Need a break this morning?
*Escape the office and join us for a press release
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/living-green-living-well/2014-commuter-challeng…>
and popsicles at 11 am on the south side (Rover Ave) of the Disraeli AT
Bridge!*
It's time to kickoff the 2014 Commuter Challenge! Hope to see you there.
Please see message below from Terry Zdan...
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 28 May 2014 13:41:49 -0500
Subject: active transportation overpass
The premier noted an active transportation overpass at the northeast
Perimeter Highway and Raleigh Street/Gateway Road will also be built in
conjunction with structures at the northeast Perimeter Highway and PTH 59
interchange, in order to connect the northeast Pioneers Greenway with the
Duff Roblin Parkway Trail and Birds Hill Park.
May 28, 2014
PROVINCE ANNOUNCES MAJOR HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG PTH 59
- - -
Design Work to Begin Immediately
On North Perimeter Interchange: Premier Selinger
The Manitoba government will invest hundreds of millions of dollars in
repairs and upgrades along PTH 59 including immediately undertaking design
work on the PTH 59 and PTH 101 interchange, major paving projects and
bridge rehabilitation, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
"PTH 59 is a heavily travelled north-south tourist and trade route, and
these road investments will improve the ride for heavy trucks and
commuters," Premier Selinger said. "The new projects include bridge
replacements and paving of this roadway to Birds Hill and the east side
beach communities of Lake Winnipeg."
Approximately $160 million was initially budgeted for PTH 59 work over the
next five years, but even more will be allocated to PTH 59 with the
completion of the PTH 59/PTH 101 interchange in the five-year period, the
premier said. The project will see design and tendering take place over
this year, with planned construction beginning in the fall of 2015 and
completed over a three-year period, he said, adding the size of the
interchange project is similar to CentrePort Canada Way and will be
constructed along much the same timelines.
--
Terry Zdan
126 Duncan Norrie Drive
Wpg MB R3P 2J9
CANADA
tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>
*Join us for sunshine and fun when we kickoff the 15th Annual Commuter
Challenge!*
*11am, Thursday, May 29th*
*Disrael AT Bridge (south side @ Rover Ave)*
Let's ensure that Manitoba continues to have the highest percentage of
participation of all provinces and that Winnipeg wins the national Commuter
Challenge title once again!
In the spirit of the Commuter
Challenge<http://greenactioncentre.ca/event/2014-commuter-challenge/>,
we invite you to arrive to the media launch by bike, bus, on foot,
rollerblading, carpooling, canoeing, or any other active and green way to
get around.
Hope to see you there!
cheers,
Beth
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>
(This has been an excellent conference in past years. If you plan to be
near Toronto at the end of November, the focus for 2014 is on health and
transportation.)
*Save the Date! *
The pioneering ACT Canada *Sustainable Mobility & Healthy Communities
Summit will be held November 30th to December 3rd, 2014 *at the Hilton
Markham Suites Hotel.
With hotel suite rates of only $139 CAD/night and easy direct flight access
to the Toronto Pearson Airport this conference is not only affordable – it
is strategically targeting the most critical issues facing our communities
today.
Research and practical experience in the health, transportation and
planning fields has made an indisputable case for the connection between
the built environment and health. This Summit is a *call to action* to
achieve a shift in how we plan communities and the movement of people from
auto-dependent communities to communities that not only support efficient
vehicle travel but also puts an emphasis on walking, cycling, ridesharing
and taking public transit. An increase in active and sustainable
transportation is critical to addressing the magnitude of the health
challenge affecting North America. Conditions such as obesity,
cardiovascular disease and diabetes have been rapidly rising and a
significant percentage of these diseases are preventable through increased
physical activity.
The ACT summit calls on transportation and health professionals, from
Ontario, Canada, USA and internationally, to come together and collaborate
on multi-disciplinary solutions to built environment challenges that will
increase the accessibility and use of active and sustainable travel modes.
Plan to attend to be part of this trail-blazing event! Our Call for
Presentations will be released shortly and all Summit news will be posted
at www.ACTCanada.com
*ACT Canada*
613-226-9845
*Summit(a)ACTCanada.com <Summit(a)ACTCanada.com>*
www.ACTCanada.com <http://www.actcanada.com/>
*Connect with ACT Canada:*
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*Jessie Klassen* | Workplace Commuter Options
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action
Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca>| Find
us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3772
Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living.
Support our work by becoming a
member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>
Interesting article on transit investments from the David Suzuki
Foundation. Thanks to Jessica Jacques for sharing!
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2014/05/transit-investment…
*From:* David Suzuki Foundation [mailto:subscribers@davidsuzuki.org]
*Sent:* May-23-14 9:17 AM
Transit investments drive positive change
What makes a city great? Among other things, great cities welcome ethnic
diversity, support and foster the arts, have access to venture capital to
spur entrepreneurship and innovation and benefit from healthy environments
that provide clean air and water.
New York City is a driver of global finance and a hotbed of arts and
culture. It's also known for green spaces, like Central Park and the
award-winning High Line <http://go.davidsuzuki.org/s0Uh0410zD0I0V0E6U00N0U>.
San Francisco is celebrated for its narrow streets, compact lots and
historic buildings. These contribute to the city's old-world charm, but
they're also the building blocks of a more sustainable, pedestrian-friendly
urban form <http://go.davidsuzuki.org/DVV600J0UDz00h01400U0NE> that reduces
the need for cars.
The world's leading cities also owe their success to government investments
in transit systems that move residents safely and affordably using a range
of solutions, from light rail and subways to bus rapid transit networks.
The latter include state-of-the-art fast vehicles that run in lanes
separated from traffic. The City of Markham, north of Toronto, is building
an impressive BRT network with rapid transit
corridors<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/K00E6VD004hW0KNzU0100U0>for a
fleet of modern and comfortable fast buses.
Transit-oriented cities have better air quality with lower greenhouse gas
emissions and benefit from reduced traffic congestion with shorter
commuting times. Evidence even shows people in cities with a range of
transportation options, like Vancouver, are less sedentary, get more
exercise and are happier and
healthier<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/ND00XVEN0001UhU0L060z04>as a
result.
There's growing recognition that prioritizing transit is crucial to moving
a region forward. Since the 1970s, Curitiba, Brazil, a city of 1.9 million, has
invested billions in its bus rapid transit
network<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/f00hN040zY001D0EV0UMU06>.
There, public transportation is fully integrated into planning decisions.
High-density hubs with shopping centres and office buildings are located
within walking distance of transit stations and commuters have access to a
fleet of more than 2,000 modern, low-emission buses, servicing 390 routes
that crisscross the city and connect it to surrounding communities.
Eighty-five percent of Curitiba's residents use the BRT
system<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/VzDN000Nh10U000V46EUZ00>,
which has reduced car trips by a whopping 27 million a year.
But you don't have to travel far to see how transit investments can improve
residents' lives. In his book, Arrival
City<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/P00000NV4D0U060i0zPU1E0>,
Globe and Mail columnist Doug Saunders argues that easy access to transit,
among other factors, is one reason Toronto's Thorncliffe
Park<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/HV0000E00UQziU6041D001N>has avoided
many social problems that plague similar inner-city
neighbourhoods. Though most are recent immigrants, half speak a first
language other than English and many are poor, Thorncliffe Park residents
integrate well into Canadian society, and many enter the urban middle-class
within a generation. Saunders believes this is in part because the
neighbourhood is well connected to Toronto's downtown, with bus and subway
routes, and easy access to schools, employment and other opportunities.
Transit facilitates social and economic links to the core of the city and
helps residents overcome the physical isolation that plagues many
communities.
Politicians are starting to recognize transit's
importance<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/WV01R0D64020UNU00E0zi00>to the
economic, social and environmental health of Canadian cities. It's
even become a major issue in the Ontario
election<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/e00z3U00000DVi0E61S4U0N>.
Premier Kathleen Wynne committed $29 billion over 10 years in the recent
budget to expand transit networks in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area
and other regions of the province, but the budget failed to pass. Other
parties have committed to funding improved transit if they're elected, but
all of them need to step up with concrete details and credible plans to
ensure dedicated and sustained funding.
More problematic is the reluctance of the major political parties in
Ontario to consider new revenue
tools<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/M00U0E0zVi61N00T40UD040>,
such as modest increases in the gas tax or regional sales tax. Polls show
most residents support increases in taxes and fees to improve
transit<http://go.davidsuzuki.org/Y0N6i0U0U00Ez0004DV05U1>,
and two expert panels studying the issue have recommended fiscal solutions
such as these.
Transit investments are a catalyst for change. They reduce barriers that
strangle economic productivity and improve the well-being of commuters who
would otherwise be stalled in gridlock.
It's time to put people ahead of politics and support dedicated
transportation investments in Ontario and other provinces. Doing so will
transform the way our communities move and generate numerous other
benefits. Effective transit and transportation solutions can spur economic
productivity, protect the environment and improve quality of life. It's
time to get moving.
*By David Suzuki with contributions from Faisal Moola, Director General,
Ontario and Northern Canada *