbourhood cycling networks. He said those steps are critical to ensure kids can safely walk and cycle to their schools before classes resume. City council is set to vote on a 30 km/h speed reduction pilot project on at least five local streets this Thursday. Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry) said she also supports the call for city-wide 30 kilometre-per-hour residential speed limits. “There are going to be more children walking to school and riding their bikes to school. In order to make them a lot safer, we have to plan and act now,” said Rollins. The councillor, who chairs council’s protection and community services committee, promised to continue to lobby for a widespread speed limit reduction and more traffic-calming measures. She did not announce specific new steps to accomplish that goal on Tuesday. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

3 years, 9 months

WFP Metro: Traffic calming measures on Furby defeated (Jul22'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Traffic calming measures on Furby defeated The motion to install traffic calming measures on Furby Street has failed, as the standing policy committee on infrastructure renewal and public works voted against it on July 7. If passed, the motion directs public works to collaborate with several community organizations, such as the West Broadway Community Organization and Winnipeg Trails Association, to install garden planters along Furby Street. The planters were a pilot project aimed at making the street safer for pedestrians. According to the motion, public works would deliver a report about the project at the end of July. Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) voted for the motion, with Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) and Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) voting against. During the meeting, public works was concerned over the timing of the project. Wolseley has several ongoing projects in the area, including consultations for the Wolseley Walk/Bike Downtown Project. Public works is concerned that the two projects could be misconstrued as being related, which could be seen as underhanded by the public. Councillors Sharma and Browaty cited these reasons for voting no. “I understand the councillor’s intentions ... I feel a little bit uncomfortable with what I just heard from public service. They’re meeting tonight, they’ve got a big project underway, now there’s this other big project coming forward. They’re not tieing together and communicating,” Sharma said. The planters would have been community gardens, residents would be able to grow herbs and vegetables, which would also remind drivers to slow down on the residential street. The WTA and the WBCO had already created a prototype of a planter, which would have been presented to public works. The motion was approved by the city centre community committee at its June 19 meeting. To view the meeting minutes, visit winnipeg.ca

3 years, 10 months

Streetsblog: How to Build Safe Routes to School During COVID-19

by Beth McKechnie

Outdoor transportation should be one of the safest ways to get to school this fall — but we need to make some design and policy changes first. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/07/20/how-to-build-safe-routes-to-school-d…

3 years, 10 months

Times: Should the speed limit on residential streets be lowered? by MLA Marcelino (Jul20'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Should the speed limit on residential streets be lowered? By: Malaya Marcelino - MLA for Notre Dame Posted: *07/20/2020 9:29 AM* | https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/times/forum/Should-the-sp… In Notre Dame there are far too many traffic accidents and collisions. Pedestrians are often seriously injured and there have also been fatalities, including those of young children. Our community is ready to make the streets safer for all of us, especially for our kids. That’s why I am working with Safe Speeds Winnipeg and promoting its #Love30on30 campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of lowering residential speed limits in our city. Our community has been very active in campaigning to reduce the residential speed limit. Many of you may have been seeing a team of dedicated volunteers out canvassing in the neighbourhood every Friday. There has been a fantastic response from the community. Signs have been put up to raise awareness and there are more folks wanting to promote this issue than Safe Speeds Winnipeg has signs. If you want one, please visit love30on30.org <https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/times/forum/love30on30.org> As part of the campaign, an event will be held on the 30th of every month to involve community members in the conversation. Last month, on June 30, a zumba class for seniors was held at Autumn House. It was a great day of socially distanced dance, exercise and music outdoors. This month, on July 30, a bike clinic is being offered at the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba on Isabel Street. The clinic will discuss bike and street safety and will also involve a giveaway from the Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub. WRENCH takes used bikes from the landfills and restores them to their former glory so that they are not going waste. The Green Action Centre, as part of its commitment to raising the profile of active transportation, also supports a 30 km/h default speed in residential areas. Volunteers from the GAC have developed an app called ETA, which enables you to punch in your route to see how long it would take you to travel to a destination if a reduced speed limit is put in place. In many cases, your trip by vehicle would only take one to two minutes longer with a reduced speed limit. Visit www.love30on30.org/eta/ to try it out. What are your thoughts on a 30 km/h default residential speed limit? Get in touch with my office at Malaya.marcelino(a)yourmanitoba.ca or call 204-788-0800. Stay safe and have a great summer.

