- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Seattle dog rides bus by herself to dog park
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jan '15

14 Jan '15

A little smile for a nippy Tuesday afternoon. I wonder if they have a special rate for dogs? http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Seattle-dogs-rush-hour-ride-on-the-bus-b…

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WFP: Who has the white stuff? (Jan.10'15)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Jan '15

12 Jan '15

Who has the white stuff?We look at the snow-clearing policies of six Canadian cities to see how they measure up By: Mia Rabson http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/who-has-the-white-stuff-288134561.ht… OTTAWA -- It's early January in the nation's capital and the city is digging out from just the second storm of the year. On Saturday, Jan. 3, Ottawa had to deal with an 18-centimetre dump of snow, followed the next day by 11 millimetres of rain and freezing rain. But by Sunday night, just over 24 hours after the storm began, most streets were clear, residential sidewalks had been plowed and cars and people were moving around the city without much trouble. [image: Sean Kilpatrick/ THE CANADIAN PRESS] <http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*577/6460839.jpg> Enlarge Image <http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*577/6460839.jpg> Sean Kilpatrick/ THE CANADIAN PRESS (CP) SNOW REMOVAL BUDGETS *2014 budget breakdown per centimetre of snow* *MONTREAL* $151.5 million (annual budget) for 184.2 cm of snow $822,475.57 per cm *TORONTO* $85 million for 139.6 cm $608,882.53 per cm *EDMONTON* $60 million for 102.9 cm $583,090.38 per cm *OTTAWA* $58 million for 166.6 cm $348,139.26 per cm *WINNIPEG* $40.6 million for 118.4 cm $342,905.40 per cm *HALIFAX** $24.2 million for 287.5 cm $84,173.92 per cm * Halifax budget and snowfall was done on fiscal year 2013-14, not calendar year 2014 More than 2,000 kilometres away in Winnipeg, things weren't so rosy. After 16 cm of snow fell on Jan. 1 and 2, new Mayor Brian Bowman was steamed about the quality of snow clearing. He said he's looking at whether more of the work should be given to city crews rather than private contractors and investigating whether private contractors are meeting their required service standards. He told reporters Wednesday more sand should have been put down and more effort made to remove ruts. Slippery streets and the buildup of ruts last winter led to a huge outcry from Winnipeg drivers and contributed to an increase in accidents that compelled Manitoba Public Insurance to ask for a rate increase to cover the added claims. Snow clearing and winter street maintenance are major headaches in almost every city east of British Columbia. Unpredictable weather and high expectations of residents mean even in small snowstorms, the phones ring off the hook with complaints. "It's a very visible public service that really impacts everyone," said Darrin Natolino, superintendent of winter works for the Halifax Regional Municipality. If you want the gold standard of snow clearing, one must look to Quebec, where Montreal spent more on snow clearing last year than Winnipeg has in the last five years. With a budget of $155 million this year, the city will deploy 370 road and sidewalk salting trucks, and 1,000 snowplows, graders, front-end loaders and sidewalk plows, to clear more than 10,000 km of roads and sidewalks of snow and ice. As soon as 2.5 cm of snow is on the ground, the city goes into clearing mode and doesn't stop until the city is clear, usually within five days unless it's a major storm. Montreal also removes most of the snowbanks, spending as much as 70 per cent of its snow-clearing budget on snow removal. In 2013-14, Montreal spent nearly $840,000 for every centimetre of snow that fell. Snowfall is so unpredictable, all cities find it hard to budget. In November and December 2013, Halifax had to clear away 83 cm of snow. A year later, only seven cm fell in those months. Last year, Winnipeg blew its yearly snow-clearing budget by the end of March. Ottawa and Toronto were well over budget before the end of February. All cities classify streets as different priority levels; most clear expressways and main arteries to the pavement but leave a little snowpack on residential streets. But that is about where the similarities end. Each city has different methods of clearing. Some, like Winnipeg, use mostly private contractors. Others split the work between the two, while cities such as Edmonton use almost exclusively city crews to do the work. Toronto and Ottawa use monitoring stations around the city to keep track of surface temperatures and dew points, helping predict when ice is forming and keeping notes on when precipitation begins. It helps those cities deploy crews as soon as possible. Most clear sidewalks, although Halifax just started doing that, Toronto doesn't do it on residential streets downtown and Edmonton doesn't do it on residential streets at all. Toronto and Winnipeg will clear part of the windrows left in front of residential driveways but the rest generally leave that to residents. Edmonton recycles most of the sand it uses. Before a storm ever begins, crews in Ottawa and Montreal hit the ground with salters and de-icers, laying down a brine liquid to pre-treat roads and prevent snow from adhering to the pavement, which makes it much easier to clear. Ottawa then sends out its plows to the main roads as soon as the snow starts to fall, while most other cities wait for at least two or three centimetres to accumulate. "We get out there as soon as we can to prevent that bond (to the pavement)," said Luc Gagné, manager of road services in Ottawa. Cities such as Winnipeg and Edmonton are at a disadvantage here because it's usually too cold for salt or pre-treat brine liquid to work. Ottawa also aims to have main roads cleared within four hours of the end of a storm, and residential streets are to be done within 10 hours. Winnipeg and Edmonton aim to clear the main roads within 36 hours and residential roads not for five days. It's hard to compare costs directly, because different climates, different amounts of snowfall, and different city sizes all affect what is done. And standards generally go out the window when a major storm hits, because even the cities with budgets like Montreal's can't keep up. On Jan. 5, people returned to work and school in that city following a weekend storm that delivered 20 cm of snow and 30 mm of rain that left the ground so icy some people strapped on skates instead of boots to traverse the sidewalks. Toronto knows this problem all too well. Trevor Tenn, acting director of transportation services in Toronto, says as soon as someone outside the city starts asking about snow clearing, he knows 1999 is going to come up. More than 118 cm of snow fell on the city in just two weeks, prompting mayor Mel Lastman to call in the army to help dig out the country's largest metropolis. "We'll never live that one down," said Tenn. Here's the breakdown: *Amount of snowfall required before crews hit freeways, main arteries with plows* Ottawa: as soon as snowfall begins Montreal: 2.5 cm Halifax: 2 cm Toronto: 2 cm for expressways, 5 cm for major and minor arterials and collector streets Edmonton: 3 cm Winnipeg: 3 cm *Time expected to clear freeways and main arteries from the end of a storm* Ottawa: 2-4 hours Toronto: 2-3 hours for expressways, 6-14 hours for other main roads. Halifax: 12 hours Montreal: less than five days if less than 20 cm, greater than five days if more than 30 cm (this applies to the entire city not just the main streets) Edmonton: 36 hours Winnipeg: 36 hours *Snowfall amount required before residential streets are cleared* Montreal: 2.5 cm Ottawa: 7 cm Toronto: 8 cm Edmonton: 10 cm (clearing doesn't begin until after main streets are cleared) Winnipeg: 10 cm (clearing doesn't begin until after main streets are cleared) Halifax: 10 cm *Time expected to clear residential roads of snow* Ottawa: 10 hours Toronto: 14-16 hours Halifax: 36 hours Montreal: within five days (Unless more than 30 cm of snow falls, then it can be longer) Winnipeg: five days Edmonton: five days *Kilometres of roads to plow* Toronto: 5,600 km Ottawa: 5,700 km Montreal: 5,600 km Edmonton: 4,700 km Winnipeg: 4,400 km Halifax: 3,800 km *Amount of salt, sand, pre-treat liquid used* Ottawa: 180,000 tonnes salt, 4.5 million litres of pretreat liquid Montreal: 140,000 tonnes salt Toronto: 130,000 tonnes salt, 2.3 million litres of pretreat liquid Winnipeg: 70,000 tonnes sand, 20,000 tonnes salt Edmonton: 18,800 tonnes salt, 97,691 tonnes of street sand, 34,354 tonnes of rock chips, 143,981 litres of pretreat liquid Halifax: n/a mia.rabson(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 10, 2015 A6

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Bike Week 2015
by Dave Elmore 11 Jan '15

11 Jan '15

Bike Week Winnipeg <http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com/> is busy planning for 2015 and we are planning to make it bigger and better than 2014. Due to the new Anti-Spam legislation we are no longer able to email Bike Week updates to past subscribers. Whether you were a past participant or new to Bike Week, please sign up for our e-newsletter <http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com/register/> and stay informed of all the fun events planned for 2015. If you would like to learn more about this event please visit our website at www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com <http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com> . Thanks Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X)

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Road diet decision reversal from the US (Citylab article)
by Patman, David 10 Jan '15

10 Jan '15

Not local, but of interest - unfortunately, this is more common that it should be in North America - reversing a decision on a road diet: http://www.citylab.com/commute/2015/01/why-one-florida-city-reversed-its-ro… David Patman, P. Eng. Transit Planner Winnipeg Transit | Service Development Division 421 Osborne Street | Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 2A2 P: 204-986-5737 | dpatman(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:dpatman@winnipeg.ca>

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Immediate short-term contract position with Trails Manitoba
by Beth McKechnie 08 Jan '15

08 Jan '15

Submission deadline: Wednesday, January 14th Find details attached or online here: http://trailsmanitoba.ca/2015/01/rfp-trail-completion-oversight/

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AT-Policies in Canada - WEBINAR
by Jackie Avent 07 Jan '15

07 Jan '15

Good Evening, Green Action Centre will be hosting this upcoming webinar from 12 - 1 pm on Tuesday January 20th at the Manitoba Eco-Centre (3rd Floor, 303 Portage Avenue), followed by a brief discussion. Hope you can bring your lunch and join us! Jackie [image: Active Transportation Policy Case Studies and Maps Webinar] Active Transportation Policy Case Studies and Maps Webinar What: Webinar When: January 20, 2015 Time: 12:00 PM CDT Active Transportation Policy Case Studies and Maps Webinar The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer will host a one-hour webinar on January 20th from 12:00pm-1:00pm CDT. By attending you'll learn about our active transportation policy resources and how they can be applied to your work: - Active Transportation Policy Case Studies <http://www.cancerview.ca/policycasestudies> - Active Transportation Policy Case Study Summary Sheets <hhtp://www.cancerview.ca/policycasestudies> - Canadian Municipal Active Transportation Policy Map <http://www.cancerview.ca/cv/portal/Home/PreventionAndScreening/PSProfession…> - Provincial/Territorial Active Transportation Policy Maps <http://www.cancerview.ca/cv/portal/Home/PreventionAndScreening/PSProfession…> **Note: This webinar will only be offered in English.* -- *Jackie Avent* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3773 *|* Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>

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Mark Your Calendar! 2015 APBP Webinar Schedule
by Beth McKechnie 07 Jan '15

07 Jan '15

Hello everyone, Please mark your calendar for this year's line-up of excellent webinars from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP). Note that they are typically held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 2:00-3:00 pm local time. Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg partner to pay for these webinars and then guest host a local viewing at no charge to anyone who wishes to join us for the viewing and discussion afterward. These take place at the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd Floor, 303 Portage Ave above MEC). I will send out more details on the January 21st webinar closer to the date. Hope you can join us! cheers, Beth * * * * * Jan 21 Level of Service for Pedestrians and Cyclists Feb 18 New Tools for Estimating Walking and Bicycling Demand Mar 18Pedestrian and Bicycle Counting Programs Apr 15Legal Rights and Issues for Pedestrians and Bicyclists May 20 Law Enforcement Strategies to Improve Safety for Peds and Bikes Jun 17First Mile / Last Mile Connections to Transit Jul 15Health in All Policies Aug 19 Streetscape Design to Improve Walking and Bicycling Sep 16Shared Streets, Slow Streets Oct 21 Tactical Urbanism Nov 18Bike Boxes Dec 16 The Best Guides and Manuals You've Never Heard Of

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Thompson Citizen: Council approves multi-use path guidelines
by Beth McKechnie 31 Dec '14

31 Dec '14

Council approves multi-use path guidelines Molly Gibson Kirby <http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/authors?author=Molly%20Gibson%20Kirby> / Thompson Citizen December 30, 2014 11:32 AM http://www.thompsoncitizen.net/news/thompson/council-approves-multi-use-pat… The multi-use pathways around the city of Thompson now come complete with guidelines to help residents know what is allowed on these walkways. Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) health promotion co-ordinator Bruce Krentz and Michael Isaac, medical officer of health in Winnipeg, spoke about active transportation during the Dec. 15 council meeting. “I firmly believe we need to write the good news story that we want to read someday. So I’ve written a news story that I hope to read in the *Thompson Citizen* on Dec. 15, 2024, 10 years from now.” Says Isaac. In the make-believe article, Isaac touched on areas that Thompson currently, in 2014, is succeeding at. This included the first health summit. “What the community told us that we needed to work together to create a community where making the healthy choice is the easy choice and create opportunities for every resident to be healthy.” Isaac says Thompson was one of the first communities in the region to recognize the importance of active transportation, such as the multi-use pathways. Since then, active transportation has become the number one recommendation in the master parks plan, and it’s one of the key themes in the sustainable community plan. “These active transportation networks allow people to use their own power to get around, decreasing the amount of time they are sitting. They also separate car and truck traffic from cyclists and pedestrians, reducing the chance of injury.” These pathways, Isaac says, are well-connected, well-maintained, easily navigated and lead to all major sites in the city. The newly approved guidelines say active transportation uses human power. This includes anything without a motor, with the exception of motorized wheelchairs, such as walking, cycling, in-line skating, skateboarding and skiing. All users should keep to the right while using the path, and pass on the left, just like a road. There is a speed limit of 20 kilometres an hour, and cyclists must have front and rear reflectors, and warn pedestrians when approaching. A cyclist can do this by using a bell, a horn or the use of a vocal warning. Krentz said about a year-and-a-half ago, active transportation became a talking point in Thompson. After presentations to the recreation and public works committee, a citizens committee was formed that helped guide it into what it stands for today. “We started to look at our active transportation network on a bigger scale. We were seeing what pieces were maybe missing, what could we change, and stuff like that. We spent a fair bit of time talking about that, and we have since met with the committees. What we’re committed to now is working together to make a five-year plan for the city, so if funding becomes available through the budget process, it’s easy to see where we get from Point A to Point B.” Isaac says it’s about changing the trajectory of health in the region, all by working together to prevent disease. “We want people to wear out the soles of their shoes, the chains on their bikes, and the wheels on their rollerblades. Thompson is giving the residents every chance to do that with their active transportation networks and commitment to healthy city planning.” Krentz finished the presentation by saying the active transportation committee wants to work on two major areas - snow clearing and creating bike lanes for this upcoming summer. © Copyright 2014 Thompson Citizen

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Health Wealth and Happiness - Gil Penalosa presents at TEDCity
by Jackie Avent 21 Dec '14

21 Dec '14

Great video to inspire! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKfuSdQDTA8 -- *Jackie Avent* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3773 *|* Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>

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A little Christmas/Holiday cheer
by Stacy Matwick 18 Dec '14

18 Dec '14

How to Bike Home Your Christmas Tree in 11 Simple Steps | | | | | | | | | | | How to Bike Home Your Christmas Tree in 11 Simple StepsDon't forget bungee cords, peanut butter, and the kindness of strangers. | | | | View on www.citylab.com | Preview by Yahoo | | | | |

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