- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Webinar Handouts - Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work
by Mark Cohoe 19 Feb '13

19 Feb '13

Hi, Just a reminder that Bike to the Future and the Green Action Centre are hosting the APBP webinar Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work tomorrow @ 2pm in the MB Eco-Centre. Handouts for the webinar can be downloaded here <http://www.apbp.org/?page=Webinar_Downloads>. See you there, Mark

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From the WFP
by Stacy Matwick 15 Feb '13

15 Feb '13

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION Winter cycling no longer weird in Winterpeg Numbers seem to be slowly rising By: Bartley Kives Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: 0<http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=Winter+cycling+n…>g [JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A cyclist rides on the pedestrian bridge towards Jubilee Avenue this week. There are no hard numbers on a rise in winter biking.] Enlarge Image<http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/4746248.jpg> JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A cyclist rides on the pedestrian bridge towards Jubilee Avenue this week. There are no hard numbers on a rise in winter biking. As recently as the 1990s, the only people brave enough to ride bicycles throughout a Winnipeg winter were a half-dozen crazy couriers and a few other Lycra-clad diehards willing to endure hostile road conditions and even more hostile motorists. Two decades later, Winnipeg winters remain almost just as frigid. Yet, seeing Winnipeggers bike to work in February is no longer any weirder than watching a lineup of cars snake out of a Tim Hortons drive-thru. Like almost every other North American city, Winnipeg has witnessed a rise in the number of people who commute by bike during the winter. The precise nature of this increase is unknown, however, as there are no reliable recent statistics regarding Winnipeg commuter-cyclist numbers. Seven years ago, the City of Winnipeg's seminal Active Transportation Study found 2.3 per cent of all Winnipeg workers and university students rode their bikes to their jobs or classes on a regular basis. The belief is that proportion has grown, as the cost of filling up and maintaining automobiles has only risen since 2006, along with the awareness of the health and environmental benefits of cycling. But no one has a clear handle on the number of regular Winnipeg winter cyclists, aside from anecdotal evidence. "Even among avid cyclists, winter cycling is an oddity," said Andrea Tetrault, a regular summer bike commuter and occasional winter cyclist who blogs at winnipegcyclechick.com. This morning, she'll be among the Winnipeggers taking part in Winter Bike To Work Day, an international event intended to encourage more people to try the once-unusual pursuit. While it may seem counterintuitive, she finds riding her bike in temperatures below -20 C way easier than cycling when it's just below zero, as extreme cold transforms the ice and snow on city streets into a harder, more predictable riding surface. Warmer winter weather creates sloppier conditions that demand more bike maintenance in the form of cleaning. Staying warm on a bike during the winter isn't all that difficult when you're moving, provided you take care to insulate your hands. Cleaning your bike during the winter is a bigger annoyance, which is why some cyclists just buy a garage-sale beater and ride it into the ground over the course of one season. The real limiting factor is road maintenance, suggests Anders Swanson, an avid cyclist who travelled to Oulu, Finland, this week to attend the world's first Winter Cycling Congress. Somewhat optimistically, Swanson titled his presentation Winnipeg, Winter Cycling Capital of North America, and immediately got called out on Twitter by an indignant Edmontonian. Oulu, which sits at 65 degrees north, is almost as cold as Winnipeg but quite a bit darker during the winter. Oulu also resembles Winnipeg in that it's not particularly dense, yet it still enjoys an extremely vibrant winter-cycling culture. "The first thing that's immediately apparent is everybody rides -- your grandma, teenagers and stylish young women," Swanson said over the phone from Oulu, where he said the McDonald's has more bicycle parking than motor-vehicle stalls. "Until you've seen something like that, it's hard to fathom." Swanson said the key to winter cycling's popularity in Oulu and other European cities is regular snow-clearing on all bike paths. Successful winter-cycling cities also clear their bike paths and pedestrian walkways before they clear their streets, he said. Such a move would provoke riots in automobile-centric Winnipeg. But Swanson said it's not that far from what this city already does, given that Winnipeg clears sidewalks long before residential streets are plowed. During the winter, Winnipeg clears snow off 130 kilometres of bike lanes on streets and also plows 75 kilometres of active-transportation corridors at a cost of $250,000 a year, city spokeswoman Tammy Melesko said. Clearing more paths may encourage more winter ridership. But the actual need remains unknown, even though it appears Winnipeg now has more winter riders. Motorists, meanwhile, have become more accommodating of winter cyclists, Tetrault said. "I think people are getting more used to it and are resigned to the fact we're not going away," she said. "In challenging conditions, I know I'm an inconvenience to get around, yet generally people are really courteous." bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca<http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/mailto:bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca>

