---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com>
To: "at-network-bounces(a)lists.umanitoba.ca" <
at-network-bounces(a)lists.umanitoba.ca>, Mark Cohoe <mcohoe(a)casch.com>,
Anders Swanson <andersswanson(a)gmail.com>, jlukes <jlukes(a)shaw.ca>
Cc:
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 12:03:15 -0500
Subject: Ontario Cycling Action Plan
" Quick Facts
- Since 2010, Ontario has added 112 kilometres of paved shoulders along
provincial highways.
- Ontario has introduced legislation to improve cycling safety. If
passed, it would require motorists to maintain a distance of at least one
metre while passing cyclists and introduce harsher penalties for dooring.
- In 2010, two million Canadian visitors spent $391 million while
cycling in Ontario -- an 18 per cent increase over the previous year.
- According to the Canadian Medical Association, a 10 per cent
increase<http://policybase.cma.ca/dbtw-wpd/Policypdf/PD09-04.pdf>in
physical activity could reduce direct health care expenditures by $150
million a year.
- Ontario has the second-lowest cycling injury rate of all Canadian
provinces."
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/pubs/cycling/index.shtmlhttp://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2014/04/province-building-cycling-infrastruct…
--
Terry Zdan
126 Duncan Norrie Drive
Wpg MB R3P 2J9
CANADA
tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>
Dear friend,
How does your state stack up on bicycling and walking?
Today, we are releasing *Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2014
Benchmarking Report*, a massive compendium of data on bicycling and walking
in all 50 states, the 52 largest U.S. cities, and a select number of
midsized cities.
The Alliance produces the Benchmarking Report every two years in
partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Healthy
Community Design Initiative. The report comprehensively examines bicycling
and walking transportation across the U.S. and how these trends relate to
public health, safety, and social and economic well being.
There's a TON of really fascinating data in this year's Alliance
Benchmarking Report. See for yourself: download the 2014 Benchmarking
Report.<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018mgUXQ5cNJhaCBFrkAHXPo0JfPeZiG-AnC5lEMdPV8KI…>
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018mgUXQ5cNJhaCBFrkAHXPo0JfPeZiG-AnC5lEMdPV8KI…>
For a sneak peek, check out four of the most fascinating facts from the
report below.
*1. We're seeing small but steady increases in the number of people biking
and walking to work.*
The average large American city experienced a 5.9% increase in population
from 2000 to 2010 without comparable increases in land mass, and budgets
are tight across the board. Both of these factors point to a need to find
cost-effective modes of transportation that move people without taking up
more space.
*2. There are lower bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities where there are
more people are biking and walking.*
There is safety in numbers.
In the graph below, orange dots represent pedestrian fatality rates --
i.e., the number of people who have died while walking as a portion of the
number of people who walk to work. The grey line indicates the percentage
of the population who bikes to work, and the green line shows correlation
between the two.
*3. More people tend to bike or walk to work when a city has strong biking
and walking advocacy. *
In 1996, there were just a handful of state and local biking and walking
advocacy organizations and only 10 full time staff working on these issues.
Now, there are over 230 state and local biking and walking advocacy groups
and over 500 full time staff.
A growing number of concerned citizens are organizing for safer, more
accessible streets for walking and bicycling.
And there is a positive correlation between the number of people who bike
and walk to work in a city and the incomes and staff sizes of those cities'
biking & walking advocacy organizations:
*4. A large percentage of commuters bike and walk to work in Alaska,
Oregon, Montana, New York, and Vermont. *
Not so much in South Carolina, Atlanta, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
Here's a map of bicycling and walking levels by state across the country:
Think this is interesting? Download your copy of the 2014 Benchmarking
Report here.<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018mgUXQ5cNJhaCBFrkAHXPo0JfPeZiG-AnC5lEMdPV8KI…>
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0018mgUXQ5cNJhaCBFrkAHXPo0JfPeZiG-AnC5lEMdPV8KI…>
Best,
Mary Lauran Hall
Communications Director
<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&m=001fVXok0jsw3t7yu4AtMBC1w%3D%3…>
<http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=TEM_Basic_209>
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Alliance for Biking & Walking | PO Box 65150 | Washington | DC | 20035
Take a stroll through the cityJane's Walks about community talks
THE eighth annual Jane's Walk is back -- this time with more than a dozen
guided walks throughout fascinating areas of Winnipeg.
Jane's Walk celebrates the ideas and legacy of Jane Jacobs -- a celebrated
urbanist and activist whose writings championed a fresh, community-based
approach to building walkable and vibrant cites.
Free walking tours held on the first weekend of May each year are led by
locals who want to create a space for residents to talk about what matters
to them in the places they live and work. The first Jane's Walk was
organized in Toronto eight years ago and it has since spread to cites
across Canada, the United States and worldwide.
Community members with a passion for urban issues and local history
volunteer to organize a walking tour in their neighbourhood exploring an
interesting aspect of the lived urban experience. Jane's Walks are about
community conversations.