3 years, 10 months

WFP: Pedalling through a pandemic (Jul20'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Spike in bike use saps supply, sees wannabe cyclists fixing up old rides Pedalling through a pandemic https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/health/pedalling-throu… AMID the darkness of the COVID-19 crisis, there has been a small bright light for many of us: bicycles. People are buying new ones, tuning up old ones and riding more than before. Bike shops have reported booming business, far above even the normally busy spring selling season. As people are venturing out in the warmer weather, commuters and recreational cyclists — even faithful riders who’ve been biking for years — are encountering a world they’ve never seen before: streets with less traffic and which are sometimes closed to automotive traffic altogether. COVID-19 has cancelled summer festivals, sports and travel. With so many activities no longer possible, people are turning to cycling and the pandemic has prompted commuters and families to go on bike-buying binges. Affordable bikes are in high demand right now. Entry-level bikes — anything under $1,000 — are pretty much sold out. “I’m down to less than 100 bikes in my building and most of them are over $3,000,” says Phil Roadley, owner of Bikes & Beyond, the Henderson Highway mainstay. The last time Roadley had fewer than 100 bikes in his building? “Um, never,” he says. “The lowest level of bikes I’ve ever gotten down to is maybe 350 or 400. I need 200 bikes for my store sales floor to look full.” Physical distancing has sparked an explosion in cycling as people are seeking alternative modes of transportation to stay mobile and active. Pandemic restrictions have finally given people the time and motivation to take up a new hobby. As a result, bike shops across North America, Europe and Australia are seeing record sales and facing supply shortages. “Sales were up 30 per cent through April and May, and 15 per cent up through June,” Roadley says. “Suppliers don’t have any inventory to ship me until August.” It’s fun, physically distant and good for you — no wonder cycling has soared in popularity. Since March, Roadley has sold about 1,500 bikes. It was around mid-May that inventory really started to thin out. “Kids’ bikes went first,” he says. “And then your basic mountain and commuter bikes under $1,000.” The room for growth in terms of new cyclists is massive. Prior to the pandemic, a small percentage of people biked or walked to work in Winnipeg, according to the 2016 census. The Statistics Canada data shows that “active transportation,” defined as walking or cycling to work, was used by 6.2 per cent of people in Winnipeg, just slightly behind Toronto at 6.7 per cent. But since our lives have been turned upside down, cycling has taken on a critical, sanity-saving role — a way to exercise when gyms are operating with limited hours and an inexpensive means of getting around in order to avoid crowded public transportation. Going for a bike ride has replaced grabbing a drink in a bar and has been used to persuade kids to go outside while parents are on conference calls at home. Bike sales aren’t the only things skyrocketing. So are requests for bike service, as riders are pulling old, neglected bikes out of garages and basements. Married couple Heather and Bill Quinn hadn’t been on their bikes in years — five years for Heather and more than a decade for Bill. “My sister donated me her bike a couple years ago,” Heather says. “It went into the garage and was never touched since.” But back in May, they got tired of walking the same route outside every day — so they decided to tune up their bikes that had been collecting dust in storage. Since then, they’ve become avid cyclists in their neighbourhood. “We started riding pretty regularly because we got tired of walking along Wellington Crescent and doing the same route into the park,” Bill says. “We also found that our ankles and hips were getting sore from walking on concrete all the time. Riding a bike has been easier on our bodies.” As new and returning cyclists venture outside, they’re noticing a different riding environment. A spike in biking has led some Canadian cities, such as Calgary, Edmonton, Victoria and Ottawa, to reduce traffic lanes and close off portions of roadways altogether. In Winnipeg, traffic restrictions from the City of Winnipeg on several streets have transformed roads into pedestrian- and cycling-friendly destinations. “With Wellington Crescent being used for active transportation, that really inspired me to do it,” Bill says. “We just saw so many people. I don’t know if I would have been as ready to hop on my bike if we didn’t have Wellington so close to us that we could do it without getting knocked over by a car.” The active transportation routes in Winnipeg, first announced in April, limit vehicular traffic to one block to create more room for pedestrians and cyclists while maintaining physical distancing. Recently, city council extended these temporary cycling and walking routes until Sept. 7 to accommodate the increased demand during the health crisis. The safety of the active transportation routes is also a draw for Bill’s wife. “We know a lot of people our age, in their 60s, who have taken up biking,” Heather says. “There have been broken shoulders and fractured ankles. Yes, we have designated bike lanes, but it’s kind of tricky. On Wellington Crescent, it’s so safe.” Canada isn’t the only country making changes. Expansive public safety and environmental measures have been announced in cities across the globe, including hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in Milan and Mexico City, as well as widening pavements and putting pedestrians first in neighbourhoods in New York and Seattle. While it has been hard to meet the demand for bikes, those who have access to one have also been reaping the health benefits. “Bike riding is another way to exercise. We’ll be in and out of the city all summer so we decided to freeze our gym memberships until September,” Bill says. “We were kind of doing the same thing at our own gyms and now we have something we can do together that takes us a little farther than walking, and we can exercise at the same time.” The retired couple spends a few weeks at a lake community every summer — this year, because of their new hobby, they were able to see more of it. “We’ve been going to Victoria Beach for years,” Bill says. “But because we have bikes this year, we’ve gone to places we’ve never been before because we can access it on our bikes.” They now go riding every other day and outings have become an adventure. “It’s kind of exhilarating to feel the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth and you can go farther and see more,” Heather says. “My next goal is the Harte Trail in Assiniboine Forest.” Whatever one’s reasons for getting back on a bicycle, it’s a pastime that offers many benefits during this turbulent time. “It’s something we can do together,” Bill says. “And it really does give you freedom to go places that you may not normally go.” Whether this is a temporary surge in cycling’s popularity or the start of a future where bikes become a more prominent form of transportation, the experiences cyclists have enjoyed over these last several weeks can’t be undone. “To bike to work requires a lot of bravery in our city; I admire those people. We’re new bikers so we haven’t explored all the cycling routes yet,” Heather says. “I’m sure there are a lot of possibilities of places to go and I’m looking forward to checking them all out.”’ sabrinacarnevale(a)gmail.com @SabrinaCsays

