AT-Network May 2021

at-network@lists.umanitoba.ca

2 participants
13 discussions

Global: 40 is the new 50: lower speed limit for Calgary’s residential roads now in effect (May31'21)

by Beth McKechnie

The speed limit for residential roads in Calgary dropped to 40 km/h on Monday, with the hope it will make the streets safer and reduce accidents. https://globalnews.ca/news/7890897/calgary-residental-roads-speed-limit-red…

2 years, 10 months

WFP Analysis: Alberta cities excel in urban change (May31'21)

by Beth McKechnie

Alberta cities excel in urban change https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/alberta-cities-excel-in-… FOR many years, the fast-growing cities of Calgary and Edmonton have been the stereotype for sprawling, car-dominant urban planning, but recently they have begun to shed that image and are in many ways becoming North American leaders in progressive urban design and city building policy. Other cities might take note. Private vehicles have shaped our cities more than anything else over the last century, but the environmental, economic, urban quality and social equity impacts of cars has progressive cities looking to diversify mobility options. Calgary and Edmonton both made the investment in light rail transit more than 40 years ago, when they had less than two-thirds of Winnipeg’s current population. Today, broad public support is fuelling transit investment and expansion in both cities. Backed with significant federal funding available to all cities, current construction of the Valley Line in Edmonton will more than double the city’s 24-kilometre- long LRT system by 2026, and Calgary will soon begin construction on the 20-kilometer-long Green Line, adding to its current 60 kilometres of rail transit. In Calgary, 45 per cent of people who work downtown commute by train. The network is used by more than 300,000 people per day, making it one of the busiest LRT systems in North America, second only to Guadalajara, Mexico. Calgary has also demonstrated leadership in active transportation development. In 2014, the city installed a complete, temporary downtown grid of protected bike lanes, all at once. The network has since been made permanent and the results have been significant, with more than 18,000 cyclists entering or leaving downtown daily, an increase of more than 300 per cent over 20 years. The City of Edmonton is not only working to diversify mobility, they have also committed to building safer streets for all road users, to calm traffic, reduce collisions, promote walking and cycling, and create more liveable, and healthier neighbourhoods. The city has implemented a Vision Zero policy with the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities by the year 2032. Funded by revenues from red light cameras and automated traffic enforcement, the city has been building traffic-calming elements into street design that intuitively slow drivers through changes in the physical environment. This includes narrowing streets and lanes, adding speed bumps and raised crosswalks, building protected bike lanes, and extending curbs at intersections to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians. The city is going even further, announcing that speed limits on all residential and high-pedestrian main streets will be reduced to 40 km/h. These initiatives have found success. Over the last five-year period (pre-pandemic), Edmonton reduced vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists by nearly 30 per cent, overall collision fatalities decreased by 56 per cent and serious injuries declined by 30 per cent. The number of trips taken by bicycle has also doubled in the last ten years across the city. Urban mobility is one way Calgary and Edmonton are moving into the future, reconsidering land-use policy is another. Calgary will hit the ground running as we move out of the pandemic, recently releasing a visionary, ten year, one billion dollar downtown plan. The urban transformation road map will ensure economic and cultural prosperity for the city centre long into the future. A $200-million initial investment will be used to fund affordable housing and office tower conversions, greenspace development, arts and culture, and public realm improvements, focused on creating a liveable downtown neighbourhood that redefines the business district into a vibrant, 24-7 centre of the city. Edmonton’s land use policy has been the gold standard for promoting neighbourhood densification, renewal, and infill development in mature neighbourhoods. The city’s successful Infill Roadmap began in 2014 with dedicated political buy-in from city council, which moved forward a comprehensive network of guidelines that shape development, monitor construction sites, encourage good design and promote clear dialogue between all stakeholders. Its success has seen a public fear of change evolve into a greater understanding of the economic, environmental, and social benefits of higher-density growth and acceptance that neighbourhood character and demographics can evolve without detriment to quality of life. Last year, 30 per cent of all new development in Edmonton occurred as infill in mature neighbourhoods, more than twice Winnipeg’s current levels. Edmonton has not stopped with this success, recently becoming the first city in Canada to eliminate minimum parking requirements for new developments that stifle investment and lead to overbuilt parking in new construction. The city is also working on a new zoning system that will re-think the city’s entire land-use policy to prioritize economic and environmental sustainability, social and housing equity, neighbourhood mobility and walkability. Implementing progressive urban change in Alberta’s cities should not be dismissed as a function of wealth. It is not a matter of money; it is about priorities and political will. Continuing the ideas of the past and moving forward with apprehension will be a greater cost to other cities. Calgary and Edmonton still struggle with urban sprawl, as most Canadian cities do, but bold leadership is executing a progressive vision that will push those cities into a prosperous future. Rethinking the urban mobility and land-use ideas of the past is not radical, it is just what progressive cities do. *Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

2 years, 10 months

Upcoming Free Webinar on Pedestrian Safety on Arterial Streets

by Beth McKechnie

*Webinar Announcement* Upcoming Webinar on Pedestrian Safety on Arterial Streets *Tuesday, June 15, 2021* 1:00-2:30 pm Eastern Time Register Here <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> Communities across the country face challenges in improving safety for pedestrians on arterial streets, which account for the majority of pedestrian deaths in the US each year compared to other street types. At the same time, there are numerous policy and design solutions available to improve safety and comfort on arterials for vulnerable road users. During this webinar, panelists will share the latest research on the safety, equity, and health challenges presented by arterials and what can be done to rebalance these streets for all road users. Panelists include Dan Goodman (Toole Design), Thomas Hillman (Toole Design), and Dr. Carey McAndrews (University of Wisconsin). ------------------------------ PBIC offers free, public webinars approximately every month. To register for upcoming webinars and to access archived presentations, please visit www.pedbikeinfo.org/webinars <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> . Follow the PBIC on Twitter <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and Facebook <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and join the discussion [image: https://twitter.com/pedbikeinfo?lang=en] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: https://www.facebook.com/pedbikeinfo] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/index.cfm] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> ------------------------------ Since its inception in 1999, PBIC's mission has been to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ------------------------------ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center 730 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 300 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Add us to your address book <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/vcard?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e453ab5d&…> Phone: 1.888.823.3977 Fax: 919.962.8710 www.pedbikeinfo.org <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> View this email in your browser <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…>

2 years, 10 months

Upcoming Webinar on Improving Traffic Signals for Bicycling and Walking

by Beth McKechnie

*Webinar Announcement* Upcoming Webinar on Improving Traffic Signals for Bicycling and Walking *Wednesday, June 9, 2021* 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern Time Register Here <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> This webinar will focus on how transportation professionals and practitioners can use traffic signals to make intersections safer and more comfortable for nonmotorized road users. Panelists, including Peter Koonce, PE, of Portland, Oregon, and Peter Furth, of Northeastern University, will describe strategies for improving intersections through signal timing, cycle lengths, speed management, protected phasing, and more. Participants will learn about the latest advances and trends in managing traffic signals to prioritize bicycling and walking. This is the first webinar in a two-part session, co-hosted by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, to explore multimodal traffic signal improvements. ------------------------------ PBIC offers free, public webinars approximately every month. To register for upcoming webinars and to access archived presentations, please visit www.pedbikeinfo.org/webinars <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> . Follow the PBIC on Twitter <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and Facebook <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and join the discussion [image: https://twitter.com/pedbikeinfo?lang=en] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: https://www.facebook.com/pedbikeinfo] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/index.cfm] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> ------------------------------ Since its inception in 1999, PBIC's mission has been to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ------------------------------ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center 730 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 300 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Add us to your address book <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/vcard?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e453ab5d&…> Phone: 1.888.823.3977 Fax: 919.962.8710 www.pedbikeinfo.org <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> View this email in your browser <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…>

2 years, 11 months

WFP: ‘The toll on our roads’: report delves into deaths (May19'21)