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Lance Article from 1972 about cyclists
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 13 Feb '13

13 Feb '13

Hey Folks! Take a look at "The Tip" article from 1972 below (and attached). Has anything changed? Jackie [image: Inline images 1]

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AT Webinar: Driving Deaths Down, Wed, Feb. 20, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre
by Jessie Klassen 13 Feb '13

13 Feb '13

Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a local viewing of the following APBP webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion of local applications.* *Detailed description provided below. *Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work Wednesday, Feb. 20th | 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca 925-3772 * * * * * * * Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work This is a 60-minute webinar [image: hawk]The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has identified countermeasures that research has proven effective in driving down injuries and deaths from crashes. This webinar will provide detailed case studies of countermeasures that improve safety for vulnerable road users: the pedestrian hybrid beacon (HAWK), the pedestrian refuge or crossing island, and road diets. Tamara Redmon, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Team Leader at FHWA, will provide an introduction that highlights research, guidance and key resources related to these facilities. In Scottsdale, Arizona, a HAWK beacon was installed in conjunction with a pedestrian crossing island on Scottsdale Boulevard, a busy commercial corridor that is also the boundary between Phoenix and Scottsdale. In Orlando, Florida, Edgewater Drive was an early road diet; 1.5 miles of 4-lane roadway (ADT approximately 20,000) were converted to 3 lanes plus bicycle lanes. Presenters will discuss project design details and information about cost and outcomes, including data related to the benefits to adjacent businesses and property owners. Presenters: - Jeffrey Arms, Project Manager, City of Orlando Public Works - Susan Conklu, Transportation Planner, City of Scottsdale - Tamara Redmon, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Team Leader, FHWA

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Winnipeg to Oulu: Update prior to International Winter Cycling Conference
by Anders Swanson 12 Feb '13

12 Feb '13

Good morning at-network: As you may know, I am in Oulu, Finland, about to attend the first ever international winter cycling conference <http://www.ibikeoulu.com/>, here to make a presentation about the Winnipeg experience and seeking to learn from the latest research into what makes a winter cycling city tick. I will be absorbing and bringing back as much as possible, and there are formal follow-ups planned. But, since it has taken so much effort to get here, I wanted to take a moment to give one solid update to you folks beforehand. I know you will find it interesting. *Note: If you don't have time to read the "first impressions" story, skip ahead and tune in at your leisure. I want to be sure that you know that there are a few ways that you can follow along and learn along with me. Its in a more bite-size format too (Flickr, Twitter, etc..). See the end of this message for more info.* - - - First impressions of Oulu This is my first day in the northern Finnish city of Oulu. I have been in Finland for almost two weeks now, filming, documenting, interviewing and observing, visiting mainly two urban areas so far: Helsinki<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki>and Turku <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku>. People from Helsinki and Turku - at least the ones whom I had a chance to meet / asked what I was doing in Finland in February / had been to Oulu - were all effusive: they all told me that I hadn't seen anything yet. "Wait for Oulu, if you want to see bikes.", they said. "This is nothing.", they said. And they were right. * * I spent this morning wandering around with a camera, and I didn't have to wander far, or look for long, to find evidence. One step outside the hotel and it became clear. Everywhere you look, there are people on bikes. Tall people, short people. Fat people, skinny people. Old people, young people. Men, women, children. Able-bodied people and people with disabilities. Fashionable people (and not-so-fashionable people, me included). Keep in mind its the middle of winter... The typical bike they are riding is what we might call a dutch bike. Mostly black ones. The typical city bike. Sporting fenders and a rack and not much else. The occasional mountain or road bike appears, but they are in the minority. For some reason a lot of the city bikes are pink or red too. The next most popular colour seems to be light blue - like the Finnish flag. More importantly: Plain old steel frame. Comfy seat. No studded tires that I can see. No special equipment at all, really. Helmets are very rare. Maybe 1 in 20 or so. About the only special equipment I have seen are bike trailers (stuffed with kids), and an old adult trike for a gentleman that, when he parked it, clearly had mobility issues. My bike, its old steel frame sporting fancy wheels, shiny cranks and touring rack, looks almost spiffy here. Baskets full of groceries and shopping bags are common. No room in the basket? Wup: The bread, the cheerios and the roll of toilet paper bags go on the handlebar and off we go. The bikes in the racks seem to outnumber parked cars. Riding with one hand on the handlebars is quite possible (more than a few young people are carrying a handbag, smoking a cigarette or chatting on cellphones while riding - possibly too self-conscious to wear a backpack, sneaking in one last drag at the last minute before work or arranging an a after-class meeting-point before heading to university.Not sure. You know: the things people do when they are on their way to work and not out to set a record. You get the impression that the bike is an afterthought here, not a intrinsic item. Simply a bit quicker than walking. No higher purpose. Exercise and environmentalism by association only. And it must be safe. Most people are cycling alone, but more than a few are cycling along, side-by-side, as a couple or in groups, having conversations. They tend to stop often, entering stores. No joke. Not trying, yet again, to explain how bikes are good for business. I know because it is difficult to sometimes predict their behaviour when taking a video. They change their mind often, perhaps glancing into windows. It certainly is a lot quicker than trying to park a bike than a car. It's funny to watch and compare the too trying to park. It's also funny that people back home sometimes find it surprising that people can cycle in the winter. Here, it is even more apparent that cars are equally out of their element come wintertime. They get easily stuck in the icy, snowy parking spots, lose traction often and, when faced with throngs of bikes and pedestrians, seem to move about like frustrated, drugged-up, unwieldy rhinos. It is cold here too. Colder, actually, than home. I compared the weather in YWG <http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/camb0244> and OUL<http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/fiol0000> on the internet, just to be sure I hadn't gone soft. Yes, Oulu is on the ocean, which moderates things a bit - but this seems to be more than offset by the fact that it's super far up north!<http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=oulu+map&ll=63.548552,-2.8125&spn=131.974924,3…>. There is snow too. Lots of it. It has been snowing constantly in Finland since I arrived - not sure about Oulu necessarily (because I just got here and because it seems like they make an extra effort to clear the pedestrian malls, sidewalks and bike paths) but definitely Helsinki and Turku were a snowy, blustery mess, and the snowbanks are fairly high at the moment, so I can only assume. The landscape here in Oulu is quite similar to Winnipeg. In fact, compared to Helsinki, which feels very "continental European" and is so packed with stuff that it makes more sense to most people to just walk, the main part of Oulu doesn't seem any more dense than, say, Osborne village. There certainly aren't any skyscrapers, and the biggest building is certainly a lot smaller than Polo Park. It's a university town, but so is Winnipeg. Like Winnipeg, Oulu is extremely flat. The images in the Flickr album (link below) should give you some idea of "what" is going on, if not the "why" it is happening. I hesitate to draw any conclusions as to why winter cycling is happening in abundance here - or get into the numbers. Not yet, anyway. That will have to come later. I am here to learn after all. And for now, I am content to simply watch what's going on. - - - *Next steps* * * Tomorrow, the