3 years, 10 months

Slowing down cars

by Charles F

Good editorial in the globehttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-want-a-bett… across Canada are slowing down cars. Forty is the new 50. It is a win for people....Toronto is also moving to rein in drivers. Last year, it cut speeds on stretches of arterial roads to 50 km/h from 60. And this month, 50 speed cameras went live around the city near schools or other designated “safety zones.” These cameras were first installed late last year, but until now only dispatched warnings to offending drivers. The 50 cameras may only be a first step – there are about 800 schools in Toronto – but research shows automated enforcement causes drives to slow down...People are dying because urban planning has long overvalued cars and undervalued pedestrians. National data for 2018, released last week by Transport Canada, shows yet another year when drivers and their vehicles killed more than 300 people on foot....Zero pedestrians died in Helsinki and Oslo last year. The policy measures that achieved that feat are varied, but all centre around battling the primacy of the car. Lowering speed limits is key. Other changes include safer street design, road tolls, more expensive parking, and replacing much of the street parking with wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Investment in transit has spurred ridership. While Toronto has put up speed cameras around 6 per cent of the city’s schools, Oslo is testing “heart zones” where driving around schools is banned....The move toward automated enforcement, however, is key. Some critics believe drivers simply will not slow down, even if limits are lowered. But the threat of a costly speeding ticket surely is ample inspiration for many drivers to ease up on the gas pedal, making the city a safer and better place for everyone, at the most minor of inconveniences with fractional increases in travel time...Sent from my phone.