Walks confirmed for this year include:
- Neighbourhoods Change: Exploring North Point Douglas. Join longtime
North Point Douglas tour guide Rob Galston as he highlights important
landmarks, sites, personalities and historic events that have given shape
to one of Winnipeg's most historic, fascinatng and resilient neighbourhoods.
- Explore the forgotten history of Victoria Park, the main gathering
place for strikers during the 1919 General Strike in Sandy Gesslar's
History and Heroes: Victoria Park and Winnipeg General Strike.
- Join Tricia Wasney, manager of the Winnipeg Arts Council's Public Art
Program, for an inspiring tour of the public art you walk by every day.
- Over Under Sideways Down: Downtown! invites you to explore one of the
most fascinating urban centres in Canada. Veteran Jane's Walk leader Rob
Shaw presents an eclectic walk looking at "old gems" and new trends in
downtown street design and residential development.
- What can one street tell you about the changing face of a
neighbourhood? On Our Way, West Broadway invites you to join Choi Ho as she
walks a short stretch of Spence Street.
A complete list of walks is published on www.janeswalk.org/canada/winnipeg.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 14, 2014 A10
*[Even though it is extremely unlikely there is someone on this list that
is still interested in hearing me expound on ideas related to active
transportation, t**he organizers asked me to pass it along and it's a
worthwhile event, so I am. Details below. **- Anders]*
On April 22 I am presenting my BOLD idea for Winnipeg at The Chamber’s
half-day BOLD Conference—I encourage you to come out and do the same. The
BOLD movement is all about bringing people together and thinking outside
the box. Please consider joining the discussion Tuesday, April 22 from 7:30
am – 1:30 pm at The Met. The morning’s three panels focus on:
1. Creating community
2. Encouraging creativation (creativity, innovation and inspiration)
3. Looking ahead to what aspects will define Winnipeg over the next
100 years
The event’s keynote speakers include *Gail Stephens* (Chief Operations
Officer, CMHR) and *Hon. Kevin Chief*, Minister responsible for relations
with the City of Winnipeg, Minister for Children and Youth Opportunities.
For more information and to purchase tickets:
http://www.winnipeg-chamber.com/events/BOLD-Winnipeg-Conference-56937/detai…
I hope to see you there.
*Details:*
Half-day BOLD Conference
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
7:30 AM - 1:30 PM
The MET
281 Donald St.
Tickets are $75 + GST and include breakfast, coffee, and lunch.
Click here<http://www.winnipeg-chamber.com/events/BOLD-Winnipeg-Conference-56937/detai…>
to
get your tickets.
[image: photo BOLDconferenceApril22-e-ad_zpsf78d5b37.jpg]<http://www.winnipeg-chamber.com/events/BOLD-Winnipeg-Conference-56937/detai…>
Bike, sidewalk plan under public scrutiny Some progress but more needed:
backers
By: Carol Sanders
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bike-sidewalk-plan-under-public-scru…
With freezing rain and an unwelcome dump of snow, Saturday wasn't a great
day for Winnipeg cyclists or walkers. But that didn't stop them from
packing an open house at The Forks to get the lay of the land on the city's
proposed bike and sidewalk strategies.
Visitors to the Manitoba Theatre for Young People were asked for their
feedback on City of Winnipeg plans to improve safety and accessibility for
pedestrians and cyclists.
The Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies spring from the city's 2011
transportation master plan. It calls for continuous improvements to
Winnipeg's cycling network and making walking a more attractive choice.
Plans for active transportation have come a long way in a short time, said
Mark Cohoe, a cycling advocate who started out with Bike to the Future. The
citizens group began in 2006 and quickly gained traction, pushing for
better bike routes in Winnipeg.
"It's like night and day," Cohoe said Saturday at the Walk Bike Winnipeg
open house, where he represented the stakeholders' committee. He's seen the
budget for sidewalks and bike routes go from just $250,000 in 2006 to more
than $3 million today, resulting in more people walking and riding around
the city. "The number of cyclists we're seeing is a great return on
investment."
More and better trails for cyclists will get more people riding bikes and
result in a healthier population, said Nick Humniski. The second-year
medical student said he's studying what deters Winnipeggers from cycling
and its health benefits.
The avid cyclist said he's ridden bikes in other cities, including
Vancouver. "It has amazing bike infrastructure." Its dedicated bike lanes
aren't just white lines painted on the road.
"They're separated from the road and safer," Humniski said. There are bike
traffic signals plus a lot of people riding bikes in Vancouver, and there's
safety in numbers, he said.
In Winnipeg, he gets the sense cyclists feel "second-rate." Bike routes
will end suddenly, for example, he said. The one he follows from the
Corydon Avenue area to classes at Health Sciences Centre ends abruptly on
Sherbrook Street at Notre Dame Avenue. At rush hour, he's left feeling
pretty vulnerable on his bike in the high-traffic area, he said.
"There's no protection," said Humniski, who has been hit by vehicles twice
on his bike but was not seriously hurt.
Police are happy to see more bike trails and pedestrian paths and remind
both cyclists and pedestrians to look out for each other.
"Entering spring, there are a lot more people out these days," said
Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen. A common concern police
hear is from the elderly and disabled who say they're being hit or jostled
by bikes riding on sidewalks. Kids' bikes are OK but bigger bikes are
supposed to be on the road, he said.
"These are shared spaces," said Michalyshen.
"We need to be courteous to one another and know what our responsibilities
are."
carol.sanders(a)freepress.mb.ca
*Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 13, 2014 A3*
** * * * **
Also some positive coverage in the Winnipeg Sun! (just don't wade into the
comments)
http://www.winnipegsun.com/2014/04/12/winnipeggers-get-glimpse-of-cyclist-s…
Advocates hail new bike lane on SherbrookWill separate traffic from
bicycles
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>
By: Adam Wazny
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/advocates-hail-new-bike-lane-on-sher…
<http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*730/5802799.jpg>
Enlarge Image<http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*730/5802799.jpg>
OPEN HOUSES TO TALK BICYCLING
Starting Saturday, the city is holding a number of open houses to discuss
pedestrian and cycling strategies. A review of draft recommendations that
will shape the city's active transportation plan is scheduled, including
how recent changes to the bike lane/walking trail infrastructure will
co-exist with future projects.
Saturday's open house goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Manitoba Theatre
for Young People. Two separate public forums are scheduled for Tuesday
(April 15); one at Manitoba Hydro Place atrium and the other at the
Sinclair Park Community Centre. Both are open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
A new bike lane appears to have Winnipeg on the right track.
Earlier this week, the city announced plans to construct a new dedicated
bike lane on Sherbrook Street running north from the Maryland Bridge to
Cumberland Avenue. Part of this lane includes a parking-protected section
for cyclists, a stretch of lane that will feature a row of parked cars
serving as a physical divide between riders and traffic.
The protected section of the lane, which should open to cyclists this
summer, is widely considered a trial project for lanes of this kind in the
city. The premise has city cycling advocates excited for what the future
could hold for those interested in getting around on two wheels.
'We've been pushing for something like this, whether it's a separated
cycle track or a protected bike lane, for a long time'
-- Bike Winnipeg executive director Mark Cohoe
"We've been pushing for something like this, whether it's a separated cycle
track or a protected bike lane, for a long time," Bike Winnipeg executive
director Mark Cohoe said Thursday.
"We've been working with the city on Sherbrook since 2010 so we're excited
to see it's coming through.
"We hope this is the start of more improvements to the bike infrastructure
in the city. One of the biggest fears we hear from cyclists is that fear of
traffic and having to mix in between the traffic. This project will be
worth the wait."
The new lane will be split into three sections. The parking-protected stage
will run from Wolseley Avenue to Broadway, on the right side of the one-way
street. Cyclists will ride between the parked cars (which will now be
24-hour parking) and the sidewalk, with some curb bump-outs to alert
motorists of the bike lane when parking.
Unlike the wider bike lanes and sidewalk ramps on Pembina Highway (between
Chevrier Boulevard and Plaza Drive), which continue to create confusion
between cyclists and pedestrians, Winnipeg Transit users will find the new
bike lane environment on Sherbrook a little easier to navigate. Bicycles
will stay on the street, Cohoe said.
The second section (from Broadway to Ellice Avenue) will be a wider,
clearly marked lane to the left of the parked cars adjacent to traffic.
Between Ellice and Cumberland avenues, the lane will slide up against the
curb on the right side of the street, similar to the bike lane that runs
along Maryland Street in the other direction. The city has indicated two
white painted lines on the roadway will provide more navigation room for
cyclists travelling along Sherbrook.
"It will have a little more buffer to it, a little more space," Cohoe said.
Cohoe said the existing width of Sherbrook is the biggest reason the
project is going ahead, as retrofitting proper bike lanes into the current
city layout on the cheap is proving to be a challenge for active
transportation hopefuls.
"We're going to continue to push to get a little more width in some spaces,
but this is a good first step," he said.
adam.wazny(a)freepress.mb.ca
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 11, 2014 A7
Hello,
Passing along an opportunity to all of you local bike/pedestrian-inclined
planners/engineers....some of whom may have seen Bartek and JF's respective
presentations this February (or remember Marc's back in 2009).
If you plan to be anywhere near La Belle Province this June - or want to -
you may want to have a look at this info on Bike Lab Montreal 2014:
http://www.velo.qc.ca/en/event/bikelabmtl-home
A trip to Canada/Quebec's most beautiful, exciting and bike-friendly city
is never wasted - no matter your reason - but especially with the chance to
learn from the pioneers, experience the Tour de L'Ile first-hand and meet
all kinds of people as you take part in an intensive 2-day design workshop.
Cheers,
Anders