[Snipped from the Centerlines e-newsletter #216 published by the National
Center for Bicycling and Walking]
COME ON GOOGLE -- GET MORE CYCLE-FRIENDLY!
According to the Nov. 27th Life Cycle UK newsletter, "A global campaign is
underway to persuade the planet's favourite search engine to be more
cycle-friendly. Many of us use the wonderful Google maps to find our way
around. The maps show a street plan, or at the click of a button, an aerial
photo to help you get a feel for the terrain. Another click and you can
summon up live traffic info, and car drivers can get detailed directions
from A to B. For the USA and some other countries Google has also added a
mass transit directions option which tells you how to reach your destination
by bus, tram or train. Now cyclists are asking for a Bike There feature.
"The organisers of the campaign say: 'By implementing the "Public Transit"
option, Google and the Google Maps team have shown themselves to be
concerned and capable world citizens. A "Bike There" feature would be the
ultimate statement in support of sustainable development, self-reliance,
exercise and healthy living: that's bicycle directions.'
"Campaigners envisage the "Bike There" feature showing cycle lanes, bike
paths and other infrastructure, and giving cyclists the option of seeing
either the most direct route or the quietist and safest. The feature would
make cycling easier and more pleasant for millions of people around the
world. It would empower world citizens to adapt their lifestyles to face the
challenges of global climate change and it would help Google fulfill its
mission of "organising the world's information and making it universally
accessible and useful. More than 40,000 people have already signed the
on-line petition. Add your voice to the campaign now!"
To learn more, go to:
http://www.petitiononline.com/bikether/petition.html
This appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, letter to the editor section on
Monday, Feb. 23rd.
SUPER SUPER letter Stephanie!
on my behalf also - a HUGE thank you to all the volunteers, organizations
and activists who are moving AT forward in Winnipeg -
Janice Lukes
Winnipeg Trails Association Coordinator
* * * * * * *
Mayor should ride to work
Re: Environment panel that quit is replaced, Feb 13.
With all due respect to Mayor Sam Katz, it is not difficult to point out
dozens of mayors who have done more for active transportation in their
cities. Try Mayor David Miller in Toronto, an avid cyclist and transit user,
or Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who transformed
his city into a healthier and more enjoyable place to live. While progress
has been made in Winnipeg in the last few years on active transportation, it
is largely due to the many volunteers, organizations and activists working
tirelessly on this issue. Far from being a visionary, Mayor Katz has much to
learn.
If Mayor Katz is sincere in his commitment to the environment and active
transportation, surely we will soon see him leaving his vehicle at home, and
joining the thousands of other Winnipeggers who walk, take transit or ride
their bikes to work.
STEPHANIE FULFORD
on transit-oriented development (TOD)
http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2009/02/10/how-transit-orien…
How Transit-Oriented Development Works
Posted by Eric de Place
02/10/2009 02:30 PM Sightline Daily
Cheers
And have a great weekend.
Stacy Matwick
Information Centre
International Institute for Sustainable Development
161 Portage Ave. E., 6th floor
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4
Voice: (204)958-7755 Fax: (204)958-7710
Email: smatwick(a)iisd.ca Website: http://www.iisd.org
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" Groucho Marx
"Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance your must keep on moving" Albert Einstein
----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Haynes
To: undisclosed recipients:
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:52 PM
Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: February 11, 2009
Active Transportation - Canada features a regular posting of news articles, studies, reports, and other items that have relevance in this field, with previous postings available in an archive. In addition, pictures of existing Active Transportation infrastructure from communities across Canada will be profiled each week.
The following items have recently been posted to the Active Transportation - Canada Blog. To view in more detail, go to: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com
****************************************************************************************************
1.. Lectures - BC: Shifting Gears II, Lectures on transportation, health and the built environment
2.. News Release - Walk to School in Winter - It's Cool
3.. Article - BC: Active Transportation Plan looks at local desires and designs
4.. Article - Australian's Buy More Bikes Than Cars
5.. E-Documentary - UK: The Bicycle Diaries
6.. Website/Blog - Cycling: TOTOBOBO mask
7.. Article - US: Bike Sharing Is Denver’s Effort To Keep Residents In The Pink and The Sky Blue
8.. Article - Paris Velib Crushed by Vandalism?
9.. Article - India: Peddling an eco-friendly, cost-effective ride for cities
10.. Article - US: Bicycle Commuter Act and Rep. McHenry
11.. Article - US: Drive-throughs cause friction with Beach's Laskin plan
****************************************************************************************************
A reminder e-mail of new postings will be sent no more often than once per week. To continue to receive these updates, you need take no action. Should you not wish to receive updates, please return this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the Subject area.
Interested in an AT workshop in community? For more information, please contact:
Michael Haynes
Director
TransActive Solutions
activetransportation(a)rogers.com
613.424.2803
fyi - Feb 5th Lance (area community paper)
Janice Lukes
Student, teacher team study benefits of pedestrian bridge
By Matt Powers
Feb. 5, 2009
As someone who regularly cycles from St. Vital to the U of M campus, James
Blatz has long been in favour of a pedestrian bridge linking the two.
The civil engineer professor estimates a bridge would cut down his commute
by 30 minutes a day.
It would also reduce the demand for student parking on campus, according to
Blatz and third-year student Mark Reimer, who recently conducted a study of
the role such a link could play in active transportation.
"What we did is looked at what the benefit would be just to the university
if people decided to use that bridge instead of bringing their cars across
and we were quite pleased to see that it is notable," Blatz said.
By comparing the percentage of parking permit holders of students and staff
living in the southwest of the city with those in the southeast, the pair
discovered a noticeable difference.
Within a six-kilometre radius of University Centre there were 48 more
parking permit holders living in the southeast.
"It suggests that with a pedestrian bridge, there would be a decrease in
parking permit holders from the east side to a value closer to that of the
west side of the river, where there is no travel hindrance," Reimer said.
"What it would do is basically create 5% more space on the U of M campus,
which is a significant amount to reduce parking by," Reimer said.
Reimer also applied data obtained from a 2006 Statistics Canada study of
commuting patterns, to predict that a pedestrian bridge linking St. Vital
and the campus would attract 200 to 600 potential users.
"The majority of these users would be students, who on average can be
generalized as low income and young, both of which fall into the higher end
of active transportation users," Reimer said.
Blatz says the study doesn't take into account the number of users who would
use the bridge to cross over to St. Vital Mall or St. Vital Park.
"There is tremendous potential there. We should also be taking into
consideration the possibility of a new stadium on the campus and the
creation of the Bus Rapid Transit Line," Blatz said.
Paul Hesse, of Winnipeg's Rapid Transit Coalition, says he sees the bridge
benefiting active transportation in a number of ways.
"The City has already committed to building a rapid transit line, but what
we would like to see included is commuter cycling paths all the way from
downtown to the U of M. A pedestrian bridge would be a key piece of that
integration," Hesse said.
"Secondly, it would give students the better option of walking or cycling to
the university which would not only save them money, but also save the
environment by reducing traffic congestion along the St. Vital Bridge," he
said.
Hesse is hopeful that some of the money contributed from the 2009 federal
budget for infrastructure projects will be be set aside for the bridge's
construction.
Winnipeg City Council included $250,000 in its annual budget to study the
bridge. The estimated total cost to build the bridge is $15 million.
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