Exchange District business owners fed up over ‘piecemeal’ development in
the area
https://globalnews.ca/news/6234378/exchange-district-business-owners-fed-up…
A group of Exchange District business owners are calling for a moratorium
on development in the area, telling the city there needs to be a better
plan in place for things like bike lanes, parking, and loading zones in the
neighbourhood before work starts up again.
The group, which includes former Blue Bomber and Shawarma Khan restaurant
owner Obby Khan, say recent changes made to the streets — in particular new
bike lanes that have taken over parking spots and loading zones — have been
bad for business.
Khan says many are reporting a 20 to 30 per cent drop in business and he’s
personally lost “six figures” since losing street parking across from his
McDermot Avenue restaurant two years ago.
“What are we trying to do? Are we trying to create a community or are we
trying to create one way roads to get people out of the downtown core?” he
said.
“Do we want to make active transport or do we want to throw bike lanes in
the middle of busy streets and get people out of the downtown core — What
is the plan? What is the vision?
“Us as business owners are feeling the squeeze right now without this plan.”
Khan, along with the owners of King + Bannatyne and Bodegoes, canvassed the
Exchange, getting signatures from a total of 67 local business-owners who
echo their concerns.
In a letter presented to Winnipeg’s mayor and council last week, the group
calls for an end to “one-off interventions around parking, transportation,
construction or development” in the Exchange until a comprehensive plan is
created.
They also want parking prices to drop from $3.50 to $2.50 in the area and
to see recent street changes reversed.
Khan stresses the group is not opposed to active transportation — in fact
they welcome it — but want to see a plan put forward and more consultation
with area businesses before work is done
“We love the bike lanes, we are pro active transportation,” he said.
“What we are not pro for is the design, implementation and roll-out without
any real consultation of business and how the bike lanes were executed.
What was the plan? What was the vision? Or did you just throw bike lanes
down?
“Stop doing piecemeal, stop putting in a loading zone here, stop putting in
a light here or back-in parking here — what is the whole vision for the
Exchange?”
Khan said the group has gotten a good response from the city, and Mayor
Brian Bowman said he is listening to the group’s concerns.
“I appreciate the dialogue,” Bowman said Friday, telling 680 CJOB he’s
working with business owners and the Exchange District BIZ to find
solutions.
“There’s been a lot of investments made in the downtown, including the
Exchange, over the last few years and obviously we want to make sure that
we’re doing our best to ensure that the businesses are as successful as
possible.
“We have some more work to do… finding the right balance is obviously key”
In the meantime, Khan says if nothing changes, some businesses — including
his — may look at leaving the Exchange District.
“Everything needs to be looked at together to come up with a solution,” he
said.
“The Exchange is a vibrant, fun, beautiful area — we need to come up with a
plan with the city, with urban designers, with residents, with business
owners to make this work for everyone.”
*Issues with** parking, transportation, construction, development brought
forward*
*Exchange District businesses petition city for master plan *
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/exchange-district-business-owners-p…
DOZENS of Exchange District business owners frustrated with bike lanes
popping up, loading zones taken away, and rising street parking rates have
signed a petition asking the City of Winnipeg to hit the brakes.
The group of 67 is asking the city put in place a moratorium on any more
changes for parking, transportation, construction or development before a
comprehensive plan is put into place for the area, and following full
consultation.
As well, they are asking for pay parking to be rolled back to 2017 rates
and the city to commit to “immediately modify the recent, radical, physical
street changes” by looking at impact on businesses, traffic circulation,
parking, and safety concerns.
Ibrahim (Obby) Khan, one of the leaders of the petition and owner of
Shawarma Khan restaurants, said Thursday he has seen business drop at his
Exchange District location about 20 per cent in the past two years.
“It’s almost a six-figure loss,” Khan said.
“We’re all local businesses which have put our passion and money on the
line in the city and we need city council to help us... We need to get back
to having a master plan for the area.”
