Floodway rec plan unveiled Province reveals pedestrian-centred overpass,
trail
By: Bill Redekop
BIRDS HILL PROVINCIAL PARK -- Former premier Duff Roblin dreamed not just of
building a floodway but of developing the floodway corridor for recreational
use for all Manitobans.
The first one he got built in short order. The latter took 50 years.
On Friday, the province gave a glimpse of the first phase of that floodway
development that includes construction of a $3-million pedestrian overpass
bridge spanning Highway 59, across from the Birds Hill Provincial Park
entrance.
The bridge is a key component in a 48-kilometre recreational trail for
non-motorized travel being built along the west side of the floodway here.
The bridge will also connect cyclists and others with Birds Hill Park, which
has over 100 kilometres of additional trails, starting at the Cedar Bog
Trail. The pedestrian bridge and a portion of the trail -- from about Garven
Road to Lockport -- is expected to be completed possibly as early as August.
Finishing touches are likely to continue until fall when a grand opening is
scheduled.
The entire trail, extending as far south as Duff Roblin Provincial Park, at
a cost of $6 million in addition to the bridge's cost, will be completed by
next summer. It will be open for four-season use including walking, jogging,
cycling, in-line skating, cross-country skiing, even dogsledding. There will
be a dedicated toboggan hill close to Kirkness Road, north of the Birds Hill
Park entrance. There will be up to six staging areas where people can park
and load their bikes.
Janice Lukes, a director with the Winnipeg Trails Association, expects some
people will be skeptical. "It's pretty hard for the average Joe to get the
picture," she said.
But Lukes has no doubt the trail system, once built, will attract hordes of
users. "Just look at the usage that old rail line (the former CPR rail line
between Gateway Road and Raleigh Street the city converted into a
biking/hiking trail) gets. People are really getting into this," she said.
The floodway project is just the north extension of the trail system being
built through Winnipeg. You could soon be able to travel on a dedicated
recreational trail from the University of Manitoba (following the Rapid
Transit Corridor), through The Forks, along the old CPR line that divides
Gateway and Raleigh, all the way to Birds Hill Park and beyond to Lockport.
"Cycle tourism is a massive industry in Quebec, in Minnesota. We're flat
here. We're perfect," Lukes said.
The project -- which will also include landscaping and beautification, with
the planting of thousands of trees and natural flowers and prairie -- is
being undertaken by the Manitoba Floodway Authority.
The steel bridge is necessary to hook up with the extensive trail system in
Birds Hill Park, and because people are already crossing the highway there.
"This is a major safety concern," said Ronuk Modha, floodway authority
communications director.
The bridge is 4.2 metres wide, from curb to curb. It will have an enclosure
similar to wire fencing so people can't fall out or throw things down on
traffic. There will also be a viewing area in the centre. About a
six-kilometre stretch of trail between Dunning Road and Garven Road is
asphalt and already completed. The rest of the trail will be crushed
limestone. The floodway authority is also building a three-kilometre trail
into Birds Hill Park to hook up to the Cedar Bog Trail.
People can't cross the floodway from Birds Hill Park to the floodway's west
side when it's full with flood water but that is only one to two months of
the year, said Modha. Otherwise, people can cross at Dunning Road, west of
the 59er Restaurant. This is just the floodway authority's first phase of
development. The second phase will take place on the southern portion of the
floodway near St. Mary's Road, Modha said.
bill.redekop(a)freepress.mb.ca
--
*Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action
Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/>
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us
here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living.
Support our work by becoming a
member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>
CAPITAL BIXI HITS THE STREETS IN CANADA'S CAPITAL
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/capital-bixi-hits-the-streets-in-ca…
OTTAWA, May 18 /PRNewswire/ - The* *Capital* *BIXI bike share service
officially kicked off today. Residents and visitors in the core of
Canada'sCapital will have 24/7 access to 100 bikes located at 10
stations in
downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.
"The National Capital Commission (NCC) is proud to add another important
building block to the cycling infrastructure in the core of
Canada'sCapital," said Marie
Lemay, Chief Executive Officer at the NCC. "The NCC has been in the cycling
business for over 40 years. We've come a long way since the early 1970s and
we want to go even further. The Capital BIXI service not only represents a
means of active transportation but also a means to build a greener Capital
for all to enjoy."
"The purpose of the program is to provide immediate access to public bikes
as an alternative mode of transportation," said Alain Ayotte, President at
the Public Bike System Company. "The BIXI bikes are designed to complement
public transit, and as such, they are intended for one-way trips of less
than 30 minutes. At the end of the trip, the bike can be dropped off at any
of the 10 docking stations. We're convinced local residents and tourists
will quickly embrace Capital BIXI."
*PARTNERSHIPS*
The NCC and the Public Bike System Company are proud to welcome TELUS as the
major sponsor of the Capital BIXI bike share service.
"TELUS is thrilled to help bring easy, accessible and economical bike
sharing to Canada's Capital Region with Capital BIXI," said Michael Sangster,
Vice-President at TELUS. "Support for healthier cities is an important part
of TELUS' 'give where we live' philosophy, which our team members live every
day. Initiatives like the Capital BIXI bike share further our mission by
giving Canadians an opportunity to be good stewards of the environment while
staying active in our day to day lives."
The NCC is pleased to announce that Public Works and Government Services
Canada will be adding a station to the Capital BIXI network. The NCC is also
in discussion with Environment Canada for stations at their buildings. The
NCC looks forward to the participation of public and private organizations
who are interested in providing the bike share service to their employees
and their partners.
The NCC, the City of Ottawa and Ville de Gatineau continue to partner on
significant cycling initiatives in Canada's Capital.
*CAPITAL BIXI EXPERIENCE*
Regular users can purchase a monthly ($28) or yearly ($78) Capital BIXI
subscription which entitles them to a BIXI-key. Members then use their
BIXI-key to take out a bike at any station in the network. Non-members can
purchase a 24-hour pass ($5) or a 72-hour pass ($12) directly at the
station. Users can take out a bike as often as they like for 30 minutes or
less. Fees apply to longer trips, the second half-hour will cost $1.50 and
the third half-hour will cost $3. General information and subscription
details can be found at capital.bixi.com.
The first 100 annual subscribers will receive founding member status and a
distinctive dark purple BIXI-key to access the service. Subscribers can also
take advantage of a $10 discount on a monthly pass, until June 30, 2011.
*About the National Capital Commission (NCC) *
The NCC is a federal Crown corporation whose mandate is to create pride and
unity through Canada's Capital Region by making the Capital a meeting place
that communicates Canada to Canadians. As the steward of federal lands,
national landmarks, parks, transportation infrastructures and buildings, the
NCC takes great pride in developing and planning a Capital that today's
visitors will enjoy and that future generations will treasure.
*About BIXI and the Public Bike System Company (PBSC) *
PBSC is responsible for the implementation of the Capital BIXI service in
Canada's Capital Region. PBSC offers a highly advanced bike sharing system
on three continents, to private campuses and cities, such as London (UK),
Melbourne (AU), Minneapolis, Washington and Arlington (USA).
*About TELUS *
TELUS is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.9
billion of annual revenue and 12.3 million customer connections including 7
million wireless subscribers, 3.7 million wireline network access lines and
1.2 million Internet subscribers and more than 350,000 TELUS TV customers.
Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide
range of communications products and services including data, Internet
protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.
For more information about TELUS, please visit
TELUS.com<http://www.telus.com/>.
To learn more about TELUS' commitment to the community, please visit
TELUS.com/community <http://www.telus.com/community>.
For more information regarding the bike share service Capital BIXI, please
contact the Public Bike System Company at 1-855-CAP-BIXI or 1-855-227-2494
(toll free), or visit the website at capital.bixi.com.
SOURCE BIXI - PUBLIC BIKE SYSTEM COMPANY
--
*Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action
Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/>
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us
here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living.
Support our work by becoming a
member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>
Analysis of Bicycling Trends and Policies in Large North American Cities:
Lessons for New York*Source: University Transportation Research Center
(Region 2)*
*Download*:
http://fulltextreports.com/2011/04/11/analysis-of-bicycling-trends-and-poli…
[Note: this is an extension of the "Bicycling Renaissance in North America"
journal article that was distributed previously. -Beth]
This research report reviews trends in cycling levels, safety, and policies
in large North American cities over the past two decades. We analyze
aggregate national data as well as city- specific case study data for nine
large cities (Chicago, Minneapolis, Montréal, New York, Portland, San
Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver, and Washington, DC).
Cycling levels have increased in both the USA and Canada, while cyclist
fatalities have fallen. The number of bike commuters in the USA rose by 64%
from 1990 to 2009, and the bike share of commuters rose from 0.4% to 0.6%.
Over the shorter period from 1996 to 2006, the number of bike commuters in
Canada rose by 42%, and the bike share of commuters rose from 1.1% to 1.3%.
>From 1988 to 2008, cycling fatalities fell by 66% in Canada and by 21% in
the USA; serious injuries fell by 40% in Canada and by 31% in the USA.
There is much spatial variation and socioeconomic inequality in cycling
rates. The bike share of work commuters is more than twice as high in Canada
as in the USA, and is higher in the western parts of both countries. Cycling
is concentrated in central cities, especially near universities and in
gentrified neighborhoods near the city center. Almost all the growth in
cycling in the USA has been among men between 25-64 years old, while cycling
rates have remained steady among women and fallen sharply for children.
--
*Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action
Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/>
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us
here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living.
Support our work by becoming a
member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>
*
Green Action Centre will host a Winnipeg viewing of the following APBP
(Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals) webinar on Using
Social Media to Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities on Wednesday, May
18.
If you would like to join us for a group viewing of this webinar, please let
me know at beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca. See you then!
cheers,
Beth
925-3772
------------------------------
Using Social Media to Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities
Wednesday, May 18 • 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CDT
*
*Location: EcoCentre boardroom, 303 Portage Ave, 3rd floor (enter via
elevator inside Mountain Equipment Co-op)*
Recent current events have demonstrated that social media offer serious and
effective tools for change. Join this APBP webinar on May 18 at 2:00 p.m.
CDT to explore different types of social media and their potential for
helping bicycle and pedestrian professionals and advocates build powerful
coalitions, foster community, and reach new audiences. A trio of presenters
from three areas of practice—consulting, advocacy, and government—who are
using social media and Web 2.0 tools creatively and successfully will share
their insights and experience.
The session will include a brief explanation of different tools and their
uses, a discussion of policies and best practices for managing content, and
case studies that showcase different real world examples of social media
helping to improve bike/ped facilities and conditions: Bike|Walk|Idaho, the
NE 125th Street road diet project in Seattle, and Cascade Bicycle Club's
BikeWise.org project. Presenters are Brice Maryman, ASLA, SvR Design;
Maureen Gresham, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator, Idaho Transportation
Department; and Chris Rule, Political Program Manager, Cascade Bicycle Club.
*PLEASE NOTE*: The organizers have advised that there will be more details
available by next Wednesday regarding the webcast, plus they are intending
to record the conference for later viewing. We at Green Action Centre are
interested in hearing some of the excellent speakers lined up for this
conference, so will keep you informed as to a potential group viewing for
those who are interested.
[image: CAA_Changing_Lanes_503x384web-EN.jpg]
CAA has always advocated on issues of concern to its members, and today that
includes how bikes and vehicles can better co-exist on Canada’s roads.
Millions of our members are both drivers and cyclists, and they see the
debate from both sides. Our goal is to provide neutral information, tips and
best practices so members can drive and cycle safely.
CAA is putting its commitment to the bike-car relationship into action
through the services we offer. For example, several CAA clubs offer
Emergency Roadside Assistance to bicyclists year round as part of the CAA
membership.
As part of our commitment to further the bike-car discussion, CAA is hosting
a national conference on the topic. Changing Lanes: Improving the Bike-Car
Relationship on Canada’s Roads will be hosted on May 25th, 2011, in
Vancouver, B.C. The conference will bring together leading international and
domestic experts to discuss the latest thinking on bike/car safety,
infrastructure, and the business opportunities and costs of increasing the
presence of bicycles in our cities.
*Conference topics include:*
- “Building a Better Connection” – How can we build infrastructure that
supports a smoother relationship for drivers and cyclists?
- “A Safer Way Forward” - A discussion about strategies and actions that
both drivers and cyclists can adopt to help make the road ahead a bit safer
for us all.
- “The Business Cycle” - Engaging proponents and opponents in the ongoing
debate about the real costs and opportunities for business of more biking in
Canadian cities.
*Confirmed speakers include:*
- Gil Penalosa, Executive Director, 8-80 cities, Toronto
- Margaret Mahan, Executive Director, Better Environmentally Sound
Transportation (B.E.S.T), Vancouver
- Jean-François Pronovost, Vice-President, Development and Public
Affairs, Vélo Québec, Montreal
- Eleanor McMahon, Founder and C.E.O., Share the Road Cycling Coalition,
Burlington, Ontario
- Hans-Jurgen Becker, Velocities 2012, Vancouver
- Jennifer Dill, Oregon Transportation Consortium , Portland
… and many more!
Email:
For further information, please contact us at 613-247-0117 ext. 2006 or via
email at changinglanes(a)national.caa.ca.
Webcasting:
Please join us on May 25th for simultaneous coverage of Changing Lanes.
Please feel free to submit any questions you may have for our panellists to
changinglanes(a)national.caa.ca or participate in our live chat on the day of
the conference.
Recreation Connections Manitoba and Green Action Centre are pleased to
announce the latest exciting developments in the After The School Bell
Rings: A Manitoba After School Recreation Project.
*Website*
We invite you to visit the new After The School Bell Rings: A Manitoba After
School Recreation Project website at www.afterschoolmanitoba.ca Officially
launched as of May 6, 2011, the website includes information on the project;
resources related to after school programs, physical activity, nutrition,
and active transportation and will be used to keep stakeholders informed on
the project and related topics.
Interactive features to encourage information sharing and communication
among after school program providers will be developed over the next while.
*Call for Applications*
The After The School Bell Rings: A Manitoba After School Recreation Project
has released a Call for Applications for after school providers interested
in participating as a pilot site during the 2011 – 2012 school year.
Funding of up to $10,000 will be provided to assist after school programs,
for children ages 6 – 12 years, increase physical activity, healthy eating
and active transportation within their program. A minimum of *6* sites from
across the province will be selected to participate.
The deadline for applications is *May 27, 2011*.
For more information and to download the application form and an information
package with background information, application process and eligibility
criteria please visit www.afterschoolmanitoba.ca
Roy Mulligan
Project Coordinator
After The School Bell Rings: A Manitoba After School Recreation Project
Recreation Connections Manitoba
317-145 Pacific Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2Z6
Phone: (204)925-5751
Email: recconnections.pro(a)sportmanitoba.ca