Number of cyclists seriously injured in Manitoba increased in 2015
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/number-of-cyclists-seriously-injured…
Cyclists hospitalized by road injuries increased 19 per cent last year in
Manitoba, a Canadian Institute for Health Information study shows.
The number of cyclists sent to hospital for a stay -- not just to the
emergency ward and released -- climbed from 100, to 119 in 2014-15.
As bad as that sounds, the rate is actually an improvement over both
2011-12 and 1012-13, when 138 and 133 cyclists had stays in hospitals due
to road injuries.
Serious injuries while cycling also jumped sharply in Saskatchewan (33 per
cent), British Columbia (16 per cent), and Nova Scotia (15 per cent).
Cycling injuries are still too high, said Mark Cohoe, executive director of
cycling advocacy group, Bike Winnipeg.
"The number one reason (for cycling collisions) is really just people not
paying attention," said Cohoe. That includes cyclists as well as drivers.
"We're getting more texting while driving. Texting has overtaken drunk
driving as the main cause of collisions" according to insurance statistics,
Cohoe said.
Zach Fleisher, 23, recently wound up in hospital with a mild concussion
when he hit a pothole "and went flying."
"I tasted concrete. The helmet saved my life," he said.
"It's my fault but I mean, what you see in other jurisdictions is they keep
streets up to grade. You shouldn't be at risk."
Cohoe said better road design would go a long way to preventing collisions,
like the bike lanes on Sherbrook Street, where bike lanes are between the
parking lane and curb. Cement blocks divide the bike lanes from parking
lanes.
Portland, Oregon, is regarded as a leader in urban cycling. Bike collisions
have stayed the same or dropped, while the number of cyclists has risen,
Cohoe said.
Manitoba Public Insurance figures for 2010-14 show Redwood and Main to be
the worst intersection for cyclists with seven crashes. Next highest is the
five crashes at five intersections: Arlington and Logan; Dalhousie and
Pembina; Main and Sutherland; Moray and Portage; and Sherbrook and
Westminster.
bill.redekop(a)freepress.mb.ca
Bringing down the barricades is just the beginning
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/bringing-down-the-barri…
I should be happier.
A *Free Press-*Probe Research survey of Winnipeg adults shows 53 per cent
oppose the removal of pedestrian barriers at Portage and Main. It was the
first time in 40 years Probe surveyed Winnipeggers on the subject, and
remarkably, support for bringing down the barriers has not grown.
Although I haven’t lived in Winnipeg for as long as 40 years, I certainly
have counted myself among the majority on this issue for as long as I have
been here. As such, the poll results should be a cause of mild celebration.
In short, I believed reopening the intersection to pedestrians would be a
mostly meaningless gesture. That it would do nothing to attract people
downtown or encourage people who live in the suburbs but work downtown to
support above-ground businesses. That having pedestrians toddling across
that intersection would snarl traffic and cripple downtown.
Those fortunate — or unfortunate enough as the case may be — to cross
swords with me on this issue can attest to the fact I stridently enforced
my opinion whenever I had the chance. After several cocktails at a dinner
party earlier this year, I may have even told one of my best friends that
his support for removing the barriers was the stupidest thing I had ever
heard him say.
For reasons still unknown to me, he remains a friend.
However, something funny happened on the way to a lifetime of disparaging
the idea of re-opening Winnipeg’s iconic downtown intersection to
pedestrians: I changed my mind.
The epiphany started during an interview with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi,
who was in town for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference,
and joined me for a webcast chat at the Free Press News Café.
Nenshi was staying at the Fairmont Hotel on the east side of Portage and
Main. At a late stage of the interview, Nenshi demanded that I ask him
about the pedestrian barriers at Portage and Main. As he was a visitor to
the city, I complied.
"It is, in fact, the most hostile pedestrian environment I have seen in any
place in Canada. And boy, oh boy, it is the main intersection of Canada,
Portage and Main. Let’s get people on it."
In that moment, I had a change of heart on the whole Portage and Main
debate. I’m as convinced as ever that there is little concrete benefit from
tearing down the concrete barriers. However, I cannot argue with Nenshi’s
assertion that the image of those barriers is a disheartening sight for
citizens and visitors alike.