The businesses to sign the petition include: Toad Hall Toys, Pan Am Boxing,
King and Bannatyne, Warehouse Artworks, Mayberry Fine Art, King’s Head,
Deer + Almond, Into the Music and Parlour Coffee.
At a civic committee meeting earlier this week, Khan was even more blunt
about the changes outside the doors of his restaurant.
“I feel betrayed,” he told city councillors on the innovation and economic
development committee. “I feel hurt and I put so much into my store and it
is dying a slow death.
“You said you wanted to revitalize our downtown core, and we feel though
you have turned your backs on us.”
Khan said area businesses are fully supportive of bike lanes, but there
should have been an overall plan for the area before they were put in.
“No rights on reds because of bike lanes implemented on these lanes,” he
said. “I love the idea of bike lanes, but the rollout, design,
implementation... is a catastrophe — it is killing businesses.
“Was there thought put in to how it’s going to affect the business owners?”
Former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray, who lives, works and owns a business in
the downtown, said he signed the petition because he believes the city
needs an updated plan for the Exchange District.
“I’m a 12-months-of-the-year cyclist,” Murray said.
“We do want bicycling infrastructure in the area. But we need to have it
better designed and organized... We are asking the mayor and council to put
up a planning group.
“Right now, it really looks like an evacuation plan there.”
David Pensato, executive director of the Exchange District Business
Improvement Zone, said the owners group is also concerned about the price
of street parking in the area.
Currently, the price set by the Winnipeg Parking Authority is $3.50 per
hour in a large portion of the Exchange, but the city is looking at hiking
it further.
“It’s not supposed to be for revenue,” he said.
Jeremy Davis, a spokesman for Mayor Brian Bowman, said the mayor has
received the group’s letter and petition.
“Mayor Bowman has met with area businesses and the Exchange District BIZ to
discuss their concerns,” Davis said.
“The mayor will continue to be actively engaged with the Exchange District
BIZ to find solutions that can be acted upon for everyone’s benefit.”
kevin.rollason(a)freepress.mb.ca
*An excellent blog series from Transportation from America on how we
currently measure the success of our road networks (i.e. vehicle speed) and
how we should be measuring them (access to destinations, such as jobs and
services). *
MAKING ACCESS THE FOCUS OF TRANSPORTATION
Catch up on a week spent focusing on "connecting people to jobs and
services"
The concept of measuring transportation success by improving people's
access to opportunities <http://t4america.org/platform/>—not vehicle
speed—is often hard for people to wrap their heads around. Especially
because we have been wrongly conditioned to believe that being able to
drive fast equals a transportation system that works.
That's why we spent last week unpacking our third principle
<http://t4america.org/platform/> for transportation investment, connecting
people to jobs and services. Here's what we discussed:
*(1) Success is getting people where they need to go: *For decades,
transportation departments have been measuring the wrong thing: vehicle
speed. Instead of measuring the speed of a car, we should measure the
success of our transportation system by how many jobs and services people
can access safely, quickly and affordably. Read more on our blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/19/its-time-to-define-transportation-success-b…>
*(2) How bad metrics lead to even worse decisions: *When the top priority
of our transportation investments is moving cars as fast as possible, the
end product is streets that are wildly unsafe. This focus on vehicle speed
and throughput is the result of outdated metrics that utterly fail to
produce a transportation system that connects people to what they need
every day. Read more on our blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/18/destination-access-week-how-bad-metrics-lea…>
*(3) To improve equity, we need to measure what matters: *Our current
process for deciding which transportation projects to build only considers
vehicles—entirely ignoring people walking, biking, or taking transit. This
ignores the impacts on everyone not using a car, particularly low-income
persons, people of color, and older adults. Read more on our blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/20/to-connect-people-to-jobs-and-services-we-n…>
*(4) How does measuring access actually work? *Our colleagues at the State
Smart Transportation Initative explain how this new practice of measuring
