AT-Network May 2023

at-network@lists.umanitoba.ca

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WFP Editorial: Two wheels and one big problem (May17'23)

by Beth McKechnie

* Two wheels and one big problem * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2023/05/16/two-wheels-… THE sun is shining, the trees are budding and Winnipeg bike thieves are gearing up for another busy season of breaking locks and reselling stolen goods online. Bicycle theft might seem like small potatoes when compared to more serious local concerns — such as an uptick in violent crimes and arsons — but it’s a nagging issue that commands few resources and sees little improvement year after year. After year. Stolen bikes have become an accepted, embarrassing fact of life in Winnipeg. When Ai Weiwei’s towering sculpture of 1,245 silver bicycles was installed at The Forks in 2019, social media was atwitter with jokes about how long it would take thieves to run off with the 30foot public art piece. During last year’s mayoral race, candidate Rick Shone had his bike stolen minutes after pitching a plan to reduce bike theft — again, online reaction was swift. Few seemed surprised that a bicycle was snatched in broad daylight. While bike theft is a chronic issue in cities across Canada, local efforts to curb the problem have been laughably ineffective. A recent investigation published by the Free Press revealed that Winnipeg has a single bicycle recovery officer. That lone employee is responsible for managing the city’s unclaimed bike inventory, creating promotional materials, responding to police reports, recovering stolen property and returning bikes to their rightful owner. Quite the job description for one person. That there is only a single officer — in a city of 750,000 people — dedicated to addressing bike theft shows how serious the Winnipeg Police Service considers the issue. Last fall, officers reportedly laughed off a resident’s request to help thwart a bicycle robbery in-progress. The victim lost his wheels and his confidence in the system — a sentiment that can have dangerous consequences. The same Free Press investigation profiled a mother and son who had taken to vigilante justice to recover the 13-year-old’s stolen bicycle. After spotting the wheels for sale online, the pair concocted a plan to meet with the seller and retrieve the goods. Things worked out for the pair, but vigilantism is risky business. As many as 3,000 bikes are reported stolen in the city annually; although, the actual number of thefts is likely higher since small-scale property crimes are often underreported. Of that, roughly 400 bicycles make it back to their rightful owners. Missing bicycles shouldn’t be the department’s top priority, but the city needs to reassess how it handles the issue. The current system requires residents to pay $7.35 to register their bicycles with the city’s online database. In theory, registration makes it easier to reunite bikes with owners; however, only 10 per cent of lost bikes ever return home, making it clear the process isn’t working. Vancouver and Edmonton have managed to increase reunions through free online bike databases and point-of-sale registrations. The city would also do well to offer more secure sites to lock up bikes, such as the bike corral in the parkade of the Millennium Library. Winnipeg cyclists have enough to contend with between crumbling infrastructure, aggressive drivers, difficult weather conditions and a lacklustre cycling network. The risk of also having your ride swiped is another hurdle for citizens trying to engage in active transportation. While biking is billed as an important pillar in the city’s forthcoming Transportation Master Plan, Winnipeg has kilometres to go before it can be considered an accessible cycling city. Addressing bike theft is key to that transition. Winnipeg Police don’t need to re-invent the wheel, but they do need to recognize its value. And come along for the ride.

11 months, 3 weeks

Global: Winnipeg still lags behind on active transportation, experts say (May13'23)

by Beth McKechnie

https://globalnews.ca/news/9696861/winnipeg-still-lags-behind-on-active-tra…

11 months, 3 weeks

WFP: CentrePlan 2050 targets new residents, more traffic on feet, less in cars (May12'23)

by Beth McKechnie

*CentrePlan 2050 targets new residents, more traffic on feet, less in cars* *Vision for a downtown with ‘people’* https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/05/11/city-proposes-massive-ch… A new vision to revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown pitches options to create new green space, calm traffic, reimagine Graham Avenue and attract new residents among its key goals. Described as a blueprint to redevelop downtown, a preliminary version of CentrePlan 2050 released Thursday sets a target to ensure at least 350 new residential units get built in the city centre each year until 2030, followed by 500 annually after that. That’s part of a much broader strategy to attract more residents and visitors. The proposal floats ideas to create “ideal neighbourhood streets” with safe crossings for foot traffic, street trees, pedestrian lighting, on-street parking and narrow road lanes meant to help slow traffic. “We want more people living in the downtown and staying in the downtown and not just driving through the downtown… I think now’s the time to have a conversation about pedestrian safety, cycling… transit and motor-vehicle traffic,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. “There’s a couple things I really want to see, (including) finding ways to add more green space in the downtown, finding more ways to redevelop surface parking lots and add the amenities to the downtown communities that people depend upon and rely upon in other communities across the city.” The proposal doesn’t identify designated “neighbourhood” streets, though a city official suggested Edmonton and Kennedy could be included. The city is also seeking input to design future bike routes in the areas of St. Mary and York avenues, Notre Dame and Cumberland avenues and William Stephenson Way and Graham Avenue. Additional goals include attracting major grocery stores, planting trees, creating new parks, adding winter activities and increasing access to riverbanks. It has been a busy week for proposals and discussions about inner-city Winnipeg’s future. The proposal’s release followed Wednesday’s unveiling by the Osborne Village BIZ of a multi-pronged plan to transform one of the city’s most densely populated neighbourhoods. There have also been two public open houses staged by city planning department staff to get feedback and answer questions about a consultant’s report on a revitalization of the controversial Portage and Main corridor. The project also aims to “reimagine” Graham Avenue, since the city expects buses will no longer use it within five to 10 years. The report notes car travel is already prohibited on several blocks. It suggests the avenue’s central location could serve as a key cycling connection and makes it “perfectly situated to be downtown’s signature open space.” The report indicates motor-vehicle access on some sections of Graham, mostly where it is currently not allowed, is “to be determined.” The future version of the street could incorporate some combination of: a “shared zone” with more room for pedestrians, cyclists and patios; a “green zone” with trees, plantings and recreation; and a “celebration zone” with a flexible space to accommodate street parties, food-truck festivals and active-transportation paths. Richard Mahé, a senior downtown planner for the city, said Graham Avenue options could be considered “block by block.” “As the buses leave, it gives us a really unique opportunity to rethink how we want to use that space for people,” he said, noting changes could still accommodate vehicles. Mahé said the strategy acknowledges downtown has changed as more people continue to work from home. “We saw a lot of progress in our downtown pre-pandemic, and the pandemic has exposed certain weaknesses in our downtown. We’ve had an (over-reliance) on the office worker to animate our downtown…. We need to provide more housing downtown and a broader range of different housing options to meet different needs,” he said. While the online survey asks residents if they support efforts to “increase safety by reducing car speeds” downtown, Mahé said that’s not a current focus. The document also notes connector and corridor streets would be treated differently. An urban-issues expert said Graham deserves special attention. “Graham is one of these oddities of Winnipeg’s downtown,” said Jino Distasio, a professor of urban geography at the University of Winnipeg. “As a kid that has grown up in the downtown, I scratch my head because I have never understood what Graham Avenue was as a destination… that one, to me, needs help from (public) input to figure out.” Distasio said all downtown routes should be designed to meet the needs of all forms of traffic. “You have to have accessibility and the ability to efficiently and effectively move 50,000, 60,000 workers, students and visitors in the downtown but you also want to do it as safely as possible…. All of this is about scale and balance,” he said. Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, said any changes should prioritize quality of life for the 18,000 people who currently live in the area and help attract new residents. “I think a lot of our streets downtown are treated like a thoroughfare. (This is) more about how… we design our downtown to be for people first,” she said. “That it’s not just a neighbourhood to pass through… that supports businesses as well,” said Fenske. She believes the initial target to build 350 new homes in the area each year makes sense, since inflation and rising construction costs have recently made development more challenging. Data shows 352 new residential units were built downtown in 2021, followed by 141 last year. A five-year average between 2017 and 2021 was notably higher at 454, but the number of units is “historically volatile,” partly because new homes tend to arrive through large, multi-year projects, city spokesman Kalen Qually said in an emailed statement. While some drivers have expressed concern traffic-calming measures could snarl traffic, the head of council’s property and development committee said other cities have smoothly adopted similar changes. “(As for) the bias… that it’s all going to slow down, I’ve watched other cities do this. Other cities have the same hesitation, the same concerns and then it just doesn’t happen,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins. The new ideas should help guide the city to build a downtown “for everyone,” she said. “They’re reimagining many streets in the downtown and, dare I say, even the potential to eliminate some…. Do we need that many or do we need more walkable malls, and so forth?” she said. Winnipeggers can weigh in on the ideas in an online survey at winnipeg. ca/centreplan2050 until June 15 or attend an open house from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 25 at Manitoba Hydro Place (360 Portage Ave.) joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca

11 months, 4 weeks

WFP: Portage and Main future draws plenty of interest (May11'23)

by Beth McKechnie

Strong opinions on study of possible changes to iconic intersection at open house Portage and Main future draws plenty of interest https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/05/10/portage-and-main-… THE opportunity to weigh in on changes that could transform Portage and Main drew Winnipeggers to an open house inside one of the controversial intersection’s office towers Wednesday. City planners were on hand inside the lobby at 201 Portage Ave., to answer questions about a consultant’s study released last month outlining a variety of projects that could be done at street level and — in some cases — high above it, to improve access and esthetics in the divisive corridor. The ideas, both restrained and grandiose, were generated by the inescapable reality that major surgery is required to repair the city’s deteriorating infrastructure heart. The membrane below the intersection that since 1979 has protected the underground concourse of shops and services that also serves as the only pedestrian access, is well past its life expectancy and needs to be replaced. That massive construction opens the doors to change, if not opening the barricades to foot traffic. “If the real purpose of this is to make downtown a viable place again, it has to be done in a certain manner to make people actually want to be here, which I think is mostly in part to opening pedestrian traffic back into the area,” said Jeff Hodgins, who works near the vehicles-only intersection. “Not only just that, but also making it a safe place for pedestrians, reducing people driving through.” The consultant’s study included a fanciful six-storey-high “sky garden” offering access via glass elevators and another idea featuring lookout towers at each corner, along with possible large-scale art installations and attractive paving stones and tree planting. Hodgins was among visitors who stopped in to speak with city staff, wrote suggestions for improvements on sticky notes and applied red, yellow and green stickers to posters of individual ideas to denote interest. By mid-morning, some had quite a few more green stickers than others. A poster describing edge-to-edge sidewalk paving with trees at the intersection was dotted with mostly green stickers, while the lookout towers, sky garden and public art options were, judging by the smattering of yellow and red stickers, more contentious. Hodgins, who noted that he liked the lookout towers, placed a red sticker on the sky garden and a yellow on the large-scale art proposal. “Before we start throwing up art pieces, we should probably really be addressing the core issues,” he said. “We can put up a beautiful art piece when we’re not broke as a city.” Those “core issues” seemed to be the focus of many; a board left blank for people to place their suggestions was filled with notes including “Priority is opening!” “Bike lanes should be considered,” and “Public safety, more police and security.” Others were concerned about the price tag that could be attached to some of the showier options. Jim Moore, the property manager of 201 Portage, decried the overhead designs as “pie in the sky” and “way too pricey” on his suggestion sticky note. “By far the best, most reasonable ideas are these ones where you take down the barricade, you make it waterproof again with a membrane, you put some bollards up for safety, some trees, some lighting and you’re done,” Moore said. “And you don’t cost hundreds of millions of dollars, or whatever the price tag might be on sky decks or things like that.” Kirby Cote’s suggestion took up two sticky notes: “Designs do not meet the Accessibility for Manitobans Act standard for public spaces.” “We know what universal design looks like, we know how to create accessible, inclusive spaces and we know what vibrant communities need to be safe and healthy,” she said. “And art is part of it, but we also need to think about the space that we are putting the art in, and can everybody move around that space?” Cote, who is visually impaired, lives nearby and struggles to navigate the intersection. “We can’t even keep a bathroom downtown open 24-7, or a transit shelter. How are we supposed to keep towers and bridges and elevators open?” she said. “I feel like whoever submitted these designs was extremely out of touch with the people that are actually walking around in our downtown area.” Critiques of the current set of ideas are what the organizers were hoping for, said Kurtis Kowalke, a principal planner for the city. “If certain ideas don’t resonate with people, that’s what we want to hear,” he said. “We really want to put as many ideas on the table as possible at this stage where we’re really having those discussions about what works, what doesn’t, what resonates, what actually fulfils our project objectives.” A second pop-up open house is being held in the underground concourse this morning and the city will continue to accept online surveys ( https://engage.winnipeg.ca/portageandmain) until May 26. A study based on the results, along with design recommendations, will be released in the fall. “If this morning has been any indication, I think there is a lot of interest,” Kowalke said. “There’s certainly a lot of people that work right at the intersection or catch a bus in the intersection, there’s lots of people nearby, and I think they have a really strong opinion of what Portage and Main should be.” While visiting the open house, Asper Foundation president and businesswoman Gail Asper felt the most important choice wasn’t on a poster. Rather than place a green sticker on any of the existing options, she scrawled her own on a small piece of paper — simply take down the barricades and allow pedestrians to cross the street. Quickly, her paper was dotted with others’ green stickers. “I think it’s good to have these discussions,” she said. “But what concerned me about the things that I saw posted in the lobby, none of them included opening the barricades, and that is a huge disappointment to me.” malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca

11 months, 4 weeks

WFP Analysis: Outdated thinking fuels proposed Route 90 expansion (May11'23)

by Beth McKechnie

Outdated thinking fuels proposed Route 90 expansion https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/05/10/outdated-thinking-fuels-… IT’S not the first time Winnipeggers have been promised that a large, stand-alone infrastructure project would alleviate their commuting woes. History is littered with stories about local government and construction-sector enthusiasts crowing about how something that is longer and wider, with more underpasses or overpasses or bridges, would eliminate bottlenecks and gridlock. By now, you’d figure we’d recognize a hustle when we see one. The most recent example of the magic bullet theory of infrastructure planning comes in the form of an ambitious, $500-million plan to widen and improve all aspects of infrastructure of Route 90 — sewers, bridges, transit hubs and active transportation — one of the most important north-south traffic corridors in the city. This plan, City of Winnipeg traffic engineers claim, will significantly cut travel time during the busiest parts of the day. Lurking beneath the hoopla and lofty claims that accompanied the recent release of the plan is an inconvenient truth that has been established over decades of experience in other bigger and busier cities: longer and wider roads do not relieve traffic congestion. To quote the legendary Sam Schwartz (the New York City traffic engineer who coined the term gridlock): “If you build it, they will come.” Urban planners refer to the phenomenon Schwartz described as “induced demand.” In other words, the wider and longer the road, the more cars will end up using it. The increased volume that flocks to expanded roadways often leaves them as, or more, gridlocked than they were before. What lessens gridlock? Again, the proven methods in other cities involve making it more difficult and expensive to drive automobiles to and from the busiest neighbourhoods. However, there’s something more: the world’s biggest cities rely on massive investments in mass transit to keep people out of their cars. Cities that look to the future — which includes just about every Canadian city of equal or larger size — are extremely cautious about widening and lengthening roads. They are more enthusiastic about discouraging automobiles and supporting investments in transit. By proposing a widening of Route 90 to alleviate traffic congestion, Winnipeg demonstrates it is about 50 years behind the urban planning curve. There are two things we must keep in mind when considering this project: first, there is a current issue with gridlock on Route 90; second, the project (as it’s now configured) is about a lot more than just widening a road. As presented, the “widening” of Kenaston Boulevard represents only about one-third of the project costs and scope. According to the city’s presentation, 42 per cent would be dedicated to bridge and road repairs or replacement, and 27 per cent would involve much-needed sewer upgrades. The argument is because the road surface and bridges along Route 90 will need to be replaced anyway, it makes sense to include as many other “needs” under the umbrella of one project. What doesn’t make a lot of sense, however, is the city’s insistence that widening it will affect congestion and travel times. It is an argument so flawed, it borders on delusional. When the Route 90 report was released last week, city traffic engineers dutifully showed current loads and then modelled well into the future to predict the increased traffic that will come from expected population growth. Embedded in these calculations, however, is a dangerous assumption: that the city does nothing else to get people out of their cars and onto transit. It’s not even certain, at its current four lanes, traffic loads will increase. Again, in more progressive cities, it is well-known traffic will avoid the busiest routes. Maybe not every day, but as congestion increases, people find different routes or — wait for it — ride the bus. Thankfully, the city will have a chance to save itself from this plan, as described. If the city really wants to widen the road and reduce congestion, then it needs to designate the additional lane in each direction as a bus-only, rapid transit route. If people from the burgeoning neighbourhoods in the southwest quadrant knew they could take an express bus from a transit hub at Kenaston and Mc-Gillivray Avenue, along a rapid transit lane on Route 90 that goes all the way downtown, we’d be an important step closer to solving this city’s traffic problems. Or consider doing the rehabilitation and ancillary infrastructure but don’t widen the road. If the cost of widening is 31 per cent of the total project price tag, then the city could save more than $150 million by just focusing on the other enhancements: better transit hubs, road and bridge rehabilitation, active transportation. The Route 90 plan as presented is badly conceived, based on outdated thinking and jam-packed full of fallacious reasoning. As configured, it hasn’t got a hope in hell of reducing the traffic problems. So, remind me again, why are we spending $500 million on this project? dan.lett(a)winnipegfreepress.com

11 months, 4 weeks

CBC: Pedestrian scramble at River and Osborne part of neighbourhood blueprint (May10'23)

by Beth McKechnie

Plan from Osborne Village BIZ also calls for allowing on-street parking on both sides, widening sidewalks https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/osborne-village-pedestrian-scramble…

12 months

Globe&Mail: Winnipeg rethinks Portage and Main intersection, but not the barriers

by Beth McKechnie

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-crossing-the-street-at-winni…

12 months

WFP: Vote on studying Portage & Main reopening postponed to fall (May9'23)

by Beth McKechnie

Vote on studying Portage & Main reopening postponed to fall https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/05/08/vote-on-studying-… THE City of Winnipeg won’t explore the impact of opening a street-level pedestrian crossing at Portage Avenue and Main Street just yet. On Monday, council’s public works committee postponed a vote until October on ordering city staff to study the option. Coun. Janice Lukes, the committee’s chairwoman, said she believes council should wait until public consultation is completed on a consultant’s recently released options to revamp the intersection, which propose everything from basic pavement enhancements to a sixth-floor-level circular walkway. “Right now, we’ve got this public consultation going on. We don’t want to cloud the waters,” said Lukes. While the consultant’s ideas don’t include an option to reopen Winnipeg’s most famous intersection to surface- level pedestrian traffic, Lukes said she expects many people who support that change will share their views. Lukes said she expects foot traffic will one day be allowed at street level and she is personally open to the idea. Coun. Sherri Rollins, who raised the motion to study that option now, noted a street-level crossing is notably absent from the “fanciful” designs on which the city is seeking public feedback. “We don’t have the basics of costs and impacts for the option of opening up the intersection and that seems to me, through the course of time, to be a big omission that I’d like you to fix today,” Rollins told the public works committee. She suggested the new study should offer details on construction requirements, accessibility improvements, navigation, traffic impact, cost and other aspects of street-level access. Rollins, whose ward stretches close to Portage and Main but doesn’t include the intersection, said downtown residents deserve to have easy access to cross the street near their homes, as many folks in other parts of the city do. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca

12 months

WFP: City eyes prioritizing active transportation route cleanups (May9'23)

by Beth McKechnie

City eyes prioritizing active transportation route cleanups https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/05/08/city-eyes-priorit… THE City of Winnipeg will explore options to prioritize spring cleanup on active transportation routes over clearing the same sand and grit off roads. On Monday, council’s public works committee ordered a staff report to determine what it would take to make the seasonal cleanup on multi-use pathways, protected bike lanes and sidewalks the higher priority of the two. “This would mean some of the streets not getting done as fast but prioritizing the active transportation network… because it’s much more hazardous if you wipe out on gravel on a bike or (while) walking or on a mobility device than it is in a vehicle,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, committee chairwoman. Since Winnipeg tends to have lengthy, snowy winters that require crews to repeatedly spread sand to improve traction, a cycling advocate said the debris left behind once the snow melts has triggered concerns. “I hear lots of complaints about it. I imagine that the councillors hear lots of complaints (too). People are definitely having issues out there… The gravel, especially on turns, can really take you down,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. “At some point, I’ve definitely had the tire come out from under me.” Cohoe said he believes quicker spring cleanup on active transportation routes would support the city’s goals to encourage more people to walk and ride bikes. “It improves safety, it improves comfort, but it also makes you feel a little bit more valid in choosing (a transportation option) that isn’t just an afterthought.” Cohoe said his group has previously asked for the change. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipeg public works director, said the sanding of sidewalks has increased considerably in recent years, a service that was traditionally restricted to freezing rain events in the past. Berezowsky said far more traction material is added now, following demands from citizens and councillors to address slick winter conditions, which may be difficult to remove from the narrow paths. “A lot of the challenges that I see (are linked to) the amount of material being applied… Our policy doesn’t state (that we should do) continuous sanding of the sidewalks.” He said sweeping sand off residential sidewalks was also not part of traditional spring cleanup. The report is expected back in about six months. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

12 months

CTV: 'Part of a worldwide trend': E-bikes becoming more popular in Winnipeg (May7'23)

by Beth McKechnie

https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/part-of-a-worldwide-trend-e-bikes-becoming-more…

12 months

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AT-Network May 2023