But there’s more. Following the Nenshi interview I had another seminal
conversation about Portage and Main with a fellow I will describe as a
charter member of the "suburbs rule" fan club. This fellow suggested the
city could not remove the barriers based only on the effect it would have
on traffic.
As we talked, it became patently obvious that despite working there, this
fellow had no interest in downtown people or culture. He told me that every
day he worked downtown, he wanted to get in and out as soon as possible.
Anything that slowed him down — such as pedestrians crossing Portage and
Main — was unacceptable.
I suddenly found myself wishing the barriers had been removed and that the
intersection had been flooded with pedestrians. I imagined that while stuck
in traffic, Mr. Suburbs might notice a new restaurant or have time to
contemplate some of the architecture. I then started to think about whether
this fellow was smart enough to grab a bite to eat or a small cocktail
after work and wait out the height of rush hour.
As I thought about all these things, I realized there were just as many
reasons to tear down the barriers as I have traditionally harboured for
leaving them where they are.
To be perfectly honest, I would still prefer the city take a different
approach altogether when it comes to reopening the intersection. Remove the
barriers if you must, but also take the time to consider alternatives for
the pedestrian traffic: a pedestrian overpass, for example.
At Re-imagining Winnipeg, a series of forums held at the News Café in
partnership with StorefrontMB, a number of fascinating proposals came
forward to reinvent the intersection as a public space. Some of the
proposals reimagined the intersection as a park. Although impractical, it
would certainly solve the traffic problem if there were no traffic passing
through the intersection.
Other architects dreamed of building pedestrian crossings above the
intersection, with perhaps a small observation deck that would allow people
to enjoy a unique view of Winnipeg’s two major thoroughfares. Imagine the
wedding photos and selfies a place like that would produce.
The point of all this dreaming is that if Portage and Main is to reopen, it
should be as a public attraction, not just another crosswalk. Simply taking
down the barriers is not transformative; to accomplish that goal would
require much more imagination on the part of the city and support from the
other levels of government. Unfortunately, that’s an awfully big task for a
city that is not long on bold thinking.
So, if I could be allowed to amend my position, I would like to see the
barriers come down. But in their place, I want the city to do something
spectacular to make Portage and Main a unique and compelling attraction.
Dare to dream.
dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca
Younger people support opening up Portage and Main to pedestrians'More
people walking downtown is a good thing'
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/younger-people-support-openin…
Mayor Brian Bowman’s dream of opening up Winnipeg’s iconic intersection to
pedestrian traffic faces a generational roadblock.
A poll by Probe Research shows a clear age split on the issue — 68 per cent
of people 55 and older are against reopening Portage and Main to
pedestrians, while 61 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 are in favour.
Overall, a slight majority of Winnipeggers (53 per cent) remains opposed to
removing the pedestrian barriers.
"I think the Probe survey is very much in line with what we know," Downtown
BIZ CEO Stefano Grande said.
"There is a segment of the population, the future generation, that
understands for our generation to be vibrant we have to be able to walk
from district to district. We have to be able to easily walk from our homes
to our offices, our offices to our restaurants, and that means crossing
streets.
"The people who are starting to live here, the younger people who are
starting to work here, we get it."
Grande and Bowman said they aren’t troubled a majority of Winnipeggers
remains opposed. They say reopening the intersection is integral to
downtown growth and its transformation into a vibrant neighbourhood.
"The property owners in the immediate area as well as the surrounding
areas, in our view, are overwhelmingly in support of (reopening)," Bowman
said.
"We want to ensure when it’s opened, it’s done in a way that respects
traffic flows as well as pedestrian safety but also supports the increasing
number of residents and businesses downtown."
The poll found there has been a slight shift in support of reopening the
intersection during the past 20 years Probe has been gauging public
interest on the question. In 1997, 36 per cent supported opening the
intersection. The most recent findings put that number at 42 per cent.
For Bowman, it’s not a question of if the barricades will come down, but
when. It must be done in a way that maintains traffic flow and protects
pedestrians. He has pledged to have it open in time for the 2017 Canada
Summer Games, which Winnipeg will host.
Tourists don’t like the barriers, he said, adding they find it difficult to
find their way around the underground shopping mall.
"Tourists want to be on street level," Bowman said. "They don’t understand
how to migrate (underground)."
Lennard Taylor, owner of Lennard Taylor Design Studio on nearby McDermot
Avenue, agreed.
"People from out of town, they come to my shop and they say, ‘What’s with
that underground thing? I got lost,’" he said. "And there are a lot of
people from Winnipeg who get lost in the underground. I think the signs are
poor; it’s just confusing for people.
"I know it because I’ve lived downtown for 10 years, but I think it’s
difficult for people to understand the underground and why they can’t just
cross the street."
Another young businessman, Peter Takis, who runs three businesses within
blocks of Portage and Main, said he’s "all for" opening up the intersection
to pedestrians.
"I would like to see it," Takis said, adding he supports "any innovative
development or change in the Exchange or downtown that can create
convenience for downtown."
Takis’s businesses include the List on McDermot, Blackli$t Boutique on
Albert and Blackli$t Studios on Portage. He suggested tearing down the
barriers "could help business."
When Bowman hosted the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference
last month, other mayors added their voices to the debate.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi called it the most hostile pedestrian
environment he’s seen. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said the barriers are
counter-productive to what the city’s objectives should be — creating a
downtown hub of pedestrian activity.
Bowman said new developments such as True North Square and The Forks’
Railside multi-use project will attract more residents downtown but leaving
the barriers in place will stop the flow of people.
"We are seeing a big increase in pedestrian traffic," Bowman said. "More
people walking downtown is a good thing."
Bowman said there are several intersections in the city that are busier and
wider than Portage and Main, but he hasn’t heard a call to ban pedestrians
from those crossings.
"There are (other intersections) with more lanes, higher traffic volumes
and currently allow pedestrian to cross. We’re not hearing an outcry of
people wanting to close those to pedestrians," Bowman said.
"We want to ensure we’re doing everything we can to ensure the safety at
all the intersections but those that oppose (re-opening), we don’t hear
from them they want those other intersections closed to pedestrians."
— with files by Alexandra De Pape
aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca
Talk on the street
about Portage & Main
PROBE Research surveyed 404 members of its proprietary Manitoba online
panel from June 30 to July 4. Because this is a non-probability sample, no
statistical margin of error can be ascribed.
Probe put the following question to its online panel:
“The intersection of Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg has been closed
to pedestrians for almost 40 years. There has been ongoing discussion about
reopening the corner to pedestrians. All things considered, do you support
or oppose reopening the corner to pedestrians?”
The results:
Strongly oppose: 38 per cent
Moderately oppose: 15 per cent
Moderately support: 23 per cent
Strongly support: 19 per cent
Unsure: 6 per cent
The results by age:
Ages 18-34: 61 per cent support; 27 per cent oppose
Ages 35-54: 38 per cent support; 59 per cent oppose
Ages 55-plus: 28 per cent support; 68 per cent oppose
The results historically:
In 1997: 36 per cent support for reopening intersection to pedestrians
In 2001: 39 per cent
In 2006: 40 per cent
In 2016: 42 per cent
Portage and Main may be the country’s most famous intersection, but it’s
not Winnipeg’s busiest. The mayor’s office says in 2015, there were five
intersections with more lanes of traffic and greater traffic volumes over a
24-hour period than Portage and Main. Here’s how they rank:
Lagimodiere Blvd and Regent Avenue West — 86,900 vehicles
Moray Street at Portage Avenue — 83,300 vehicles
Waverley Street at Bishop Grandin Blvd — 80,000 vehicles
Century Street at Ness Avenue — 79,500 vehicles
Kenaston Blvd at Sterling Lyon Parkway — 78,900 vehicles
Portage and Main — 77,500 vehicles
*** Friendly reminder about tomorrow's (Wed) webinar ***
Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local
viewing of the APBP webinar: Performance Measures to Evaluate Street Design
– New and Established Practices.
The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303
Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local
applications.
RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then!
cheers,
Beth
* * * * *
*Performance Measures to Evaluate Street Design – New and Established
Practices*
*Wednesday, July 20 | 2-3pm CDT*
*Speaker*: Peter Koonce, City of Portland Bureau of Transportation
Peter Koonce of the Portland Bureau of Transportation will explore
performance measures that are used in all contexts (urban, suburban, rural)
and how traditional analysis practices are biased against making more
effective walking and cycling. Three case studies will highlight the
applicability of these measures and provide examples for how the measure
was communicated to the public.
--
*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 green living hub
Support our work by becoming a member
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at
CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>
*Southwest Rapid Transitway (Stage 2)*
*July 19, 2016 4:00pm-7:00pm Canad Inns Fort Garry (1824 Pembina)*
On behalf of the City of Winnipeg, you’re invited to attend a public
information session for the Southwest Rapid Transitway (Stage 2) Project.
The project is comprised of significant infrastructure components in the
southwest quadrant of the city, including: the Southwest Rapid Transitway
(Stage 2); the addition of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure adjacent
to the Transitway, through the Pembina Underpass, and into the Southwood
lands; the renewal and expansion of the Pembina Underpass; and connections
to the University of Manitoba and Investors Group Field. The project
improvements will allow citizens to move in a more sustainable and
integrated manner.
Construction of the Southwest Rapid Transitway (Stage 2) Project is
scheduled to begin in summer 2016, with completion expected in late 2019.
Transit operations on the new Transitway are expected to begin in April
2020.
You are invited to meet with members of the project team to learn more.
*Public Information Session Details:*
*Date*
*Event*
*Time*
*Location*
July 19, 2016
Information Session
4:00pm-7:00pm
Canad Inns – Fort Garry
1824 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg
Ambassador F Room
(lower level)
--
*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 green living hub
Support our work by becoming a member
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at
CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>
*Active Transportation Planner
<https://careers.winnipeg.ca/psc/cgext/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/HRS_HRAM.HRS_APP_SCHJ…>*
Job ID
114169
The City of Winnipeg is a vibrant and dynamic organization with many
opportunities!
We offer a diverse and welcoming work environment that delivers quality
services to our citizens.
*Closing date: July 27, 2016 *
Under the general supervision of the Active Transportation Coordinator, the
Active Transportation Planner is responsible for research, planning,
consultation, and review in support of the delivery of pedestrian and
cycling initiatives. This position works collaboratively, and in
consultation with, all relevant departments of the City, consultants,
stakeholders and the public to deliver a range of planning work related to
the implementation of Winnipeg's Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies. The
position must have a demonstrated ability to interpret and apply policy,
bylaws, standards and guidelines in research and planning.
The Active Transportation Planner position requires participation in major
planning and project initiatives. Responsibilities include research,
preparation of reports, responding to inquiries and applications, and
facilitation of community consultation. The position is required to
participate in interdepartmental planning and development, and to provide
recommendations in relationship to transportation planning and policy. The
Active Transportation Planner works directly to engage the community in a
collaborative manner to facilitate the delivery of programming and services
related to pedestrian and cycling activity.
*As the Active Transportation Planner you will*:
- Participate in pedestrian and cycling project planning, programs and
special initiatives.
- Assist in the administration of planning services related to the
development and implementation of pedestrian and cycling facilities and
programs.
- Promote pedestrian and cycling transportation in support of the
priorities and strategic goals of Winnipeg's Pedestrian and Cycling
Strategies report.
- Research new initiatives and trends in pedestrian and cycling
planning, policy, programs and infrastructure.
- Attendance at evening and weekend meetings may be required.
*Your education and experience includes:*
- Bachelor's degree in a related area (Planning, Engineering,
Public/Business Administration) or an equivalent combination of education
and experience.
- Master's Degree in Planning, Engineering, or Public/Business
Administration is desirable.
- Minimum 12 months professional experience in the field of
transportation planning, urban planning, active transportation engineering.
- Knowledge of City and Provincial regulations and policies such as the
Highway Traffic Act, Traffic By-Law, OurWinnipeg, Transportation Master
Plan, Winnipeg's Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies.
*Conditions of employment:*
- Physically able to perform the duties of the job, which may include,
but are not limited to: working outdoors in potentially extreme weather
conditions, and ability to work alone.
- Possession and maintenance of a valid Manitoba Driver's License Class
5 is an asset.
- Attendance at evening and weekend meetings may be required.
If YOU are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your
application, including a detailed resume, online at winnipeg.ca/hr OR, by
mail quoting Posting No. 114169, Active Transportation Planner position by
4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, 2016 to: Recruitment Clerk, Public Works
Department, Human Resources Division, 1155 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg,
Manitoba, R3E 3P1.
The salary range for this position is $2,190.01 - $2,678.55 Bi-Weekly.
We have great benefits and competitive salaries, and we are committed to
ongoing learning and career development!
For more information on this opportunity and other careers within the City,
visit: http://winnipeg.ca/hr/
Lane it on the lineDeveloping alleys could breathe new life into the city
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/lane-it-on-the-line-387204271.html
As a kid, the back lane was a perfect spot to play street hockey. The
narrow alley was enclosed and protected, houses were close-set, allowing
our parents to maintain a watchful eye. The occasional slow-moving vehicle
could be accommodated simply with an enthusiastic howl of ‘car!’
The intimacy and human scale that makes residential alleys so great for
street hockey are characteristics shared with the narrow urban lanes found
throughout many downtown areas. These attractive qualities are leading
cities around the world to explore the potential of re-engaging these
forgotten urban connectors.
Streets with a similar personal scale inspire the vibrant sidewalk culture
that makes European city centres an attractive vacation destination for so
many, but in our downtown we demand wide, straight roadways designed
primarily to funnel cars as quickly as possible into the suburbs. Any
efforts to narrow these thoroughfares and improve the pedestrian experience
are often met with strong opposition.
The city’s back lanes, however, might provide an opportunity to efficiently
create this welcoming pedestrian environment within existing
infrastructure. These narrow, enclosed spaces, generally used for loading
and garbage collection, are being reimagined in many cities as an alternate
pedestrian network superimposed on the larger street grid, introducing
lively, people-first, public space.
The city that pioneered reclaiming downtown laneways is Melbourne,
Australia. In the early 1980s, that city’s downtown was a homogeneous
business centre with fewer than 2,000 residents, two outdoor sidewalk
patios and 300 metres of active laneways. To breathe life back into
downtown, the city developed a strategy to increase the residential
population to 10,000 in 15 years. Investments were made in initiatives that
would make urban living more attractive. They focused on improving the
pedestrian experience by widening sidewalks, planting trees, creating green
space and redeveloping their dormant urban laneways.
The design approach was to consider the lanes as a cohesive secondary
network that would provide pedestrian mobility and connectivity throughout
the downtown. Lanes were either shared with low-volume vehicle traffic or
made pedestrian-only, with deliveries and building servicing co-ordinated
at off hours.
Alleys were named to help create an identity, and physical improvements
were made. New paving, awnings, plants, street furniture and lighting were
installed.
The improvements carefully retained the gritty, industrial quality of the
alleys, preserving the underworld character that provides an enticing and
unique experience from other urban environments. Many walls were left
adorned with graffiti, and a program of continually evolving public art was
established to make each alley a unique gallery of artistic expression.
Most importantly, local businesses were encouraged through financial
incentives, promotion and policy change to locate in new storefronts
created along the alleyways.
Small spaces were carved into the ground floors of existing buildings,
creating new revenue opportunities for owners and encouraging low-rent
startups and small business opportunities.
The result has been transformational for Melbourne. The intimate and
sheltered qualities of the back lane network provide a finer grain to the
city, breaking it down to a personal scale. Like European medieval cities,
the narrow lanes, today lined with eateries, bars and boutiques, connect
people to each other in a safe and stimulating environment, filled with
rich sensory experiences. The attraction of these new public spaces has
made downtown Melbourne a desirable place to live, inspiring significant
residential development, many with entrances to the laneways. New buildings
often incorporate arcades and alleys within their plan to connect to the
success of the existing network.
Melbourne’s city centre has far surpassed its urban-renewal goals, today
home to more than 100,000 people, 500 outdoor patios and 3.5 kilometres of
animated lanes. The city now consistently appears at the top of global
quality-of-life rankings.
The success of rediscovering urban laneways in Australia is enticing cities
in New Zealand, California and even Vancouver and Toronto to begin studying
and implementing similar initiatives.
Winnipeg’s downtown, which lacks human scale in many areas, would seem to
be an ideal candidate for such a transformation. The central lanes dividing
the oversized blocks south of Portage Avenue were once an important
secondary pedestrian grid, before density was replaced with parking lots.
In the Exchange District, lanes and covered passageways are still commonly
used as pedestrian connections throughout the neighbourhood.
Awareness for the potential of our downtown laneways has been growing. A
number of recent festivals have held parties and pop-up design
installations in the alleys of the Exchange District. The Downtown Winnipeg
BIZ is currently working through an international design competition called
the Backlane Public Art Project for the space behind Mountain Equipment
Co-op on Portage Avenue. The winning scheme will be announced and installed
this fall. A series of evening outdoor markets has also been happening in
various Exchange District alleys this summer (www.alleywaysmarket.ca) to
bring attention to these underused spaces.
These events coincide with the construction start of a back lane
development project for John Hirsch Place, a former rail spur running
behind the buildings on Bannatyne Avenue near Waterfront Drive. Designed by
HTFC Planning and Design, the lane will be transformed into Winnipeg’s
first Woonerf, a Dutch term meaning ‘living street’, where cars,
pedestrians and cyclists all share public space without physical
separation. A perfect place for a game of street hockey.
The lane will be curb-less, with large paving stones running in a dynamic
geometric pattern from building edge to building edge. These will be
supported on an innovative series of underground storage cells that control
stormwater and provide trees with ample soil volumes to ensure they grow
healthy and large. Planters, public art and seating will be positioned to
slow vehicular traffic to walking speed and make the alleyway a beautiful
green finger extending from the riverbank into the Exchange District. The
hope is one day shops or restaurants might open into the lane to further
activate the space.
This progressive laneway initiative will stand as an example of what these
intimate hidden spaces can become and will hopefully be the catalyst for a
larger network of active laneways winding through the city centre.
The future health of downtown Winnipeg depends on our ability to create
safe, vibrant, walkable neighbourhoods with the interest and amenities that
make urban living attractive. Simply subsidizing the construction of
residential units will be a lost investment if we don’t also build the
conditions that make people want to choose to live downtown.
Increasing active public space is crucial to achieving this, but in
low-density cities such as Winnipeg, it must be appropriately scaled.
Smaller, far-reaching laneway redevelopment that weaves through the
disconnected neighbourhoods of downtown would likely find more success than
large plazas and green spaces that often remain empty and under-used.
Forward-looking initiatives like the John Hirsch Place redevelopment are a
starting point for looking at urban renewal in a new way, taking advantage
of downtown’s natural assets to create intimate, pedestrian-focused public
space that provides unique experiences not found in the suburbs. With the
success of Melbourne in mind, envisioning an active web of green laneways
spread through the downtown is a tantalizing image for the future of our
city.
Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.
bbellamy(a)numberten.com
-
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/the-war-with-drivers-will-only-end-w…
The war with drivers will only end when bikes are as common as cars
Last month, while sitting on a porch overlooking one of Toronto’s busy
north-south roads, I witnessed an increasingly common sight: A car and a
bike going at it as if they were on the set of *Mad Max Fury Road*. There’s
no bike lane on this street, more’s the pity. The cyclist was cut off by
the driver and responded by screaming at the car, which he sped up to and
passed.
Here’s the crazy part. Instead of sighing or shaking his head or going home
to his partner and vowing to move to the country, the driver put pedal to
the metal and chased the cyclist up the street at an alarming speed. He was
going so fast I couldn’t get his licence, or I would have called the
police. I asked on Twitter if anyone else had witnessed the incident; no
one responded, perhaps because we’ve all become so blasé about street rage.
Never mind Pokemon Go, the primary game this summer is Death Race 2016.
Around the corner from my house, another cyclist was chased by an enraged
driver onto a sidewalk and hit, an act of aggression that was witnessed and
reported to police. Two blocks away there is a ghost bike – one of the
all-too-common *memento mori* of city streets – marking the death of a
71-year-old cyclist killed earlier this month when he hit a parked van.
Initially, police blamed his death on cyclist error, then backtracked and
admitted he’d had the right of way.
I’ve driven, walked and cycled in this city for more years than I care to
admit, and this summer seems like a low moment in car-bike relations, the
point where the Hatfields and the McCoys retreated to their houses and
started counting ammunition. A toxic blend of heat, increased traffic and
construction has taken a nasty situation and made it worse.
Perhaps I feel this way because my son was recently forced off the road by
a speeding driver and crashed his bike, and I was nearly doored as I rode
to work, saved only by my reflexes. (And I have the reflexes of someone
who’s been dead for 10 years.)
Or perhaps I feel this way because 412 cyclists were hit by cars in Toronto
in the first six months of the year, according
<http://globalnews.ca/news/2824632/41-people-have-been-seriously-hurt-or-kil…>
to Global News. Cyclists continued to be killed by cars across the country.
Yet, somehow, we’re stuck in a ridiculous blame cycle that has not changed
much since Rob Ford was mayor of this city, removing bike lines with a
stroke of his pen and saying, “there’s this huge animosity between
motorists and cyclists, and it’s never going to go away.” Rob Ford, seer.
There’s a scary thought.
Yes, most cities and urban planners now acknowledge the need to make room
for cyclists in order to build thriving communities (Toronto just voted to
double its cycle routes over the next 10 years.) But this has done little
to change the intransigent, bull-headed psychology of drivers, who so
clearly view the roads as their property it might as well have been the
11th commandment on Moses’s tablet: “Thou shalt share the lane with none
but the van and the SUV.”
The animosity that exists certainly cuts both ways: Talk to a driver (even
one who’s also a cyclist) and you’ll hear that riders are sanctimonious
jerks who disobey all the rules of the road; cyclists sometimes see every
car with Terminator behind the wheel. Things will change only when sharing
the road is not seen as a war, but simply as an efficient way to get things
done, and a bicycle is as common a sight on a road as a car.
*But first, we have to get kids on their bikes.* In Canada, fewer than 2
per cent of children ride to school. They aren’t taught to ride as part of
the curriculum, the way kids are in the Netherlands (where they have to
take a safety exam at the age of 12). They don’t, for the most part, ride
with their parents from the age of three or four, the way children do in
Denmark. Imagine if children were taught road safety and good cycling
habits as part of each province’s health curriculum – I know the school day
is already crowded, but it could be slipped in there between the assembly
about bullying and the assembly about bullying.
In Britain, public health officials have been advocating for cycling as
part of the national curriculum for years, though it hasn’t happened yet.
If we did it here, it would require an investment in infrastructure, like
racks and crossing guards and bicycles for kids who don’t have them, but
the long-term benefits (not least, peace on the road) would outweigh the
costs.
*Bikes vs. Cars*, a 2015 documentary, features a wonderful scene with
cycling teacher Liliana Godoy leading children through the streets of
Bogota on their bikes, pointing out traffic rules and hazards as they ride.
“I want to plant a seed in children, a sense that they are able to move
freely in life,” she says. “Doing it in their childhood makes it a habit.
As an adult, you never forget it. Children by nature are not afraid of
anything. It’s adults that imprint fear in them.”
Those are words you can take to the bank – as long as you ride there, of
course.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-city-council-approves-52
-million-boost-for-road-safety/article30933165/
Toronto City Council backed a $52-million boost for road safety over the
next five years, beating back an attempt to speed up the plan and in the
process calling for a ban on pedestrians using electronic devices while on
the road.
.
Council also voted to request the head of the transportation department
"consider" accelerating the five-year plan to two years, rejecting a motion
by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam that effectively instructed him to do so.
The road-safety plan is Toronto's version of Vision Zero, a Swedish approach
that aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. It calls for
about $80-million in safety-related spending over five years, up from the
$68-million proposed by staff a few weeks ago.
The plan is bulked out by the addition of efforts that would have happened
anyway, though, with about $52-million of the funds being new money.
"This council has spent billions of dollars ... to get people from A to B
five minutes faster," Ms. Wong-Tam said. "We're struggling to find a little
bit of money to keep people safe."
The plan comes amid a worsening toll for pedestrians in Toronto. A recent
Globe and Mail investigation into the more than 160 people run down since
2011 found that seniors were disproportionately affected, and that drivers
were at fault in the majority of cases.
Cycle Toronto executive director Jared Kolb said the current road safety
plan has "some good building blocks" but that it remains too hesitant and
has too little funding.
...