Interesting posting on how a NYC study is recommending the use of bike boxes
to address a problem with cyclists and red light compliance. There's a link
in the posting to the study and I've highlighted the particularly relevant
paragraphs below. -cheers, Beth
* * * * *
In New York’s bike lanes, who are the real scofflaws?by Elly Blue
October 25, 2010
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-25-in-new-yorks-bike-lanes-who-are-the…
Those scofflaw bicyclists!"
You hear that phrase a lot, or a version of it.
It's true that, at least in New York City, there's probably a scofflaw in
any given bike lane at any given time.
But chances are high it's not the person on the bicycle.
So observed the staff of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer
when he sent
them out to 11 bike lanes
<http://www.mbpo.org/release_details.asp?id=1681>in Manhattan to
record every single traffic infraction occurring in the
lanes.
The unscientific results (download them
here<http://www.mbpo.org/free_details.asp?id=225>)
evoke a vivid, chaotic, and very New York streetscape. While reading it, you
can almost hear the honking in the background.
The report shows that 741 of the 1,700 total infractions recorded -- more
than a third -- involved people walking or standing in a bike lane. On one
block where this type of thing was particularly rampant, a collision was
observed between a person on a bike and a person stepping into the bike
lane.
Of the infractions, 353 involved the bike lane being blocked outright. Most
of these impediments were motor vehicles, some parked and others moving,
fast. Of these, 18 percent were taxis and limos and 13 percent were publicly
owned vehicles. Particularly of note in the report were a school bus that
idled in one bike lane for seven minutes and examples of "unmarked Police
vehicles in apparent non-emergency situations cutting through protected bike
lanes."
Additionally, there were 77 instances of someone opening a car door into the
bike lane, causing a bicyclist to swerve into car traffic.
Cyclists were observed riding in violation as well. Some 242 were seen going
the wrong way in the lane (including one two-hour period at one block where
there was more wrong-way than right-way traffic), and 237 were seen
proceeding against a red light.
None of this is surprising, given Manhattan's thriving pedestrian culture,
high population, and density. People were spilling off of sidewalks and into
car traffic long before bike lanes were a gleam in the city's eye, and
likewise people were looking for creative places to park and shortcuts
around traffic since traffic congestion was invented. People on bicycles,
meanwhile, have simply been trying to get where they're going in one piece.
There's a tendency to talk about people who ride bikes as though they're a
lawless bunch of yahoos. This study is a breath of fresh air in showing that
no, they are simply, like all other people, responding to an environment
that doesn't always serve their needs. When you're driving, the extra space
a bike lane offers is a matter of mobility and convenience; if you're riding
a bike, it's a matter of being seen and staying alive.
People run red lights on bikes not out of wanton disrespect for the world's
moral order, but because when you're riding in a sea of cars occupied by
people who probably don't notice or care about your existence, you're much
safer getting as far ahead as possible.
*So it's a relief to hear that the study's policy recommendation to address
red-light compliance is not enforcement or even education but installing
more bike boxes<http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/06/27/streetfilms-return-of-bike-box/>.
A bike box -- basically a space between the stop line for cars and the
crosswalk where someone on a bike can wait for the light to change in a more
visible position -- provides a safer and more comfortable alternative to
running the light, rather than penalizing or reforming behavior that's
already motivated by safety.*
*(In the meantime, the New York Police Department has announced a campaign
to crack down <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/nyregion/22bike.html?_r=1>on
cyclists who run lights and ride on the sidewalk.)
*
*Other recommendations in the study are worth reading. They include
dedicating an enforcement patrol to keep the bike lanes free for bikes to
use (currently this is done by
clowns<http://www.streetfilms.org/clowns-liberate-bike-lanes/>);
better parking management so that delivery vehicles always have reserved
spaces; more signage; an awareness campaign for taxi users; and more bike
lanes that are physically separated from traffic.*
New York City's push for bicycle infrastructure in the last two years is
bold, comparatively speaking. But New York, and other cities with similar
ambitions to increase cycling mode share, need to think beyond bike lanes.
