*Well, if that don’t beet all!*
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/well-if-that-dont-beet-all-412117503…
IT’S a sunny Thursday afternoon in Assiniboine Park in January, but it
feels more like an afternoon in March.
Shouts can be heard from the toboggan run. A few skaters are leisurely
cutting figure eights at the Duck Pond. All types of dogs, from scrappy
black terrier mixes to big yellow labs, are gleefully leading around their
humans. A group of moms with strollers walk and chat. Runners are neon
blurs in the distance.
Assiniboine Park does not hibernate in the winter.
Claire and Marcel Major are among those enjoying a walk. They live in the
area and when their young granddaughters are in town from Montreal, they
make it a point to take them to the park for picnics or to the Zoo in the
summer. “It’s a must-show,” Claire says.
On mild days in the winter, they take their walks through the park.
“I’ll tell you what’s nice about walking in the winter when it’s not too
cold, it’s this,” Marcel says, pointing down to the path. “The sidewalks
are nice and clear. Walking downtown is very difficult. It’s really nice
here. You can do quite a bit of mileage and still stay clear.”
That is perhaps the most striking thing about Assiniboine Park in the
wintertime. You will always be able to find a place to walk or run.
The not-so-secret secret to those down-to-pavement paths is beet juice. For
the past five years, the Assiniboine Park conservancy has been using a
made-in-Manitoba anti-icing mixture called Fusion 60/40, supplied by Collet
Transport Inc. The solution is 60 per cent sugar beet juice, 30 per cent
water, 10 per cent salt — and 100 per cent organic and biodegradable.
“It doesn’t cause any damage to the trees, to the turf, or to the cars,”
says Kaaren Pearce, the director of horticulture for the conservancy, the
organization that manages the park. “It allows us to melt things and get
down so that there’s traction. It turns the streets a bit brown in the
winter time, but it gets down to pavement quickly.”
The anti-icing solution, which doesn’t stain and has a slightly sweet
odour, is spread on warmer days so it has a chance to bond to the pavement.
On Thursday, when temperature hit -1 C, piles of rust-coloured slush lined
many arteries of Assiniboine Park, inviting lots of commentary from
passersby. “It smells like hot chocolate,” remarked a little girl dragging
a pink toboggan behind her.
Beet juice solutions and beet-sand mixtures are gaining popularity and are
starting to replace traditional salt and sand mixtures in cities and towns
all over North America, including La Broquerie and Dauphin in Manitoba.
“Itwould be lovely if the City of Winnipeg could use it,” Pearce says. She
even knows of a great trial spot: along Roblin Boulevard, so Assiniboine
Park could grow trees and grass along that stretch of the park.
Ice management is just one piece of the puzzlewhen it comes to keeping
Assiniboine Park’s large network of paths, trails and roadways moving in
the wintertime. Snow clearing is also a finely choreographed dance.
After a heavy snowfall, the conservancy will prioritize places where it has
the most visitors. “So Qualico (family centre), the pavilion, the zoo, the
conservatory — and then our offices, so our staff can get in,” Pearce says.
The crew on themorning shift, which starts at 6 a.m., makes sure the Zoo
andmain entrances are done first thing so they can be open by 9 a.m. After
that, crews go for themain paths and parking lots they know are used often.
“Some paths don’t get done as quickly, butwe always try to make sure there
are some paths open,” Pearce says. The evening shift goes into the zoo
after hours to help out the morning crew.
A few different pieces of equipment are used to get the job done, depending
on the kind of precipitation that’s fallen. “If it’s wet, heavy snow,
they’ll use a plow first and then go back through with a broom,” Pearce
says. “If it’s light, they’ll use the broom first and then plow to scrape
it lower. We try to get it as close to pavement as possible.”
When that’s not possible, the focus is on making roadways and paths level.
“The biggest thing is to keep people safe and moving,” Pearce says. “Once
we push the snow back, we have to get it out of the way so people can see
at intersections.”
Keeping on top of snow and ice can’t be just reactive — it has to be
proactive, too. Crews monitor weather forecasts so they can plan how to
best use their time. As well, the conservancy pays close attention to
howthe park is actually being used in the wintertime. That way, they can
get a sense of which paths are being used by diligent snow-or-shine dog
walkers orwhich routes are being relied upon by commuters who cut through
the park. Crews took snowblowers through the English and Leo Mol gardens
for the first time this year rather than having walkers forage paths of
their own.
After snow clearing comes maintenance. Crews push snow to places where they
know there’s good drainage so the park doesn’t flood. Eventually, Pearce
wants to look at installing cisterns so that snow could be used forwater in
the summer. “That would be amazing for the gardens in a dry year,” she says.
Of course, Assiniboine Park isn’t just a lovely place to take a walk or a
run. It also works hard at being the kind of place where Winnipeggers can
actively enjoy the season most closely associated with our city.
