Fish’s fireworks spark consternation among cyclists
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fishs-fireworks-spark-consternation…
DYLON Martin has biked to work every day for 12 years. A few times each
year, his regular route home is blocked by the temporary closure of
Waterfront Drive for firework shows following select Winnipeg Goldeyes
games.
The street in downtown Winnipeg is closed for roughly eight hours from
Lombard Avenue to Pioneer Avenue those nights — and its impact is felt by
those who use the route, the 31-year-old says.
“The transportation trail on Waterfront is to cyclists what Portage and
Main is to vehicles and traffic. It adds 20 to 30 minutes to my commute
every time it’s closed.”
The Goldeyes have been hosting firework shows every year since moving to
Shaw Park in 1999. This year, a petition to keep Waterfront Drive’s bike
path (skirting the ballpark’s outfield wall) open during those select games
has received more than 100 virtual signatures.
“I don’t think there’s a safe detour for cyclists. It’s not easy to take a
five-block detour on foot, bike or by wheelchair, so there needs to be more
attention to providing safe and not terribly out of the way detours when
critical pieces of our active transportation network are disrupted for
whatever reason,” Martin said.
A representative from the Goldeyes said the team isn’t trying to be a
problem.
“We’ve been doing this for over 20 years. We want everyone to be happy and
we’re not trying to make it inconvenient for anyone, but we’re trying to
entertain our fans, and for us to safely have fireworks on those occasions,
we need to close those access ways to keep everyone safe.”
The Goldeyes hold permits and permission from the City of Winnipeg and The
Forks, which allow them to display the fireworks and close off the street.
They also advertise the dates of the firework shows on the team website.
“Fireworks have been a huge attraction for us for over 20 years and we
think that six nights out of 41/2 months isn’t that obtrusive,” the team
representative said. “We’ve had discussions since our last fireworks night,
about how we can better inform fans, what alternate routes we can take and
what better signage we can use.”
One cyclist who asked to remain anonymous said if the road continues to be
blocked, they will look to organize a sit-in protest on the street.
“I’ve reached out to the city, councillors, the mayor and enforcement
officers about the issue and don’t know what to do next,” the cyclist said.
“Not everyone has internet or a cellphone to check their website to see if
their regular route will be closed that day.”
The Goldeyes have four scheduled fireworks shows remaining this summer:
June 30, July 14, Aug. 12 and Sept. 3.
bryce.hunt(a)freepress.mb.ca
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Kate Sjoberg <wrenchprogram(a)gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 21, 2022 at 9:39 AM
[image: 2021-WRENCH-ARCHIVES-SOCIAL-WRAPUP.jpg]
Hi everyone!
Over the past few seasons, project lead Jon Benson has been collecting
archival material that shows the history of cycling activity and activism
in Winnipeg. We've really enjoyed learning the stories that have come in
and being reminded of different Winnipeg curiosities, challenges, and
achievements. Part of what we hoped to do, aside from reconnecting at a
time of continued relative isolation, was to demonstrate the long time and
ongoing commitment Winnpeggers have made to create a cycling city. This
came through, big time!
We want to celebrate! Jon is organising a party at the Edge Gallery, which
will include display of some of the submissions as well as story telling
from a number of contributors.
Join us/please share!
Thursday June 23 from 7-9pm at the Edge Gallery. Storytellers will include:
Peter Obendoerfer
Beth McKechnie
Merrill Grant
Stephanie Chow
Allis Kolynchuk
Konrad Krahn (Winnipeg City Archives)
Please bring your mask! And feel free to share this invitation to anyone
who may be interested.
Thanks very much to the City of Winnipeg Archives, the Winnipeg Foundation,
and archivist Sarah Story for helping us make this happen!
