AT-Network May 2012

at-network@lists.umanitoba.ca

9 participants
28 discussions

Why there is no war between bikes and cars in the Netherlands

by Beth McKechnie

*Why There's No War Between Drivers and Cyclists in the Netherlands* Sarah Goodyear <http://www.theatlanticcities.com/authors/sarah-goodyear/> / May 08, 2012 Bicycling is such an integral part of life in the Netherlands, you might think that Dutch people are born knowing how to cycle. They aren’t, of course. What’s kind of wonderful is the way that they learn. It’s not just a matter of going to the park with a parent, getting a push, and falling down a bunch of times until you can pedal on your own. Dutch children are expected to learn and follow the rules of the road, because starting in secondary school – at age 12 – they are expected to be able to ride their bikes on their own to school, sometimes as far as nine or 10 miles. Because this independent travel for children is valued in Dutch society, education about traffic safety is something that every Dutch child receives. There's even a bicycle road test that Dutch children are required to take at age 12 in order to prove that they are responsible cycling citizens. *Read full article & see videos: * * http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/why-theres-no-war-between-… *<http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2012/05/why-theres-no-war-between-…> (Thanks to Dave Elmore for sharing.)

11 years, 11 months

Your Help is Needed to Ensure Pembina Gap is Closed

by Mark Cohoe

This Wednesday, May 9^th , the City of Winnipeg will be hosting an open house giving an opportunity to review three options being proposed for improvements to the Pembina Highway Underpass (at Jubilee).Only one of the proposed options meets the minimum requirements for active transportation.Only option 3 includes the long promised pathway to safely carry cyclists and pedestrians over Pembina Highway.This crossing has consistently been included in public plans <http://winnipegtransit.com/assets/80/Southwest_Rapid_Transit_Corridor_-_Sta…> for the Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor, the City has chosen to present the public with two options for the Pembina Underpass that exclude pedestrians and cyclists from having a safe, convenient way to cross one of the busiest roadways in the city. What difference would the exclusion of this pathway make?For those that Portland terms the "interested but concerned" cyclist (they estimate this represents 60% of their population), it means a lot.These potential cyclists will not choose a high traffic roadway like the Jubilee Overpass, nor will they suffer constant stopping and dismounting to get to their destination along lower traffic routes that avoid Jubilee Overpass (and incidentally cause them to stop all traffic on Pembina when they cross just south of Jubilee).For these cyclists, the lack of a safe, convenient, and separated pathway across Pembina will mean choosing their car over their bike for trips that they would otherwise gladly make by bike. We are asking all members to make an effort to get out to the open house <http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/PembinaHighwayUnderpass/defaul…> this Wednesday, fill out the on line survey (available after May 9^th ) and write your City Councillor and Provincial MLA to make it known that the only acceptable option for the Pembina Underpass is one that includes room for a separated AT Pathway over Pembina Highway when Rapid Transit is extended.The open house is being held at the APEGN office (870 Pembina Highway) just north of the underpass.Comments can be sent to the project web-site <file:///C:%5CUsers%5CMCohoe%5CDocuments%5CBike%20to%20the%20Future%5CCity%20Committee%5CBikeways%5CPembina%20Bikeway%5CPembina%20Underpass%5C%28http:%5Cwww.winnipeg.ca%5Cpublicworks%5CMajorProjects%5CPembinaHighwayUnderpass%5Cdefault.asp%29> or sent directly to the head planner in charge of this project, Jacqueline East <mailto:jeast@dillon.ca>. Sincerely, Mark Cohoe Bike to the Future

11 years, 11 months

In-Street Bicycle Parking webinar: Wed, May 16th, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre

by Beth McKechnie

Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a local viewing of the upcoming APBP webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion.* *Detailed descriptions provided below.* *In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much? Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth 925-3772 * * * * * Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) presents: In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much? Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST Increasingly communities face the dilemma of bicycles and pedestrians competing for scarce sidewalk space. As pedestrian activity increases wider sidewalks are needed, while as cycling increases more bicycle parking—traditionally placed on sidewalks—is also needed. In-street bicycle corrals allow agencies to place bicycle parking in the street, off the pedestrian way, resolving this conflict and making more efficient use of existing parking spaces. However, jurisdictions may hesitate to undertake bicycle corrals since there are few design examples and little specific guidance on which to base such projects. Planners, engineers, developers and advocates should attend this webinar to learn how to scale up bicycle parking to meet growing demand while avoiding negative impacts to the pedestrian environment. Placing bicycle parking in the street presents unique challenges for traffic engineers and streetscape designers. Issues include roadway operations, cyclist and pedestrian safety, placement of a bike corral in relation to other sidewalk and street design elements, pedestrian flows and adjacent land uses. The webinar will address these challenges with examples of successful in-street bicycle parking projects (examples from New York City, Portland, and Washington D.C.). Presenters will also define best practices for providing bicycle parking in the street and discuss how a program might progress, beginning with public process and moving through costs, installation, and maintenance. Presenters include Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley, California; Sarah Figliozzi, Portland Bureau of Transportation; Chris Holben, District Department of Transportation; and Hayes Lord, New York City Department of Transportation. APBP has applied to the AICP for one Certification Maintenance credit for this webinar, and will provide an attendance certificate to those who document their professional development hours. -- *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/>

11 years, 11 months

BikeMobile Project - Safe Routes to School (CA)

by Beth McKechnie

Interesting article attached on a new BikeMobile project under the Safe Routes to School Program in Dublin, California. More coverage here: http://www.arounddublinblog.com/2012/04/dublin-ca-innovative-bikemobile-fix… (Thanks to Bob Kurylko for forwarding.) cheers, Beth

11 years, 11 months

Wine, Wenches, and Wrenches - Upcoming Ladies Cycling Workshops

by Shoni Litinsky

Please circulate to anyone that may be interested to join us! [image: Inline image 1] -- *Shoni Litinsky* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3773 Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/> Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>

11 years, 11 months

Globe and Mail: Saving lives by slowing down on city streets

by Beth McKechnie

Saving lives by slowing down on city streets Kelly Grant From Monday's Globe and Mail Published Sunday, Apr. 29, 2012 9:08PM EDT http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/saving-lives-by-slowing-down-o… Toronto’s top doctor wants speed limits in Canada’s largest city reduced by 10 to 20 kilometres an hour, an idea that’ll be a tough sell when he pitches it to the Board of Health on Monday. When Medical Officer of Health David McKeown revealed his proposal last week, it was panned faster than the speed of a car on one of Toronto’s 60 km/h arterial roads. Mayor Rob Ford dismissed it as “nuts, nuts, nuts, nuts,” while the head of the public works committee urged Dr. McKeown to “stick to his knitting,” unless he’s after a job in the transportation department. But Dr. McKeown’s proposal isn’t outrageous. Other major cities around the world are experimenting with lowering speed limits as part of their efforts to keep pedestrians, cyclists and drivers safe, something supporters hope will nudge urban dwellers out of their cars. New York implemented its first “slow speed” 20-mph (about 32 km/h) zone in the heart of the Bronx last fall. Edmonton recently wrapped up a pilot project testing a 10 km/h reduction – to 40 km/h from 50 – in six neighbourhoods, three of which have elected to retain the lower speed caps. And Portsmouth, England, has received calls from across the globe about its decision to implement a nearly city-wide speed limit of 20 mph. These interventions go beyond traditional traffic-calming measures, such as speed bumps. “I’m not surprised that on first blush, some people might be concerned about the recommendation,” Dr. McKeown said in an interview. “[But] the evidence of the relationship between speed and mortality and fatality is very strong.” Pedestrians are eight times more likely to die when hit by cars travelling 50 km/h than when struck by vehicles travelling 30 km/h, according to the World Health Organization. Strong as it may be, the science supporting lower speed limits isn’t exactly surprising. Slowing down saves lives. However, municipal leaders must balance safety with the need to get from point A to point B in a reasonable time. That’s why most of the cities testing lower speed limits are using neighbourhood streets, not arterial roads, as their petri dishes. Take New York. In a bid to cut traffic fatalities in half by 2030, the Big Apple has implemented a raft of measures to persuade motorists to slow down, including cheeky commercials reminding New Yorkers there actually *is *a speed limit in the city, and it’s 30 mph. New York’s Department of Transportation has taken a particularly aggressive step in the Claremont section of The Bronx. Often abused as a shortcut, the quarter-mile residential neighbourhood saw 46 people killed or seriously injured in motor-vehicle crashes from 2006 to 2010, prompting the city to make Claremont its first 20-mph zone. The zone is marked with 14 distinctive gateway entrances, 28 posted speed limit signs and nine speed humps. “It sends a clear message to those drivers that neighbourhood streets are not shortcuts, they are not speedways,” said New York Transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. She said residents were “wildly supportive” of the new zone. “People were happy because they were tired of seeing their streets used as speedways.” Now more than 100 New York neighbourhoods have applied for slow-speed zones, she added. “I think that you’re starting to see cities all over the country look for these kinds of interventions. There’s a big hue and cry to have safer streets,” she said. It’s still an open question whether reducing the posted speed limit alone actually compels motorists to ease off the gas. Claremont’s experience is still too fresh to have produced useful data. In any case, the neighbourhood’s slow zone includes speed bumps, making it difficult to separate their effects from those of a lower posted speed limit. Edmonton, on the other hand, has the hard numbers to show that a reduced speed limit is little match for road design. Beginning on May 1, 2010, the Alberta capital reduced speed limits in six very different neighbourhoods to 40 km/h from 50, using only signs and enforcement, including photo radar. Overall, operating speeds fells by 7 per cent or about 3.5 km/h. The number of serious crashes dropped slightly in all but one of the test areas, where severe collisions actually increased. Sounds promising, until you look at the actual speeds logged during the six-month experiment. In two older neighbourhoods, operating speeds fell to 51 km/h from about 53; in two grid-patterned areas, speeds dropped to 53 km/h from 55; and in two newly built pockets, speeds fell to 57 km/h from 60. In other words, next to nobody respected the 40 km/h limit. Road design mattered. Motorists drove slower on older, narrow streets lined with parked cars, and faster on new, wider thoroughfares with little parking. “One of the things about reducing the speed limit on any given road is that it needs to make sense to the public,” said Scott McDonald, senior speed management co-ordinator for Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety. That’s one of the reasons Dr. McKeown’s recommendations have taken such a beating. Right now, Toronto’s speed limit, unless otherwise posted, is 50 km/h. Some wide arterial roads are 60 km/h, most residential streets are 40 km/h, and streets with speed bumps are 30 km/h. The Medical Officer of Health favours reducing the residential limit to 30 km/h and the default speed limit to 40 km/h. In a city strangled by gridlock, the thought of puttering along at 40 km/h on an arterial road isn’t likely to be embraced. At least not by Toronto city council, which has the final say on speeds within city limits. That doesn’t discourage Dr. McKeown. Slower speeds are just a small – if controversial – part of the report he’ll be championing on Monday. “We are facing a significant burden of illness associated with obesity and diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and being more active in our day-to-day activities is a very important way of combatting those major health threats,” Dr. McKeown said. *Lower speeds, higher savings* One English city has found that the slow way can also be the safe and cheap way. There hasn’t been a single fatality on the roads of Portsmouth since the island city of 207,000 on the south coast of England implemented a 20 mph (or 32 km/h) speed limit in 2007-2008. The cap applies to 1,245 streets, or 94 per cent of Portsmouth’s roads. Unlike most cities that try to slow down motorists, Portsmouth’s limit isn’t reinforced with speed bumps or other physical changes to the road. “We decided to do it because we had a triple fatality on a residential road and, obviously, we had members of the public that were extremely concerned,” said Adam Bunce, an assistant traffic engineer and project manager for Portsmouth’s 20-mph project. Reaction to lowering the speed limit by 10 mph was mixed at first. Residents doubted that signs and the occasional police blitz would compel drivers to take their foot off the gas. (Drivers nabbed breaking the 20-mph rule are slapped with a £60 ($95) fine and three-point loss on their licences, unless they agree to attend a one-hour safety seminar, complete with videos of horrible car crashes.) But a 2010 interim evaluation found the lower limits worked – for the most part. Average speeds dropped by just 0.9 mph overall. On blocks where the average “before” speed was higher than 24 mph, the average speed fell by seven mph. Total injuries for pedestrians, passengers and drivers, though, was down 22 per cent. The biggest knock on the plan is that serious injuries actually increased by six per cent, a result Mr. Bunce dismissed as statistically insignificant because the city has so few auto accidents. In other words, Portsmouth’s motorists were already taking it slow. The city’s narrow residential streets, lined with Victorian homes and parked cars, aren’t conducive to speeding. The 20-mph limit doesn’t apply on the major motorways and distributor roads that carry most commuters. Toronto and the majority of Canadian cities, especially those built out after the Second World War, don’t enjoy the same advantages of urban form. However, if any do decide to follow Portsmouth’s lead, they’ll find one advantage applies as much here as it does across the pond: A sweeping speed-limit reduction is cheaper than traditional traffic-calming measures. Portsmouth was preparing to dole out £2-million ($3.2-million) over five years, mostly on speed bumps, when it switched gears to lowering the speed limit almost everywhere. “Implementing a city-wide speed limit at £623,000 ($993,000), we saved ourselves £1.5-million ($2.4-million),” Mr. Bunce said. Graphics: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/your-probability-of-de… http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/the-faster-you-drive-t…

11 years, 11 months

Dutch videos about speeding

by Beth McKechnie

The Dutch are particularly good at using humour to make a point. Would be great to see something like this for Winnipeg and other urban centres in MB. http://youtu.be/y60YQOzNWYE Thanks to Jonathan Borland for sharing the videos! cheers, Beth

11 years, 11 months

Bicycle Facilities Design Course for Engineers - May 27 in Winnipeg!!! CITE 2012

by Anders Swanson

[Thanks to Bjorn Radstrom for passing this along - a very valuable training opportunity for engineers interested in designing for the bicycle - Anders]. “Bicycle Facilities Design Course” is being offered at the annual Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE 2012) conference in Winnipeg. The workshop is on Sunday, May 27th from 08:30 to 16:30. There are details at: http://www.cite7.org/Winnipeg2012/WinnipegWorkshops.php. You can register for the workshop without registering for the rest of the conference.

11 years, 11 months

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AT-Network May 2012