Narrow strips of pavement wedged in as an afterthought onto streets that are
still very much designed and operated for the convenience of motor vehicle
traffic will never do anything but continue to marginalize (and, in the eyes
of the public, criminalize) people who use them.
Imagine what might happen if people riding bikes and walking were extended
the same engineering courtesies that have created an environment where
anyone can drive a car through the city and expect to survive. The equation
needs to be reversed. Only when people have enough space to walk and bike
around the city in safety and comfort should consideration be given to the
free flow of private automobiles driven in from wealthy
suburbs<http://www.streetsblog.org/2006/12/08/where-do-manhattan-auto-commuters-com…>
.
The Manhattan Borough president's call to "respect the lane, clear the path"
is a compelling one that needs to be heard by every person idling, driving,
walking, or riding the wrong way in the bike lane. But most of all, it needs
to be heard by people at work deciding the future of the city's streets.
Elly Blue is a bicycle activist living in Portland, Oregon.
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a
donation <https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspx?cookieCheck=true>
.
*Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg)
Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors
Bike racks are located in front of the building
Find your bus route with Winnipeg Transit's online trip planner
Navigo<http://www.winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo>
[Apologies for duplicate postings]
*
"Get your Green On" at Green Action Centre's fundraiser/party! * Enjoy great
music, hands-on activities, and lots of green fun! (You may have met us
before as Resource Conservation Manitoba.)
Take in performances by the melodic Keri Latimer of Juno Award winning group
Nathan, and Winnipeg’s latest dance-floor sensation LeBeato and DJ Cyclist.
Mix your own green cleaning or personal care products, and pick from crafty
and experiential packages in our locally-focused silent auction.
Come out and bring your friends!
*When: Saturday, November 6th, 8:00 pm
Venue: The Academy (437 Stradbrook Ave** at Osborne)*
*
Tickets are only $10, available at:*
- Mountain Equipment Co-op, 303 Portage Avenue.
- Music Trader, 97 Osborne Street
- McNally Robinson, 1120 Grant Avenue.
- Green Action Centre, 303 Portage Ave - 3rd Floor
Hope to see you there!
[image: Poster Nov 6'2010.jpg]
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
City of Vancouver
News Release
Oct. 19, 2010
*Vancouver selected for major international cycling conference*
Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson today thanked European Cycling Federation
President Manfred Neun for selecting Vancouver as the host of the
prestigious Velo-city Global 2012 conference, the first time the event has
been held outside of Europe since 1996.
“Velo-city will bring together hundreds of planners, transportation experts
and cycling specialists from around the world to discuss the fast-growing
role of cycling in urban transportation,” said Mayor Robertson. “We are very
excited that the European Cycling Federation has selected Vancouver for its
global conference in 2012.
“Hosting a major international conference like Velo-city is a good boost for
our local economy, and it’s a great opportunity to showcase Vancouver’s bike
infrastructure to the world's leading transportation experts.”
An estimated 1,000 conference delegates and their guests will attend the
conference, which will be held in June 2012 at a Vancouver location yet to
be selected.
The Vancouver bid for the conference was prepared by the City of Vancouver,
Tourism Vancouver, TransLink and the VeloWorks Cycling Society.
“Cycling is already an important travel mode in Metro Vancouver, and
TransLink has partnered with the City, the province and the federal
government in major infrastructure upgrades to make it an even better option
for more people,” said TransLink’s vice president of Customer and Public
Engagement, Bob Paddon. “TransLink is pleased to support the 2012 Velo-city
conference.’
“Bravo to the City of Vancouver, TransLink and VeloWorks for their efforts
in bringing the 2010 Velo-City conference to Vancouver,” said Rick Antonson,
president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver. “Not only will Velo-City generate
business for the local tourism industry, it reinforces Vancouver’s
reputation as a clean and green travel destination with exceptional
offerings for cyclists.”
*Media Contact*
Corporate Communications
604.871.6336
media(a)vancouver.ca
>From Jack
Hans-Jurgen (Jack) E.H. Becker
Velo-city Global 2012 Director
President - VeloWorks Cycling Society
3303-1033 Marinaside Cr.