access (called "destination access" by academics and policy wonks) works in
real life, and where and how is it already being used. Read more on our
blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/20/connecting-people-to-jobs-and-services-week…>
*5) Rethinking shared mobility:* Be it a new mode, like dockless
e-scooters, or a mode as fundamental as walking—all transportation
decisions must focus on connecting people to jobs and services. The New
Urban Mobility Alliance's Madlyn McAuilffe writes about how shared mobility
technologies can focus on achieving this goal. Read more on our blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/21/connecting-people-to-jobs-and-services-week…>
*(6) The legislative path forward: *Local governments, states, and
metropolitan planning organizations need support from the federal
government to undertake this new approach of measuring people's access to
jobs and services. It’s high time for Congress to make robust travel data
and analysis tools available to transportation agencies. Read more on the
blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/21/connecting-people-to-jobs-and-services-week…>
*(7) Why Des Moines wants Congress to step up:* The Des Moines Area MPO
wants to fund projects that improve access the most. But—like most MPOs and
local governments across the country—its budget for the technology that
makes this possible is small. It’s time for Congress to help local
communities invest in the right projects. Read more on the blog > >
<http://The%20Des%20Moines%20Area%20MPO%20wants%20to%20make%20a%20shift%20to…>
*(8) What happens when Jarrett Walker takes over your Twitter: *Who better
to explain how far we've deviated from transportation's purpose—to connect
people to opportunity—and how to get back on track than transit planner
Jarrett Walker? Walker and his team are famous for helping cities across
the world align their land use with transit goals. Check out the tweet
highlights on our blog > >
<http://t4america.org/2019/11/25/jarrett-walker-twitter-takeover/>
*Amid arm-band backlash, police data shows most pedestrians and cyclists
killed or seriously injured in Toronto are hit in daylight, with clear
visibility*
https://www.thestar.com/amp/news/gta/2019/11/26/amid-arm-band-backlash-poli…
A weekend event where seniors were given fluorescent arm bands to help
protect them from getting hit by cars has sparked a fierce backlash from
safe streets advocates who say the measure amounts to “victim blaming.”
Toronto Coun. James Pasternak was the latest to cross advocates on Monday
after he tweeted that high-visibility clothing or reflective gear is “a key
part” of keeping everyone — including pedestrians, construction workers,
cyclists and crossing guards — safe.
Toronto police investigate the scene of an Oct. 13 crash in which two
pedestrians and a baby in a stroller were struck at the intersection of
Pharmacy Avenue and Ellesmere Road shortly before 11 a.m. The driver fled
the scene, police said. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star)
That comment has prompted nearly 300 outraged responses
<https://twitter.com/PasternakTO/status/1199016505343651841?s=20> from
people who say asking pedestrians to wear reflective gear is at best a
distraction from the city’s efforts to reduce traffic deaths.
Several noted that a crossing guard
<https://www.therecord.com/news-story/9734496-waterloo-crossing-guard-struck…>
wearing a bright yellow and orange reflective vest was recently hit during
daylight hours in Waterloo, and referenced recent crashes in which drivers
plowed into (very visible) buildings.
<https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/22/driver-arrested-after-15-cars-h…>
“Wearing high visibility gear to protect yourself from negligent and
reckless drivers is like asking people to wear fire-retardant pyjamas to
bed just in case there’s a fire because someone was irresponsible with fire
codes & safety,” said one typical response from Dale Thompson
<https://twitter.com/daleethompson/status/1199349959826513920?s=20>. “In
other words: This isn’t a pedestrian issue,” he wrote.
The arm bands are supposed to make pedestrians, especially seniors who are
the ones more likely to be hit, more visible to drivers.
According to Toronto police data, most pedestrians and cyclists who are
killed or seriously injured on city streets are hit by drivers in daylight
hours with good visibility.
Between 2007 and 2018, a majority — 1,413 in total — of killed or seriously
injured pedestrians and cyclists were hit in daylight with clear
visibility, the conditions in which an arm band would be unlikely to make a
difference.
Those conditions account for 51 per cent of the 2,741 pedestrians and
cyclists have been killed or seriously injured over that period.