by Beth McKechnie

‘The toll on our roads’: report delves into deaths https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/the-toll-on-our-roads-574448132.html THE flash of the fire truck’s lights ahead signalled for a slowdown while cruising St. Mary’s Road with the windows down. It was late March, but an unseasonably warm afternoon. School had just let out. Teens and preteens from four schools flooded the area sidewalks. Drivers rubbernecked as they passed the accident, only to catch a glimpse of a blond boy, probably no older than 13 or 14, lying on the pavement, next to his bicycle, in a marked crosswalk near the median. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service later reported the adolescent cyclist didn’t sustain any major injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution. The boy is one of hundreds of Manitoba cyclists and pedestrians who will be injured or killed by drivers over the course of the year. Most such incidents won’t make it into the news cycle. On average, between 2012 and 2019, 260 pedestrians and cyclists were injured or killed annually in vehicle accidents in Manitoba. The average number of deaths in that time period is 15 per year. While exact data for Winnipeg is difficult to distil from the statistics provided by Manitoba Public Insurance, most of those accidents occurred in urban settings. Winnipeg is Manitoba’s biggest urban centre. One-hundred-and-twenty Manitobans died while walking or cycling between 2012 and 2019. “Our approach to ground transportation has been to make it as safe as possible for cars and for drivers, and everybody else is a secondary consideration,” said Brian Pincott, executive director of Vélo Canada Bikes. “We are seeing the toll on our roads, and our streets, and our neighbourhoods that that approach is bringing us — particularly as more and more people are now looking to use other means than just driving everywhere.” In 2019, MPI data show walking as the second-leading activity for a vehicle-involved fatality (23 per cent). Head-on collisions between two vehicles was No. 1. The problem may be getting worse. In 2018 and 2019, the number of pedestrians involved in car accidents increased substantially from the averages seen previously. Between 2012 and 2017, the average number of pedestrians involved in accidents was 150 per year. In 2018, it was 227; in 2019, it was 205. The MPI analysis found that fatal collisions are most likely to occur on weekdays between noon and 6 p.m.; they are most likely to involve teenagers 15 to 19 years old. The 2019 statistics show a pedestrian was most likely to be involved in a collision when walking in a marked crosswalk at an intersection, where they have the right of way. In other words, when they followed the rules of the road. Meantime, convincing Winnipeggers to leave their cars at home and walk and cycle is a critical part of the city’s climate plan to reduce emissions. “I think it speaks to the need to build more protected infrastructure to meet our climate goals,” said Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface). “We’ve gone a long way from where things used to be, but we need to prioritize active transportation more than we currently do in order to get to those goals and to reduce injuries to our cyclists and pedestrians.” Winnipeg currently has the fewest kilometres of bike trails of any large Canadian city (307 km) — compared with 557 km in Toronto, 800 km in Ottawa, and 1,290 km in Calgary. However, Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) says he’d like to see more focus on the separation of cars from cyclists and pedestrians, with the prioritization of car-only infrastructure. For example, the construction of Chief Peguis Trail cleared a great deal of car traffic off residential roads. “Compared to other cities, a lot more of our traffic goes down arterials that are shared, which aren’t as well-split as you’d find in some cities,” Browaty said. He also advocated for better enforcement and public campaigns to address the dangers of distracted driving and distracted walking, too. Both Pincott and Allard disputed Browaty’s approach of continued investment in car infrastructure. “We’ve been focusing almost exclusively on car infrastructure for the last 100 years. I would say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result,” Pincott offered. “If you invest in road infrastructure, particularly if you invest in expanding road networks, then you induce demand for more cars and more congestion. And if you want to induce demand for active transportation, you need to build more active transportation infrastructure,” Allard said. sarah.lawrynuik(a)freepress.mb.ca

2 years, 11 months

Fwd: VCB's Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll

by Dave Elmore

I'm sure everyone has likely heard about this, but in case you have not signed up yet. Cheers Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X) ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Vélo Canada Bikes <admin(a)membership.canadabikes.org> Date: Mon, May 17, 2021 at 3:18 PM Subject: VCB's Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll To: Dave Elmore <daveelmore12(a)gmail.com> <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> *Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll* Dear Dave, It's two weeks until the start of the 1st Canada Wide Bike Count! Not only are we doing the 1st country wide count, we are also looking who is riding and where. The data we collect will be used to advocate for more cycling for everyone, everywhere! So far we have almost 500 volunteers signed up coast to coast to coast! Join us for this important initiative. Sign up today: Pedal Poll/Sondo Vélo <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Happy Riding! (is there any other way??) Brian Brian Pincott Executive Director Directeur Executif he/him Vélo Canada Bikes ed(a)canadabikes.org 403-701-6335 @bpincott @Canada_Bikes Become a VCB Member <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Member Log In <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Unsubscribe <https://membership.canadabikes.org/Sys/Unsubscribe?et=CGi9kJ%2bKnivL%2fdAOy…>

2 years, 11 months

WFP: Cyclists ready to hit Winnipeg’s ‘open’ roads (May13'21)

by Beth McKechnie

Cyclists ready to hit Winnipeg’s ‘open’ roads https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cyclists-ready-to-hit-winnipegs-ope… WINNIPEGGERS who are eagerly waiting to cycle down “open streets” this year wish the city could have put its pedal to the metal. On Wednesday, the city announced the long-awaited timeline to set up the routes, which were popular last year. Cyclist Zach Fleisher welcomed the move, but questioned why city council and staff couldn’t have implemented the plan sooner. “Especially during COVID, at this stage of the lockdown, there’s not much else to do and it would have been really, really nice (to use these),” he said. “For the life of me, I just can’t figure out why this isn’t a priority.” City council recently approved a pilot project that will limit vehicle traffic to one block on sections of 17 streets so cyclists have more room. Now known as “enhanced summer bike routes,” these were slated to begin as early as May 3 and last until Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except for a few routes restricted to weekends and holidays. That’s an extension from the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily hours offered last year. While none of the routes had the proper barricades and signs in place to officially begin operating on Wednesday, a city official announced that will soon change. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipeg’s public works director, said eight of the routes — on Rover Avenue, Scotia Street, Lyndale Drive, Wolseley Avenue, Kildonan Drive, Wellington Avenue, Wellington Crescent, and Assiniboine Avenue — will open by Saturday. The rest will be installed between May 17 and May 21. Fleisher said the traffic-calmed routes offered a much-needed pandemic reprieve last year, which he looks forward to using again under the current lockdown. “People don’t have a lot going on right now. You can’t go anywhere. You can’t even go to a patio with friends or stay (with friends) in the backyard,” he said. “Having the opportunity to ride my bike on weekends with my kid… is one of the few things (I could do) right now.” Julie Penner was also frustrated by the wait, as her family found biking together on Wolseley Avenue to be a rare “highlight of the pandemic” last year. “We’re already in mid-May, it’s going to be 23 C today. It’s the first day of remote schooling, I have two little kids at home and (this is needed),” said Penner on Wednesday morning. She said she’s excited to learn a timeline to open the routes is in place, especially after pandemic restrictions cut off sports and other activities for her kids. “Time is of the essence. People need things to do outside safely,” she said. Berezowsky said the routes couldn’t open by May 3 because the city needed to create new signs and education material to reflect key changes from last year’s routes, which council finalized in a vote on April 29. “This is a fundamental shift or change in understanding and we’ve got to make sure we get it right or we’re going to create conflict,” he said. Unlike last year’s “open streets,” the cycling routes won’t allow pedestrians, since the city has since discovered that doing so violated the Highway Traffic Act. The act prohibits pedestrians from walking on roadways where a “reasonably passable” sidewalk is present. The 2021 routes will also operate for longer hours. “We’re providing that information, education and awareness to the community about what’s happening, how you can use it and what you can’t do,” said Berezowsky. The city’s education efforts will include hand-delivered information to homes near the routes. Coun. Matt Allard, chairman of the public works committee, said council approved the program as quickly as it could. “I think council got the job done in plenty of time. We provided very clear direction to the public service,” said Allard. Ready to roll THE following summer cycling routes will open by May 15: ● Lyndale Drive: Cromwell to Gauvin streets ● Scotia Street: Anderson (at St. Cross Street) to Armstrong avenues (weekends, holidays only) ● Wellington Crescent: Academy Road to Guelph Street ● Wolseley Avenue: Raglan Road to Maryland Street ● Kildonan Drive: Helmsdale Avenue to Irving Place ● Rover Avenue — Hallet to Stephens streets (weekends, holidays only) ● Assiniboine Avenue: Parkside Drive to Ferry Road (weekends, holidays only) ● Wellington Avenue: Maryland to Strathcona streets (weekends, holidays only) THE following routes will open between May 17 and May 21: ● Churchill Drive: Hay Street to Jubilee Avenue ● Egerton Road: Bank to Morier avenues ● Kilkenny Drive/Kings Drive: Burgess to Patricia avenues ● Alexander Avenue: Arlington to Princess streets ● Ravelston Avenue: Wayoata to Brewster streets ● Linwood Street: Portage to Silver avenues ● Harbison Avenue West: Henderson Highway to its eastern end ● Rose Lake Court, surrounding Rose Lake Green ● Youville Street: Eugenie Street to Haig Avenue (after reconstruction of Des Meurons Street)

2 years, 11 months

Corvallis (OR) building map of shortcuts for peds & cyclists

by Beth McKechnie

https://democratherald.com/news/local/corvallis-building-map-of-shortcuts/a… Corvallis transportation officials want you to give them a shortcut. Or at least that’s what we’re calling them. The city of Corvallis, which sometimes is a bit wordy, is calling them “active travel corridors.” The concept works like this: There are routes folks take on bicycle and on foot that are off-limits to motorists. A street dead-ends, but the sidewalk continues, or a path exists through a park. Advantage active travelers! Here are a couple of examples: • Both Northwest Eighth Street and Northwest Seventh Street dead-end just south of the Linn-Benton Community Benton Center. But paths and sidewalks will take you right to the campus (see map). • Northwest Tyler Avenue dead-ends tantalizingly short of Harrison Boulevard. But a path exists to transport a cyclist or walker to Harrison. • A bridge over Dixon Creek will get you from Northwest Arthur Avenue to Northwest Arthur Place … and eventually to Kings Boulevard. • Porter Park, meanwhile, provides a pleasant pathway for a cyclist or pedestrian motivating between Garfield and Grant. Corvallis is collecting the ATCs to put on an interactive map (see information box for the link). Some of the routes even feature transit connections. “It’s a brand new transportation network that has been here for decades,” said Josh Capps, the city’s active transportation program specialist. “Throughout the years, Corvallis has been quietly developing neighborhood shortcuts for people walking, rolling and biking. These cut-throughs connect people to other valuable locations such as another street, a park, or a school. They shorten the trip for people traversing by active modes and enrich the travel experience.” The idea, Capps said, came from a project supported by the International Federation of Pedestrians “that really didn’t catch on. We took the initial idea and tweaked it a bit.” Capps says only Olympia, Washington, has a program anywhere near what Corvallis is offering. The city went live with its interactive map May 1 and began sifting through recommendations from residents that arrived by the dozen. Participation by the public was an important piece, Capps said. “We found many of these connections, but we knew that we couldn't possibly discover all of them on our own,” he said. “So, we wanted the community to tell us where they were. This helps for local knowledge but also gives people buy-in knowing they helped define the map.” Capps said that the program has been “very well received. We really thought that this was a campaign that would resonate with the community. We all have areas we know, but we didn’t know the whole thing.” The promotion is scheduled to end at the end of the month, but Capps said “we may leave it up longer. We see this as a living document, since new developments continue adding ATCs and we plan to keep the map as a permanent fixture on the city website. “Although it is developed as a stand-alone digital map, we are hoping to provide the ability to overlay the ATC map onto the online bike network map at some point to show how the two networks overlap and link up. There is a chance we could also add signs below dead-end street signs, for example, letting people know that a street continues for people walking and biking. “Last, down the line, I could also see pocket-sized maps being produced. But, we wouldn’t create these until only after our network is well identified.” And if a short-cut looks too good to be true, it just might be that you are encroaching on private property. “We don’t want to point people toward private property," Capps said. "We either view in person or use Google Streetview to look up each ATC that comes in. We also use tax lot information to determine if it meets our qualifications. If we find an ATC that cuts through private property, we mark it on the map with a red negative symbol. “This way it lets people know that we have seen the location, but we do not recommend it because it hasn’t met our qualifications, which usually means it is on private property.” TO PARTICIPATE Just go to https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicworks/page/active-travel-corridors anjd follow the directions. The city is giving away bike bandanas to 10 lucky contestants. For more information email josh.capps(a)corvallisoregon.gov

2 years, 11 months

WFP: Children’s charity seeks funding assistance to provide specialized bikes (May7'21)

by Beth McKechnie

Children’s charity seeks funding assistance to provide specialized bikes https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/childrens-charity-seeks-assistance-… AS the second summer without in-person fundraising and recreation programs approaches, the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation wait list for specialized bikes built for children with disabilities has more than doubled. There are 25 children currently waiting for bikes; on most years, the number is around 10. Bikes can range from $1,500 to $6,500, are custom-built, and often include alterations for support and mobility. The bikes are worth every cent for the limitless opportunities they can provide a child with disabilities, said Adell Gauthier, fund development manager and event co-ordinator for the foundation. “A bike ride down the street, or even when bikes are used at school in gym class, they have incredible therapeutic benefits, physical benefits for children with disabilities,” she said. There’s an ever-present need for bike funding, as children grow and their needs change, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new urgency. Fundraisers that would typically bring in thousands of dollars to the program have been cancelled, and programs the children would typically utilize in the summer have been shut down. “In the year that we are in, with the lack of physical fundraising events that we’ve been able to have, it’s been increasingly difficult to fund these items as quickly as we could like,” Gauthier said. For many of the families the foundation works with, picking up a standard bike at a big-box store isn’t a feasible option — specialized units take weeks to build, and as the weather gets warmer, the foundation’s hoping more will be funded in time for kids to get outside. “Part of our concern isn’t just about the funding, it’s about the time. We don’t want spring and summer to go by and for a child that’s been waiting for a bike to receive it when they can’t be outside using it,” Gauthier said. One family who knows the urgency all too well is Heather Lawless and her six-year-old son, Nolan, who uses a customized bike funded by a donor to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation. Lawless said it was “heartbreaking” to learn more children are going without what has been an invaluable resource for Nolan. “Whether you have the means or not to buy your kid a standard bike, there’s many ways that can happen for people of any means, but when it’s as specialized as this bike, that’s just not a thing,” she said. The bike Nolan uses is part of the therapy he receives, but its features aren’t just physical — Lawless said it has helped him connect with classmates, who will often join him on rides. “It fills a gap in mobility he just does not have without the aid of this type of equipment,” she said. malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_

2 years, 11 months

WFP Editorial: Enforcement should walk on the sensible side (May5'21)

by Beth McKechnie

EDITORIAL Enforcement should walk on the sensible side https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/enforcement-should-wal… EVEN for citizens who would never consider themselves to be scofflaws, some laws seem to invite scoffing. Beginning on Monday, motorized-vehicle traffic was restricted on sections of 17 Winnipeg streets under an initiative that used to be called “Open Streets,” when such sections were considered open to both pedestrians and cyclists. But city council recently changed the name to “enhanced summer cycling routes,” reflecting the fact the roadways will continue to be open to cyclists but, according to the letter of a law, pedestrians will instead remain confined to sidewalks. Pedestrians are sidelined by a previously disregarded clause in the Highway Traffic Act that prohibits walking on roadways where a “reasonably passable” sidewalk is present. Who knew? Clearly, not the city councillors who last year approved the Open Streets pilot project that welcomed pedestrians to pound the pavement normally dominated by motorized vehicles. For the record, a check of local obituaries would likely show the thousands of pedestrians who traversed the Open Streets last year all survived their strolls. Sometime between then and now, however, a city administrator — in a display of admirable but misdirected diligence — perused the legal intricacies of the HTA and informed councillors the formerly open streets must be closed to pedestrians. City officials are lobbying the province to amend the relevant HTA section, but legal changes are notoriously slow, so pedestrians won’t get legal authority to leave the sidewalk this summer. Until the law is changed, the hope is that authorities will use reasonable discretion and, frankly, pay no heed if a pedestrian happens to set foot on a designated roadway. Such common-sense enforcement of laws has plenty of precedents. For example, City of Winnipeg Bylaw 89 says people can’t spend more than 90 minutes in a city bus shelter, and no one in such shelters can smoke or consume alcoholic beverages. This bylaw is flouted regularly as people without homes cram into bus shelters, sometimes all night — a dire situation overlooked by authorities who presumably excuse the shelter occupancy as a consequence of larger social problems. It’s also against the law in Winnipeg to strike a sidewalk with a metal object, to go naked in your home if you leave the blinds up, or to hum while aboard a city bus. Sensible discernment dictates that a bus passenger’s illicit humming of Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World should not be prosecuted; such prudent judgment should also apply to pedestrians ambling on streets formerly known as “open.” In the disheartening event that an overzealous official tickets a pedestrian, there would seem to be a strong legal defence. The relevant HTA section prohibits walking on roadways where a “reasonably passable” sidewalk is present. A case could be made that during a pandemic, when people are warned to stay two metres apart, a sidewalk occupied by other pedestrians is not “reasonably passable,” necessitating a temporary detour onto the road. Such a legal challenge should be unnecessary, however. Enforcement officers shouldn’t actively seek out rogue pedestrians and, should they see one, the best option might be to look the other way. When Charles Dickens employed the expression “The law is an ass” in his 1838 novel Oliver Twist, he wasn’t referring to the seat of human anatomy, but to the colloquial name for donkeys — which have traditionally been characterized as stubborn and stupid, so the phrase refers to a senselessly rigid application of a law. To police the Open Streets concept with a section of the HTA that was never intended for such a situation would warrant such a blunt Dickensian description. Such enforcement would be asinine, indeed.

2 years, 11 months

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

AT-Network May 2021