OTTAWA, ON, July 29, 2022 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc,
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities,
announced the launch of public consultations on the design and
implementation of Permanent Public Transit funding in Canada. Feedback will
inform a long-term transit investment strategy that aims to build complete,
sustainable and inclusive communities and unlock opportunities to address
other challenges, including housing affordability.
Investments in public transit will work toward reducing commute times and
improving Canadians' quality of life, aid in providing access to meaningful
employment, services and recreation and will help tackle traffic congestion
and cut air pollution.
*Interested stakeholders can share their feedback through Infrastructure
Canada's web page
<https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3607932-1&h=2725479515&u=https%3A%2F%2F…>
until September 30, 2022*.
https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/the-government-of-canada-launches-con…
*Connecting bike lanes a priority for political newbie *
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2022/07/28/connecting-bike-l…
A candidate for St. James in the civic election said he’ll work to connect
Winnipeg’s disjointed bike lanes, if elected.
Daevid Ramey, 53, was born and raised in Winnipeg. He returned 10 years
ago, and settled in St. James with his family. He leads a weekly community
bike ride from Bourkevale Community Centre, and said making it easier for
people to use active transport and avoid potentially dangerous open traffic
is a policy priority for him.
“My goal is to take care of the things that impact all people, not just
focus on roads,” said Ramey, who officially registered to run Thursday.
“Roads are important, of course, they get us to where we’re going. But
there is a lot more in our community that we also need to take care of,
including pathways, bicycle paths, sidewalks, appropriate lighting so that
people can walk safely down their streets, even simple little things like
putting more benches in our public spaces.”
He said the city’s pedestrian and cycling action plan, which includes
funding to create and connect protected bike lanes, moves too slowly. If
elected, he would seek outside funding to hasten the projects.
“So I would take the plans that exist now, and ensure that the resources
and the things that we need to get them done, would be done. It’s about
funding the policy, funding the plan in a way that is sustainable so that
it does get done.”
Creating fluid bike lanes across Winnipeg isn’t a pipe dream, Bike Winnipeg
executive director Mark Cohoe said, especially as rising gas costs and the
effects of climate change influence Winnipeggers, and city leadership has
begun to show more interest.
“There is a willingness. Right now, the money hasn’t been there to come
through with it, but I think it’s pretty close,” he said. “I think we can,
with a slightly different council and slightly different mayor… really make
that change and see it. I think it is politically possible.”
A 10-year time frame to build and connect the infrastructure would be
realistic, he said, as long as investments in road-building and
rehabilitation give more of a priority to active transport.
“Certainly, the federal government is there with money, the province is
moving toward providing some more money as well, they could definitely do
better, but you have willing partners to help invest in that as well,” he
said. “So I think that’s part of the solution, to make sure you’ve got the
three levels of government, not just the city working on your own.”
Shawn Dobson and Kelly Ryback are also running in St. James. Election day
is Oct. 26.
malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: City of Winnipeg <notifications(a)engagementhq.com>
Date: Wed., Jul. 27, 2022, 10:24 a.m.
Subject: Winnipeg Road Safety Strategic Action Plan – July 2022 Project
Update
To: <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com>
You are receiving this email because you requested updates on the Winnipeg
Road Safety Strategic Action Plan.
On July 21, 2022, Council approved the Winnipeg Road Safety Strategic
Action Plan
<https://emails.engagementhq.com/ls/click?upn=9vcdD193qA8wVAWAMcxkDRPI9yvzhY…>,
which will serve as a roadmap for implementing both short-term solutions
and long-term investments to ensure the City is doing its part in
preventing serious injury and death on our roads.
Thank you to the stakeholders, partners, and the general public for their
input that helped shape the plan.
The plan consists of 67 actions to help Winnipeg reach its goal of a 20
percent reduction in fatal and serious injury collisions over the next five
years, with a long-term vision of a transportation system that allows
people of all ages and abilities to safely move around without experiencing
death or serious injury.
We will update you with next steps for implementation in the coming months.
