SPEED LIMITS SOUGHT FOR ACTIVE PATHWAYS
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/09/29/councillor-suggests-spee…
THE City of Winnipeg should study the merits of imposing a speed limit for
bikes, electric bikes, scooters and other devices on active transportation
pathways, according to one councillor.
Coun. Shawn Dobson raised a motion at Friday’s council meeting that seeks a
staff report on the potential change, which states collisions and injuries
are more likely when speed increases.
“Many residents are afraid to use our pathways for fear of being struck and
injured by speeding bikes, e-bikes, scooters and other devices,” the motion
states.
The matter was referred to council’s public works committee, which will
consider it next month.
Cyclist injured in apparent road rage incident with truck
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2023/09/20/cyclist-injured-i…
A cyclist is recovering after an alleged road rage incident in which a
motorist attempted to ram him with his truck, severely damaging his bike
and sending him sprawling to the pavement.
“I’m still processing this in a really big way,” Elliot Long said,
describing how a seemingly innocent interaction with a motorist allegedly
turned hostile.
“I’m really shaken up. I would like to continue cycling, but it is really
scary.”
Long, a student at the University of Winnipeg, said he was cycling
northbound on Roslyn Road near Osborne Street around 9 a.m. Monday when a
car cut him off and stopped at a red light.
When he gestured for the driver to give him more space, an unrelated
motorist behind the wheel of a burgundy truck began shouting at him.
“I don’t even know why he got involved,” Long said. “He started foaming at
the mouth, screaming all kinds of stuff, just completely losing it at me.”
Long stepped off his bike and turned to face the incensed motorist. When
the light turned green, the man in the truck “backed up a little bit and
crashed right into me,” he said.
Long said he managed to dive away in order to avoid being run down, and
watched from the ground as the truck sped off with his bike trapped
beneath. The bike broke loose a few metres away with its rear tire, chain
and gears reduced to a twisted wreck.
Shaken up and sore, but relatively unharmed, the cyclist got to his feet
and took note of the truck’s licence plate. He went immediately to Winnipeg
Police Service headquarters and filed a report, he said.
Numerous witnesses approached him in the aftermath of the crash, including
a staff member at a nearby convenience store who said they had video
footage; that evidence has since been submitted to police, Long said.
On Tuesday, WPS confirmed it received the report but did not provide
additional details.
“They asked me if I want to press criminal charges,” Long said. “(I said)
yes. This is not OK. There are cyclists killed often and you cannot behave
that way. It’s completely inappropriate.”
Manitoba Public Insurance data shows an average of four cyclists are killed
and 78 are injured in collisions annually throughout the province. While
every situation is different, claim reports suggest fault is often shared
between drivers and cyclists.
In June, a 63-year-old man was struck on his bike and sent to the hospital
in critical condition after a hit-and-run incident near Isabel Street and
Notre Dame Avenue. In May, a cyclist in his 30s was critically injured
after being struck by a garbage truck near Erin Street and Sargent Avenue.
Javed Musharraf, 22, died late last year after colliding with a front-end
loader while riding his electric bike near the intersection of Mission and
Plinguet streets.
A separate 2019 MPI report found roughly 30 per cent of drivers admit
to committing
acts of road rage, including shouting, cursing, making rude gestures or —
in extreme cases — forcing other motorists off the road.
Long estimates the cost of damage to his bike, helmet and eyeglasses will
exceed $1,000. The number does not account for physical or emotional damage
suffered as a result, he said.
He intends to file a claim with MPI.
“Everybody I know who is a cyclist has been in an accident at some point,”
he said, “Drivers seem to think cyclists are supposed to ride on the
sidewalk sometimes, which is not the law and is much more dangerous. I wear
my helmet, I follow the rules of the road, but it is scary.”
tyler.searle(a)freepress.mb.ca
Montreal-area police equip school kids with backpacks that display speed
cameras
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/2023/09/06/montreal-area-police-eq…
MONTREAL — Children in the Montreal area are becoming living speed cameras
to get drivers to slow down in school zones as the city charges ahead with
efforts to increase road safety.
