In case you hadn't heard, the City of Winnipeg is in the process of
developing a Transportation Master Plan. You can find information presented
at a recent Open House along with a link to a survey on the future of
transportation in Winnipeg here:
http://transportation.speakupwinnipeg.com/
If you want to go straight to the survey, see:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/winnipegtmp
The feedback received from the survey will help inform the plan, so it's
definitely worth taking a few minutes to complete.
cheers,
Beth
--
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>
Nova Scotia is looking to be the first in Canada to "*require drivers to
leave one meter of open space between the vehicle and bicyclist when passing
*". Other proposed amendments to their Motor Vehicle Act include to:
- define 'cyclist' and 'bicycle lane'
- prohibit vehicle parking in a bicycle lane
- make it an offence to fail to yield to a cyclist in a bicycle lane
- redefine cycling on the extreme right
- allow drivers of vehicles to cross a centre line to pass a bicycle, if
the driver can do so safely
- require cyclists to ride single file and in the same direction of the
traffic
Full details:
http://spacingatlantic.ca/2010/11/18/keep-those-wheels-turning-cycling-ackn…
--
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>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michael Haynes <activetransportation(a)rogers.com>
Date: Tue, Nov 30, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: November 30, 2010
Dear Listserv Members:
Thirty-five (35) new items have been posted on the Active
Transportation-Canada Website during the month of November. A complete list
of titles may be found in the "Blog Archive" box, located on the right
margin of the Website. some highlights include:
- 2011 World Record Walk<http://www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf9723>
- Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation
Papers<http://torontocat.ca/main/>
- Ted Talks - James H Kunstler dissects
suburbia<http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_suburbia.h…>
- Reality vs. Myth: The "dangers" of Dutch cycle
paths<http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2010/11/reality-vs-myth-dangers-of-dutch-cycle.…>
- Vancouver selected as the host of the Velo-city Global 2012
conference<http://www.velo-city2012.com/>
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 nearly 1,00 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
--
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>
City bike routes going on Google next week
By: Adam Wazny
The snow and ice suggest otherwise, but life for the Winnipeg cyclist just
became a little easier.
In an announcement at the Sustainable Mobility Conference in Ottawa Monday,
Internet search engine giant Google has added Winnipeg to its list of
Canadian cities that will have bike routes available online for those
looking for the best path to take on two wheels.
With Google Bike Directions, scheduled to be added to Google Maps during the
next week, users can pore over city-fed bike maps using the popular web
atlas to chart a course for their daily commute.
Comprehensive maps of various bike routes and paths are already available on
the city's website, but Winnipeg Trails Association director Janice Lukes
was thrilled to find out Google has added the city to its new mapping
feature.
"We have all this new infrastructure and many people don't know where it
is," she said. "This will encourage those who are looking to get out on the
weekends or do a little riding after work."
What has the cycling community excited about the Google Maps addition is the
reach it will have to those contemplating ditching their vehicle for a bike.
Jeff Martin, owner of Alter Ego Sports, feels the undecided might finally
decide to switch to a two-wheeler permanently, thanks to Google Maps. Not
every trail or dedicated bike lane is visible from behind the wheel, he
notes, so not everyone is up to speed with the layout of the city's active
transportation framework.
"For the serious cyclist, they're going to ride their bikes regardless," he
said. "But for the inexperienced rider, this will show them they can get
from point A to point B in a safe way, especially for winter riding."
Google Bike Directions works like this: A click on the bicycle icon shows a
dark green line indicating a bike-only path. A lighter green line signals a
dedicated bike lane and a dotted line shows a city street that doesn't have
a dedicated bike lane, but could still be suitable for riding.
The city planned to spend $20.4 million dollars on 36 bike-and-pedestrian
projects under a federal stimulus program this year. Cold weather cut six of
those projects short, with completion scheduled for 2011.
Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver, Calgary, Gatineau and Waterloo are the
other Canadian cities involved in Google's announcement. Bike-trail data for
U.S. markets was added to Google Maps earlier this year.
adam.wazny(a)freepress.mb.ca
--
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>
[Great article in the Globe & Mail about sidewalks and a whole "new era of
sidewalk sociology". -cheers, Beth]
*Full article with photos & videos:*
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/americas/lane-storming-cities-dri…
Sidewalk experiments drive new ideas about urban public space SIRI AGRELL From
Thursday's Globe and Mail Published Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 8:10PM EST
A line has been drawn in the battle over city streets. On a busy Manhattan
morning this spring, a comedy troupe drew a chalk divide down the edge of
Fifth Avenue, creating one lane for “tourists” and another for “New
Yorkers.” It was just a joke, but the news quickly spread around the world
and inspired copycat initiatives.
The changing look of city sidewalks
>From Lebanon to Calgary, the humble pavement has recently emerged as new
frontier in urban warfare. It is a way for cities to demonstrate their
personality and environmental cred, and take sides in the war between driver
and pedestrian. But it is not, as San Francisco has forcefully pointed out
with a ballot initiative approved earlier this month, a place to sit down.
“We’re truly at the launch of a new science of creating walkways,” said Dan
Burden, an urban planner and the creator of the non-profit group Walkable
Communities. “They do a lot more work than just move people from place to
place. We’re starting to see the sidewalk as a system that drives the
successful social life of a street.”
The popularity of the New York experiment was a signal that citizens are
ready for bold thinking when it comes to urban design, he said, no longer
content to cede the sidewalk to municipal authorities. In London and
Toronto, business owners have paid out of pocket to make their sidewalks
more attractive and easier to navigate by funding a sidewalk redesign and
enforcing an invisible “shopper’s lane.” In a response to citizen
complaints, Montreal is taking steps to make sure sidewalks are quickly
cleared of snow while Lebanon is trying to keep them free of cars. Concrete,
too, is losing favour, being replaced with recycled tiers, tamped earth and
fine grain materials that come in a variety of colours. In the future, Mr.
Burden predicts the “hardscape” of city sidewalks will be softened with
materials like grasscrete, porous blocks that allow natural vegetation to
work its way through. The sidewalk may end, but innovation has just begun.
*MANHATTAN*
*What:* In May, the comedy group Improv Everywhere spray painted a line down
the middle of Fifth Avenue, demarcating lanes for “New Yorkers” and
“tourists.” Fake department of transportation “employees” directed tourists
to the left, telling them, “You can take pictures and go as slow as you
want.”
*Pros:* Pedestrians were also asked for their feedback on the initiative,
and the response was overwhelmingly positive. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg
thought the idea was “cute.”
*Cons:* For busy New Yorkers, the idea didn’t go far enough. As the Web site
Gothamist suggested, “Now we just need a lane for strollers and people who
text while walking, and we'll be all set.”
*Lessons for other cities:* Anger over sidewalk slowpokes is no joke.
*LONDON*
*What*: Inspired by the New York experiment, a group of business owners in
the city’s Oxford Street district introduced a “shoppers lane” along store
fronts this fall, with employees encouraging tourists to stay out of the way
of locals. They plan to lobby to have the lane officially incorporated into
city tourist maps next year.
*Pros:* With more than 200 million visitors a year, nearby residents
“absolutely love the idea” of a shoppers lane, according to Jace Tyrell,
spokesperson for the New West End Company, which represents 600 local
business owners.
*Cons:* The lane is not actually marked on the sidewalk, and is not
officially sanctioned or enforced by city council. Instead, New West End is
advertising the rogue idea on tourist maps and enforcing it with the help of
Red Caps, a group of employees who provide information and directions on the
street.
*Lessons for other cities*: You don’t need a bylaw to change the way cities
work. Even without official enforcement, Mr. Tyrell said the system is
embedding itself in the public consciousness. “It’s like the escalator,
where people stand to one side or the other depending on whether or not
they’re walking,” he said. “We hope over time, this will become a
behavioural thing and people will just do it naturally.”
*PORTLAND, ORE.*
*What: *Under the direction of the Office of Transportation, 13th Avenue was
redesigned as a curbless street, where the sidewalk and roadway are one
level but paved with different coloured materials.