The other 1,328 were hit under other conditions, from dusk to dawn, or in
rainy, snowy, fogging or otherwise unclear visibility.
Police and Coun. Cynthia Lai handed out hundreds of the armbands to seniors
at Scarborough’s Woodside Square Mall on Saturday, part of an event in
which officers shared safety tips like the importance of making eye contact
with approaching drivers.
Lai later defended the event to the Star saying everyone has a shared
responsibility for road safety.
This kind of effort is “textbook victim-blaming” that contributes to
“misinformation” that pedestrians somehow contribute to their own deaths,
said road safety advocate Jessica Spieker, a spokesperson for advocacy
groups Friends and Families for Safe Streets.
“To distribute arm bands to seniors flagrantly flies in the face of all of
the evidence about road safety,” she said, adding that drivers and
infrastructure are at fault he “vast majority” of the time.
According to a city report on the same police data prepared as part of the
city’s Vision Zero plan to reduce traffic deaths
<https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/ie/bgrd/backgroundfile-134993.pdf>,
aggressive and distracted driving contribute to a majority — 52 per cent —
of all crashes that cause a death or serious injury on Toronto streets.
Spieker said she is frustrated with the “agonizingly slow” progress on
making streets safer under the city’s plan.
Ahead of police board meetings last week, Toronto police
<https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/21/toronto-police-board-reinstates…>
pointed to how crashes have spiked as traffic enforcement has fallen over
the last six years.
Police pointed to a sharp decline in provincial tickets arguing that the
board should reinstate a dedicated traffic enforcement squad, something it
agreed to do on Thursday.
Separate statistics also presented to the board show Toronto police charged
fewer drivers with a criminal traffic offence in 2018 than in any year
since the city’s amalgamation in 1998
<https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2019/11/22/even-as-collisions-rise-toronto…>.
Toronto police Deputy Chief Peter Yuen also defended the arm band giveaway,
saying Sunday it was planned as part of Pedestrian Safety Month for
seniors, who are disproportionately hit.
“Visibility is a key contributing factor in many pedestrian, road and
traffic incidents,” he wrote in an email.“We’ll continue to do all we can
to protect our communities and eliminate deaths and injuries on our roads.”
Speaking to CBC Radio’s “Metro Morning” on Tuesday, Councillor Pasternak
expanded on his reasoning for supporting giving out the armbands, telling
host Matt Galloway that the main focus of Vision Zero is to get cars to
slow down and making roadways safer, but there’s also a “public education”
aspect.
“And that’s why we’re encouraging people to, when they’re crossing, to make
eye contact with vehicles as they stop, to put away the cellphone and look
up as they’re crossing, wear bright clothing, and of course for all traffic
to stop.”
Pasternak, councillor for Ward 6 —York Centre, also chairs the
Infrastructure and Environment Committee which oversees the city’s Vision
Zero road safety plan. He rejects the idea that the arm bands are
victim-blaming.
“No one’s forcing anyone to take it,” he said.
“Nobody’s playing blame here.”
Insisting that Vision Zero is working, Pasternak admitted there’s “mayhem”
on the roads.
“And I don’t like using the word lawlessness, but to some degree people are
totally disregarding signalized intersections, stop signs, speed limits,
it’s a major problem,” he added.
The World Health Organization, he noted, does encourage
<https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/ma…>
educating pedestrians about the importance of wearing light-coloured
clothing and reflective materials.
“If we can save one life by reflective clothing or reflective gear I think
it’s worth it,” he added.
Traffic deaths have not significantly declined in the city since council
first adopted the Vision Zero plan in 2016, and both collisions and
pedestrian deaths hit a high for recent data last year.
Based on the Star’s count, 34 pedestrians have been killed in Toronto so
far this year.
*With files from Ed Tubb*
*May Warren is a breaking news reporter based in Toronto. Follow her on
Twitter: @maywarren11 <https://twitter.com/maywarren11>*
*From:* Ronauq Sabharwal <Ronauq.Sabharwal(a)cima.ca>
Good morning,
The *TAC Transportation Planning and Research Standing Committee* is
undertaking the project: *Methods for Estimating Latent Demand for Active
Transportation*.