For more information, visit winnipeg.ca/roadsafetyplan
<https://emails.engagementhq.com/ls/click?upn=9vcdD193qA8wVAWAMcxkDRPI9yvzhY…>
.
Kind regards,
The Project Team
You're receiving this email because you are a registered participant on
Engage Winnipeg.
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Thieves hit Orioles Bike Cage, dent confidence in cycling safety
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2022/07/27/thieves-hit-oriol…
THIEVES have put a wrench into a community bike hub in the West End.
The Orioles Bike Cage has been forced to close its repair shop after dozens
of bikes and tools were stolen on the weekend.
“We suspect that it happened either very late Friday night or in the wee
hours of Saturday morning,” said director Gregory Allan. “My heart sank a
little bit. It’s not the first time we’ve been broken into.”
The operation has run out of the Valour Community Centre by a team of
volunteers that refurbishes donated bikes, and teaches people how to fix
their own rides.
Despite amping up security measures over the years, Allan said thefts
happen at least once every two years. He said there have been six break-ins
since the shop opened 13 years ago.
“Every time it happens, it’s very frustrating and very disheartening,”
Allan said. “It means a lot of work to re-establish everything that’s been
taken, and it means a disruption to our service. People are going to come
to our shop, realize we’re closed and not be able to fix their bikes.”
After the last break-in, around Halloween 2020, a heavy-duty steel door was
installed to amp up Orioles’ security — but it wasn’t enough. On the
weekend, thieves made off with $3,000 in tools.
Allan is convinced bike theft is getting worse. In 2020, 2,100 bikes were
reported stolen to the Winnipeg Police Service.
Some programs, such as Bike Winnipeg’s valet program, try to ward off theft
by offering monitored bike parking at special events. When a community bike
hub is targeted, many riders are affected.
Orioles Bike Cage will have to spend money that could’ve paid for outreach
and community initiatives on enhancing security and replacing stolen
equipment.
Allan believes theft has a wider impact on
cycling advocacy in the city; dedicating a small amount of public money to
installing security infrastructure for community bike hubs could be a
solution, he said.
“There are a lot of groups trying to get more people on bikes more often in
an attempt to curb greenhouse gas emissions,” Allan said. “The more bikes
get stolen, the more places like this to get broken into, the harder it is
for people to make that switch and to trust that cycling is, in fact, a
good decision to make.”
Allan said the Orioles Bike Cage will remain closed for weeks.
cierra.bettens(a)freepress.mb.ca
*Construction begins at north Winnipeg multi-use trail *
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/construction-begins-at-north-winnip…
CONSTRUCTION is officially underway on a multi-use path in north Winnipeg.
The ground was broken Friday morning, at the site of the Northwest Hydro
Corridor Multi-use Path Project, within the hydro corridor between Leila
and Church avenues.
Representatives from the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba government, Manitoba
Hydro, Trails Manitoba and Bike Winnipeg were on site as construction began
on the 2.4-kilometre route.
“It’s a very exciting day, and I know the residents of northwest Winnipeg
and residents from across the city are going to benefit from this project.
We’re ecstatic, and have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Coun.
Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan). “The City of Winnipeg is proud to play a
leading role in improving pedestrian and cycling facilities, which are a
priority for all members of our community.”
The project is one Sharma and her colleagues have been trying to get in
motion for years.
“Projects like this, near hydro transmission lines, are complicated. There
are many steps to working on a project like this,” she said. “This is
something that was absolutely needed. It connects to the network in a very
important way and it’s going to provide so many benefits for residents in
north Winnipeg and across the city.”
The multi-use path will be 4.5 metres wide and feature lighting, benches,
connections to surrounding neighbourhoods and new controlled crossings for
pedestrians and cyclists at Leila and Jefferson avenues, and Inkster
Boulevard.
“When we embrace the opportunity to invest in our transportation network,
we are striving to provide everyone with healthy transportation options
that are more important than ever in the climate crisis,” said Coun. Matt
Allard (St. Boniface).
The overall cost of the project is $2.5 million, which includes a grant of
$450,000 from Trails Manitoba and the Manitoba government.
The grant is part of an overall $10-million investment by the Manitoba
government designed to create social and economic benefits to trail users.
“The Manitoba government is pleased to provide funding to Trails Manitoba
to launch this important project that will benefit so many cyclists,
pedestrians, and active transportation users of all kinds for generations
to come,” said Sarah Guillemard, community wellness minister.
The second project for the grant is a parkway that will connect The Forks
and Chief Peguis Trail through a multi-use path. It will receive $150,000.
The first phase of construction on the northwest path will take place this
year. The second phase is slated for 2024.
“Both these projects will help us make progress toward our climate change
goals, close critical connectivity gaps, and address the long-standing
imbalance between north and south Winnipeg in active transportation
infrastructure,” Allard said.
bryce.hunt(a)freepress.mb.ca
CITY TO PURSUE
SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
THE City of Winnipeg will aim to use its buying power to better the
community.
On Thursday, council cast a final vote to implement a sustainable
procurement action blueprint.
The city will implement changes over three years that can help Winnipeggers
overcome employment barriers and get hired, and/or achieve other key social
and environmental goals.
SIGHTS SET ON STRATEGIC
PLAN FOR ROAD SAFETY
THE City of Winnipeg will spend $22 million over five years on a road
safety strategic action plan, which aims to reduce serious injuries and
deaths caused by traffic collisions.
The new plan sets a target to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury
collisions by 20 per cent over five years.
It suggests the city add more 30 km/h speed limits at neighbourhood
greenways, review overall speed limits, add more traffic calming measures
(such as speed bumps or roundabouts) and create public education on road
safety, among several other steps.
SIDEWALK SNOW CLEARING
TO BE DONE QUICKER
A plan to clear sidewalks of ice and snow quicker in future winters has
been approved by council, minus an original recommendation to have private
contractors do more of the work.
On Thursday, council approved a call to spend $3 million on 15 more
sidewalk-clearing machines but rejected a recommendation to also contract
out an additional 500 kilometres of sidewalk plowing.
More info here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/snow-ice-clearing-options-winnipeg-…
The Globe's lead editorial Saturday:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-reducing-the-dang
erous-impact-of-cars-that-just-keep-getting-bigger/
Reducing the dangerous impact of cars that just keep getting bigger and
meaner
In many respects, vehicles today are safer than they have ever been.
Mandatory seatbelt laws, airbags, headlights that turn on automatically and
modern crumple zones make the inside of a vehicle an increasingly secure
spot. In Canada, the fatality rate per 100,000 vehicles in 2020 was the
<https://tc.canada.ca/en/road-transportation/statistics-data/canadian-motor-
vehicle-traffic-collision-statistics-2020> lowest in at least two decades.
However, safety overseers - at least in North America - have been much
slower to address the risk vehicles pose to everyone around them. Hundreds
of Canadian pedestrians and cyclists are fatally struck every year.
While European regulators insist on design changes that can protect people
outside the vehicle, North American auto safety standards have traditionally
not taken them into account.
This is particularly relevant today, because vehicles on this continent have
gone on steroids.
The supersizing of cars and trucks is everywhere. The new Volkswagen Beetle
is 73 per cent heavier than the model that starred as Herbie the Love Bug.
The changes are even more striking among larger vehicles. The Cadillac
Escalade is an SUV so big that up to
<https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/13-investi
gates-millions-vehicles-have-unexpected-dangerous-front-blind-zone/531-9521c
471-3bc1-4b55-b860-3363f0954b3b> 13 children can sit in a line in front of
it without the driver being able to see them.
Sedans have increasingly been discontinued and marketing muscle poured into
bigger, and higher-profit, vehicles that make a sales pitch of their
aggressive shape.
The man behind the looks of the 2020 GMC Sierra HD aimed to evoke "a massive
fist moving through the air." Karan Moorjani told Muscle Cars & Trucks he
wanted the pickup
<https://www.musclecarsandtrucks.com/2020-gmc-sierra-hd-design-the-origin-st
ory/> to look imposing. "We spent a lot of time making sure that when you
stand in front of this thing it looks like it's going to come get you. It's
got that pissed-off feel."
People who do find themselves in front of such a truck are at much higher
risk than if hit by a smaller vehicle. A high and squared-off front end
strikes a pedestrian directly in the chest, unlike a sedan that hits lower
and can cause the victim to roll onto the hood.
In Europe, regulators have recognized the problem, and rate vehicles'
ability to protect not just the driver and passengers. Vehicles in Europe
must meet standards for
<https://www.euroncap.com/en/vehicle-safety/the-ratings-explained/vulnerable
-road-user-vru-protection/> human impact on the bumper and hood, as well as
for sightlines from the driver's seat. The practical result of these rules
is that hoods tend to be shorter and slope down more. Windows are larger.
This helps explain why the Ford Transit, which comes in cargo van or
open-bed options, and features a large windshield and stubby raked hood, is
the
<https://www.statista.com/statistics/260025/market-share-of-best-selling-lig
ht-commercial-vehicle-models-in-eu-27/#:~:text=The%20Ford%20Transit%20accoun
ted%20for,best%2Dselling%20LCV%20by%20far> most popular light commercial
vehicle in Europe. Last year in the United States it was outsold more than
seven to one by the blunt-nosed F-150 pickup truck.
The design of vehicles is just one of the reasons Europeans
<https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2016/11/30/13784520/roads-deaths-increase-
safety-traffic-us> enjoy safer roads.
The EU took another big step this month toward controlling speeds. As of
July, new vehicle models released in Europe must be fitted with intelligent
speed assistance (ISA). This uses cameras or GPS to determine the speed
limit, and then employs escalating audio and physical cues to discourage
drivers from exceeding it. ISA will be
<https://road-safety-charter.ec.europa.eu/resources-knowledge/media-and-pres
s/intelligent-speed-assistance-isa-set-become-mandatory-across_en> mandatory
by 2024 on all new vehicles sold in the EU.
Not all such changes could realistically be brought in by Canada alone. The
country exists as a bit player in an integrated continental auto market.
But officials here can support and participate in nascent efforts south of
the border to make vehicles safer for those outside them. Earlier this year,
the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
<https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2022-03/NCAP-ADAS-RFC-03-03-202
2-web.pdf> floated the idea of including pedestrian protection in its
vehicle safety ratings.
And there are things Canada can do unilaterally.
A commercial licence could be required for the biggest private vehicles,
which have surpassed
<https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2022-gmc-hummer-ev-range-battery-pack-and-
weight-revealed.html#:~:text=The%20Hummer%20EV%20tips%20the%20scales%20at%20
9%2C063%20pounds%2C%20according,lightest%20car%2C%20the%20Chevrolet%20Spark>
four tonnes in weight. A limit could be put on how high after-market
modifications can raise a vehicle. The use of "bull bars" installed in front
of the grill could be regulated, as could those
<https://images.customwheeloffset.com/buy2-compressed/web/18095-2-metal-lugs
-spiked-lug-nuts-chrome-8-lug.jpg> spiked lug-nut covers whose only apparent
purpose is to intimidate people riding bicycles.
When seatbelt laws were introduced, many people howled. Now the majority of
Canadian motorists buckle up without a second thought - and are safer as a
result. Some of that same safety ethos should be extended to protect the
people these drivers might encounter.
Charles Feaver
11 Harvard Ave
Winnipeg R3M 0J6
204.293.6332
Another example of programs inculcating car culture on young kids from
today's Free Press:
HE’S only six and has just arrived in Winnipeg from Ukraine, but Sviatoslav
Nakonechna proudly made his first Canadian vehicle using a cardboard
packing box and construction paper wheels.
“I’m making a car, a huge car,” he proclaimed in Ukrainian to a group of
visitors touring the nursery room at St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church
Monday, where 20 five- and six-year olds were building their own cardboard
vehicles as part of an English language and life skills summer program.
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/everyone-wins-at-summer-camp-for-uk…