- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Introducing our new video - Bike Winnipeg!
by Shoni Litinsky 12 Mar '13

12 Mar '13

Hi Everyone, Our new video is out - somehow became a media sensation overnight and has over 8000 views already :) Introducing Bike Winnipeg, a video featuring Winnipeg cyclists of all ages and abilities. View here: https://vimeo.com/61573065 A big thank you to Assiniboine Credit Union, our filmmakers Chris Paetkau and Trevor Gill, and over 30 cyclists that agreed to be filmed. Please share wide and far as you can - twitter, facebook, websites, e-mail! Enjoy :) -- *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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Winnipeg Transit Riders Association (WTRA) Public Forum - Sat Mar 23
by Beth McKechnie 11 Mar '13

11 Mar '13

Winnipeg Transit Riders Association - Giving Transit riders a voice! Join the conversation. The WTRA is a new organization. We want you to help us set our directions and priorities. Come out to a *public forum* on Sat Mar 23 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM Carol Shields Auditorium Millennium Library 251 Donald St Here's what will happen at our forum: - Hear Winnipeg Transit share their plans for improving the system. - See videos of exciting, inspiring public transit solutions from elsewhere. - Participate in an Open Space discussion exercise. What do you want to talk about? There will even be refreshments! Mobility should be considered a right in this society. Currently, many Winnipeggers do not own cars and are not able to use public transit to effectively meet their mobility needs. We need to help Winnipeg Transit and government understand what transit riders want and need so that more people will use Transit. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/WinnipegTransitRidersAssociation/ Please share this message with your friends and networks! -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | 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/memberships/>

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AT Webinar: Bicycle Parking and Transit, Wed, Mar 13, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '13

07 Mar '13

Green Action Centre and Stantec Consulting invite you to join us for a local viewing of the *third* of four APBP webinars on bicycle parking. It takes place at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. * Bicycle Parking and Transit** Wed, Mar. 13, 2013 | 2:00-3:00 pm CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth 925-3772 * * * * * * * Bicycle Parking and Transit This webinar module introduces and describes techniques and programs used by transit agencies to encourage and accommodate high levels of bicycle access to a variety of transit modes. Particular attention will be paid to use of higher security and capacity techniques, including staffed parking, lockers and “in-line” station parking solutions. Forecasting demand will be discussed, as will security and management concerns unique to transit. Bicycle parking will be examined as a means to leverage other transit and bicycle infrastructure development through thoughtfully designed and managed parking programs. The session will also cover design, layout, and management of lockers; bike stations; and adapting bicycle parking to specific transit modes. Who should attend? Municipal staff, transit agency staff, managers of educational, corporate and healthcare campuses, and members of Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees, as well as elected officials and staff of bicycle advocacy organizations. Both the experienced agency manager and those new to developing bicycle parking solutions will benefit. *For future dates and topics in the Bicycle Parking Webinar series, see: * http://greenactioncentre.ca/event/apbp-bicycle-parking-webinar-series/

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America Walks Discussion Forum: Repurposing Public Spaces to Restore Walking on Main Streets & Beyond
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '13

07 Mar '13

For interest, in case anyone wants to register for this discussion forum... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: America Walks <info(a)americawalks.org> Date: Thu, Mar 7, 2013 at 8:27 AM Subject: Attend our 3rd Discussion Forum: Repurposing Public Spaces to Restore Walking on Main Streets & Beyond [image: AW Logo 7.11] [image: Alliance for Biking & Walking logo] *Repurposing Public Spaces to Restore Walking on Main Streets & Beyond * *When* Thursday March 28, 2013 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM EDT Add to Calendar<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001UNhaT6UN2gkzqZbxekyywEbCTlI0pskNkryBhNOKcM9a…> *Where* *Telephone Discussion Forum* [image: Join Our Mailing List!]<http://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/email.jsp?m=1101645522588> *Dear Beth,* Please join us and register for this free telephone discussion forum on March 28, 2013 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm ET / 11:00am - 12:00pm PT. * Register Now!<http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=7ujbt4bab&oeidk…> * Mark your calendars for a great discussion on the repurposing of underutilized public spaces into vibrant walkable places. The discussion forum will be an exciting exchange of stories, not only from our featured speaker, but also from others on the call. *Call Description* Hear from featured speaker, Carol Dick, about each step in the process of turning underutilized public space in Lemon Grove CA, into revitalized main streets. Carol Dick<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001UNhaT6UN2glJARP9VjdGdIIrF7WDt5xjeLWDZYFs8SAc…>(see bio) is the Development Services Department Director of the City of Lemon Grove, a city of 26,000 people in the County of San Diego CA. *Share your story! We want to hear from you.* In addition to our featured speaker, this discussion forum will invite "story-tellers" from the audience who can share specific stories about how their community re-purposed space to make main streets or neighborhoods attractive and useable for pedestrians and cyclists. *If you are interested in sharing your story, please contact forum moderator Yolanda Savage-Narva <ysavage-narva(a)americawalks.org> at **ysavage-narva(a)americawalks.org. *She'll carve out time for 5 "story-tellers." Contact Yolanda NOW so you can share your story on the call. *Register Now!<http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=7ujbt4bab&oeidk…> * * * These Discussion Forums are sponsored by America Walks<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001UNhaT6UN2gk8UNHCMGGIfhE8g976z21GNVdOua7z-Mwp…>, in partnership with the Alliance for Biking & Walking<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001UNhaT6UN2gma9K88mis4-oPaPKIrLEft7HoL6HUaDDoJ…> . Forward email<http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=7ujbt4bab&m=1101645522588&ea=…> <http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001nkQbX5l1Qs-sYmoTIOU1AUn7H…> <http://www.constantcontact.com/index.jsp?cc=TEVP_Inv_001> This email was sent to beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca by info(a)americawalks.org | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe<http://visitor.constantcontact.com/do?p=un&mse=001nkQbX5l1Qs-sYmoTIOU1AUn7H…>™ | Privacy Policy <http://ui.constantcontact.com/roving/CCPrivacyPolicy.jsp>. America Walks | PO Box 2834 | Alexandria | VA | 22301

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Mayor of London proposes $1.4B cycling plan for the city
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '13

07 Mar '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 10:15:55 -0600 Subject: Mayor of London proposes $1.4B cycling plan for the city; “Crossrail for the bike” Mayor of London proposes $1.4B cycling plan for the city; “Crossrail for the bike” <http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/london-20130307.html> 7 March 2013 The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has outlined<http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/“crossrail-bike”-mayo…>a vision<http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Cycling%20Vision%20GLA%20templ…>for a £913-million (US$1.48-billion) investment in cycling infrastructure for the city. Among other features, the plans would create a “Crossrail for the bike”—a route that will run for more than 15 miles (24 km), very substantially segregated, from the western suburbs, through the heart of London, to Canary Wharf and Barking. It would use new Dutch-style segregated cycle tracks along, among other places, the Victoria Embankment and the Westway flyover. It is believed to be the longest substantially-segregated cycle route of any city in Europe. *Continue Reading “Mayor of London proposes $1.4B cycling plan for the city; “Crossrail for the *<http://www.greencarcongress.com/2013/03/london-20130307.html> -- Terry Zdan 126 Duncan Norrie Drive Wpg MB R3P 2J9 CANADA tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>

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WFP: Rapid-transit busway gets Parker Lands nod - Council approves dogleg route despite concerns (Mar.7'13)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '13

07 Mar '13

[Not so sure about the "less impact on traffic" comment – I would hope that the RT extension and accompanying AT would have a definite impact! Tongue planted firmly in cheek. -cheers, Beth] Rapid-transit busway gets Parker Lands nod Council approves dogleg route despite concerns By: Jen Skerritt http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/rapid-transit-busway-gets-parker-lan… A plan to extend the second phase of Winnipeg's southwest rapid-transit corridor through the Parker Lands has passed another hurdle. On Wednesday, council's executive policy committee voted unanimously in favour of the dogleg route that runs west through the Parker Lands, then southeast along a Manitoba Hydro corridor. The city hired Dillon Consulting in 2012 to examine potential alignments, and consultants determined this route has more benefits than a busway that runs south along the CN rail line west of Pembina Highway. A city report said the Parker route will have less impact on traffic and would allow buses to travel faster because there are fewer road crossings. Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights) and several citizens told members of the committee the city did not fully consider the potential benefits of extending the corridor south near Pembina along the CN Letellier line. Orlikow said he believes the Parker Lands will develop regardless of the rapid-transit corridor, but the city will not be able to redevelop Pembina Highway without bus rapid transit. Area residents expressed concern the route will have a negative environmental impact on the Parker wetlands. "There's just too many missing holes here," said Orlikow, who urged EPC to further study the alignment options. Winnipeg Transit director Dave Wardrop said the Parker route provides more opportunities for infill development and fewer expropriations than extending the corridor south near Pembina Highway. He said the city would have to relocate the rail line closer to surrounding homes if it installed a busway there, and there would not be room for active-transportation corridors. Public works chairman Coun. Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) reiterated his support for the recommended route through the Parker Lands, saying Winnipeg is years behind rapid transit in other cities and needs to get the second phase finished. The first phase of the southwest rapid transit corridor opened last April and runs between Queen Elizabeth Way near The Forks to Jubilee Avenue near Pembina. City council will vote on the proposed alignment for the second phase later this month. Mayor Sam Katz said any council decision is subject to having the money in place. The city plans to spend $10 million on the second phase of the Southwest Transitway in 2014 and another $127.5 million in 2015. Winnipeg hopes the province will match the city's contribution of $137.5 million, and the city has applied for $75 million in federal funding, Katz said he believes the city will be successful with its application to the federal government, and discussions are ongoing with the province. jen.skerritt(a)freepress.mb.ca -- State of the city: Mayor Sam Katz will deliver his annual State of the City address this Friday at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce-sponsored luncheon at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. On Wednesday, Katz would not say if he plans to make any announcements during this year's speech. *Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 7, 2013 B3*

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Green Action Centre Hiring Executive Director
by Masha Giller 05 Mar '13

05 Mar '13

*Green Action Centre seeks Executive Director* Green Action Centre is a non-profit, non-government hub for sustainable solutions based in Winnipeg but serving all of Manitoba. We are a registered charity governed by an elected community board, with a committed, resourceful, and collaborative staff. We promote greener living through environmental education and encourage practical green solutions for communities, homeowners, workplaces and schools. A pioneer in sustainable living, green commuting, composting, waste reduction, and energy policy in Manitoba, you may have met us as Resource Conservation Manitoba (before we changed our name in September 2010). We facilitate change, supported by donations from individuals, fees for service, grants from foundations and governments, as well as sponsorships. Our Executive Director is an authentic leader – dedicated and passionate towards ensuring a supportive, non-hierarchical and dynamic workplace along with effective community leadership. Having an open-minded, team-based approach, our engaged Executive Director works with staff, the Board, members, volunteers and the public to continuously build an imaginative, inclusive, and forward-thinking organization. Our Executive Director mirrors the environmental caring of our members. Our organization walks the talk of ecological sustainability and social justice and, through outreach to the community, advocates the shared values needed to help move society towards sustainability. Persistent, creative, and diverse programming and fund-raising strategies that reflect our commitment to honesty and integrity are pivotal to the success of Green Action Centre. Further details about this challenging opportunity, including responsibilities, remuneration and application process, are available in a PDF here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Green-Action-Centre-…> Deadline for applications is *Tuesday April 2 at 12 noon CDT*. Please circulate widely. -- *Masha Giller* Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> | Active and Safe Routes to School 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3779 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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Win Win Winnipeg - March 5th article posted by copenhagenize
by Anders Swanson 05 Mar '13

05 Mar '13

[stumbled on this post by Mikael Colville-Andersen...including thoughts on the Pembina bike lane, snow clearing, how Winnipeg is faring compared to other cities and more..] Read the whole thing here: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2013/03/win-win-winnipeg.html

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WFP: Pedals power green dream (Mar.2'13)
by Beth McKechnie 05 Mar '13

05 Mar '13

Pedals power green dream By: Chris Rose http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/pedals-power-green-dream-… VANCOUVER -- Maybe it's all that cleansing water from too many rain storms, but this city at the bottom of the Coast Mountains and on the edge of the Pacific Ocean has always been a bit of a dreamer. The latest dream of Vancouver, the birthplace of the international environmental group Greenpeace, is to become the "greenest city in the world" by 2020, a plan that increasingly incorporates the use of low-tech wind-in-your-helmet bicycle power to encourage residents to take back the streets by turning off their car engines. Conor Murphy, a 49-year-old Vancouver teacher who commutes year-round to and from work on his bicycle, is living proof that getting out of the car makes him, and the city he enjoys as he pedals about, have a lower carbon footprint. "I have always been attracted to the idea of wheeling around the city on my bike. However, before the development of bike lanes in Vancouver, it was difficult to commute in the city without ending up on major arterial roads. I would arrive at work spitting mad and shaken by what seemed like a daily brush with death," said Murphy, who used to attach a trailer to his bike so that his young daughter could ride along with him at a gloriously greenhouse-gas-emissions-free pace. "Now I ride my bike on quiet tree-lined streets with little car traffic and other like minded pedal pushers. The community of cyclists is growing rapidly. There is a zen quality to the self-propelled life style." Vancouver's modern-day love affair with bikes began in 1993 when it established the city's first local street bike route and four years later when the first dedicated bike lane went into effect. This interconnected network of bike lanes, routes and paths now totals approximately 250 kilometres and city plans call for an even larger, more extensive network. Cars, carbon and congestion are bad, the city has decided, and bikes are a very high-profile signal that the unfettered age of the automobile, at least in Vancouver, may well have reached its peak. Indeed, data collected by the regional transit authority indicates about 72,000 bike trips occurred daily in Vancouver in 2011, up 35 per cent from 2008. But not everybody appreciates this civic foray into the biking world. Car enthusiasts who shake with road rage at having to slow down for two-wheel traffic complain that bike riders don't obey traffic signs and the expanding network of bike lanes makes movement more difficult for automobiles. Downtown merchants moan that bike lanes interfere with car parking and result in fewer sales. Despite those concerns, Vancouver is pressing ahead with its laudable plans to encourage as much bike riding as possible. After all, it's not as if bicycling can't become a major, and affordable, healthy urban pastime: just think of those moving armies of bike riders in Amsterdam or Copenhagen, all with rosy cheeks and mostly low blood pressure. Bike commuters like Murphy speak enthusiastically of cycling as a triple win -- a quiet part of their day that gives them exercise, often allows them to travel as fast as cars and buses confined to clogged traffic corridors, and the chance to be a free-wheeling kid again out exploring a world far away from stress. There are other benefits, too. Aging baby boomers who just can't bear to go to an expensive gym, with its soulless punishment camp ethic, don't need to feel guilty as being a committed bike commuter neatly lets them off the health fitness hook. And, like all exercise, the more you bike, the more you want to bike. It's also free. Vancouver Coun. Geoff Meggs, a long-time biking aficionado, believes cycling is critical to improving transportation in the city. "It's one of the solutions," Meggs said. "We can't put new roads and highways into Vancouver." The city wants to see bike traffic reach 10 per cent of all transportation trips by 2020, he said, adding safe infrastructure, especially separated bike lanes, is necessary to attain that goal. "Cycling is one of the critical choices people are going to be glad to have down the road." The city's website boasts that while Vancouverites already reside in the most liveable city in the world, the community proportionately uses, and wastes, far too many of Earth's diminishing resources. To that end, the city has come up with a 10-part 2020 action plan to address three major issues -- carbon, waste and ecosystems. As a way of eliminating fossil fuel dependence and unclogging many of the city's rush-hour-blocked roadways, more biking, walking and public transit usage are a major part of the city's plan. That plan notes Vancouver is aiming for more than 50 per cent of all trips to be taken by bike, foot and public transit. This would, it is hoped, help reduce the average distance driven per resident by 20 per cent from 2007 levels. For all those who say Vancouver's moderate-weather bicycle revolution could never happen on the Prairies or other parts of Canada that have to fight with snow, ice and other brutish winter hurdles, Clinton Cuddington begs to differ. As a starving University of Manitoba student taking an undergraduate degree in architecture, Cuddington was known for riding his bike in Winnipeg year round -- complete with a ski mask, goggles and a big hat. "It was the only way I travelled," he remembers. "I often had icicles coming down my nose. I wore this total World War Two getup as I pounded to school every day." Cuddington, 45, added Vancouver's plan to use biking to help make it the greenest city in the world is a noble cause. "We've got to get people out of cars, that's for certain." Chris Rose is the Winnipeg Free Press West Coast correspondent. *Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 2, 2013 J1*

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U.S. DOT to challenge AASHTO supremacy on bike/ped safety standards
by Beth McKechnie 05 Mar '13

05 Mar '13

U.S. DOT to Challenge AASHTO Supremacy on Bike/Ped Safety Standards by Tanya Snyder <http://dc.streetsblog.org/author/tanya-snyder/> | Thursday, February 28, 2013 http://dc.streetsblog.org/2013/02/28/u-s-dot-to-challenge-aashto-supremacy-… For years, the federal government has adopted roadway guidelines that fall far short of what’s needed — and what’s possible — to protect cyclists and pedestrians. By “playing it safe” and sticking with old-school engineering, U.S. DOT allowed streets to be unsafe for these vulnerable road users. But that could be changing. The bike-friendliest transportation secretary the country has ever seen told state transportation officials yesterday at AASHTO’s annual Washington conference that U.S. DOT was getting into the business of issuing its own design standards, instead of simply accepting the AASHTO guidelines. Normally, the Federal Highway Administration points people<http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/programadmin/standards.cfm>to AASHTO’s Green Book <https://bookstore.transportation.org/collection_detail.aspx?id=110>, the organization’s design guide for highways and streets — and indeed, the agency is still directing people to the *2001 edition* of the Green Book. Cycling advocates have long criticized<http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/06/19/aashto-adds-designs-to-bikeway-guide-b…>the AASHTO guide, and the FHWA’s adherence to it, since even the most recent version doesn’t incorporate the latest thinking in bicycle and pedestrian safety treatments. In FHWA’s new round of rule-making, DOT will set its own bicycle and pedestrian safety standards for the first time. The agency will “highlight bicycle and pedestrian safety as a priority,” LaHood said. (You can watch his entire speech on AASHTO’s online TV channel<http://www.transportationtv.org/Pages/default.aspx?VideoId=306> .) FHWA will rely heavily on input from AASHTO but also signaled that it would work with others to incorporate the full spectrum of bike/ped design best practices. The National Association of City Transportation Officials publishes its own, much more cutting-edge, design guide<http://dc.streetsblog.org/2011/03/09/new-bikeway-design-guide-could-bring-s…>for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. No one at U.S. DOT reached out to NACTO in advance of the AASHTO speech, but NACTO spokesperson Ron Thaniel said they have a “close working relationship with Secretary LaHood” and “look forward to working with him” on the new standards. LaHood noted that he would be meeting with cyclists next week at the National Bike Summit here in Washington and that he would work with them on ways to improve infrastructure “to make biking and walking opportunities as safe as they possibly can be.” But it was wise of him to make his announcement at AASHTO, not at the Bike Summit. He seems to be trying to bring AASHTO into the fold of a movement to embrace more innovative bikeway designs. “I’m asking [the cycling community] for their help but I’m asking you to be helpful also,” he told the state officials. “I know that most of you want to build the 21st century infrastructure that your communities need to be competitive. The problem is we don’t have modern-day roadway standards to help us bring these ideas to life.” It’s a big step for U.S. DOT to craft its own bicycle and pedestrian safety standards, and it’s especially positive that the move started under a secretary that sees biking and walking as equal to driving<http://dc.streetsblog.org/2010/05/28/cyclists-laud-lahoods-bike-ped-advocac…> in the transportation world. “We know that people are cycling more and walking more, and that pedestrian and cycling safety has to be a priority,” he told the audience at AASHTO yesterday. “We must ensure that our streets, bridges and highways are safe whether we’re in a car or on a bike.” Below are LaHood’s remarks, in full: Our job is never done. We can always do better, and that’s especially true when it comes to bicyclist and pedestrian safety. I’m going to meet with cyclists — their meeting is here in Washington next week, and we’re going to continue to work with the cycling community on promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety through public education, such as encouraging bike riders to wear a helmet, and through improved infrastructure in more livable communities that make biking and walking opportunities as safe as they possibly can be. We need your help in this. We know that people are cycling more and walking more and that pedestrian and cycling safety has to be a priority. We must ensure that our streets, bridges and highways are safe, whether we’re in a car or on a bike. So I’m asking them for their help but I’m asking you to be helpful also. I know that most of you want to build the 21st century infrastructure that your communities need to be competitive. The problem is we don’t have modern-day roadway standards to help us bring these ideas to life. Today, I’m proud to tell you that DOT is looking to create a standard guide for how we will build modern streets that work for everyone who depends on them. As we begin work on this, we’re going to look at the AASHTO bike guide — and other, similar types of assistance — to help us build streets, bridges and highways that keep all travelers as safe as possible. We’re going to build from your ideas in order to highlight bicycle and pedestrian safety as a priority. And we’re going to work with you as we create this critical safety resource. Businesses and travelers alike are looking to us to build modern infrastructure that not only meets their changing demands, but is safe as well. We must work together to meet the growing demand for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and to make these transportation options safe for more Americans. *Tanya Snyder became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica and public radio. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC. *

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