3 years, 10 months

Steal This Idea: Scottish E-Bike Program

by Beth McKechnie

Scotland just re-upped its investment in e-bikes as part of an effort to boost pandemic-era mobility and flatten the COVID-19 curve — and smart U.S. states would be wise to follow its lead. The nation recently authorized a *fourth *round of funding to the E-Bike Grant program, which provides a raft of financial incentives to get Scots to replace car and transit commutes with bike rides. The allocation totals £900,000, or about $1.1 million. *Full story*: https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/07/08/steal-this-idea-states-should-imitat…

3 years, 10 months

WFP: Henderson Highway block to get makeover - #ReimagineElmwood (Jul16'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Henderson Highway block to get makeover https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/henderson-block-to-get-makeover-571… ELMWOOD community groups are joining forces to show residents the potential of a stretch of Henderson Highway. On July 25, Henderson between Noble and Hart avenues will be transformed to include bike lanes, parking, planters and seating for pedestrians. Glenelm Neighbourhood Association co-chairman Michel Durand-Wood said more than 1,500 people were surveyed about a five-year plan for the neighbourhood in 2018. “One of those priorities was addressing the difficulty experienced in getting around our own neighbourhood, especially for the many who get around on foot, bike, transit and with mobility aids or strollers,” Durand-Wood wrote in an email. The project, called #ReimagineElmwood, cost the eight community groups involved less than $400. Durand-Wood said a project that transformed Toronto’s Danforth Avenue last summer inspired the Elmwood project. “That was the a-ha moment that led to developing this project, that we could work in small steps, testing things out on a temporary basis, and building on what works,” he said. “There were quite a few locations that were specifically identified by the neighbourhood as troublesome to navigate, and we plan to work on them all. This is just the first of many projects.” He said the project will inspire people to make positive changes in the neighbourhood despite no municipal funding or influence. “Just by having neighbours working together, identifying what we want to improve, and taking small steps to try possible solutions out, we can make our neighbourhood better for the people who live here, even one block at a time,” he said. malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_

3 years, 10 months

WFP Editorial: Giving green light to e-scooter pilot (Jul16'20)

by Beth McKechnie

Giving green light to e-scooter pilot https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/giving-green-light-to-… EVIDENCE that the pandemic has increased the need for low-cost transportation options can be seen through the windows of any passing Winnipeg Transit bus, where what’s immediately apparent is an unusually large number of empty seats. Ridership has dropped dramatically, as many virus-wary Winnipeggers now view buses as potential COVID-19 cocoons because passengers are seated closely, breathing the same air and touching the same poles, seats and doors. Alternatives to bus transport would be greatly appreciated by those reluctant former riders who don’t own personal vehicles, perhaps for budget or environmental reasons, but still have to get around town. A possible alternative might arrive in the form of electric scooters. City administration is currently studying the issue and recommended council ask the province to alter the Highway Traffic Act to allow a trial of e-scooters in Winnipeg. Council and the province would be well advised to approve the proposal, allowing the trial should proceed full speed ahead (or, at least, at the 30 km/h that is top speed for e-scooters). A novel transportation alternative for Winnipeg, e-scooters are already allowed in dozens of North American cities, including Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. The experiences of these cities show the advent of e-scooters is not universally welcomed. In fact, for some people, it’s hate at first sight. Social media, including the popular Instagram account Scooters Behaving Badly, reveal that many automobile drivers resent sharing road space with the tiny motorized machines that tend to navigate traffic in unfamiliar ways. Some pedestrians also feel e-scooters create danger on sidewalks. Despite the many who sneer at e-scooters, however, others acknowledge that this new technology has advantages. E-scooters hardly pollute, they’re less expensive than traditional motorized vehicles and they take up far less space on streets in cities where they’re allowed on roadways. Calgary’s e-scooter pilot project, launched last July, limits e-scooter use to sidewalks, pathways and bike lanes. In Edmonton, authorized e-scooters are allowed on bike lanes, shared paths and streets with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, but not on sidewalks. Another possible source of irritation involves the ways in which idle e-scooters are left unattended in cities served by scooter-share companies such as Lime or Bird, which make e-scooters available to people who download an app. Customers use GPS technology to find an e-scooter near them, use their app and credit-card information to unlock the vehicle and, after reaching their destination, leave the e-scooter where it can be used by another rider. Special protocols are required during the pandemic. In Edmonton, the city’s 200 scooters are brought to five corrals nightly and sanitized, and there is an advertising campaign urging e-scooter riders to sanitize their hands before and after they use the machines. Winnipeg city administrators had earlier pondered whether the e-scooters in the trial would be supplied and managed by the city or by a third party company. It’s a wise course to leave the trial to an experienced company that knows how to deal with related issues, such as how to protect against theft and vandalism and what to do with e-scooters once the snow falls. Would Winnipeggers use e-scooters to a degree that makes them feasible in this city? The answer lies in a trial period that temporarily gives e-scooters the green light.

3 years, 10 months

OurWinnipeg 2045 available for feedback

by Beth McKechnie

*[Please share widely! Submit your feedback to the City by August 10th.]*Planning for our shared future: City of Winnipeg seeking input on strategy for the sustainable growth of our city Released: 2:06 p.m. July 13, 2020 Engage Winnipeg website (for duration of engagement activities): *https://winnipeg.ca/OurWinnipeg2045 <https://winnipeg.ca/OurWinnipeg2045> | https://winnipeg.ca/notreWinnipeg2045 <https://winnipeg.ca/notreWinnipeg2045>* Winnipeg, MB – With Winnipeg on pace to grow by over 160,000 people in the next 20 years, the City of Winnipeg is determining how our city should grow in a way that builds community, improves quality of life, and ensures sustainability for the environment. The blueprint for how Winnipeg should grow has been detailed in strategic planning initiatives that the City is now looking for Winnipeg residents to share their views on. The City has developed its strategy for sustainable growth in two interconnected planning initiatives: *OurWinnipeg* – The City’s 25-year development plan, which provides a vision, goals, and policies intended to influence leadership and good governance, priority setting, the delivery of City services, how residents get around the city, and decisions about how Winnipeg grows. *OurWinnipeg* is required by the City of Winnipeg Charter, which requires the City to adopt, by by-law, a development plan that sets out long-term plans and policies. The current update of *OurWinnipeg* has been guided to this point by earlier public consultation, as well as input by the Community Advisory Committee. Complete Communities – Building on policies set out in *OurWinnipeg*, Complete Communities is a citywide secondary plan that guides growth, development, and land use in Winnipeg. Information and feedback opportunities for these initiatives are being presented together in order to provide a complete picture of how these planning documents propose to achieve the City’s goals for sustainable growth as the population of Winnipeg continues to climb. *The opportunity to engage online with the City of Winnipeg on these important initiatives will continue until Monday, August 10, 2020.* In light of current restrictions on in-person events, online discussion sessions will be held for both projects to present some of the main topics of discussion, and allow for questions to be asked of the project teams at the following times: Topic: OurWinnipeg: Sustainable Development Goals Format: Zoom meeting Date: Wednesday, July 22 Time: 7p.m. – 8:30p.m. (90 min) Topic: Complete Communities: Growing Sustainably Format: Zoom meeting Date: Wednesday, July 29 Time: 7p.m. – 8:30p.m. (90 min) To register and attend one of these sessions, please email city-engage(a)winnipeg.ca at least one day before the event you would like to attend. For more information on *OurWinnipeg* and Complete Communities, and to view the draft documents, please visit winnipeg.ca/ourwinnipeg <https://winnipeg.ca/Interhom/CityHall/OurWinnipeg/default.stm>. *To share your thoughts on how Winnipeg’s future is envisioned through these initiatives, please visit: winnipeg.ca/ourwinnipeg2045 <https://winnipeg.ca/OurWinnipeg2045>.*

3 years, 10 months

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AT-Network July 2020