Vancouver, B.C., V6Z 3A3
604-681-5744
becker(a)thirdwavecycling.com
www.thirdwavecycling.comthirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com
Skype: hjeh.becker
In case you haven't seen it, Transport Canada's "Bicycle end-of-trip
facilities guide for Canadian municipalities and employers" (April 2010) is
available at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/programs/betf.pdf
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a
donation.
*Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg)
Bike parking: Bike racks are located in front of MEC
Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a
donation.
*Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg)
Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors
Bike racks are located in front of the building
Find your bus route with Winnipeg Transit's online trip planner
Navigo<http://www.winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo>
-----Original Message-----
From: News Media Services [mailto:nmservices@leg.gov.mb.ca]
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 12:19 PM
To: mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca
Subject: News Release: Manitoba Helps Launch First-in-Canada, Year-Round
Commuter Challenge
Manitoba News Release
............................................................
October 15, 2010
MANITOBA HELPS LAUNCH FIRST-IN-CANADA, YEAR-ROUND COMMUTER CHALLENGE
- - -
Program Encourages Climate-friendly Transportation Every Day: Blaikie
Manitobans demonstrated an outstanding commitment to
environmentally friendly transportation, finishing at the top of
this year's national Commuter Challenge, and now the program is
being expanded to operate year-round in the province,
Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced today.
"Congratulations to all who participated in Commuter Challenge
2010," said Blaikie. "More than 8,000 Manitobans showed they can
make a big difference by using active and sustainable
transportation, resulting in cleaner air, healthier citizens and
communities, and moving us another step toward reducing our
collective carbon footprint."
Manitobans logged more than 700,000 green kilometres earlier this
year during the national Commuter Challenge. This action reduced
greenhouse-gas emissions by about 200 tonnes, the equivalent of
burning more than 60,000 litres of motor vehicle fuel. In
addition, more than 9,000 students from 62 schools across
Manitoba participated in the event.
To encourage Manitobans to continue choosing active and
climate-friendly transportation, the province is providing the
Green Action Centre (formerly Resource Conservation Manitoba)
with support to operate the Commuter Challenge year-round.
The new program will provide participants with ongoing feedback
on the benefits of climate-friendly commuting choices through the
Green Action Centre's made-in-Manitoba, online tracking tool
located at www.greenactioncentre.ca.
A $100,000 contribution from the Manitoba Climate Change Action
Fund, a component of the Sustainable Development Innovations
Fund, will support a number of sustainable transportation
programs including the year-round Commuter Challenge.
"We invite all Manitobans to take part in the new Manitoba
Year-round Commuter Challenge," said Randall McQuaker, executive
director of the Green Action Centre. "We are pleased to partner
with the province to expand the week-long national challenge to a
year-round initiative here at home, a first in Canada."
The year-round commuter challenge will encourage Manitobans to
leave their vehicles at home and walk, cycle, take public
transit, carpool or share rides instead of driving to work
alone.
- 30 -
====
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Haynes <activetransportation(a)rogers.com>
Date: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 7:57 PM
Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: October 7, 2010
Twenty-five (25) new items have been posted on the Active
Transportation-Canada Website today. A complete list of titles may be found
in the "Blog Archive" box, located on the right margin of the Website.
There are new studies, videos and Active Transportation news items from
communities across Canada.
Active Transportation Canada URL:
http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com
A "Search" function is available on the site. You will find this at the
bottom of the page. With more than 900 items posted on Active Transportation
- Canada, there are links available to dozens of studies and hundreds of
news items from communities across Canada and the world.
If anyone has a problem reading this message, please let me know. I welcome
suggestions for posts, so if you have news items featuring your community,
please share them with the more than 500 subscribers to Active
Transportation-Canada.
Thank you.
Michael Haynes
Director
TransActive Solutions
613.424.2803
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a
donation.
*Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg)
Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors
Bike racks are located in front of MEC
[Of course, reduced crash rates with increased numbers of cyclists would
hold true here, too. You can find this article online at:
http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-11-theres-safety-in-numbers-for-cyclis…,
Beth]
How we roll There’s safety in numbers for cyclistsby Elly Blue
In U.S. cities, there are a lot more people out bicycling than just a few
years ago. You might reasonably think that the bicycle crash rate would
skyrocket as more people, from wobbly new riders to the outright
safety-averse, take to the streets on two wheels.
It's a fine, common-sense assumption -- that happens to be wrong.
Research has been steadily showing, actually, that the more people are out
there riding bicycles, the safer bicycling becomes. As ridership goes up,
crash rates stay flat. It's happening in Portland (see page 11 of this
report<http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/bikecount2009reportfinal…>[PDF]).
It's happening in New
York City<http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/05/safety-in-numbers-its-happening-in-ny…>
.
Much of the ridership increase is due to cities' investments in
bicycle-specific infrastructure. But the efficacy of that infrastructure for
safety is often questioned. And there's one theory -- based on a growing
body of data -- that suggests that a few painted lines on the road, bike
racks, and traffic lights form only part of the safety equation. And maybe a
smaller part than we tend to assume.
The phenomenon, dubbed "safety in numbers," was first identified in 2003, in
an academic paper <http://www.cycle-helmets.com/safety_in_numbers2.pdf> by
public health researcher Peter Jacobsen [PDF]. After being asked by
officials in Pasadena, Calif., if their city "was a dangerous place to
bicycle," Jacobsen began looking at crash data from various communities
where bicycle ridership had fluctuated over time.
What he found surprised him: The number of crashes involving bikes
correlated with the number of riders in a community. As ridership
fluctuated, so did the crash rate. More riders, fewer crashes; fewer riders,
more crashes.
This happened too abruptly, Jacobsen decided, to be caused by slow-moving
factors like infrastructure development and cultural change. Bicycling
becomes safer *when* the number of riders increases, he concluded, at least
in part *because* the number of riders increases.
The inverse happens, as well. One data set Jacobsen looked at covered 49
years of biking history in the United Kingdom. Those numbers showed that
cycling became safer during the oil crisis of the 1970s, caused by the OPEC
oil embargo. Once the crisis ended, both ridership and safety dropped.
This all must sound terribly wonky. Actually, it's been revolutionary.
The idea of Safety in Numbers has slowly built up steam in traffic safety
circles since Jacobsen introduced it. Supporting
data<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903112034.htm>continues
to quietly (and sometimes
dramatically<http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=46B9E06D-FC8E-9007…>)
roll in from around the world, influencing mainly traffic engineers and
planners who are trying to figure out how to improve bicycle safety.
Bicycle safety is often seen in a sort of vacuum. Helmets tend to dominate
the conversation, with visibility -- lights and bright clothing -- taking a
close second. More sophisticated conversations get deep into infrastructure:
Which is better, sharrows, bike lanes, or separated cycle tracks? We discuss
educating cyclists in defensive riding techniques and the rules of the road.
These are all good and important efforts. The problem is what's missing.
Here's the core of Jacobsen's analysis, from the 2003 "Safety in Numbers"
report:
Whose behavior changes, the motorist's or that of the people walking and
bicycling? It seems unlikely that people walking or bicycling obey traffic
laws more or defer to motorists more in societies or time periods with
greater walking and bicycling. Indeed it seems less likely. ... Adaptation
in motorist behavior seems more plausible.
So why might this be the case?
When there is a serious bicycle crash, it almost always involves someone
driving a car. There are any number of ways drivers become involved in these
crashes, primarily involving speed, turning, and the myriad distractions
that are common behind the wheel.
But when there are a lot of bicyclists on the road, according to this
theory, drivers take notice. They become more attentive, slow down, pass
more cautiously, double-check their blind spots, expect the unexpected. They
sense that the road has become a more complicated place, and adjust their
behavior accordingly. As a result, the road becomes safer, presumably for
everyone.
Safety in numbers is an important idea that has shifted the way planners and
engineers think about bicycle safety. But it won't be the final word. We
will doubtless see this idea bandied back and forth for some time,
especially as academic interest in bicycling and walking increases. As data
improves we'll likely see a more complex relationship emerge among
ridership, safety, infrastructure, laws, and culture.
Whatever the variables, as Jacobsen told me in a requisitely wonky email,
"The bigger SIN story is that those cities /countries that have encouraged
bicycling have been rewarded with more trips by bike, and not just a
non-linear increase in injuries, but a decrease in injuries."
That's huge. Safety in numbers will prove over time, I suspect, to be the
first major theory based on objective data that can break down the double
standard we all pedal under. Jacobsen's research calls into question the
foundation of a system in which the convenience of driving is exalted above
the basic safety and mobility of people walking and bicycling.
**
Hello everyone:
In case you are interested, the following FREE webinar on "Changing
Transportation Behaviours: A Social Marketing Guide" takes place this coming
Wednesday, October 13 from Noon-1pm CST.
I'm hoping it will be of particular interest to Manitoba folks, as I will be
presenting on the WinSmart Community-Based Travel Marketing pilot project
that we ran in the Riverview/Lord Roberts/River Heights neighbourhoods from
2007-2009. That project resulted in increased numbers of trips made by
cycling, walking and carpooling, and reduced numbers of trips made by
driving alone for participating households.
Hope you can join us (from the comfort of your own computer) next week.
Details follow below -- please share with anyone else you think might be
interested.
cheers,
Beth
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Transport Canada's ecoMOBILITY Program is pleased to invite you to a free
bilingual webinar entitled "Implementing Social Marketing" to be held on
Wednesday, October 13, 2010, from 1-2pm EST.
This webinar will present "Changing Transportation Behaviours: A Social
Marketing Planning Guide", a new guide designed to help TDM planners and
other transportation practitioners implement effective social marketing
campaigns. Please note that the presentation will not focus on the theory
behind community-based social marketing (CBSM) but will rather address the
practical application of CBSM.
Following the presentation on the new guide, Beth McKechnie, Workplace TDM
Coordinator from Resource Conservation Manitoba, will present the results
from the social marketing aspects of Winnipeg's WinSmart Showcase, one of
the projects funded by Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase
Program (UTSP). This project included a social marketing pilot, which was
remarkably successful in bringing about modal shifts despite Winnipeg's
harsh winter weather and entrenched car culture.
Follow this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tce to sign up for the
webinar. Please feel free to forward this invitation to your colleagues.
Best regards,
The ecoMOBILITY team
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ecomobility
***************
Le programme écoMOBILITÉ de Transports Canada a le plaisir de vous inviter à
un Webinaire (séminaire en ligne) gratuit et bilingue, intitulé «Mise en
œuvre de marketing social» qui se tiendra le mercredi 13 Octobre 2010 de 13 à
14 h HNE.
Ce webinaire présentera «Modification des habitudes de transport: guide de
planification de marketing social», un nouveau guide conçu pour aider les
planificateurs de la GDT et autres intervenants du milieu des transports à
mettre en œuvre des campagnes efficaces de marketing social. Veuillez noter
que la présentation ne sera pas axée sur la théorie du marketing social
communautaire (MSC) mais plutôt sur l'application pratique du MSC.
Suite à la présentation sur ce nouveau guide, Beth McKechnie, coordonnatrice
de la GDT en milieu de travail chez «Resource Conservation Manitoba»,
présentera les résultats des aspects du marketing social de «WinSmart: la
ville de Winnipeg», l'un des projets financés par le Programme de
Démonstration en Transport Urbain (PDTU) de Transports Canada. Ce projet a
inclu un projet pilote de marketing social, qui a été un succès remarquable
dans la réalisation de transferts modaux, malgré les hivers peu cléments de
Winnipeg et la culture bien établie d'usage des voitures.
Suivez ce lien http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tcf pour vous inscrire au
webinaire. N'hésitez pas à transmettre cette invitation à vos collègues.
Salutations,
L'équipe écoMOBILITÉ
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ecomobilite
--
Beth McKechnie
Workplace Commuter Options
Green Action Centre
204.925.3772
www.greenactioncentre.ca
Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a
donation.
*Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg)
Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors
Bike racks are located in front of the building