Thank you to those who have already completed the survey. A reminder that
the deadline is this Friday, November 22. The survey takes approximately
~15 minutes to complete.
Your input will greatly help in understanding the existing research and
develop various methodologies to estimate latent demand for active
transportation and their benefits and dis-benefits.
If you are an employee in the public sector: The Jurisdictional Survey Link
<https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surve…>
*If you are an active transportation practitioner working in academia,
consulting or advocacy: The Practitioner Survey Link
<https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.surve…>*
Please see more information regarding the survey below. Thank you so much
for your time and if you have any questions, please contact me.
Regards,
Ronauq Sabharwal
------------------------------
*RONAUQ SABHARWAL, *MEngCEM
Traffic Analyst / Transportation – Traffic Engineering
*T* 905-695-1005 ext. 5744 *F* 905-695-0525
500–5935 Airport Road, Mississauga, ON L4V 1W5 CANADA
<http://www.cima.ca/>
------------------------------
Do you really need to print this email? Let's protect the environment!
CONFIDENTIALITY WARNING This e-mail is confidential. If you are not the
intended recipient, please notify the sender immediately and delete it in
its entirety.
Please see the information below on a town hall planned for December 5th
hosted by SafeSpeedsWPG and the Wolseley Residents Association.
Thanks
Dave
o
_ ( \ _
(X)\ /(X)
Hi everyone!
Please note, SafeSpeedsWPG and the Wolseley Residents Association are hosting
a Town Hall with Green Action Centre on December 5th, 7 - 8:30pm at Old
Grace Housing Co-op on Arlington Ave. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to
join the conversation about what safe residential speeds can do for people
and communities. We hope you'll attend and bring friends and family.
As well, SafeSpeedsWPG is now on Instagram! Please follow us @safespeedswpg
if you're on this platform and let others know.
For Instagram content, we are asking people to share their stories with
us: "what does a safe residential speed limit in your community mean to
you?" Please email me your stories with a photo or two and we will share
your stories on our page. As well, please send friends and family to
*www.safespeedswpg.com
<http://www.safespeedswpg.com> *- there, they can click on "Share your
story" for instructions on how to share their experiences and photos on our
Instagram page.
Hope to see you at our Town Hall and have a great holiday season!
Hi everyone,
Micromobility was a hot topic at the APBP conference in Portland this past
August. They defined it as: bikeshare (docked or dockless) and e-scooters.
Here is a summary of what we heard during panel presentations and on a
tour. Speakers noted that e-scooters are still very new, joking about their
lengthy experience being 1.5 years.
For the short version, simply read the Top 10 insights and Top needs below.
Or keep reading for lessons learned from a variety of cities along with
comments from vendors of bikeshares and e-scooters. And if you're visual,
there's a video link at the end.
cheers,
Beth
* * * * *
*Top 10 insights on bikeshares and e-scooters*
APBP Conference (Portland, OR) Aug 25-28, 2019
1. Bike lanes / paths / quiet streets preferred infra for e-scooter users
2. E-bikes the best bet for bikesharing
3. E-scooters considered the most financially viable opportunity for
vendors
4. Incorrect parking and illegal sidewalk riding main complaints about
e-scooters (along with speed)
5. Data sharing by vendors essential
6. Surcharges (or discounts) important to incentivize behaviour of both
vendors and users
7. Low income programs and lowered barriers to access important (eg.
PayNearMe, text-to-unload, distribution outside downtown)*
8. E-scooter collisions more frequent with first time users - intro
training program helps
9. Staff time is significant to set up, permit vendors, and administer
program
10. Ask for more from vendors (public ROW is valuable)
** Recommended to require this data breakout from vendors*
* * * * *
*Top needs for e-scooter introduction:*
1. Staff time
2. Regulation
3. Procurement framework (permitting vendors)
4. Fees to incentivize vendor and user behaviour
5. Set up data reporting standards
6. Continue to build out bikeway network (encourages ridership & safety)
7. Know that parking will be an issue
8. Work closely with other departments and regional partners, e.g. parks
dept, universities
Note: APBP is working on a micromobility policy statement that will include
key factors for success and recommendations.
* * * * *
*Spokane*
- They market it as "WheelShare
<https://my.spokanecity.org/projects/wheelshare/>" (covering e-bikes and
e-scooters)
- Use one vendor only (Lime) - more of a partnership
- Post-pilot settled on 100 e-bikes and 1200 e-scooters
- Get 3.7 rides/day e-scooters and 1.5/day e-bikes (2019 to date)
- #1 complaint - riding on downtown sidewalks (illegal but residents
don't believe or know that). About 50% of users ride on dntn sidewalk (34%
e-scooters and 16% e-bikes).
- Also an issue with scooter parking blocking peds
- Scoot Spokane First Ride program for new scooter users
- Data from Lime helps them identify where there is demand/need for
infrastructure
*Minneapolis*
- Branded as Nice Ride <https://www.niceridemn.com/>
- 3100 bikes (combination docked and dockless, and now e-bikes)
- Now looking to replace all of their pedal bikes with e-bikes
- Scooters are not allowed on sidewalks anywhere
- Helmet recommended but not required
- Bike network pretty good and also used for scooters
- Piloting scooter parking (painted stencil) within buffer zones of dntn
bike lane grid
- Scooters proving popular; only had 1 serious user injury to date (not
life altering)
- Vendor permits require distribution with 40% dntn and 30% in areas of
concentrated poverty (i.e. less than $46K/yr)
- Offer a reduced fare program
- 35% of scooter users are new (i.e. they are not cyclists)
- Avg trip length is 1.3 miles
*Seattle*
- Launched dockless bikeshare pilot in July 2017:
- permitted private vendors
- regulated operations
- collected fees and data
- wanted no cost to the city
- Jump & Lime now operating in Seattle (Lyft permitted but haven't
launched)
- Looking to launch e-scooters in 2020
- Will permit up to 20,000 bikes but only 5-7K deployed at present
- Want more e-bikes but they're more expensive and harder for vendors to
provide
- Offer low income programs and lowered barriers to access - Jump uses
Uber gift card with text-to-unload; Lime uses PayNearMe
<https://home.paynearme.com/> (7-11s) with text-to-unload
- Data collection lesson learned - now wish they'd also required vendors
to provide breakout of low income % usage
- Partner with Outdoors for All Foundation
<https://outdoorsforall.org/about-us/who-we-are/> (adaptive bikes,
like Freedom
Concepts <https://www.freedomconcepts.com/> does in MB) to allow more
people to experience bikesharing
- Bike parking - added ~150 new bike corrals in 2019 near transit and
areas without bike parking (can be used for both bikeshare and personal
bikes)
- Logged almost 900,000 rides this year
- Ongoing fleet audits & infractions:
- Bikeshare parking -
- 2% ADA violations
- 10-20% obstruction hazards
- 25-30% improperly parked
- Bikeshare maintenance -
- 1.5% safety maintenance issues
- 4.8% not in good working order
*Portland*
- Now in their second pilot
<https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/77294> for e-scooter
sharing
- Not branded; 6 vendors operating in Portland - Lime, Bird, Spin, Razor
(seated scooters), Shared, Bolt
- Require data sharing and ensure the privacy of sensitive location data
- Report from first pilot
<https://www.portlandoregon.gov/transportation/article/709719> found:
- 71% used e-scooters for transportation
- 34% replaced driving and ride-hailing with scooter trips
- 44% of users new to the bike lane
- Positive response from 62% of Portlanders
- Users prefer low-speed streets and bike lanes
- Scooter program also popular with people of colour and low income
- After first pilot, found that people wanted more access to scooters in
more parts of the city as well as seated scooters
- Complaints mostly around incorrect scooter parking and illegal
sidewalk riding
- Portland Tribune article (August 27, 2019) reported results for first
6 months of 2nd e-scooter pilot:
- 253,690 trips logged during the first 10 weeks of program
- 307,456 total miles logged by users
- 46 emergency room trips linked to e-scooter crashes (source:
Multnomah County Health Dept)
- 16 reports of e-scooter collisions
- 903 complaints sent to e-scooter vendors by the public regarding
bad behaviour
- 371 emails sent by the public to PBOT
- 340 total fines and warnings issued by PBOT staff for illegal
parking or riding on sidewalks
- Vendor permits require deployment in areas outside dntn
- Think scooters likely worth it even if it's eating a bit into
bikeshare usage
- If Portland decides to continue with e-scooters after the 2nd pilot,
they may consider partnering with 1 vendor; if the results are still not
clear they might continue with multiple vendors
- *Additional learnings from Micromobility mobile conference tour:*
- E-scooter users prefer using bike network to other streets
- Avg trip length = ~0.6 mile
- Scooters not allowed on park greenways along river (most
popular/desirable route); lesson learned - talk to your parks dept in
planning stages
- Low income pass with debit/cash options available for both
bikeshare and e-scooters but little uptake for e-scooters (difficult to
access)
- PBOT doesn't require speed cap on e-scooters (some cities cap
anywhere from 5-15 mph)
- Vendors are asked to incentive users to return scooters to a
designated zone
- PBOT provides surcharge discount to place scooters in
neighbourhoods with less demand (e.g. 20 cent surcharge in Dntn Portland
but 5 cents in East Portland)
- Biketown <https://www.biketownpdx.com/> - have 5 motorized
(e-assist) trikes to rebalance distribution of bikeshare; also have 2 big
transit vans - trikes used to get the bikes to one station for
van to pick
up a bunch at once
- Emissions tracking - this year PBOT is requiring reporting of VMT
for redistribution (vans); also analyzing the life cycle of e-scooters to
ensure there is an environmental ROI
- E-bikes are a game changer (e.g. distance boundaries) but more
challenging to rebalance as they're even heavier
- Injuries - most scooter users who get injured do so on their first
ride (but usually continue to ride)
- State law requires helmets on scooters but not for bikes
- Surcharges / fees charged to vendors and users goes to support
program administration (but not enough to fund infra)
- *Comments from other tour participants:*
- Don't use Skip (battery explosions)
- E-scooters hard on knees & back due to user's joints absorbing
the shock; Lime coming out with front shocks
<https://techau.com.au/lime-scooter-v3-adds-2-8-colour-display-bigger-wheels…>
- Kelowna got around provincial legislation by passing a municipal
by-law allowing e-scooters on specific multi-use pathways
<https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kelownas-experiment-with-e-scooters-a-major-sum…>
*San Francisco*
- Offer both dockless bikeshare and e-scooters
- 12-month pilot ends Oct 14, 2019
- 2 permittees - Skip and Scoot
- Key metrics for pilot project:
- Use (# trips & availability)
- Safety and accessibility (collisions, lock-to, user education)
- Equity and engagement (demographics, programming)
- Number complaints / citations
- Pilot found 42% of all trips replace auto trips
- Lessons learned from pilot -
- Ask for more from vendors (public ROW is valuable)
- Even though vendors are responsible, the city is accountable (takes
flack because it's public ROW)
- 2/3 of scooters were stolen in the first few weeks of availability
- Don't underestimate staff time needed (e.g. even once you've
developed the permit requirements, scoring applications incredibly time
intensive)
*General notes from vendor presentations (Lime, Spin, Jump)*
- Geofencing used to help enforce city regulations on use (e.g. scooters
are not allowed on park greenways in Portland)
- Micromobility helpful not only for first/last mile but also in areas
not well served by transit
- Vendors are interested in cities where there is good bike infra as
it's critical for success (influences decision to come and to stay)
- Also important is the city's attitude, i.e. openness to collaborate
and interest in helping ensure viability
- Lime rep noted that a low performing scooter market still does better
than a high performing e-bike market (scooters are the real route for
vendor viability)
- 1/3 of Lime riders report an income $50K or less; Lime Access provides
50% discount to qualified individuals along with cash & non-smartphone
options; also provide multilingual safety and rider education materials and
hire from under-resourced communities.