conference starts. On Thursday, I make my presentation. It was rather idealistically entitled "Winnipeg Winter Cycling Capital of North America <http://www.ibikeoulu.com/Program_WCC_2013.pdf>". Admittedly, that title should have been followed by a pretty big question mark. Crafted as it was at the last minute (with help from my generous compatriots at the Forks who likely have a more optimistic view on things thanks to the constant reinforcement of the nearby and very busy river trail), it might be a tough statement to pull off for someone who collects and analyzes (and ideally helps improve upon) bicycle and pedestrian data! I am a bit sheepish about trying to back up that statement in a room full of the world's leaders in this department - and with some Canadians and Americans in the room to boot. Even Yellowknife, with it's much higher winter mode share, may be miffed, for example. I already got called out on Twitter by someone from Edmonton. Oh well. Too bad. A theoretical capital is something you get to self-declare, and if someone wants to fight for the title, they can. There is no doubt that there is something special happening in Winnipeg - and I am glad people are paying attention. I will be quite proud to share what we are all working on. We can fight over who is truly the "capital" later. The recent summer mode share jump here is just one example of what is possible. And, if usage numbers on the one-of-a-kind Forks' River Trail<http://www.theforks.com/events/signature-events/river-trail>, the made-in-Winnipeg Winter Bike to Work Day's expanding list of communities<http://winterbiketoworkday.org/event-info/> and the physical/climatological similarities to Oulu are all indications, then there are some very good reasons to think that Winnipeg just might emerge as a leader. Anyway, I will be sure to bring along some good homegrown ideas to share on our behalf - and feel that they are indeed worth sharing with an international audience. ________________________________________________________________________________ *Staying in touch:* *Photos* See for yourself what cycling looks like in Oulu. I started a photostream. Most of the photos are only hours old. I will keep it updated with the other stuff when possible: Flickr Photostream - Winter Cycling in Finland<http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersswanson/sets/72157632747750585/> *Twitter* I started a Twitter account just for folks who might like to "virtually" tag along. It's @SwansonAnders. Yes, I know. Twitter is a stretch for me too. But, there are, I think, already a few interesting tidbits on there (see the bicycle/cross country skis storage setup they have on trains here, for example). The main purpose was to "live tweet" the salient points during the conference - so feel free to tune in. I hope you find it interesting. I will try to last longer than, say, Pat Martin<http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/20/rat-faced-whores-ndp-mp-pat-martin-…> or Neil Macdonald<http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/16/f-rfa-macdonald-twitter.html> . *Video / Audio* I have taken rather few photos, actually. Taking video is more fun. Thus, the good stuff is on video. I have collected some audio from some folks I've talked to, too. I plan to make a mini-documentary, but need the good computer back home. Stay tuned. *Conference Webcast* I have been colluding with Timo, the lead conference organizer, to try and beam back a live feed of the conference. We'll see if we can pull it together. Because of the time difference, it may not be worthwhile. Send me a message letting me know if a Winter-Cycling-Conference-Pyjama-party is in the cards for you. If so, I will try a bit harder. If not (perhaps watching the World Junior Championships over the holidays exhausted your willingness to stay up late anyway; the conference day starttime is at 01:00am CST), no need to worry: The City of Oulu is taking care of video-documenting the conference and I am told it will be available as an archive afterward. *I will share the archive link, at the very least. * *A Get-Together in Winnipeg Later* More importantly, as part of the deal with this trip's generous sponsors, I will both collect and then *share* and discuss the most important lessons learned - in some format, probably workshop/presentation/film night - when I get back. If you have input or would like to help organize, let me know. Otherwise, stay tuned. * * *Ask me anything* Got a question? I am taking requests. Wondering about something specific about what makes Oulu tick? Always wanted to talk to the city manager from Prague and ask her/him a question? Let me know. If they are at the conference, or if the answer is out there, I will try and find out for you over the next couple days. I am already on a mission for a few people/organizations and I will try and learn what I can for you. Yours, Anders Swanson *Acknowledgements* Many many thanks to the fine people and organizations that have been contributing to making this possible including Setu, the PHD student at Helsinki Polykopury (Helsinki Bikes) for sitting down with me to give me the latest on the state of Helsinki, Sari, Cecilia and Marjo at the Finnish Meteorological Institute for introducing me to their work on pedestrian issues, the City of Oulu and Timo Perälä and the rest of the team for putting on the conference.. AND .. the Manitoba Cycling Association, Travel Manitoba, Economic Development Winnipeg / Destination Wpg, Bike to the Future, Green Action Centre, Natural Cycle, Bikes and Beyond, The Forks, Rivers West – Red River Corridor Inc, the Winnipeg Trails Association, and Janice Lukes for contributing/helping to raise funds to get me here. Thank you, and I, of course, very much appreciate the support. (note: there are probably some others, but I will be sure to thank the final list at the presentation/workshop planned for my return). YOU can help too: No, I am not asking for money. *If you want to help, just go ride your bike. *Preferably during *Winter Bike to Work Day*<http://winterbiketoworkday.org/> * this Friday* <http://winterbiketoworkday.org/>.* *I probably need at least 1000 people to start winter cycling just to offset the carbon from this plane trip, so if you've got a nice route, and feel up for it, help me out. If you fall in love with it, you can thank me later. : ) If you can't ride, but support the idea, just like our Facebook page<https://www.facebook.com/WinterBikeToWorkDay> .

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Winter Walking Day - Provincial Proclamation & SOS scores $28, 000
by Janice Lukes 11 Feb '13

11 Feb '13

A couple interesting updates - PROVINCIAL PROCLAMATION - WINTER WALKING DAY: This past Saturday, at The Forks Minister Rondeau made a short speech at The Forks to 75+ hikers and 'proclaimed' the second Saturday in February as Winter Walking Day! (proclamation and photos attached). Minister Jim Rondeau and James Allum, MLA joined the Prairie Pathfinders on their annual special 'Winter Hike'. This year the 9 km hike was on the Red River, along Churchill Parkway and then into Fort Garry. The Prairie Pathfinders are Manitoba's largest organized hiking club - with over 600 members who hike weekly on planned outings. Complete details on the club can be found here <http://www.meetup.com/Prairie-Pathfinders-Walking-Club-Meetup-Group/events/ past/> . SAVE OUR SEINE to receive $28,000 of COUNCILLORS WARD ALLOWANCE: A recently elected Councillor fulfilling an election promise. See the full story here: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/02/09/mayes-seeks-to-give-28k-to-seine-our-s eine Save our Seine has been 'saving' the Seine for over 20 years - their winter river walk is a magical experience - check it out if you've never tried it! http://www.saveourseine.com/ Janice Lukes

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How one km of bike lane sparked a revolution in Vancouver
by Dave Elmore 11 Feb '13

11 Feb '13

How one km of bike lane sparked a revolution in Vancouver VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 8, 2013/ Troy Media/ - As anybody who has seen astronaut Chris Hadfield's incredible images from space can attest, the single most prominent human-made features of cities like Toronto, Windsor or Edmonton are roads. Ever since the 1950s the car has been the accidental architect of our cities. Billions of dollars have been dedicated to roads, overpasses, tunnels and other car infrastructure. But this single-minded dedication to making sure cars got to where they wanted to go as fast as they could has had some pretty serious unintended consequences. As Andrew Coyne says in Macleans "Traffic is slowly strangling our cities." Cars in traffic use more fuel, pollute more and simply aren't productive. Coyne also quotes a German study which finds that "being in heavy traffic triples your risk of a heart attack within an hour." Enter the bicycle. It is the most efficient form of transportation on the planet. You can move five times faster than walking and go three times as far on the same amount of caloric energy. The benefits of the bicycle certainly were not lost on the City of Vancouver when it decided to flip the traditional urban script. "Since 1997 we established priorities with walking being the highest priority, cycling second, transit third, and the automobile is at the bottom of the list," says Jerry Dobrovolny, the director of transportation with the City of Vancouver. And unlike cities that dabble in making their cities more bike-friendly Vancouver has actually dramatically increased the use of bikes and decreased traffic congestion in downtown Vancouver. According to Dobrovolny, bike trips have gone up by 180 per cent over the past 15 years and the amount of people cycling to work has grown from 3.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent. Today, 12 out of every 100 trips in Vancouver are done via bicycle. And they did it not by focusing on the middle-aged-man-in-lycra (MAMIL) but by building bike infrastructure that kids, grandmas and people that aren't super proficient bike riders would feel comfortable using. "We know that there's many people that are interested in cycling, but they're not comfortable riding next to cars," says Dobrovolny. Nearly all cities have bike lanes, but paint on the road just isn't safe enough for these non-MAMILs. Instead, Vancouver is using separated bike lanes and bike boulevards. Separated bike lanes are dedicated lanes built only for cyclists that are physically separated from cars. Bike boulevards are repurposed residential streets that have been made bike friendly. "It's a regular street, but it's been designed so that bikes generally have the right of way," says Erin O'Melinn, the executive director of Hub, Vancouver's largest cycling advocacy organization. Separated bike lanes are the real game changer. On the Dunsmuir Viaduct four times more cyclists are using the road thanks to the separated bike lane. Safety has improved as well. "Since the separated lanes have gone in downtown we've seen a big reduction in the number of collisions of all types, including the number of people riding on sidewalks, so pedestrians feel much more comfortable," says O'Melinn. Reducing pollution and improving health are great reasons to invest in cycling, but another reason is that it's cheap like borscht. "Whereas heavy trucks and buses and automobiles break down the road infrastructure and result in a lot of added costs in terms of maintenance. When we build a pedestrian or bike facility they last for 100 years," says Dobrovolny. In 2010, Vancouver's city council approved a $25 million 10-year bike plan. For comparison, the Canada Line, the new rapid transit line from Vancouver to Richmond that was built in time for the Olympics, cost $2 billion dollars. Heather Deal is a Vancouver city councilor who says the decision to convert a whole lane of traffic on the Burrard Bridge into a bike lane was a real turning point. "That was the first time we took space away from cars. I was assigned the media, I thought this is the last time I'll ever get elected because I'm going down over one kilometre of one lane for traffic," says Deal. "We cut that ribbon and we cycled across that closed lane and nothing happened. There was no traffic backup. There was no Armageddon. Chaos did not ensue. The city survived and so did we. We went on to get reelected and build more bike lanes after the next election." http://www.troymedia.com/2013/02/08/how-one-km-of-bike-lane-sparked-a-revolu tion-in-vancouver/ Thanks Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X)

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Winter Cycling - One Million Kilometers & Mainstream Winter Cycling
by Janice Lukes 05 Feb '13

05 Feb '13

One Million Kilometers of Cycling: A follow up on Lindsay Gault’s One Million Kilometer of Cycling Celebration on Saturday - with photos: - Upwards of 100 cyclists & walkers showed up the Fork port to be there for Lindsay - Lindsay the Legend! - There were bikes of every description on the river - fat tires / skinny tires / the yellow Velo banana bike cover and more! Lindsay graciously accepted a plaque recognizing his millionth from Paul Jordan, COO of The Forks - - and spoke of preparing for his second Iditarod race <http://iditarod.com/> coming up later in February. The legend continues! The wind-chill on the river trail was not as bad one would expect - and the huts were outstanding! A great day - Congratulations Lindsay!! Mainstream Winter Cycling: Do the words mainstream & winter cycling even belong in the same sentence? Add on ‘in Winnipeg’ and perhaps they do! Are we seeing more folks winter cycling than in previous years? I am. Who are these people ? Why do they cycle in the winter ? Is it easier than it looks ? Why is it that in so many cities around the world with climates similar to Winnipeg’s - people of ALL AGES are cycling in the winter ? Winnipeg has lots to learn about winter cycling - from trail maintenance to attitudes and more! And LEARN WE WILL ! The Forks, in partnership with partnership with the Winnipeg Trails Association, Bike to the Future, Green Action Centre, Natural Cycle Worker Co‐Op Limited submitted a paper to attend the first International Winter Cycling Congress occurring in Oulu, Finland (Feb 13 / 14) to share and learn. The paper was accepted and Anders Swanson, local cycling advocate - is flying off to Oulu (located just below the Arctic Circle). Anders will present “Winnipeg - Working towards becoming the Winter Cycling Capital of North America” and will learn about global best practices and the how and whys that work towards making winter cycling a mainstream activity. See conference schedule <http://www.ibikeoulu.com/programme> Currently over 100 people from around the world are attending the Winter Cycling Congress, from 10 different countries and 32 different cities. We have many organizations supporting our local quest to learn more - Tourism Manitoba, Destination Winnipeg, Economic Development Winnipeg, Manitoba Cycling Association, Rivers West - Red River Corridor, The Forks and more to be announced soon! The Forks communications team will be working with Anders to develop a couple ‘Lesson’s Learned’ presentations that will then be presented to various organizations - and to the general public - watch for dates and times. Janice Lukes

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Reminder: Webinar - Feb 8th, Promoting Safe Use of Roads & Pathways for Vulnerable Road Users
by Shoni Litinsky 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

Just a reminder that Green Action Centre will be hosting this webinar at the Eco-Centre Boardroom (3rd Floor - 303 Portage Avenue). We hope you will join us! Time: 12:00pm-1:00pm (CST) RSVPs appreciated, but not necessary. *Promoting Safe Use of Roads & Pathways for Vulnerable Road Users: <http://chnet-works.ca/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=384&ma…> *A <http://chnet-works.ca/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=384&ma…>Review of Canadian Promising Practices <http://chnet-works.ca/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=url&urlid=384&ma…> *This Fireside Chat is in collaboration with the Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada* Many small, medium and large Canadian municipalities are proactivity promoting more active lifestyles and transportation to curb obesity, reduce greenhouse gases, and address the economic costs of vulnerable road user (VRU) injuries and deaths. The safe use of roads and pathways by VRUs (e.g. pedestrians and cyclists) is important to enable and encourage communities that are more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. The Fireside Chat presentation will highlight the results from a comprehensive review of Canadian promising practices that promote the safe use by VRUs of off/on-road facilities, especially shared-use facilities, as well as identify successful VRU safety education and enforcement programs. It will highlight communities across Canada that are successfully educating and enforcing the proper use of new built environment features intended to promote active transportation. *This Fireside Chat will be of interest to* *community decision-makers,* such as councillors, planners, engineers, public health practitioners, and other road safety stakeholders, with a goal to help them facilitate safer walking and cycling in increasingly crowded spaces. *Advisor on Tap:* *Dr. Gordon Lovegrove, PEng, MBA* Associate Professor, School of Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science, University of British Columbia Dr. Lovegrove is the UBC’s School of Engineering’s expert in applied sustainable civil engineering. Dr. Lovegrove was awarded a grant by the Canada Foundation for Innovation to set up his Sustainable Road Safety (SRS) Research Lab. He has worked variously as a project and transportation engineer and consultant for over 20 years in communities throughout BC, and is regularly asked to speak on sustainable communities and transportation at conferences across the world. His leadership has facilitated research, planning, and implementation of projects emphasizing the promotion of sustainable land use and transportation. -- *Shoni Litinsky* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3773 Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/> Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>

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INVITATION REMINDER - BIG CELEBRATION TOMORROW !
by Janice Lukes 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

CELBRATE Lindsay Gauld's ONE MILLIONTH CYCLING KILOMETER! Saturday Feb 2nd - TOMORROW 11:30 am MEET: The Forks - IN the Port - ON THE RIVER OR meet at 11:00 on the Assiniboine River at the Middlegate / Hugo Docks access point and join Lindsay as he and others cycle to The Forks. Tomorrow is going to be a balmy day in Winnipeg - compared to today! While many of you may be die hard WINTER CYCLISTS - I hazard to say some of you aren't !?! SO . . . . how about trying something new and ride the river trail tomorrow! Dig out your bike tonight - check the air in the tires - and head on down to The Forks River Trail tomorrow am. For sure this will be a once in a lifetime experience - Peter and Paul Jordan will be MC's at the podium - and we all will be hoping Lindsay will stop cycling for a few minutes to receive some well-deserved recognition ! Janice Lukes

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