AT-Network November 2020

at-network@lists.umanitoba.ca

5 participants
23 discussions

How to Bike With Disabilities, Discrimination, and Difference

by Beth McKechnie

Some of the most intimidating barriers to enjoying cycling have less to do with non-existent bike lanes and hulking SUVs, and more to do with the *kinds* of bodies our cycling culture is built to suit — and in a new online speaker series, 13 riders shared stories of how disability, discrimination, and differences have shaped the way they ride. https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/10/29/how-to-bike-with-and-not-always-desp… <https://usa.streetsblog.org/2020/10/29/how-to-bike-with-and-not-always-desp…>

3 years, 5 months

WFP: ‘Open streets’ experiment draws positive reviews (Nov5'20)

by Beth McKechnie

‘Open streets’ experiment draws positive reviews https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/open-streets-experiment-draws-posit… WINNIPEGGERS appear to have welcomed “open streets” offering more room for active transportation, though the routes aren’t slated to become permanent fixtures just yet. Nearly a dozen open streets were tested this year, where vehicle traffic was limited to just one block from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The routes were created to provide extra space for pedestrians and cyclists to stay active while also keeping at least two metres apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. A new city report notes 65 per cent of 5,436 people surveyed about the routes rated their experience as “very positive,” while another 14 per cent rated it as “positive.” However, the document also warns more work is required to determine where to place the routes going forward. That includes additional monitoring once post-pandemic traffic volumes resume. “Generally, the response to the open streets pilot was positive and suggests further pilot programs be implemented along with further technical analysis prior to recommending a permanent program,” the report notes. Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said he was pleased with the overall positive assessment. “Those streets have been very popular and there’s strong demand,” he said Wednesday. The report follows a lobby from council’s public works chairman, Coun. Matt Allard, to permanently add seasonal active transportation routes on 15 streets, which would run seven days a week between the May long and Thanksgiving weekends. The St. Boniface councillor said those routes should include 10 sections of “open streets” the city tested out this year, plus sections of five new ones. Instead, the public service suggests specific route recommendations be made in a separate report in February. Cohoe said allowing for a little more time to plan and additional pilot projects should help determine the best and safest possible routes. In an email, Allard’s office said he expects to support the plan: “The consultation demonstrated widespread public support and provides a process for how to continue and improve this great program.” Mayor Brian Bowman said he’s still reviewing the report but also sees a need to explore more permanent active transportation links, whether or not the pandemic ends by next spring. “I’m absolutely open to active transportation changes that could be made that are more permanent,” said Bowman. The city report does note not everyone who actually lives on an open street welcomes the concept, with approval ratings within that group varying widely. About 97 per cent of Egerton Avenue residents rated their experience with the routes as “very positive” or “positive,” while 52 per cent of Vialoux Drive residents rated their experience as either “negative” or “very negative.” Overall, about 18 per cent of residents with homes along the routes reported a “negative” or “very negative” experience. While there was some conflict between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists along the routes, the public service is aware of just one minor collision, the report notes. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

3 years, 5 months

WFP: Winter pedallers now a common sight on city roads (Nov2'20)

by Beth McKechnie

SUB-ZERO cycling spikes Winter pedallers now a common sight on city roads https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/sub-zero… MIA Douchant calls her chariot Red Lightning. By her admission, it’s a “very old” Raleigh bike that she bought second-hand. The brakes, she says, are “a little questionable.” But this winter, whenever the library assistant commutes from downtown Winnipeg to the University of Manitoba, Red Lightning will carry her there. She normally carpools, but her co-pooler, a librarian, is still working from home. “So it was either I drive myself, which I didn’t want to do, take the bus, which I didn’t want to do, or bicycle,” she says. With the pandemic raging, and public transit a bit overwhelming, Douchant chose the latter option — pedalling forward into several months of powder and slush in hopes of staying in shape and getting to work on time. After getting wider tires, a studded front wheel, and converting her two-wheeler into a single-speed drivetrain, Douchant started riding to and from work — a 10-kilometre trek each way — in the snow. “It’s tough so far, but online, everyone says it gets better,” she says. There might have been a time when Red Lightning stood out on the city’s roadways, but winter cycling has gone from obscurity to commonality in recent years. Much of that has to do with upgrades to the biking grid and the proliferation of “fat” bikes, rides with wider, stable tires, local enthusiasts say, but just as much has to do with the fact those riding during the winter no longer feel quite as alone out there. “I don’t recall getting any sideways looks,” says Karin McSherry, who’s been riding in the winter since 1997. “But I don’t recall too many others out there.” Now, watch a snow-covered street for a few minutes, and you’ll likely see a bike roll on by. This winter, the number of winter cyclists has no doubt been increased by the pandemic: many people, like Douchant, have had to rethink their means of conveyance, and others, like Eric Timperman, were inspired to make the change when co-workers weren’t calling it quits when the snow fell. Timperman, a double bassist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, said he also wanted to drive less, saving money on parking and gas while also reducing his ecological footprint. (He doesn’t plan on carrying his instrument while biking, sparing himself a hernia). “It just seemed to be a good time to dip my toes in the water,” he said. “I’m a total beginner.” Last week, Timperman went with a colleague to Bikes and Beyond on Henderson Highway to take stock of the stock. They settled on a Norco Indie4 with studded tires and mechanical brakes, which work better in the cold. It’s ordered, and Timperman is both excited and apprehensive to take it for a spin. Emily Payne, a salesperson at the store, says there has been a lot of interest in winter cycling, something she took up in 2017. “I used to think you had to be a Nordic god to do it,” she says. But after winterizing your bike, she said, you have to winterize yourself, preparing for the conditions and conditioning yourself to handle the change in terrain. It turns out even mortals can conquer the task. And many mere mortals are trying it out this year, says Alter Ego Sports’ Rick Yaschyshyn, who’s been a winter cyclist for decades. Yaschyshyn said this year’s sales have been busier than ever, and he attributes the bump to COVID- 19. During the summer, many rediscovered the joy of cycling, and when winter came, didn’t want to stop feeling it. In particular, fat bikes have been a quick mover. When Yaschyshyn started riding, people thought he was crazy. (In 2018, city councillor Jeff Browaty famously called winter cyclists “extreme cyclists,” an honorific some now wear with pride). “Now they realize it’s just what I do,” he said. “That’s Rick, and he rides his bike year-round.” Currie Gillespie leads a winter ride for Woodcock Cycle called Fat Fridays, when riders of the fat-tired bicycles — which are considerably more expensive than a converted bike but offer more stability — get together to explore the city. “I don’t think the question is, ‘Why should I ride in the winter,’” he says. “The question is ‘Why not?’” Some reasons might be timidity about the terrain, ultracold temperatures, and fear of sharing the road with drivers, but Payne, Gillespie and Yaschyshyn all say experience helps allay those concerns. Douchant has some concerns of her own: bike lanes are often not cleared or salted, and the conditions are proving to be a little more difficult than she anticipated, she says. But even though she really feels each of the 10 kilometres, she’s satisfied with her decision so far. “And I haven’t wiped out yet,” she says with some pride. ben.waldman(a)freepress.mb.ca

3 years, 5 months

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AT-Network November 2020