- Spin bought out by Ford last year
- Jump Bicycles started out as Social Bicycles (Sobi) but then bought by
Uber; now have both bikes and scooters
- Jump's data shows only a 13% overlap between bike and scooter users,
reinforcing experience elsewhere
- Future - looking at kiosks where users can swap out batteries
themselves
* * * * *
*APBP Portland: **Going Macro with Micromobility (panel video) *
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc13hqk7OeA
This panel will explore the evolving landscape of micromobility and its
integration into cities. Panelists from large and mid-size cities will
discuss their experiences and approaches in working with private
micromobility providers and adapting programs and facilities to new users
and rules of the road. Micromobility providers will shed light on the
factors involved in success and profitability, and their experiences as
private companies operating in the public realm. Moderated discussions and
audience questions will go deeper into the dynamics between public and
private entities in the transportation realm, and challenge us to envision
the streetscape of the future (including winners and losers in the race for
mode share).
0:00 - Melissa May White, AICP, SSFM International, Inc.
1:54 - Rae-Leigh Stark, Toole Design
13:20 - Brandon Blankenagel, City of Spokane
20:34 - Alexander Kado, City of Minneapolis
29:25 - Joel Miller, Seattle Department of Transportation
39:18 - Briana Orr, Portland Bureau of Transportation
51:13 - Jamie Parks, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
1:01:22 - City Panel Q&A
1:11:53 - Gabriel Scheer, Lime
1:22:45 - Kay Cheng, Spin
1:33:54 - Anne Brask, Jump
1:41:46 - Provider Panel Q&A
1:52:55 - William Henderson, RideReport
2:04:04 - Combined Panel Q&A
Recorded at the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
conference in Portland, OR, August 28, 2019.
Free Webinar: December 3 at 3:00 pm EDT
Traffic Safety and Its Relationship to Vision Zero
Register here
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SDjc5cW1Fq9pJIwVXKTD75KK6wTp7TEB6sPvj-efsUXh…>
There is growing interest in “traffic safety culture” (TSC) as a key factor
to manage and sustain safe roadway transportation systems, especially as
more jurisdictions adopt targets of zero traffic fatalities and serious
injuries. However, the theory, terminology, and methods involved in
addressing TSC come from human and social science disciplines that are not
always familiar to traffic safety agencies (e.g., departments of
transportation, driver’s licensing, motor vehicle records, etc.). The lack
of shared language and understanding about TSC limits the ability of
agencies to explore this topic and engage new stakeholders. Additionally,
the variation in the interpretation and implementation of TSC strategies
has resulted in a lack of consensus about best practices. Communication
tools that develop shared language and understanding about TSC and its
relationship to vision zero goals are needed. This webinar will summarize
the TSC Primer and its supporting toolkit that have been developed to
address this need as part of a multi-state pooled fund project.
Learn More About Pooled Fund Program
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001SDjc5cW1Fq9pJIwVXKTD75KK6wTp7TEB6sPvj-efsUXh…>
Speakers
Sue Sillick, Montana Department of Transportation
Nic Ward, Center for Health and Safety Culture
Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of
the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…>
boardroom.
This will be followed by discussion for those who wish to stay.
* * * * *
Aging in Place: Designing Communities to Support Mobility
Wed, Nov 20th at 2:00 pm
One of the greatest challenges for maintaining the health and independence
of our aging population is designing communities that provide accessible
connections to support the changing mobility needs of our elders. Designing
communities with the senior in mind can provide improved opportunities for
healthy transportation while preserving independence and dignity for people
who wish to age in place. What’s more, communities that work for our eldest
populations benefit users of all abilities.
Presenters:
- Carol Kachadoorian, Toole Design
- Katie White, The Ohio State University College of Social Work
- Madeline Brozen, UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies