Hello Everyone,
You are invited to attend the Disraeli Public Open House. Active
Transportation is a part of this project. There are two dates and locations.
Elmwood
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Bronx Park Community Centre
131 Chelsea Place
4 pm to 7 pm
Point Douglas
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Norquay Community Centre
65 Granville Street
4 pm to 7 pm
The new Disraeli Bridges to replace the existing 50-year-old structures that
span the Red River and the CP Rail mainline will rejuvenate a critical piece
of Winnipeg's transportation infrastructure. The Information Open Houses
will present detailed descriptions and visual renderings of one of
Winnipeg's most attractive and innovative engineering projects.
You'll be able to discuss any questions you may have with City engineers and
representatives of Plenary Roads Winnipeg, the group the City has chosen to
design, build and maintain the new bridges.
Regards,
Erik Dickson B.Sc. (Hons)
Marr Consulting Services
8th Floor - 136 Market Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3B 0P4
Phone: (204) 927-3456 ext. 242
Fax: (204) 927-3443
Please consider our environment before printing this message.
Latest News
Opposition kills Omand's Creek bridge
By: Melissa Martin
A beloved neighbourhood sledding hill may live to see many more winters, as the city shies away from a proposed $1-million bridge over Omand's Creek.
Last week, Wolseley residents received word that the city's active transportation planners won't push for the bridge to be part of the city's $20-million active transportation initiative. This came after 500 area residents crammed into a March 18 community meeting at Portage Avenue Mennonite Church to voice their concerns about the bridge, which would cover part of a popular sled hill in Omand Park.
A final decision will be made by city council in the coming weeks, but the city's active transportation co-ordinator agreed that the bridge isn't exactly the most popular item right now. "It's really important that all these projects fit into the neighbourhood," Kevin Nixon said. "We're not about to jam something into the neighbourhood that the neighbourhood can't accept."
Of the original five options on the table for Omand's Creek Park, upgrades to lighting and pathways were favoured by more people at the March 18 meeting than any of four bridge-related plans, one of which would have improved the existing footbridge. Only four per cent approved of the hilltop-spanning bridge.
melissa.martin(a)freepress.mb.ca
Editorials
Cycling his way to a legacy
Legacies are a funny thing. You never know how or for what you will be remembered after you're gone.
Often it's for something completely unforeseen.
The late Winnipeg mayor Steve Juba is still famous for championing something that was never even built, a Jetsons-cool rapid-transit monorail system.
Former mayor Glen Murray was scorned for his "million-dollar toilet" on the Esplanade Riel, but then again, the elegant bridge has become one of Winnipeg's most beloved landmarks. Mr. Murray is also renowned -- or reviled, depending on one's perspective -- for his $100,000 Get Together Downtown events, which drew thousands to Portage and Main for fun.
Mayor Sam Katz's legacy remains to be seen. But curiously enough, it may be for something he, too, could never could have envisioned.
Over the last five years, an "active transportation" lobby in the city has slowly gained ground. The goal is to create throughout the city a network of cycling commuter trails. It's a pretty basic philosophy. Create better and safer ways to travel through the city on two wheels, or two feet, and fewer people may drive. That in turn leads to less traffic on the roads, better air quality, healthier people.
Winnipeg has been way behind on this trend, despite its easily cycled (i.e. flat) terrain. Calgary has some 900 kilometres of bike routes. Until recently, Winnipeg had about 100.
But under Katz's watch, the city has extended that network to some 275 kilometres.
Only four years ago, the city's spending on active transportation was $200,000. It's now up to $3.5 million, a huge increase on trails, bike lanes and pedestrian path upgrades.
Did the mayor launch his first election campaign in Spandex and a bike helmet, vowing to transform the city into a less car-dependent, more active-transportation mecca?
Well, no. He took office in 2004 and immediately cancelled a proposed rapid-transit system. But Mr. Katz has come a long way since then.
He has changed his tune on rapid transit; after years of debate, construction for the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor finally began last summer. And just three months ago, the city pledged $6.8 million (matched by the province and the federal government's infrastructure fund, to a total of $20.4 million) to create dozens more people-friendly routes in Winnipeg.
One of these projects made the news recently when Wolseley residents opposed the size and scale of a proposed bridge over Omand's Creek. Judging by the debate that ensued, there's a growing passion for active transportation. It's relatively new, and it's nowhere near critical mass, but it's gaining momentum.
Mayor Katz's city doesn't hold expensive Get Togethers. But it did sponsor a Ciclovia last year, a $50,000 bike-and-pedestrian street festival that was such a hit, four more Sunday festivals are planned this summer. It started sponsoring Bike to Work Day in 2008, in which thousands -- including Mr. Katz -- proudly participated.
And trail advocates were both pleased and surprised last fall when the mayor boldly vowed to buy up more abandoned rail lines to transform into bike trails. "They make ideal active-transportation routes," he said.
Mr. Katz has never been regarded as a visionary. His reputation is that of a pragmatist and a promoter rather than a leader.
But there is no doubt the wheels have started to turn at city hall -- inspired, no doubt, by a growing number of Winnipeggers bent on making the city a more bike-friendly place.
So it's a funny thing that the man who's taken so much heat over things like rapid transit or Assiniboine Park condos may find himself with a surprising legacy years from now.
A greener, cleaner city, built one kilometre at a time.
