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More information and to register - https://ncceh.ca/hbe-forum#webinar1
Kristine Hayward (she/her)
Physical Activity Promotion Coordinator
Population & Public Health
MB Health and Winnipeg Regional Health Authority
2nd floor - 490 Hargrave Street
Winnipeg, MB R3A 0X7
Telephone 204 232-7546
Fax 204 940-2690
Email khayward(a)wrha.mb.ca<mailto:khayward@wrha.mb.ca>
Bike racks are available in front of the building at the corner of Hargrave and McDermot.
Plan your Winnipeg Transit trip: http://winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo__;!!IqQd2s…>
Metered street parking and pay lots in the area – please note designated loading zones and spots requiring a disability permit.
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Delegate tells committee obstructed, slippery paths a human rights issue
Icy sidewalks create shut-ins, city told
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/04/11/icy-sidewalks-cre…
THE mounds of ice and snow that can bury sidewalks in winter too often put
people with mobility issues at risk of isolation or dangerous slips and
falls, multiple delegates told council’s public works committee on Tuesday.
Any effort to clear more sidewalks to “bare pavement” would mark a good
first step to ensuring active transportation routes are accessible
throughout every season, they argued.
Marika Prokosh, who is visually impaired and not able to drive, said the
condition of sidewalks is declining, making it increasingly difficult to
get around on foot and by bus.
“Every year, it’s getting a little harder… It has an effect on how often I
choose to go out (and so) it limits the scope of my life,” said Prokosh.
Unexpected dips and inclines created by uneven snow clearing can be tough
to avoid, she told reporters. Prokosh said she understands many factors,
including cost, influence snow-clearing policies. But she stressed the city
must also view the service through a disability lens.
“What I’m looking for, ultimately, is for the city to figure out a way
logistically, economically to ensure that, the majority of the time, the
pavements are clear enough that wheelchairs and strollers and people with
canes and walkers can pass them with minimal difficulty,” said Prokosh.
Sidewalks covered in ice and snow can prove daunting to seniors, said
Connie Newman, executive director of the Manitoba Association of Senior
Communities.
“Many seniors become shut-ins in winter because venturing out onto the
sidewalks is just too dangerous,” said Newman.
She told the committee the matter is a human rights issue, as mobility
should be possible for people of all ages.
“We should all feel safe to walk on our sidewalks… For many, six months of
icy sidewalks limits us from getting to the grocery store, to the drug
store, to exercise. Access to food is a basic human right,” said Newman.
Coun. Matt Allard is making his fourth attempt to have the city explore
clearing more sidewalks to bare pavement; three previous motions failed.
Allard’s latest recommendation calls for city staff to report on options
for a pilot project that would clear snow off sidewalks to a “bare
pavement” standard on one street that connects to a bus stop in each
council ward. He wants that report to review several options to achieve
that, including: testing various de-icing material; plowing efforts
specific to snow drifts and windrows; and reducing snow banks at
intersections and crosswalks.
Allard told the committee Tuesday the matter is an urgent human rights
issue.
“Do we need someone to bring the City of Winnipeg to the Manitoba
human rights tribunal to demonstrate that their human rights have been
violated… because they were not able to participate in society like any
other able-bodied person could?” he asked.
Under city policy, downtown sidewalks adjacent to major routes and
collector streets are plowed to a paved surface “whenever conditions
allow,” while such sidewalks outside downtown are maintained to a compacted
snow surface. Plowing on all sidewalks on major routes and collector
streets should be completed within 36 hours after an average storm ends.
Sidewalks on residential streets should normally be maintained to a
compacted snow surface, with plowing completed within five working days
after it begins, the policy states.
Some council members stressed work is underway to improve snow-clearing on
active transportation paths.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said a neighbourhood action team, whose tasks will
include sidewalk snow clearing, will be hired by the end of this year.
He noted city staff will report back in June on more options to improve
snow clearing.
“We need to do all we can to assist people to navigate our sidewalks and
our streets. I want to see people able to get around,” said Gillingham.
When asked if the city could pursue the bare pavement pilot project, the
mayor suggested it could come at a significant cost.
“We don’t know the price. I think the average person could… (imagine) what
it may cost to clear snow to (bare pavement) on all sidewalks across the
city,” said Gillingham.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the public works committee, said she
expects the June report to help enhance winter sidewalk clearing.