The WRENCH
The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub
1057 Logan Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3N8
Treaty 1 Territory, Homeland of the Metis Nation
www.thewrench.ca
204-296-3389
The problem with Toronto’s ActiveTO program is its popularity. And the problem with the most prominent part of ActiveTO – the reason Toronto City Council is under pressure to kill it – is that it’s been the most popular and successful part of the program....In the summer of 2020, Toronto on some weekends banished cars from short stretches of a few streets.The biggest and longest of these routes involved the eastbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West. Six kilometres of pavement, running from the massed condo towers of Humber Bay Shores to the massed condo towers of Liberty Village, Fort York and Harbourfront, were turned over to bikes and walkers. The result? The city found that “more people use Lake Shore Boulevard West to bike, go for a walk or run when the ActiveTO closures are in place when compared to motor vehicle volumes when closures are not in place.”...Turning half the lanes on Lake Shore West over to bikes, rollerblades and walkers was a regular occurrence on weekends in the summer of 2020. But by the summer of 2021, the program was scaled back – fewer days, shorter hours, a shorter route. As of 2022, it’s an endangered species. Toronto City Council is facing demands to terminate with extreme prejudice, and you can see why. If it continues, more people will hear about it, more people will use it and then, well, imagine how bad things could get.And taking away three or four lanes, one or two days a week, undermines the idea that streets are for cars and everyone else is an interloper. Here’s what happens: A drive from Etobicoke to downtown on the Gardiner that took 14 minutes in 2019 took up to 29 minutes on some ActiveTO weekends in 2021.That’s 15 extra minutes for a few thousand drivers, a couple of dozen days a year; in return, hundreds of thousands of people in the crowded neighbourhoods Lake Shore West passes through got a temporary urban park. Fair trade, or dangerous precedent?...(note ironic tone ! )https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-activeto-has-been-a-brilliant-success-so-of-course-the-war-on-the-car/Sent from my phone.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/waterloo-speed-limits-low…
Waterloo will reduce speed limits on city streets to 30 km/h.
In a 5-3 vote, councillors approved the move Monday during a council
meeting.
Staff had recommended lowering speed limits from 50 km/h to 40 km/h on most
streets with a drop to 30 km/h around schools, but Ward 2 Coun. Royce
Bodaly introduced a motion to lower limits on collector and residential
streets to 30 km/h.
"In short, it works," Bodaly said of lowering speed limits to increase
pedestrian and cyclist safety.
"Somebody going 75 km/h in front of a neighbourhood park or a school or
just on any residential street, in my opinion, they should be subject to a
stunt driving charge, and they would be if we went to 30, but would not if
we went to 40."
He said he'd like to see Waterloo "drive the culture change" on city
streets and accept a Feb., 2020 Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety
recommendation
<https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2021-streets-for-life-campaign-calls-fo…>
to
lower speed limits to 30 km/h globally.
Jason Thistlethwaite, who is co-president of the Uptown West Neighbourhood
Association, told councillors the association did consultations with
residents and people were supportive of the idea of lowering speed limits.
"Reduction to 30 km/h made sense as a deterrent against excessive speed.
People felt that there was a difference between driving 60 in a 40 zone and
60 and a 30 zone," he told council.
"The overwhelming response was the slower, the better."
Hard decision for council: Mayor
Ward 4 Coun. Angela Vieth said 30 km/h is "too inhibiting, too slow" and
did not support Bodaly's motion.
She said the city needs to be consistent with Kitchener, which has lowered
speed limits to 40 km, and that there are other ways to slow vehicles down.
"I think if we're animating the sidewalks, if we have interesting front
yards and and we allow kids to play hockey or to walk on the street if they
have to," Vieth said. "Add more activities rather than putting up signs all
over the place.
Mayor Dave Jaworsky also voted against the motion and explained after the
vote that a split vote of council "is simply an indicator of how hard the
decision actually was for council."
He said his vote was to make sure for the next term of council "which will
have a number of fresh faces," the decision would be more "palatable."
"You never know what next council might do," he said.
Waterloo is not alone to drop speed limits to 30 km/h. Banff, Alta., did it
earlier this year
<https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/town-of-banff-drops-speed-limit-to-3…>
and Ottawa lowered some streets
<https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-city-council-approves-30-km-h-…>
in
2017.
Staff will now work on a plan to phase in implementation over the next four
years. It will cost an estimated $500,000 to changeover signs, a cost that
will be brought before the new council when capital budget deliberations
for 2023 get underway late this year.
*** Please share widely. Thanks! ***
Green Action Centre is hiring two Sustainable Transportation Program
Coordinators, one at full time (35 hours/week) with Active and Safe Routes
to School and one part time (24 hours/week) with Workplace Commuter
Options.
Find details for both postings here
<https://greenactioncentre.ca/featured/join-the-green-action-centre-team/>.
*Apply
by June 30, 2022, *to be part of a great team!
cheers,
Beth
--
Beth McKechnie (she/her) *| *Green Action Centre
<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/>
3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>
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Ininew, Anishininiwag, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of* *the
Métis Nation. We acknowledge that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40
First Nation and that our hydro is sourced from numerous First Nations here
in Manitoba**. *
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Support our work by becoming a member
<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at
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