“We have skiing, so we have a groomed trail,” Pearce says. “We have lots of
places where people snowshoe. We have trails through the forest that they
use for the heavy horses, so that’s a nice walking trail. The Duck Pond,
obviously, for skating.
“The Zoo is way better in the winter, in my opinion, because the animals
are much more active,” she adds.
Pearce credits her team, and howmuch they care about their work, with
keeping the park accessible even when theweather doesn’t cooperate.
“We know this park is important to people,” Pearce says. “It means a lot to
people and their families. It’s closer for a lot of people, comparatively,
than going out to the Whiteshell or something. People come down here and
make snowmen. They really use it as their big yard, and that’s what we want
to provide for people — a place where people can meet and play as families,
all year round. It’s fun to see all the different coloured coats and little
kids and puppies who are learning their newwalks in the snow.”
Assiniboine Park is almost quite literally Dave and Jacqui Blanchard’s
backyard, they live so close. The couple can be found outwalking the trails
every second day; it used to be every day when their old border collie/lab
was still with them. Jacqui points out how easy it is to take a space like
Assiniboine Park for granted. “It’s so beautiful,” she says. “And it is
well groomed. Very seldomdo we have to get around a snow pile, but we
understand if we do. It’s a beautiful place, summer or winter.”
“We want to be a world-class destination all year round,” Pearce says.
“We’re still here in the winter. We still feed the animals, we still
maintain the roads. You might as well come play with us.”
jen.zoratti(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @Jen Zoratti
Full article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-winter-biking-getting-
around-0116-20170115-story.html
The number of winter bikers has spiked in recent years due in part to
improved infrastructure, such as protected bike lanes, and better, cheaper
cold-weather equipment, cyclists and bike dealers said. Other factors
include the expansion of Divvy, which gives commuters an alternative to
using their own bikes in the salty slush, and a mild winter last year that
encouraged people to give cold-weather biking a try.
*Numbers up*
Figures from the Chicago Department of Transportation's Divvy bike-share
program show that December through March trips jumped more than 200 percent
to 518,286 in the winter of 2015-16 from 167,258 in the winter of 2013-14.
Some of this is likely because the 2013-14 winter was unusually cold, while
last winter was unusually warm, and Divvy has been expanding, department
spokesman Mike Claffey noted.
But the trend continued this winter, which has been cold. The number of
Divvy trips taken this past December, which had below-normal temperatures,
was 93,275, lower than the December 2015 number of 121,141, but still
higher than the December totals in 2013 and 2014, which were 44,694 and
86,800, respectively.
Motivate, which runs Divvy and other bike-share programs across North
America, also has seen big spikes in winter biking in New York City and
Boston, spokeswoman Dani Simons said.
"People are starting to make bike-share a year-round transportation
choice," she said. Simons noted that some users bike to transit stations
instead of walking. "It may be a way to speed up your trip in cold weather."
--
*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/>
Some really exciting and significant changes in how traffic is measured and
evaluated in the US. Read full article:
http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/01/12/transportation-agencies-will-finally-…
Transportation Agencies Will Finally Measure the Movement of People, Not
Just Cars
*1. STATES WILL MEASURE THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, NOT JUST VEHICLES*
U.S. DOT’s previous version of the rule measured roads that move the
highest number of vehicles were the most successful. If some of those
vehicles were buses holding 40 people, they would count the same as a
single person driving an SUV.
The final rule incorporates a measure of “person-hours” of delay rather
than just “vehicle hours.” That means spatially efficient solutions like
exclusive transit lanes won’t be penalized for supposedly worsening the
congestion problem.
*2. STATE DOTS WILL HAVE TO TRACK THEIR IMPACT ON CARBON EMISSIONS*
For the first time, state transportation agencies will be required to
monitor and forecast the impact of their projects on greenhouse gas
emissions. The rule will apply to any alteration of roads in the National
Highway System, which includes not just interstates but many state highways
and major urban streets as well. Transportation emissions are the single
biggest source of carbon emissions in the U.S.
<http://usa.streetsblog.org/2016/08/05/u-s-transportation-now-belches-out-mo…>,
and this acknowledgment that DOTs should address the problem is long
overdue.
*3. PEOPLE WHO WALK, BIKE, OR RIDE TRANSIT WILL BE COUNTED*
The U.S. DOT rule creates a “multi-modal” performance measure that will
track “non-single occupant vehicle travel.” States will have to establish
targets to increase walking, biking, and transit use.
U.S. DOT is also leading a research project to help states and local
agencies development better tools to measure how much people walk and bike
— a big missing piece in transportation agencies’ toolkits.
*4. FREE-FLOWING RUSH HOUR CAR TRAFFIC ISN’T THE GOAL*
Originally, U.S. DOT wanted to measure congestion by comparing rush-hour
travel times to free-flowing traffic conditions. That framework rewards
road expansion and sprawl
<http://nyc.streetsblog.org/2010/09/29/report-want-to-ease-commuter-pain-hig…>,
and
it’s been the basis for a lot of wasteful highway spending.
In response to comments, U.S. DOT dropped this problematic measure
altogether.
--
*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/>
https://shar.es/1OolkU
Another City department is planning to focus on road safety.
Now, if the Province got on the case too, we could hope for some big
changes.
Some sections of this might be too US-centric for application in Canada, but this new "Transportation Toolkit" might be a useful set of documents to have a look at for members of the public interested or questioning any type of new transportation infrastructure projects, but who are unfamiliar with how such projects move from concept to reality, and/or what the decision-making processes are.
Might be worth a look.
https://www.transportation.gov/leadershipacademy
[City of Winnipeg]<http://www.winnipeg.ca/>
David Patman, P.Eng.
Senior Transit Planner
Project Manager, Eastern Corridor Study
Service Development Division, Winnipeg Transit
City of Winnipeg
Phone: 204-986-5737
Mobile: 204-806-6471
Email: dpatman(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:dpatman@winnipeg.ca>
Website: http://www.winnipegtransit.com<http://www.winnipegtransit.com/>
Address: 2nd Floor, 421 Osborne Street, Winnipeg, MB R3L 2A2
[2017 Canada Games in Winnipeg]<http://www.2017canadagames.ca/en>
Connect with us:
[Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/cityofwinnipeg> [Twitter] <https://twitter.com/cityofwinnipeg>
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is intended solely for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any use, dissemination, distribution, copying or disclosure of this message and attachments, in whole or in part, by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the complete message and any attachments. Thank you.
Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local
viewing of this month's APBP <http://www.apbp.org/> webinar.
Given the Winnipeg Cycling Map contract will soon be awarded, it will be
interesting to hear about Fairfax County's experience.
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
* * * * *
*Low Stress NetworksWednesday, January 18 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm CST *
Learn about Berkeley's experience with low stress bicycle networks and how
Fairfax County is using level of traffic stress to develop a countywide
bicycle map.
*Speakers:*
- Eli Glazier, Toole Design Group
- Nicole Wynands, Fairfax County, VA
- Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley CA
Public works department ordered to develop road-safety strategy for Winnipeg
‘No deaths are acceptable,’ city told
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-looking-at-
ways-to-eliminate-traffic-fatalities-410325025.html
A CIVIC committee instructed the administration Tuesday to develop a
road-safety strategy designed to eliminate all traffic fatalities.
“No deaths are acceptable,” said Coun. Marty Morantz, chairman of council’s
public works committee.
“We need to be striving towards zero (fatalities).”
Prompted by a proposal from Coun. Janice Lukes, the committee instructed
the public works department to develop a strategy designed to eliminate all
traffic fatalities on Winnipeg streets.
Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said she was pleased the committee
endorsed her suggestion, adding she expects it will involve a public
consultation process and a greater emphasis by the city to improve existing
roadways identified as problematic.
Lukes had been pushing city hall to adopt a Swedish strategy, known as
Vision Zero, which has been embraced by many countries and other Canadian
municipalities.
However, at the suggestion of Morantz, the committee wants city staff to
develop a strategy based on a federal government initiative, known as
Towards Zero, which is also based on the Swedish initiative.
Lukes dismissed the significance of the name change, adding the objective
is the same — to eliminate traffic fatalities.
“Road safety is extremely serious,” Lukes said Officials in the public
works department said it will take at least a year to develop the strategy,
which Morantz said he hoped will eventually be adopted and approved by city
council.
City staff said Winnipeg already follows international best practices when
it comes to designing roadways and the proof is the number of traffic
fatalities on city streets compared with the rest of the province.
Luis Escobar, the city’s manager of transportation, said while the majority
of the provincial population resides in Winnipeg, the city has only a small
portion of traffic deaths.
Manitoba Public Insurance said there were 112 traffic fatalities across the
province in 2016, with 20 of those occurring in Winnipeg. For 2015, there
were 79 traffic fatalities provincewide, with 13 deaths in Winnipeg.
Data provided by Manitoba Public Insurance shows while the province
averaged 79 traffic deaths annually from 2010 to 2014, Winnipeg averaged 15
traffic deaths during the same time period.
“We are doing a lot of things to improve road safety, and that’s reflected
in the level of injury and level of fatality compared to other cities
across Canada,” Escobar told the public works committee.
He said the city and city staff are members of national and international
road safety committees Lukes is holding a public seminar on traffic safety
at the end of themonth at the Millennium Library.
She’s bringing in experts to talk about the Swedish plan and what steps
cities need to take in roadway design and other initiatives to reduce
traffic injuries and fatalities.
aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca