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WFP: Bike woes clear long before death - Shortcomings on Pembina serious due to high university traffic (Jun13'14)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '14

13 Jun '14

Bike woes clear long before deathShortcomings on Pembina serious due to high university traffic <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/> By: Bartley Kives http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/bike-woes-clear-long-be… In politics, broadcasting or any other realm of public life, using a tragedy to make a point is a dangerous game. On Monday evening, a Blue Bomber fan was riding his bike to Investors Group Field to watch a CFL pre-season game when he was involved in a motor-vehicle collision. Sixty-nine-year-old Dick Stevenson was taken to hospital in unstable condition and later died of his injuries. The police are investigating the collision. Unless you witnessed the event -- or happen to be a traffic-unit investigator -- it'd be irresponsible to assign responsibility to any party. If you're a pundit or a politician, you don't blame the victim, you don't blame the motorist and you certainly don't blame the Winnipeg Football Club or the City of Winnipeg until you know darn well what happened. This is why it was cringe-inducing to observe a public exchange between the city and the Bombers that came uncomfortably close to a blame-storming session. Early Thursday, at the start of the morning news cycle, the football club released a statement from Bomber president and CEO Wade Miller, urging the city to "immediately review and assess all active-transportation routes and infrastructure leading to Investors Group Field." The city responded in the afternoon by making acting chief operating officer Michael Jack and transportation manager Luis Escobar available to reporters. They said they know there's a demand for a protected bike route along Pembina Highway but there are no imminent construction plans. Jack and Escobar also noted they didn't hear a peep from the Bombers about cyclist safety when the two parties met last week. Miller responded he has always raised cyclist safety in meetings with the city. To be fair to both parties, neither actually assigned blame for the fatality. The city officials made the standard refusal to comment while a police investigation is underway. Miller, meanwhile, said the motivation for his Thursday-morning press release was a Wednesday-evening query from Free Press reporter Mary Agnes Welch. "When a fan dies from something like this, I think it's important everyone takes a step back and reviews what's going on," Miller said in an interview. "It's a bigger discussion about the active-transportation plan and moving it forward. I cycle in the city and it's tough." A decade ago, Winnipeg had a truly pathetic network of bike-and-pedestrian paths. But the situation improved, thanks to a policy that ensures all significant road-construction projects include an active-transportation component -- and an influx of cash into commuter-cycling routes, including an unprecedented $21 million allotted in 2010 alone. Of course, not all of Winnipeg's new cycling infrastructure is ideal. Many cyclists shy away from using "sharrows," the extra-wide lanes intended to be used by both bikes and motor vehicles, and aren't big fans of painted-on "dedicated lanes," either. Cyclists prefer routes that are physically separated from motor-vehicle traffic. But that sort of infrastructure is difficult to create in existing neighbourhoods, where a shortage of space requires either the expensive expropriation of private land or the politically unpopular appropriation of a motor-vehicle lane. The city is slowly but surely improving its commuter-cycling infrastructure. As both the Bombers and the city pointed out Thursday, there are ways to travel to Investors Group Field that do not involve traversing the intersection of Pembina Highway and Bishop Grandin Boulevard. But even if Investors Group Field didn't exist, it's worth noting the city has so far failed to create a more direct cycling route from downtown to the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus, the second-busiest commuter destination in Winnipeg. The notion such a route has been delayed merely by the failure to complete the Southwest Transitway is a red herring, as that bus corridor is now supposed to jog 1.6 kilometres to the west Pembina Highway at its furthest point. The somewhat-separated bike lanes created along Pembina north of Plaza Drive form the start of a more direct route. But the absence of a complete and more or less protected route to the U of M is annoying for university students and staff, who have to ride out of their way to get there. The city should continue to develop this route, using whatever meagre resources it has. Unlike the football stadium, the university is busy nearly every day. In other words, the need for a Pembina bike route was evident well before this week's fatality, which should not be used by anyone for any purpose other than to express condolences. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 13, 2014 A4

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WFP; Blue want safe streets for fans - City won't act until probe into fatal accident is complete (Jun13'14)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '14

13 Jun '14

Blue want safe streets for fansCity won't act until probe into fatal accident is complete <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/> By: Aldo Santin http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/blue-want-safe-streets-for-fans-2629… A protected bike route along Pembina Highway that might have saved the life of cyclist Dick Stevenson was under consideration by the city's active-transportation planners. Despite the outcry over Stevenson's death while en route to Monday's Winnipeg Blue Bombers game, city hall is holding off on any talk of safety improvements until the police finish the investigation into his fatal accident. MAYORAL CANDIDATES FAVOUR SAFETY REVIEW Several mayoral candidates said city hall should review the safety of bike routes following the death of Dick Stevenson earlier this week. Paula Havixbeck, city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo, said city hall is responsible for ensuring bike routes are properly signed and safe, adding she doesn't know whether the bike route had anything to do with Stevenson's death. "We should be working collaboratively with groups like the Bombers to identify and correct any and all particularly unsafe conditions and to continually work towards improving safety and positive citizen experiences," Havixbeck said. Judy Wasylycia-Leis said she supports Miller's request to review the city's policy. "I was at that game -- it was a glorious night and learned after the fact that an avid Blue Bomber fan was killed in a cycling accident on the way to that game," Wasylycia-Leis said. "I think (Bombers president Wade Miller's) request is an important one and should be acted upon immediately." Wasylycia-Leis said the city needs to know whether it's taken all needed measures to ensure cycling can be done safely anywhere in Winnipeg, adding everyone knows there are transportation problems with Investors Group Field. "We want to make that stadium work. We want to make sure people get there safely and we want this to be an attraction." Brian Bowman cautioned about rushing to judgment on the circumstances surrounding Stevenson's death, but added it is appropriate to question the city's policy as a result of the tragedy. "Ideally, I'd expect the city would be working with partners like the Bombers to review the safety of our transportation plans," Bowman said, adding he'd welcome public input into how improvements can be made to the cycling network. *-- Aldo Santin* RELATED ITEMS POLL Should the City of Winnipeg invest in more separated bike lanes? 1. Yes. 2. No. View Results <http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/polls/Should-the-City-of-Winnipeg-invest-i…> "We will wait to see what the Winnipeg Police Service (investigation) finds and we'll go from there," said Luis Escobar, the city's manager of transportation. Escobar said the city recognizes cyclists want a protected route along Pembina Highway, adding it is under consideration, but there are no plans as to when that would occur. In the meantime, Escobar said, the city is encouraging cyclists and pedestrians to use the designated active- transportation routes to the stadium. "Everybody has to use the rules of the road," Escobar said. Escobar, who was joined at a news conference Thursday by Michael Jack, acting chief operating officer, said an active transportation policy for Investors Group Field was thoroughly researched before the stadium opened last year. Escobar and Jack were responding to a call from Blue Bombers president Wade Miller Thursday to review the city's active-transportation policy as it relates to the stadium in the light of Stevenson's death. Winnipeg police said Stevenson, 69, was involved in a vehicle collision on Pembina Highway near Bishop Grandin Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. He was taken to hospital in unstable condition and died from his injuries. "On multiple occasions, we have expressed concerns about active transportation," Miller said. "Unfortunately, limited progress has been made in addressing some of the concerns. As a result of this week's tragic death, I think it is the responsibility of all involved to make their voices heard to ensure fan safety is paramount." Miller said the team is also concerned about the lack of street lighting along Chancellor Matheson Drive and the safety threat that poses to pedestrians. "My concerns are about fan safety for those who choose to cycle or walk to the stadium," Miller said, adding he's looking forward to resolving the issues as soon as possible. The bike route to the new stadium was singled out as a success story last year. Thousands of fans -- adults and children -- rode their bikes safely to Bomber games last year without incident. Detailed active-transportation routes to the stadium are available on the stadium website (investorsgroupfield.ca), including a route to bypass the Bishop Grandin-Pembina intersection from both the west and the north. But that has renewed concerns from the cycling community about safety on one of the city's busiest thoroughfares. Jack said civic officials met with the Bombers last week and the team had not raised the issue of cyclist safety, but admitted the team now wants it discussed when the two sides meet again. Miller said his call for a review is not connected to the recent dispute with city hall over the transit issue, adding the team has had long-standing concerns about both cyclist and pedestrian safety. Escobar said the city is committed to active transportation, adding more than $85 million has been spent since 2008 in the establishment of 300 kilometres of active-transportation routes across the city. Escobar said any changes or upgrades to the bike route will be considered only after the conclusion of the police investigation and a report calling for such modifications. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 13, 2014 A3

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WFP: Cyclist's death highlights danger on Pembina (Jun12'14)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Jun '14

12 Jun '14

Cyclist's death highlights danger on PembinaStruck by car en route to Blue Bombers game <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/> By: Mary Agnes Welch http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cyclists-death-highlights-danger-on-… A cyclist has died after being hit by a car on his way to Monday's Winnipeg Blue Bombers exhibition game. An avid Bomber fan and longtime season ticket-holder, Dick Stevenson, 69, suffered head injuries when he was hit by a car on Pembina Highway near Bishop Grandin Boulevard at about 5:30 p.m. He was wearing a helmet, a family friend said. He died Tuesday morning. Stevenson was a member of a successful real estate and development family, which sold its firm, S. S. Stevenson & Company Limited, to the Chipmans in 1987. The company is now the Stevenson Group, the Chipman family's umbrella firm that includes Nova-Con construction, Longboat property development and Cushman & Wakefield commercial real estate brokers. It's not clear whether charges will be laid in the crash. Police said the investigation is ongoing. Last spring, during the initial traffic mayhem that surrounded the opening of the new stadium at the University of Manitoba, many opted to bike to games as the quickest and most reliable way to go. But that renewed long-standing worries about cycling safety on one of Winnipeg's busiest roads. Cycling advocates locally and internationally argue protected lanes are the safest for cyclists and motorists alike and do the most to encourage people to bike. The city's proposed bike network includes protected cycle tracks along Pembina, but so far only a short stretch exists -- a new protected track between Chevrier Boulevard and Plaza Drive that opened last summer. Another short stretch south of University Crescent is under construction. The stretch of Pembina where Stevenson was hit has no cycling infrastructure, and Bike Winnipeg's Mark Cohoe said it can be particularly hairy. It is where the on-off ramps from Bishop Grandin merge with Pembina and where cars are changing lanes at high speed. Winnipeg's cycling map includes a circle around the area, advising caution. Cohoe said the first concern should be for Stevenson's family and friends, but cycling deaths happen too often on Winnipeg streets. "Do we find this acceptable or do we need to start designing things to prevent these tragedies from happening?" asked Cohoe. Officials with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers declined to comment directly Wednesday evening, instead issuing a statement. "The thoughts and prayers of our entire organization are with Mr. Stevenson's family as they mourn this tremendous loss," said the statement. In a typical year, one or two cyclists are killed on Winnipeg streets. maryagnes.welch(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 12, 2014 A4

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Trails Manitoba - Border to Beaches Project RFP
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jun '14

11 Jun '14

Hello; Trails Manitoba is looking for a contractor to assist us with the Border to Beaches Project and would appreciate your help circulating the attached RFP. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you or your colleagues have any questions about the RFP or the Project. Thank you, Melissa Melissa Sitter Executive Director *Trails Manitoba/Sentiers Manitoba* 3-303 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B4 204-786-2688 www.trailsmanitoba.ca *"In every walk with nature one receives * *far more than he seeks."* - John Muir

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Fwd: Unique historic and cycling event coming up soon!
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 11 Jun '14

11 Jun '14

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Laura Donatelli <omojean98(a)hotmail.com> Date: Wed, Jun 11, 2014 at 12:31 AM Subject: Unique historic and cycling event coming up soon! To: Laura Donatelli <omojean98(a)hotmail.com> [PLEASE feel free to share this invitation widely with other cycling or Winnipeg history enthusiasts.] Hello friends, As you may know, I am on the board of Bike Winnipeg, and wanted to share an exciting event coming up later this month. Note that this activity is appropriate for occasional/recreational cyclists and anyone interested in Winnipeg's fascinating early 20th century history. Cheers, Laura Donatelli *Strike Bike!* Saturday June 21st, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Mark the 95th anniversary of “Bloody Saturday” by joining Bike Winnipeg for StrikeBike!, a guided bicycle tour of sites linked to the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Strike! Musical Composer and General Strike Historian Danny Schur will be our guide on this casually-paced tour that winds its way from River Heights into the Downtown and the Exchange Districts. Relive the events of the General Strike as we stop at many of the sites where history unfolded during the spring of 1919; events that eventually became the platform for future labour reforms across Canada. StrikeBike! tours start in the parking lot of 529 Wellington and run for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Choose between a morning tour starting at 10am or an afternoon tour starting at 2pm. The cost is only $20 and proceeds from the StrikeBike! rides go towards Bike Winnipeg in support of our ongoing advocacy and education efforts. Spaces are limited so don't wait to register. For more information and to buy tickets, go to: http://bikewinnipeg.ca/strikebike/ Facebook Links AM: https://www.facebook.com/events/695922260453741/ Facebook PM Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1420255394906226/ -- *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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Variation on regular "bike boxes" at intersections.
by Patman, David 09 Jun '14

09 Jun '14

Saw this variation on the typical "bike box" idea at a conference last week. Thought it was interesting - I hadn't seen this type of treatment before. Might be practical for small numbers of bicycles. One more tool in the toolkit, perhaps... http://www.york.ca/wps/portal/yorkhome/recreation/yr/cycling/permanentbikeb… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz69ecmUsMc&feature=youtu.be 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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Fwd: FW: Provincial Recreation Policy Review Survey
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 09 Jun '14

09 Jun '14

See below: How does AT fit with Manitoba's Policy for Recreation Opportunities? Do you have something to say about this? You can fill out a brief (8 question) survey at the link below. Jackie ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jaques, Jessica (HHLS) <Jessica.Jaques(a)gov.mb.ca> Date: 6 June 2014 14:35 Subject: FW: Provincial Recreation Policy Review Survey To: Cc: "Hayward, Kristine (WRHA)" <KHayward(a)wrha.mb.ca>, "Prowse, Sarah (WRHA)" <sprowse(a)wrha.mb.ca>, Joannie Halas <Joannie.Halas(a)umanitoba.ca>, Dave Courrier <dave.courrier(a)sportmanitoba.ca>, "Jackie Avent (ASRTS)" < jackie(a)greenactioncentre.ca> As you are aware , our partners at Recreation and Regional Services are undertaking a review of the Provincial Recreation Policy. They have held 13 consultations with various stakeholders throughout the province but would also like to reach out to others including the general public. Could you please share this information about a short survey with your various networks. Thanks and have a great weekend! Jessica =================================================================================================== The Department of Children and Youth Opportunities is undertaking a review and update of Manitoba’s Policy for Recreation Opportunities. This review will help the provincial government establish effective priorities that reflect the changing face of recreation across the province and identify opportunities for partnerships and shared collaborative efforts. A public survey is a key component of the review of Manitoba’s Policy for Recreation Opportunities. Your input will help us determine the Province’s role in supporting the unique recreation needs of Manitobans. Please take a few minutes to answer these 8 questions <http://web15.gov.mb.ca/inquisite/cgi-bin/qwebcorporate.dll?idx=NRPG8P>. For more information about the Provincial Recreation Policy Review please visit: http://www.gov.mb.ca/cyo/recreation/prpr.html -- *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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Bike Week 2014 is coming soon
by Dave Elmore 09 Jun '14

09 Jun '14

Please pass this along to all your friends, family, etc. BIKE WEEK JUNE 16-22 is just around the corner June 16-22, 2014 marks Winnipeg's first annual Bike Week: a week long celebration of people riding bicycles. It's for everyone! Whether you ride for fitness, transportation, sport or just for fun, if you enjoying riding a bike then Bike Week is for you. Events will be held in every corner of the city including workshops, group rides, races and leisure events that enourage all Winnipeggers to get on their bikes and ride. If you like to ride check out our event listing and pass on the word! http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com/about/events-schedule/ The week will also feature the 7th annual Bike to Work Day on Friday, June 20th. This year's Bike to Work Day boasts 58 pit stops located all over the city, a group ride from Assiniboine Park to The Forks and the Half Pints Bikes & BBQ Party at Oodena Celebration Circle from 4:30-7:00 p.m. including free Boon Burgers*, a concert on the bike-powered concert system and a grand prize draw for a new bike from Woodcock Cycleworks. Join us for a free pancake breakfast* and launch party on Monday, June 16th from 7:00-9:00 am at the MTS Centre (enter by riding down the loading zone off of Carlton (between Portage & Graham). We look forward to riding with you. PS: You can sign up for our newsletter to receive up to date info and discounts at: http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com/register/ *breakfast and the BBQ are offered to anyone who arrives by bike, while supplies last.

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WFP: City, Bombers both lose in lame, ego-fuelled spat & Down, Set... Pay Up (Jun6'14)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Jun '14

06 Jun '14

City, Bombers both lose in lame, ego-fuelled spat <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/> By: Bartley Kives http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-bombers-both-lose-in-lame-ego-f… During the nightmarish inaugural season at Investors Group Field, one of the few silver linings for the Winnipeg Football Club was the eventual success of the game-day transportation plan. A year ago this month, getting to and from the new stadium was an unmitigated disaster. Long lines of vehicles stalled on the way to IGF, there weren't enough buses for passengers, fans arrived well after kickoff and then got stuck on the U of M campus long after the final down. By July, the situation had improved, thanks to the collective brainstorming of the Bombers, Winnipeg Transit, the Winnipeg Police Service and a number of city officials and consultants. By the fall, the Bombers actually boasted more than 1,000 fans rode bikes to the games, an average of 10,000 took buses and a total of about a third of the crowd got to and from the 33,500-seat venue by means other than personal vehicles. In a city as car-reliant as Winnipeg, this was an achievement. Convincing people in the Manitoba capital to walk, ride or take buses is no easy task. When presented with a proposition -- you could get to and from games faster, more comfortably and less expensively if you left your car at home -- Winnipeggers proved to be entirely logical. Now, these fans have been rewarded for their co-operation with the announcement of new user fees only days before the start of the CFL pre-season. On Thursday, the Winnipeg Football Club announced bus rides to the stadium along regular transit routes would no longer be free, but $2.55 -- the same fare charged by Winnipeg Transit. Rides home along these routes would remain free. Park-and-ride fares will be $5 when the regular season starts later this month, assuming there is no CFL players' strike. This is an insult to fans who went along with everything the club asked them to do last year. The result will likely mean some won't take transit and will take cars instead. If this clogs up Pembina Highway, more fans will get fed up with going to Bomber games altogether. This potential backslide is the result of a communication breakdown between the Bombers and the City of Winnipeg, who share the blame for the ridiculous situation where fans are told on a Thursday about a new plan for a game on a Monday. How did we get there? Originally, the Bombers signed a moronic transportation deal. Somehow, the football club agreed to cover the entire cost of game-day transit instead of maintaining the 2012 situation, where the city ate a portion of the cost. Last year, the city charged the Bombers $1.1 million in total and then informed the club it would cost $1.25 million this year. This means the city plans to charge the Bombers $12.50 per round trip to the stadium, as opposed to the $5.10 it charges for a pair of regular transit rides. (Yes, regular transit rides are subsidized.) Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller tried to negotiate a better deal last fall, knowing his team has to start forking over millions worth of stadium-building-loan repayments this year. Miller asked for a deep discount and was instead offered a more modest one in April. Mayor Sam Katz then yanked that offer off the table in May, claiming the club is doing too well to deserve a deal Winnipeg Transit director Dave Wardrop considered fair. Katz then successfully spun a portion of the public on the idea the Bombers would have just been receiving another subsidy, when in fact the club is being charged more than double the going transit rate. Miller, meanwhile, has compounded the situation. After failing to manage a key relationship with one of the club's stakeholders, the Bombers president now appears to be playing chicken with the city over the transportation plan. Even if just as many fans continue to take transit to the stadium this season with user fees up front, collecting fares at crowded bus stops will slow down the entire process. This is why transit warned against the idea. The Selinger government, meanwhile, is dithering on the sidelines, afraid to either criticize Katz for reneging on a deal or provide more cash to the team. The province offered to split the additional cost with the city, something the province does with all transit costs. But the Katz administration won't give the Bombers another penny, even if the Selinger government picks up half the tab. Surely, someone in this city has the leadership skills to put these squabbling children in a room and settle the impasse. There was a game-day plan that worked last year. Screwing it up over egos would be pretty lame. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 6, 2014 B1 * * * * * DOWN, SET... PAY UP Fans to pay half fare on regular routes, $5 to park and ride <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/> By: Adam Wazny http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/down-set-pay-up-262112371.html With the start of the season fast approaching, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are moving forward with a pay-as-you-go transportation plan to get people to Investors Group Field this season. The CFL club announced Thursday those taking Winnipeg Transit to Investors Group Field events will have to pay the regular transit fare. The Bombers will cover the ride home, meaning a round trip will cost fans $2.55 to watch their local football team live. *Touchdown or incompletion?* RIDE ON: Highlights of the revised Winnipeg Blue Bombers transportation plan for 2014: *Winnipeg Transit* All regular and augmented transit routes will remain the same as they were 2013. Users will be charged a one-way fare ($2.55) to get to Investors Group Field. It can be paid by cash, transit ticket, or bus pass. The return fare is free of charge. *Park-and-ride* A $5 charge will be collected (per person) at each location prior to the game or event. A $40 season park and ride pass (per person) is also available. Chartered school buses begin departing two hours before kickoff. The park and ride locations include: McPhillips Station Casino, 484 McPhillips St. (parking for 500 cars). Club Regent, 1425 Regent Ave. West (500 cars). St. Vital Public Works Yard, 590 St. Anne's Rd. (300 cars). Manitoba Hydro , 820 Taylor Ave. (500 cars). Assiniboia Downs (300 cars). St. Norbert Hotel, 3540 Pembina Hwy (200 cars). Garden City Centre (100 cars). Kildonan Place (100 cars). *On-campus parking* The Bombers have secured 5,000 parking spots on the University of Manitoba campus. Season parking passes and flex-pack game parking passes are available for purchase. Cash parking in regular lots is available ($20) on a first-come, first-served basis. Passes can be pre-purchased or purchased with cash on game day. The Bombers are also offering a new parking lot for carpool vehicles (three or more people). Cost for a carpool parking lot spot is $10. *Why not bike?* Once again, the club is offering a secure bike valet service, with a capacity for 800 bicycles. There are also approximately 400 more unmonitored spots to lock up your bike on the IGF grounds. -- source: www.bluebombers.com The club is also asking patrons to chip in on the park-and-ride program, charging $5 per person for those wanting to use the service. Last year, both transit and the park-and- ride program were free for ticket holders. This time, though, the club was forced to come up with a way to help control transportation costs after the city rescinded a transit proposal that would have seen the club receive a discounted rate. That proposal saw the city offer the Bombers transit subsidies worth approximately $650,000 this year. Winnipeg Transit recommended the subsidy in April, after five months of negotiations aimed at reducing the burden for the non-profit football club. The Bombers are expected to make a $4.5-million principal-and-interest payment this year on $85 million worth of loans that helped build Investors Group Field, its year-old home at the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus. In a May 27 statement from the city, acting chief administrative officer Deepak Joshi said the Bombers no longer need the transit subsidy due to the club's "robust financial situation" -- a reference to a $2.9-million profit reported by the club for the 2013 season. Unhappy with the about-face, the Bombers huddled and came up with a new game plan, passing some of the costs down to the fans. "This new plan will help offset some of the transportation costs by about one-third," said Bomber president and CEO Wade Miller. Miller estimates the transportation cost for 2014 could be as much as $1.25 million. A third of that is just more than $412,000. In 2013, the city charged the football club $1.1 million, or about $11 per person, to transport fans to and from events at Investors Group Field. The city intended to increase that to $1.25 million, or about $12.50 per person, this year. Last year, an average of 10,000 people took buses to events at Investors Group Field. Miller expects a few pockets of discontent over the new transportation plan -- expect delays at Winnipeg Transit stops while Blue and Gold-clad fans fumble with their change stepping onto the bus -- but his overall sense is Bombers supporters understand the reality facing the club on game days. "At our Fan Fest over the weekend, people told me, 'We're OK with paying our own way, Wade, you do what you need to do and we're comfortable with paying our own way to get down to the stadium,' " Miller said, adding he doesn't anticipate a rework of the plan should problems arise mid-season. "The plan is the same as last year, that's the important thing. We wanted to make sure we didn't interrupt the service level because at the end of the year all the bugs got worked out. It was a successful plan that the Bombers and Winnipeg Transit put together." Besides shelling out for a ride, the biggest change will be for the park-and-ride users. Approximately 130 school buses will in operation for the park and ride program, up significantly from the 50-75 buses used last year on game days. The park-and-ride will include the same eight routes as last year. Buses leave 90 minutes before kickoff, and the last bus leaves 30 minutes before. The service is free for the first preseason game versus Toronto Monday. The $5 charge kicks in for the June 26 regular-season opener against those same Argos. -- with files from Bartley Kives adam.wazny(a)freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 6, 2014 B1

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Bike Week and the media launch
by Dave Elmore 06 Jun '14

06 Jun '14

The launch for Bike Week will take place at 11:00 am on June 10 at City Hall. Many of you may have heard of Bike to Work Day in the past but Bike Week represents the growth of this popular event into a full week of activities. Bike Week is more than just a 1 day celebration of riding bikes to work, it is a celebration of all people riding bicycles. It's for everyone. Whether you ride for recreation, fitness, transportation, sport, or just for fun, if you enjoy riding a bike, then Bike Week is a good fit. It will take place from June 16-22, 2014 and is going to feature a wide variety of bicycle related events for all types of riders. As always, Bike to Work Day and our barbeque celebration will take place on the Friday, June 20th. To get more information and to sign up for our e-newsletter, visit <http://www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com> www.bikeweekwinnipeg.com. Because Bike Week is for everyone, we are hoping that we can launch it at city hall with a wide variety of bikes and riders in attendance. Hope to see you there and please pass this along to everyone that you know that enjoys riding a bike. Thanks Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X)

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