AT-Network October 2017

at-network@lists.umanitoba.ca

2 participants
7 discussions

Simple device to turn every sign post into a bike rack

by Beth McKechnie

https://www.fastcompany.com/3029299/these-simple-devices-tur n-every-sign-post-into-a-bike-rack These Simple Devices Turn Every Sign Post Into A Bike Rack | Fast Company One of the challenges of urban cycling is finding a place to park your bike. A simple design from U.K.-based Smartstreets <http://www.smartstreets.co.uk/> might help: The Cyclepark, made of two metal loops, hooks around existing lampposts and street signs to provide extra bike parking on every block. “By making use of what’s already there, you’re not adding obstacles on the pavement for pedestrians,” says Andrew Farish, one of the designers of the Cyclepark. “And the less stuff you have on the street, the better the street looks.” People already tend to lock bikes to sign posts and railings when they can’t find a bike rack, but without something more substantial to latch onto, it’s easy for bikes to fall over or even be lifted over the pole and stolen. It’s also often illegal to use a street post if there isn’t an official rack. The Cyclepark is a little like the circular racks that some cities have added to old parking meters <http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/01/09/nyc-dot-prepares-for-12000-parking-me…>, but street posts are even more ubiquitous than meters, making it easier to create a broad network of parking. In New York, for example, there are 250,000 posts for lighting alone, and countless other street signs. “This stuff is already there,” says Farish. “Often something like a signpost literally does one thing. They have to have a sign there that explains what parking is, or what a single yellow line means, so they’ve got this post and literally all it’s doing is holding up a tiny little eight-by-eight-inch sign. By converting that into a bike park, you’ve released new value from that infrastructure.” The brightly colored Cycleparks can also double as markers for bike routes around a city, leading cyclists down a particular path. They’re cheaper to install than a typical rack, since the process takes around 10 minutes and there’s no need to jackhammer holes into the pavement (there’s also likely less need for permitting and consultations, since the change is so minor). Farish says the racks are a way to improve the look of a city by reducing clutter. “It’s a rare opportunity to give a visible upgrade to a street,” he says, explaining that much of the work that cities do often goes unnoticed by the public. “It’s really a way of encouraging cycling and doing it a way that doesn’t compromise the street’s aesthetic.”

6 years, 5 months

WFP: City behind the curve on snow removal (Oct.22'17)

by Beth McKechnie

*Winnipeg looking at innovative ways to clear roads and sidewalks* * City behind the curve on snow removal * DECLAN SCHROEDER https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-behind-the-curve-on-snow-remov… LAST fall, a one-sentence directive contained within a mandate letter from Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman to infrastructure and public works committee chairman Coun. Marty Morantz, presented a pile of opportunities larger than a Winnipeg snowbank: “Review and research innovative snow-clearing opportunities with a view to finding savings, efficiencies and improvements.” In Winnipeg, swirling snowfalls are simply a reality of existence. Surviving them— and not allowing them to kibosh going to the Jets game or making theweekly grocery run — is a rite of passage for many Winnipeggers, for whomhardiness is next to godliness. Others choose to simply hunker down. One group that cannot pull the blinds and pour another cup of cocoa is Winnipeg’s public works department. After flakes fly, it’s up to city employees and private subcontractors to hit the streets with heavy machines and clear snow and ice. Compared with other cities, Canadian and otherwise— which have found novel and innovative solutions to moving the white stuff — Winnipeg’s snow clearing is behind the times. The report regarding innovation is tardy, too. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipeg’s acting director of public works, was supposed to present a report to the standing policy committee on infrastructure renewal and public works Sept. 11. He didn’t. Snow will likely hit Winnipeg before Berezowsky’s report lands on Morantz’s desk. Morantz said he knew Berezowsky would ask for a 90-day extension, which the councillor granted. Plowing problems came to a head in the city last winter. In December, after Winnipeg got dumped with more than 68 centimetres of snow thanks to two Colorado lows and numerous Alberta clippers, the city proved incapable of clearing it in a timely fashion. Traffic on city streets was snarled for days and sidewalks remained snowed in for longer. “Because we had those two massive snowfalls, it was quite a challenge,” Morantz said. “Basically, most of the complaints that we received after the last two years were around sidewalk clearing.” Berezowsky said when crews plow high-volume streets, they use boulevards to store snow. However, due to “lack of snow storage space,” it often piles onto sidewalks. In Montreal, which has an annual snow-clearing budget of $155 million, crews use an innovative strategy that emulates crop harvesting. Instead of pushing the snow onto the boulevard, a plow with a blower attachment sends the snow directly from the road into a five-ton dump truck driving in tandem. When one truck is full, it peels out and another one rolls up. There are limitations — the blower can make quickwork of loose snow, but can’t move big chunks packed down by the vehicles that venture onto snowy streets. This strategy prevents obstructed sightlines caused by high snowbanks at intersections, eliminates the need for crews to return and remove them later, and ensures snow doesn’t pile up on sidewalks when operators run out of space. That’s not the only innovation Montreal has undertaken. They’ve also been inspired by Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik. There, pipes under the sidewalks carry geothermally heated water that melts the snow off of them. The system covers 50,000 square metres, according to the National Energy Authority of Iceland. Montreal is launching a $26-million pilot project with a similar system on 670 metres of high-traffic Rue Sainte-Catherine sidewalk. While that price tag would nearly melt through the entirety of Winnipeg’s $33.8-million snow-clearing budget, quicker sidewalk clearing would save people like St. James resident Cassandra Jones a lot of frustration. Jones, who uses an electric wheelchair, is sometimes stranded inside her home because sidewalks aren’t clear. “It can be a bit of a pain sometimes, because if they don’t plow them very well, it can be really hard to get around,” she said. “Sometimes it’s days and days and days and they just don’t bother. They do downtown really well… but they don’t seem to bother with residential sidewalks as much.” Jones said she’s thankful for her friend John Wiebe. Wiebe, who has one arm, takes his snow blower and clears a path so Jones can get to Sundayworship. “That’s pretty bad when someone has to buy a snow blower just so I can get to church.” In many Canadian cities, clearing the city sidewalk isn’t just neighbourly — it’s the law. In Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Toronto, the onus is on the homeowner to clear walks adjacent to their properties. Homeowners in Edmonton, for example, have 48 hours after a snowfall to clear the snow or risk a $100 fine. Don Turenne, management supervisor of Edmonton’s parks and roads services department, said Edmontonians, generally, have no problem clearing city sidewalks. “It’s been that way for years,” Turenne said. “... I don’t hear a lot either from the media or through complaints. We’ve been doing it for so long that citizens just treat it as one of the expectations.” Turenne’s inklings are backed up by statistics. Troy Courtoreille, Edmonton’s acting director of the complaints and investigations section of the community standards branch, provided specifics. “We see a varying compliance rate that averages 77 per cent during most winters, but it can drop as low as 65 per cent or increase to about 90 per cent,” he wrote in an email, noting variables such as “fluctuating weather, educational campaigns, and enforcement targeting” affect the numbers. “Generally, homeowners follow the bylaw, but there are known problematic neighbourhoods whose compliance rate(s) (are) lower than average.” Winnipeg’s policy, by comparison, is opaque. It doesn’t outlinewhen work should start after a snowfall, and simply says residential sidewalks will be “completed within five working days following the commencement of work” by city crews or private contractors. Berezowsky called requiring homeowners to clear sidewalks an “alternative” and said it doesn’t fit in within the definition of innovation. “Innovation is not putting the responsibility back onto someone else at a cost,” he said. “That’s called service reduction.” Novel ideas don’t end at sidewalks, of course. Many cities use a strategy called “pre-wetting” to help chemicals stick to roads and reduce the amount used. A study on the effectiveness of pre-wetting, done by members of the department of civil engineering at the University of Waterloo, found pre-wet salt outperformed dry salt by between 14 and 38 per cent in 2002-03. In Ottawa, a liquid de-icer is applied to rock salt to help it bind better to the road. Salt usage has been reduced by one-fifth as a result. Starting this winter, Edmonton will undertake a similar policy. Crews will spray roads with a brine solution before snowfalls to prevent it from sticking. The hope — although this remains to be seen — is that pre-wetting can prevent the need to plow in some cases, potentially saving the city from spending the entirety of its $54-million budget. Other jurisdictions have cut down on salt use by using unconventional alternatives, including beet juice (which Winnipeg has been experimenting with for a fewyears), cheese brine and molasses. While Winnipeg’s report on the future of snow clearing is delayed, it’s not moving quite as slow as molasses — Morantz and Berezowsky have been looking at many newpossibilities. Morantz wouldn’t speculate on the final contents of the report, but talked about some approaches that caught his eye. Specifically, he described a plow with a “snowgate” attachment— one that plows the road and clears windrows in one fell swoop — as having piqued his interest. Berezowsky also outlined several potential measures, including tools inside equipment that sense the exact temperatures of roadways, entirely chloride-free ice-melting methods and expanding the city’s limited pre-wetting program. While improvementsmay eventually come, Winnipeggers will keep having to take perverse pride in navigating snow-plugged streets and sidewalks. It may take until 2019 before any of the report’s recommendations are implemented, as it will come too late to factor into the city’s 2018 budget talks. “If there’s additional budgetary requirements, by that time, most of the planning for the 2018 budget will be complete,” Morantz said. “It’s quite possible we’d have to refer to the ’19 budget, which will not be considered until later next year.” Berezowsky warned implementation can be slow. “Industry would never go ahead and fully implement something without a policy change requirement by the city— which would have to be proposed and passed through council.” Declan Schroeder is a senior journalism student in the creative communications program at Red River College in Winnipeg. This article was a product of a featurewriting assignment. dschroeder42(a)academic.rrc.ca

6 years, 5 months

WFP: EPC backs revamp plan of intersection (Oct.19'17)

by Beth McKechnie

*EPC backs revamp plan of intersection * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/bowman-epc-back-intersection-revamp… A PLAN to upgrade the Portage and Main intersection with the intention of eventually opening it up to pedestrians was endorsed unanimously Wednesday by Mayor Brian Bowman and members of his executive policy committee. The proposal would see the city spend $3.5 million to revamp the areas around the intersection, including: • $1.5 million for further engineering and architectural work needed to allow pedestrians to cross. • $500,000 for new sidewalks, curbs and street trees for the plaza area directly in front of the Richardson Building • $1.5 million to upgrade the underground concourse underneath the tower at 201 Portage Ave. Bowman said he was pleased with the unanimous vote, adding it marks a milestone for Winnipeg city council. “This is four decades to get us where we are today,” Bowman told reporters following the EPC meeting. The vote came after nine downtown business leaders spent more than an hour in the morning urging EPC members to approve the plan. Two early dissenters on EPC — Couns. Scott Gillingham and Brian Mayes — eventually voted for the proposal after Bowman agreed to include minor amendments from both of them. Gillingham wanted a written assurance that the intersection will not be reopened to pedestrians until a report detailing cost estimates and traffic impacts is presented to council. Mayes secured an agreement that the administration will consider the impact of a potential north Main Street transit corridor will have on the project. The proposal requires council to: • Commit to re-opening the intersection to pedestrians through a phased approach. • Appoint a Portage Avenue and Main Street Working Group. • Approve a single-source contract with Harvard Developments for reimbursement of renovation and upgrade costs up to $500,000 for work Harvard Developments is doing in the underground concourse in conjunction with upgrades to Harvard underground property. • Sign an agreement with the adjacent property owners for at-grade pedestrian activity at the intersection, which would include termination of the original lease provisions that prohibit atgrade activity. The proposal needs at least a majority of nine votes at council. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

6 years, 5 months

Webinar reminder (Wed): Designing Transit to Support Active Transportation, and Vice Versa

by Beth McKechnie

*** Friendly reminder about tomorrow's webinar viewing *** 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. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave <https://maps.google.com/?q=3rd+floor,+303+Portage+Ave&entry=gmail&source=g>) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications for those who wish to stay. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth * * * * * *Designing Transit to Support Active Transportation, and Vice VersaWed, Oct 18th | 2-3 p.m. CDT* At the October webinar, Andy and Lia will begin by discussing accommodating buses and bicycles together on the streets of L.A. county. Innovative strategies relating to street design and driver/rider education have recently been employed in Los Angeles County to reduce bus/bicycle conflicts and improve multi-modal operations and safety. This webinar will examine the findings from a recent study of 15 shared bicycle/transit corridors and share recommendations for improving operator training and infrastructure design. Then, Sandra will discuss how pedestrian improvements at bus stops improve conditions for all pedestrians. She'll review what to do with data that is collected and how to prioritize stops for improvement, with examples from projects. Sandra will also discuss ways that active transportation projects can support transit. For example, when engineering walkways and designing ped environment, thinking about how it will transition into the bus stop area and meet ADA requirements. Presenters: - Andy Kosinski, Fehr & Peers - Lia Yim, LA Metro - Sandra Clarey, McMahon Associates -- *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) 925-3777 x102 | 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/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

6 years, 6 months

The High Cost of Free Parking

by Beth McKechnie

When you have 6:42 minutes to spare, I highly recommend spending it on this video (fact-filled AND entertaining): https://mobilitylab.org/2017/07/19/voxmobility-lab-video-high-cost-free-par… Couple of teaser facts: (1) There are 8 parking spots per car in the US, and (2) parking takes up 30% of land in cities. As Donald Shoup notes: "Land is expensive for housing but free for parking. And you wonder why we have a problem?" -- *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) 925-3777 x102 | 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/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

6 years, 6 months

Designing Transit to Support Active Transportation, and Vice Versa

by Mel Marginet

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. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave <https://maps.google.com/?q=3rd+floor,+303+Portage+Ave&entry=gmail&source=g>) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications for those who wish to stay. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Mel * * * * * *Designing Transit to Support Active Transportation, and Vice VersaWed, Oct 18th | 2-3 p.m. CDT* At the October webinar, Andy and Lia will begin by discussing accommodating buses and bicycles together on the streets of L.A. county. Innovative strategies relating to street design and driver/rider education have recently been employed in Los Angeles County to reduce bus/bicycle conflicts and improve multi-modal operations and safety. This webinar will examine the findings from a recent study of 15 shared bicycle/transit corridors and share recommendations for improving operator training and infrastructure design. Then, Sandra will discuss how pedestrian improvements at bus stops improve conditions for all pedestrians. She'll review what to do with data that is collected and how to prioritize stops for improvement, with examples from projects. Sandra will also discuss ways that active transportation projects can support transit. For example, when engineering walkways and designing ped environment, thinking about how it will transition into the bus stop area and meet ADA requirements. *Mel Marginet* | 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) 925-3777 x112 | 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/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

6 years, 6 months

WFP: A better way to fight bike theft (Oct.8'17)

by Beth McKechnie

*A better way to fight bike theft * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/a-better-way-to-fight-bike-theft-44… OFFICER Rob Brunt recalls the first time he walked into Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) property office in 2015. Hundreds of seized bikes lined the floor and hung from rotating racks above his head, like clothing at a dry cleaner. “Holy cow,” Brunt thought. “My whole career I’ve been seizing these bikes, and I find out… the department returns about two to four per cent of them.” Brunt has worked for the VPD for more than 25 years. He spent most of that time as a deputy, patrolling the streets of Vancouver. After learning how many stolen bikes were auctioned off, unable to be returned to their owners, Brunt focused his policing efforts on preventing bike theft. He designed and distributed posters to bike shops — instructing cyclists on how to properly lock a bike and encouraging them to use U-locks instead of cable locks. Then he looked into what other Canadian cities were doing to combat the problem. “I look north, south, east, west — nobody’s doing nothing,” Brunt says. Winnipeg statistics suggest we also have a big bike theft problem. In Winnipeg in 2016, more than 2,500 bikes were reported stolen to police. That number is down four per cent from 2015. But theft reports soared 39 per cent from 2014 to 2016. Winnipeg police say they don’t keep track of the number of bikes returned to owners. But the city advertised more than 250 bikes for sale during its April 2017 bike auction. In Vancouver, the number of bikes reported stolen fell 35 per cent from May 2016 to May 2017. Almost 800 fewer bikes were reported stolen in that time, even though the city is recording more bike usage on bike paths than in previous years. The return of stolen bikes to their owners also jumped from an average of four per cent to 10 per cent. Brunt says the secret to the decline in bike theft has been the VPD’s partnership with Project 529. Project 529 is a bike-theft prevention program that police departments, schools and cities can partner with. It uses an app, 529 Garage, as a bike registry. Users log their bike information — colour, make, model, serial number and bike nickname — then, when a user’s bike is stolen, they can send out an alert to other users in the city, telling them to keep their eyes peeled for the missing bike. Police who partner with the project can run serial numbers through the software to find the owner of a seized or found bike, just like they can for a stolen car. Using the app has helped the VPD get bikes back to their owners faster and more consistently. However, the creator of the app, J Allard, says it’s really just a tool and it’s the people who promote the app who make Project 529 a success. Allard says leadership is essential to getting the project off the ground, but that’s what many cities are lacking. “Problem No. 1 is nobody knows who’s in charge,” Allard says. In Winnipeg, bike theft is handled by the evidence control unit, which deals with any stolen or found property in the city. In Vancouver, Brunt heads up the initiative. His title is Project 529 liaison officer, and preventing bike theft is his full-time job. In other jurisdictions, such as Oregon, they’ve created a bike theft task force, dedicated to fighting the rising issue. Allard says getting enough human resources to help run the program is a big challenge. Cyclists need to be convinced that registering their bike is worthwhile, and that takes lots of promotional efforts. “If maintaining your bike properly is like brushing your teeth… I learned that even with a slick and simple-to-use app, registering your bike is like flossing your teeth,” Allard says. Allard says a community has to strive and work to fix the problem for the project to succeed. Signs of this community already exist in Winnipeg. Residents are sharing photos of missing and found bikes through social media. But again, there is no clear leader in the fight against bike theft. Allard and Brunt say getting police involved is the first step to making the program a success. The VPD focuses a lot of energy on community outreach. Brunt has been able to register more than 10,000 bikes in Vancouver over seven months through a handful of cycling and registration events. Each rider receives a 529 Garage sticker for free if they register at an event. Going into the community and making registration accessible and easy is a key element of the VPD’s approach. Winnipeg police offer bike registration and a sticker for $6.50. To register a bike, you need to fill out a form and return it to the recreation services division’s building on Main Street. After getting police involved, Brunt says, the next step is getting the cycling community on board. The best way he’s found to reach that community is through bike shops. Some shops in Winnipeg have their own registration systems, but since they’re limited to the bikes bought or repaired at the stores, they don’t do much to help prevent citywide thefts. “What would work even better than just a localized system… would be just a universal system throughout the city,” says Justin Debattista, who has worked at Woodcock Cycle Works for 2 ½ years. Woodcock Cycle Works records serial numbers and uses stickers to help police verify ownership through the store. “It’s a simple system, and it tends to work as long as the sticker isn’t removed,” Debattista says. Because Project 529 is not active in Winnipeg, Debattista says a good lock is still the best investment to make for your bike. Kit Muir is a senior journalism student in the Creative Communications program at Red River College in Winnipeg. This article was a product of a feature writing assignment. kitmuir(a)me.com

6 years, 6 months

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AT-Network October 2017