*Pros:* Popular in Scandinavia, curbless streets have been shown to actually
change the way people drive through “psychological traffic slowing” making
neighbourhoods more pedestrian friendly.
*Cons:* Short vertical posts called bollards that mark the line between
street and sidewalk have been blamed for damaging cars.
*Lessons for other cities:* Studies have shown curbless streets slow traffic
by an average of nine kilometres an hour. An analysis of five years of
traffic statistics in one California town found that the only pedestrian
injuries occurred on streets that did have curbs.
*CALGARY*
*What: *In October, the city started replacing asphalt sidewalks with
recycled rubber tires, as part of a one-year pilot program.
*Pros:* The material won’t crack, reduces storm runoff, absorbs sound and is
more comfortable for runners. City transportation engineer Blanka Bracic
said public feedback on the city’s blog and 311 line has been overwhelmingly
positive.
*Cons: *Some residents are worried that the product’s uneven surface will
make snow removal difficult.
*Lessons for other cities:* Unlike traditional asphalt, the rubber sidewalk
does not require the roots of nearby trees to be excavated. Ms. Bracic said
that cutting down trees to lay new sidewalk is a major source of citizen
complaints. The material costs the same as concrete, but is also cheaper to
maintain.
*TORONTO*
*What: *The recently completed Bloor Street Transformation Project.
*Pros: *The project has widened and beautified the sidewalks using Quebec
granite, mature trees, improved street furniture and manicured flowerbeds.
*Cons:* The project took more than three years to complete, snarling traffic
on a major city street.
*Lessons for other cities:* Inspired by Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, the
project was championed by the Bloor Street BIA, who contributed $20-million
to the project.
*LEBANON*
*What: *Last month, various municipalities launched a crackdown on vehicles
parked on sidewalks.
*Pros: *The move is a response to growing chorus of complaints, many from
the disabled and mothers with young children, noting that pedestrians are
forced to walk on the road because of the popular practice of parking on
sidewalks.
*Cons:* Street vendors who deal food and other goods from their parking
spots complain that their business is being ruined.
*Lessons for other cities:* Previous efforts by Lebanese authorities to
clear sidewalks of cars have failed due to the objections of merchants, who
were given no alternative location from which to vend their wares.
*SAN FRANCISCO*
*What: *Proposition L, a city wide ordinance passed on Nov. 2 that bans
people from sitting of lying on sidewalks between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11
p.m. Those caught breaking the law face fines, community-service sentences
and even jail time.
*Pros:* Dubbed the Sit/Lie ordinance, the idea was a response to a recent
escalation of aggressive panhandling in the iconic Haight-Ashbury
neighbourhood. Police can now take action against an individual without
having to wait for a complaint from the public, according to Ted Loewenberg,
president of the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association. “This gives police
the ability to pay attention the kind of behaviours we’re worried about,” he
said.
*Cons: *Those opposed to Prop L say it unfairly targets the homeless.
*Lessons for other cities: *The measure was passed through a ballot
initiative included in the Nov. 2 election, and garnered the support of 55
per cent of voters. Mr. Loewenberg said city council had originally opposed
the idea, which was proposed by chief of police.
*MONTREAL*
*What:* The city announced in early November that it will deploy quick
reaction snow clearing brigades to specific pedestrian-packed sidewalks this
year to keep downtown businesses moving.
*Pros:* Main sidewalks in the busy downtown area of Ville Marie and the
Plateau district will be completely cleared within 12 hours of a snowfall,
with the city setting aside $262,000 for trucks and $150,000 for salaries to
fund the rapid deployment teams. Michael Applebaum, the city executive
committee member responsible for snow clearing, said the cost of leaving the
sidewalks clogged is much higher, as it puts a freeze on tourism,
restaurants and the retail business. “We’re a winter city. Our priority has
to be to make sure people can get around,” he said. “We can’t stall the
economy.”
*Cons: *The city wants to have a strict 24-hour deadline for snow removal in
place throughout the city by 2014, but they can’t enforce the deadlines
until their contracts with private snow removal companies come up for
renegotiation.
*Lessons for other cities: *Mr. Applebaum, who is also borough mayor of Côte
des Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, says technology has dramatically shortened
citizen’s patience with city services.**Because they can report city issues
on cellphones and via e-mail, they expect an immediate response, even when
it comes to fighting Mother Nature.
Planning, transport and health inequalities
This British website presents case studies of what can be achieved when
places utilise planning and transport to tackle the social determinants of
health. But they also highlight the limits of what these environment-focused
professions can do. The website is regularly updated as shown by the two
most recent cases studies presented: The London Borough of Waltham Forest
and the Stoke-on-Trent City Council
http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=23261408
Mike Tutthill
Information & Access Coordinator
HEALTH in COMMON
100-6 Donald Street
Winnipeg, MB R3L 0K6
tel: 204.949.2002
1.800.731.1792
fax: 204.284.2404
email: <mailto:mtutthill@healthincommon.ca> mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca
web: <http://www.healthincommon.ca> www.healthincommon.ca
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
December E-Newsletter deadline is November 19.
<http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-in-Common/120069149875> Health in
Common on Facebook
* Please consider the environment before printing this email.
Coming to Health in Common?
By bicycle: Bicycle parking is located behind the building.
By Winnipeg transit: Routes 62, 65, 66, 68, 70
By car: Two visitor parking spaces are available at the back of the
building. Street parking (restrictions): Bell Avenue (1hr 9h00 - 17h30),
Clarke Street (none); Lewis (none); Cauchon (none); River (none west of
Clarke).
The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) is a
non-profit organization committed to increasing bicycling and walking as
modes of transportation in the U.S. In the spring of 2010, APBP conducted an
online questionnaire to investigate the factors that would induce women to
bicycle more for transportation.
The final report can be downloaded at:
http://www.trb.org/PedestriansAndBicyclists/Blurbs/Womens_Cycling_Survey_An…
Here's the summary:
Cycling behavior appears to be influenced by size of community. While women
from the suburbs and rural areas were less likely to use their bicycles for
daily trips, they cycled longer distances (over 60 miles) than women from
other communities. Rural and suburban women also constituted the highest
percentage of respondents to report “always” wearing a helmet. Finally, *women
from large cities were most receptive to the addition of bike lanes as a
means to start/increase their cycling*. As a result, interventions to
increase women’s cycling must take into account the areas in which women
live.
Despite the difference in cycling behaviors due to community size, safety
and infrastructure concerns were prevalent in nearly all subgroups. The
operation of motorized vehicles, (especially distracted driving) dominate
women’s safety concerns about cycling. Furthermore, infrastructure change,
particularly the addition of more bike lanes, appears to be a primary factor
for increasing women’s cycling. Though these findings warrant additional
qualitative research, it is likely that intervention planning to promote
cycling as a form of daily transportation needs to address the issues of
distracted driving and the addition of more bike lanes.
--
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>
*Please note the upcoming Open House taking place Saturday, November 13, at
the Convention Centre:*
Source: http://www.speakupwinnipeg.com/
Winnipeggers are invited to meet with City of Winnipeg Staff and share their
ideas and views regarding three important City initiatives:
- *The City of Winnipeg’s Transportation Master Plan*
- The City’s Parks, Places and Open Spaces Strategy
- A Sustainable Winnipeg: Measurement and Accountability
- Call to Action update
Whether you are stopping by as part of your attendance at the concurrent
SpeakUp on Garbage Expo, or just taking a few minutes in your day to stop
by, we would be pleased to meet you and continue the conversation about the
future of our city.
- *10:00 am – 3:00 pm*
- *Millennium Suite, Second Floor Winnipeg Convention Centre*
cheers,
Beth
--
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>
Come out and "Get Your Green On" this Saturday at The Academy in Osborne
Village!
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! (plus apologies for duplicate postings)
Beth
925-3772
[image: Poster Nov 6'2010.jpg]
--
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>