On select dates, police in the metro area will equip a handful of
schoolchildren with backpacks that display passing vehicles’ speeds.
The concept, developed in Quebec by police in the suburb of Laval, north of
Montreal, in 2021, spread to Longueuil on the south shore of the St.
Lawrence River last year. On Wednesday, the Montreal police force presented
its first “living radars.”
The striking demonstrations are part of a series of measures municipalities
are deploying to better secure school zones this year — an effort that took
on renewed urgency last December when a seven-year-old girl who had
recently arrived from Ukraine was killed in a hit-and-run on her way to
school east of downtown Montreal.
“Living environments are not shortcuts, and they must guarantee safe travel
for everyone,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said in a statement this week.
“Road safety is everyone’s business. Every motorist must prioritize safety
over speed.”
Police in Montreal, Laval and Longueuil have all announced operations to
crack down on dangerous driving around school zones this month.
Montreal is reshaping its streets to better protect children, ramping up
work to envelop school zones with pedestrian safety and traffic calming
measures, such as raised crosswalks, enlarged sidewalks, speed humps and
lane size reductions. The program — the first of its kind in Quebec,
according to Plante — has made 92 schools safer since its launch in 2020,
the city says. Eighteen more projects are underway and scheduled to wrap up
by the end of the year.
Longueuil is following suit, with its own school zone safety plan coming
shortly, the city’s mayor, Catherine Fournier, promised last week.
On Tuesday, Plante pointed to the rising number of serious road collisions
as motivation to push forward with the urban redesign.
Quebec’s public automobile insurance corporation counted 38 fatal accidents
in the Montreal region, including the city and on-island suburbs, in 2022,
compared with 29 in 2021.
“Our aim is to do more, faster,” the mayor said.
— The Canadian Press
*Mobility fair for older adults to be held Sept. 13*
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/east/2023/09/06/mobility-…
Options to help some of the city’s more senior citizens get out and about
will be explored at an upcoming free community event.
Green Action Centre, in collaboration with the Transportation Options
Network for Seniors, will hold a mobility fair for older adults on
Wednesday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Corydon Community Centre,
River Heights site (1370 Grosvenor Ave.).
The fair, which will be held in a drop-in format, will include
presentations, information and resources provided by a number of
organizations, including the two host organizations, such as Winnipeg
Transit, Bike Winnipeg, Easy Street Rehabilitation, Peg City Car Co-op,
Plain Bicycle, and Freedom Concepts.
Organizers say the goal of the event is to showcase a selection of local
transportation options that older individuals can utilize to maintain a
healthy, independent and sustainable lifestyle. “It’s very exciting for us
to do this,” Ariel Desrochers, a sustainable transportation co-ordinator at
Green Action Centre, said. Desrochers, who lives in Wolseley, said the
organization tends to serve younger audiences — with initiatives such as
its Active and Safe Routes to School program — and individuals across the
board with any number of active transportation initiatives, so it’s
especially satisfying to be tailoring the upcoming fair to an older
demographic.
She said the event will be helpful to community members with a
cross-section of different needs and interests, whether it’s those who are
looking for different transportation alternatives, such as people
potentially looking for more sustainable alternatives to cars; folks who
want to maintain their independence
as they age; or maybe those with mobility issues that are seeking prudent
options.
“It’s something I’m looking forward to. When we talk about sustainability
and environmental initiatives, maybe older folks sometimes get left out of
the conversation. I really hope this event can be inclusive to this age
group and help expand their horizons,” Desrochers said. “Accessible travel
isn’t always sustainable, so we’re looking forward to bringing these
options to older individuals in the community.”
According to Green Action Centre’s website, limited refreshments will be
provided. As well, many of the vendors will be stationed outside, so
attendees are encouraged to wear comfortable footwear and dress according
to the weather. There will be limited bicycle and vehicle parking, as well
as street parking.
Desrochers said the fair’s drop-in format will allow visitors to pick and
choose what they’d like to see and do.
Go online at greenactioncentre.ca for more information.