“When you are harnessing Mother Nature… you’ve got to use many tools in
your toolkit to get to the end result… The public service is looking at all
kinds of things. New technologies emerge, new machines emerge, new
approaches emerge. Winnipeg really leads the way in snow and ice removal,”
said Lukes.
Last year, council approved $3 million to buy 15 additional
sidewalk-clearing machines to ramp up the city’s resources. Due to supply
chain delays, those are expected to arrive around June and help improve
clearing next winter.
The public works committee voted to receive Allard’s motion as information,
which means taking no immediate action on it.
Council will cast the final vote on the matter.
joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Committee rejects motion to study plowing Winnipeg sidewalks to pavement
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/sidewalk-snow-clearing-motion-1.680…
The city's public works committee rejected a proposal on clearing sidewalks
to bare pavement for the fourth time this term.
St. Boniface Coun. Matt Allard brought forward a motion asking council to
approve a study of a pilot project that would clear one sidewalk in each of
the city's 15 wards down to bare pavement.
On Tuesday, Allard told the committee the way the city clears sidewalks —
leaving a layer of compacted snow that turns to slush and ice during the
spring freeze-thaw cycle — hinders Winnipeggers' right to freedom of
movement, particularly for seniors and people with disabilities.
"People have the right to participate equally in society," Allard told the
committee.
Numerous delegates spoke to the committee in favour of Allard's motion.
Marika Prokosh, who is visually impaired, said the icy sidewalks are
dangerous.
"Maybe there's like a two-inch drop down where they've shoveled, and if you
don't see very well, as I don't, and you miss that, you can twist an ankle
on that," she said in an interview.
Seniors advocate Connie Newman said the uneven walking surface keeps many
people in their houses and limits their ability to stay healthy.
"We wanna continue to walk and sometimes during November to April, it's
difficult. And we become isolated," said Newman, executive director of the
Manitoba Association of Senior Communities.
Allard has criticized some of his council colleagues, including public
works chair Janice Lukes and Mayor Scott Gillingham, for rejecting it.
"My criticisms of Coun. Lukes, and of the mayor, have been based on their
comments not supporting this particular idea and not proposing any other
solutions," he said.
The committee unanimously voted to receive Allard's motion as information,
meaning they are taking no action on it.
Before the vote, Lukes told reporters the public works department is
preparing a report evaluating the city's snow-clearing operation will come
to council in June. It will look at alternative ways to clear ice on
sidewalks.
"I know for a fact that they're looking at a lot of data points right now
for high-frequency use. I know that they're looking at possibly changing
priorities," Lukes said.
"I wish there was one silver bullet … but [the public service is] looking
at a lot of different things and then they will be coming forward in June."
Gillingham campaigned on creating neighourhood action teams that will look
for issues in communities, including icy sidewalks, he said.
"I've been working to, and will continue to work to improve snow clearing
in this city, our winter city. I think the neighborhood action teams are
really going to help," he said.
Council will hold a final vote on the matter at its meeting later this
month.
*Winnipeg winter shouldn’t translate to lower quality of life*
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2023/04/10/winter-should…
FALLING is the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations in
Winnipeg, and more than one-third of the province’s direct health-care
costs are accounted for by injuries related to falls.
The financial costs, however, are far less impactful than the personal
effect on health and well-being that falls can have, particularly for older
adults. A fall can often trigger a downward health spiral for seniors,
where injuries limit mobility and independence, and a fear of falling again
leads to anxiety, depression and social withdrawal.
According to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, 20 per cent of falls
that require hospitalization are the result of slipping on ice and snow. In
Winnipeg, a typical winter month can see more than 300 people, more than 10
per day, visit urgent care or an emergency room to treat injuries from a
fall caused by snow and ice.
Understanding these impacts has many people in Winnipeg lobbying to improve
our city’s sidewalk snow-clearing policies. This includes Coun. Matt Allard
(St. Boniface), who has introduced a motion to be debated today at city
hall, to establish a pilot project studying the challenges of clearing
sidewalks to the bare pavement throughout the winter.
The City of Winnipeg’s policy on snow clearing and ice control dictates
sidewalks outside of downtown be maintained to a compacted snow surface,
meaning a layer of snow several centimetres deep is left on sidewalks all
winter. This layer creates significant challenges for pedestrians and can
be an impassable barrier for people using wheelchairs or those with limited
mobility.
There is a common misconception the condition of city sidewalks is
inevitable because it’s caused by water from adjacent melting snowbanks.
Most regular sidewalk users, however, understand this “compacted snow
surface” is what creates the most significant safety issues, and it’s a
problem not only in the spring but throughout the winter.
As long as the surface remains frozen and compacted, it’s fine; but on
warmer days throughout the winter, it becomes soft and, as people walk over
it, the surface breaks up, becoming pitted and uneven with slush and water
filling the crevices that form in the layer of snow.
When the temperature drops again, it freezes in place, creating a slippery
and unstable surface that can remain until it’s re-compacted during the
next significant snowfall. This cycle is compounded in the spring months,
as temperatures fluctuate daily.
Allard’s motion to address this issue by keeping sidewalks snow-free has
been presented many times in the past and is always met with opposition
claims it’s not possible to clear to pavement because it’s too costly and
sidewalk conditions are too poor to allow it.
Other cities, however, have successfully used pilot projects to experiment,
innovate and establish a greater understanding of the issues and costs
involved.
In Ottawa and Montreal, ice-breaker machines that resemble small
steamrollers with spike-studded drums were tested for two years, before
large numbers were purchased and are now in successful use. Machinery such
as rotating brushes being used in other cities could also be tested to see
if they can alleviate the sidewalk condition obstacle.
In Edmonton, a pilot study investigated the use of a calcium chloride
solution instead of salt, finding it was highly effective at removing ice
even at low temperatures, reducing falls and accidents, and actually saved
money by reducing the need to plow.
The cost of sidewalk clearing represents only 10 per cent of the overall
Winnipeg snow-clearing budget, so understanding the scale of any increases
might allow us to devise a strategy that is manageable. If sidewalk
condition is a limiting factor, accelerating sidewalk renewal would be an
important solution.
Extrapolating public works’ estimates, the cost of replacing all 3,400
kilometres of sidewalk in Winnipeg would be about $500 million, a similar
price tag to the Chief Peguis Trail extension the mayor made as a campaign
promise. Of course, there is no need to replace every sidewalk, but the
comparison demonstrates the things we can and can’t afford are defined more
by priority than economics.
Even if we decide complete sidewalk snow-clearing isn’t feasible citywide,
we might make targeted changes.
In many mature neighbourhoods, sidewalks are vital arteries of mobility,
essential to life in the community. They connect people to things such as
work, school, shopping and public transit.
As an example, in the Osborne area, more than 11,000 trips per day are
taken on foot, with 22 per cent of the neighbourhood walking or biking to
work. Another 23 per cent walk to the bus.
In Wolseley, 27 per cent commute on foot or bike, and 20 per cent by bus.
In St. Boniface, 19 per cent walk to work, and 8,500 pedestrian trips are
made every day.
In most newer communities, less than one per cent of the population walks
or bikes to work, and even in older areas such as North Kildonan, only four
per cent do.
A study that allows us to create data-driven policy that at least ensures
sidewalks are safe in areas where they are most used and are most important
to quality of life, would have valuable societal impacts.
The fact Winnipeg is a winter city shouldn’t mean its residents accept a
lower quality of life.
We should be driven to become the most livable winter city in the world.
Central to this goal is ensuring sidewalks are safe and accessible to all
people of all ages and abilities in all seasons.
Innovative cities set ambitious goals and through testing, research, and
experimentation, work to achieve them.
They look for solutions, not excuses.
*Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural
Group*
Speed reduction first step toward safer streets
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2023/04/10/speed-reduc…
WINNIPEG’S residential speed-reduction pilot program is crawling along and
the early results appear to be getting the green light from community
members.
“It’s nice,” Shannon Shields told the Free Press recently of the speed
reduction in Bourkevale.
“It just gives it a little bit of a different vibe that other
neighbourhoods don’t have.”
Bourkevale, a St. James subdivision along the banks of the Assiniboine
River, is one of four neighbourhoods in which speed limits have been
temporarily reduced to see whether drivers adjust accordingly and how those
changes impact local livability.
Speed limits have been lowered from 50 km/h to 30 km/h in Bourkevale and
Tyndall Park; and to 40 km/h in Worthington and Richmond West.
Signage was erected in March and will remain in place for one year.
This pilot project has widespread potential to rewrite how our streets are
designed and how drivers interact with people and infrastructure around
them — for the better.
It’s no secret that Winnipeg is a car city. Urban sprawl and lacklustre
public transportation make it nearly impossible to navigate life without a
vehicle. This hierarchy puts human beings at the bottom and creates an
adversarial relationship on the road.
Perhaps it should be a little more difficult for drivers to get around,
especially in residential neighbourhoods where vehicles and pedestrians
often mingle more closely.
Research shows the likelihood of death or serious injury for a pedestrian
struck by a vehicle is greatly reduced when speed limits are lower.
Winnipeg is grappling with a major uptick in traffic fatalities. Last year,
28 people died in vehicle collisions, including 12 pedestrians, compared
with nine fatalities in both of the previous two years. This is a horrific
and unacceptable trend.
Vision Zero is a road safety movement, popularized by the Swedish
government, that aims to eliminate all traffic-related deaths and injuries.
The campaign has been gaining traction in North America and is a stated
goal of the Winnipeg Road Safety Strategic Action Plan released in 2022.
While the document cites research, infrastructure and policy as ways to
move “towards zero,” it also points to the need for a culture shift.
Could a culture shift be achieved through speed reduction and physical
roadblocks?
The aforementioned “vibe” described by Ms. Shields can be summed up as a
sense of mutual respect between drivers and other road users.
The simple act of travelling at a lower rate of speed signals care for
those who aren’t protected by thousands of pounds of steel. Care and
respect make for closer communities and safer streets.
Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt recently raised a motion to include
traffic-calming measures in street-renewal projects. If approved, road
repairs could involve the addition of speed bumps, curb extensions and road
narrowing. These design elements would make it harder to speed and force
drivers to pay closer attention while behind the wheel — beneficial
outcomes for everyone involved.
At the same time, if we are to make driving more difficult, we need to make
alternative modes of transportation more accessible. Sweden is now “moving
beyond vision zero,” an initiative that seeks to eliminate road fatalities
while also creating a strong multi-modal system that prioritizes public
transit, cycling networks and walking paths.
While roundabouts and 30 km/h speed limits won’t make sense for every
neighbourhood, it’s imperative that the city explore every opportunity to
improve road safety.
Everyone has the right to get where they’re going safely. It’s encouraging
to see citizens and politicians moving (carefully) towards the same goal
*Councillor seeks speed-reduction in street-fix plans*
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/04/03/transcona-council…
WHEN Winnipeg residential streets are torn up for repairs in the future,
some civic leaders hope they may also be redesigned to slow down drivers.
A new motion calls for city staff to study how traffic-calming measures
could be added during the local street-renewal process.
“You don’t need to (slow traffic) through (speed) enforcement, which is
next to impossible, because you can’t put a police car on every street. You
can do it from design… make the streets tighter in some places and it
allows folks to naturally slow down,” said Coun. Russ Wyatt, who raised the
motion.
Wyatt (Transcona) said he supports efforts to slow down drivers on local
streets to reduce the risk to pedestrians. However, he believes changing
the way streets get built would be more effective than simply lowering
speed limits.
Last month, council voted to reduce speed limits to 30 km/h from 50 km/h on
14 Winnipeg streets, an effort supporters say will make them more “livable”
and welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. Those speed limits will be
gradually implemented over the next two years.
Reduced speeds are also being tested in a one-year pilot project in four
neighbourhoods, which began in March.
Wyatt said he understands the impetus behind those changes. But he expects
designing roads differently would be more effective. He said he would call
for public consultation on any changes.
Coun. Janice Lukes, council’s public works chairwoman, said she also
believes traffic-calming measures would have a lasting impact on drivers.
“Yes, we can drop speed limits, sure, that helps. But what really changes
driver behaviour is the built environment,” said Lukes (Waverley West).
“And when you can change the built environment, that is where you succeed
with really effective traffic calming.”
Lukes said the potential changes could involve narrowing some roads, adding
speed tables (sections of raised road) and/or installing curb extensions
that create more space for pedestrians.
“This would be having the department — instead of just ripping up and
replacing (roads) — actually think about a different design,” she said,
adding plans for new developments, such as Bison Run in Waverley West,
include some traffic-calming measures but implementing them during road
repair would slow traffic on existing streets.
Lukes said the public has mixed views on the matter, noting she receives
complaints when traffic-calming measures are installed but also receives
demands for the features to be added.
Wyatt’s motion will be considered at next Tuesday’s public works committee
meeting.
joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga