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Fwd: Submit Your Safe Routes to School Conference Proposal by February 22
by Anders Swanson 24 Jan '19

24 Jan '19

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Safe Routes to School National Partnership < info(a)saferoutespartnership.org> Date: Thu, Jan 24, 2019 at 09:15 Subject: Submit Your Safe Routes to School Conference Proposal by February 22 To: <andersswanson(a)gmail.com> See you in Tampa! View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/saferoutespartnership/free-webinar-using-pop-ups-to-prom…> <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> Like us. <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> @SafeRoutesNow <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> Our Website <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> *Reminder: Submit Your Proposal for the Safe Routes to School Conference By February 22* Showcase your community’s innovative and creative approaches to creating equitable, healthy, active communities and exchange ideas with leading Safe Routes to School and active transportation professionals at the Safe Routes to School Conference in Tampa this November. Program proposals are now being accepted through February 22, 2019! <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> Proposals may be submitted for panels, presentations, hands-on workshops or trainings, round table discussions, and other formats. Proposals should align with one of these conference themes <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> : - What’s Next for Safe Routes to School and Active Transportation? - Context Matters: Safe Routes to School in YOUR Community - Funding and Sustainability: Keep your Program Walking and Rolling - Safe Routes Everywhere Submit a Proposal <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> *What makes a successful proposal?* Strong presentations are interactive and engaging, and showcase innovative and creative approaches to creating equitable, healthy, active communities. We strongly encourage proposals to describe how the session will incorporate equity, diversity, and inclusion in active transportation, and to feature a panel of speakers that includes people of color, people with disabilities, and people of different religions, nationalities, genders, and sexual orientations. *Visit our website for more information about the conference, program themes, and application.* <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> Thank you to our sponsors and partners <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=88edfd25ae9…> *Copyright © 2019 Safe Routes to School National Partnership, All rights reserved.* You're receiving this message because you have expressed interest in improving walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School. If you no longer wish to receive emails like these, please unsubscribe. *Our mailing address is:* Safe Routes to School National Partnership PO Box 44328 Fort Washington, MD 20749 unsubscribe from this list <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=88edfd25ae9…> update subscription preferences <https://saferoutespartnership.us3.list-manage.com/profile?u=88edfd25ae92304…>

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Bike 2019: Call for Abstracts
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jan '19

24 Jan '19

2019-01-23 02:12:53 PM - Centre for Active Living's monthly E-Newsletter - Unsubscribe <http://trk.cp20.com/form?x80uy--shw8-5kokoyq6&sl=r3&t=1&ac=cfcb>| Printable Version <http://secure.campaigner.com/csb/Public/show/cfcb-x80uy--j6gmn-5kokoyq4> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9w-5kokoyq6/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9w-5kokoyq6/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9w-5kokoyq6/> *Call for Abstracts* Deadline: February 22, 2019 The Centre for Active Living is pleased to issue a Call for Abstracts for Bike 2019, a key conference for cross sector exchange between researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners around cycling as a mode of active transport. The suggested areas of focus are: - Policy - Environment - Health Benefits - Emerging Trends and Technologies (e.g. e-bikes, bike share) - Bike Culture - Year-round Cycling - Infrastructure - Awareness and Education - Wayfinding - Liability Visit www.centre4activeliving.ca/bike2019/abstracts/ <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9x-5kokoyq7/> for details about submissions. ------------------------------ *Connect with us!* <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9y-5kokoyq8/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hg9z-5kokoyq9/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga0-5kokoyq5/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga1-5kokoyq6/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga2-5kokoyq7/> [image: Share this page] <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga3-5kokoyq8/> Supported by: <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga4-5kokoyq9/> <http://trk.cp20.com/click/cfcb-x80uy-i3hga5-5kokoyq0/>

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WFP: Winnipeg Foundation offer another wild card for city (Jan16'19)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jan '19

16 Jan '19

*Winnipeg Foundation offer another wild card for city * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/winnipeg-foundation-antes-up-in-bid… THE Winnipeg Foundation has made city hall an offer it hopes the mayor and councillors cannot refuse. Fast approaching its centennial year celebrations, the foundation has offered the City of Winnipeg up to $5 million to push two intriguing plans up its priority list of capital projects. One is the construction of a bike-pedestrian bridge over the Assiniboine River near Osborne Street, in an effort to provide a safer, dedicated route for people not taking cars downtown to connect to the Active Transportation Network. The other is the rehabilitation of the former Carnegie Library on William Avenue, the former home of the city archives. The cost for the two projects is estimated at roughly $24 million, meaning the foundation’s contribution would translate to about 20 per cent of the total price tag. It’s a generous offer from an institution that has proven itself time and time again to be a force for good in the city, particularly the downtown. However, the Winnipeg Foundation’s proposal is, in some ways, a bit of a wild card for Mayor Brian Bowman and city council at a time when they have more than a few fiscal wild cards to deal with. Bowman said Tuesday the city will delay the release of its 2019 operating budget in the hopes of getting more information from the province on its grants. The unwillingness of the province to provide details is certainly causing council some sleepless nights. That said, a monetary contribution from a private charity to city infrastructure is hardly unprecedented. The foundation has contributed to more than a dozen high-profile public amenities, including the Forks Market, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Old Market Square, Central Park, Paterson Global Foods Institute at Red River College’s Exchange District campus, Upper Fort Garry Provincial Park, and the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Inuit Art Centre (now under construction on Memorial Boulevard). Most recently, the Winnipeg Foundation (a public charitable organization established in 1921) provided a $1-million contribution to build a scenic lookout as part of the $10-million promenade along Taché Avenue in St. Boniface. However, it is unusual for a charity to approach council with a request it reprioritize the five-year capital plan. The city is currently focused on basic, core infrastructure. Council is already spending more than $100 million annually on roads. Add to that enormous road-related projects such as the Waverley Street rail underpass and the Chief Peguis Trail extension, and you can see how the gross majority of the available money is focused on repairs and improvements to the hard surfaces motor vehicles travel every day. Meanwhile, efforts to get money for more progressive projects have been met with mixed results. The last council did, to its credit, carve out significant sums to support the still-evolving Active Transportation Network’s dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian paths. However, veteran councillors have, at times, shown a limited appetite for projects that stray from the narrow band of core infrastructure. That was certainly part of the motivation behind successful efforts to stop the redevelopment of the Portage Avenue and Main Street intersection so it could be reopened to pedestrians. A number of arguments drove the ‘no’ side of the 2018 plebiscite campaign. However, the core argument was tax money should be focused on roads, not wasted on what was described as a “pet project” of Bowman and the downtown professionals who spearheaded the ‘yes’ campaign. Where does that leave projects such as the pedestrian-bike bridge and the city archives? Rick Frost, chief executive officer of the Winnipeg Foundation, said he is well-aware there are no immediate plans to start work on either. The archives are languishing in temporary warehouses, while community consultation on the bridge design is still underway. However, Frost said there will be no political efforts made to convince council to get behind the plan to move up civic funding for both projects. Rather, the foundation will ask council to assess whether a contribution of $5 million is attractive enough to reshuffle the capital projects deck. If council balks, he said, the foundation is prepared to stand down its offer. “We’re not going to lobby the city. If (council) does not want to take us up on this offer, then we’ll move on and do other things.” Council does have several strong motivations to take the offer. Both of the projects identified by the foundation are, in fact, part of the long-term capital plans. And there just isn’t enough money in the capital budget to keep feeding the insatiable political desire to fix roads and provide modern public amenities. Just ask the folks in St. Boniface, who have watched the Notre Dame Arena shut down from a lack of funding to replace its ice plant. The city has worked with the foundation before, and the results have been spectacular. The list of assets and amenities that involved public and philanthropic money is testament enough to the value this relationship has for taxpayers. Let’s hope councillors see the value in the foundation’s gesture, and put aside petty concerns about non-road-related infrastructure projects. In local government, as is the case in life, looking gift horses in the mouth is rarely a winning strategy. dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: Winnipeg Foundation in giving mood - cycling and ped bridge (Jan16'19)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jan '19

16 Jan '19

*Winnipeg Foundation in giving mood as 100th birthday nears * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/winnipeg-foundation-offers-to-pitch… HERITAGE and cycling advocates are celebrating the Winnipeg Foundation’s most recent birthday invitation. Two civic capital projects — renovation of the former William Avenue library and construction of a cycling and pedestrian bridge across the Assiniboine River — could be one step closer thanks to an offer of financial support from the country’s oldest community fund. The Winnipeg Foundation announced Tuesday it is offering the City of Winnipeg up to $5 million to leapfrog the two projects forward in the civic budget process, so they would be completed in time for the foundation’s 100th birthday in 2021. However, there are strings attached: the funds are being offered only in support of the two proposals. The former William Avenue library opened its doors in 1905, thanks to a $75,000 grant from American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It last served as the location for the city’s archival collection until a rainstorm damaged the roof during renovations in 2013. It has been empty since. Last year, the National Trust for Canada placed the building in its 2018 top-10 endangered places list. The proposed pedestrian and cycling bridge would link Osborne Village to the Broadway-Assiniboine neighbourhood and the downtown. It would be constructed between McFadyen Park and Fort Rouge Park, roughly midway between Osborne and Donald streets. Possible options would be to build it as either a girder, suspension or cable-stayed bridge. “God bless the Winnipeg Foundation,” was the reaction Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said she had when she heard the organization wanted to assist in the proposed renovation of the former William Avenue library. “They want to save heritage when nobody else does... The Carnegie library was well underway to being renovated when the rainstorm came in the summer (of 2013). If not for the rainstorm, the archives would have never left the building.” As for the bike and pedestrian bridge potentially being pushed to the front of the line, Mark Cohoe of Bike Winnipeg said: “That’s amazing.” “This really takes this project from the realm of ‘If we’re lucky,’ to something more doable and realistic,” he said. “It is exciting news.” Cohoe said the bridge has long been dreamed of by local bike advocates. “It helps create access across the river and into Osborne Village,” he said. “It also creates a city landmark... It would make a huge difference. It would encourage a lot more people to get out there.” Rick Frost, chief executive officer of the Winnipeg Foundation, said in a statement the foundation’s centennial projects proposal acknowledges the past and gives a nod to the future. “For all citizens of Winnipeg, it is critical we preserve, embrace and learn from our past if we are to build a better future,” he said. “The second half of our proposed centennial project looks to the future of our city — bringing people together and spanning lines that often divide. “A new pedestrian and cycling bridge... will provide a direct, safe and convenient connection for walking and biking that plugs into the city’s growing Active Transportation Network.” Frost asked Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman and city councillors to look at its proposal favourably during the upcoming 2019 civic budget process. The library, the city’s first and its main branch, was closed in 1977, when the Centennial Library (now known as the Millennium Library) opened. The William Avenue library reopened a year later, and was home to the city’s archives until 2013. While city administration has asked the building be renovated, and include a temperature and humidity controlled vault, the plan has since been rejected by civic politicians. A spokesman for Bowman said the mayor is aware of the Winnipeg Foundation’s proposal. “He has recommended to them that it be raised, discussed, and considered as part of the 2019 budget preparation process, which is a trajectory the Winnipeg Foundation has indicated they’ll follow at city hall,” the spokesman said. “The mayor believes any city-building proposal and partnership merits consideration, and looks forward to reviewing this proposal and any others as part of the open and transparent 2019 budget discussions.” kevin.rollason(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Webinar Reminder | Bus Stops with Bikeways: Designing Transit Stops With On-street Bicycle Facilities | Wed, Jan. 16th, 2-3pm
by Heather Mitchell 15 Jan '19

15 Jan '19

*** Friendly reminder about tomorrow afternoon's webinar *** Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg tomorrow, January 16th for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre boardroom followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. The topic is *Bus Stops with Bikeways: Designing Transit Stops with On-street Bicycle Facilities*. Best, Heather -- *Heather Mitchell * Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> | 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue (204) 925-3777 ext 107 Green Action Centre is your green living hub. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/green-action-centre/>. <http://canadahelps.org/> <https://www.gomanitoba.ca/Public/Home.aspx>

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Register for CommuteCon 2019 - Announcing Speakers
by Beth McKechnie 15 Jan '19

15 Jan '19

> From: Jeffrey Chernick <jeff(a)RIDEAMIGOS.COM> > Date: January 15, 2019 at 3:52:05 AM CST > > CommuteCon is a transportation conference, but it's online! That means a 4-hour Webinar with 16+ speakers on different topics throughout the country. Each speaker has 10 minutes to present and our MC facilitates Q&A from the attendees who submit questions through the system. Over 500 transportation professionals logged on last year. > > Amazing lineup of speakers below... register for free at CommuteCon.com > > > Sign up now for Navigating the Modern Mobility Ecosystem. Email not displaying correctly? > View it in your browser. > > Register Today for CommuteCon 2019! > Join us live for the world's biggest online TDM conference. > February 13, 2019 > > Noon - 4 PM Eastern > 9:00 AM - 1 PM Pacific > > > > > CommuteCon is a FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE that brings together people focused on finding smart, sustainable solutions to big mobility challenges. > > Join hundreds of your fellow commuter management leaders from around the world for an amazing lineup of presentations from industry thought leaders. > > Announcing a Keynote Presentation > Ryan Rzepecki, Founder of JUMP > > Ryan is a pioneer of the bike share and scooter share industry. Join us for a look back at how far we've come and where we might be going next. > > Learn more at commutecon.com > > We're So Excited About This Lineup! > Don't miss your chance to hear from these industry leaders. And we still have a few surprises... > Paul Hendricks > > Environmental Responsibility Manager at Patagonia > > Phil Kobernick > > Acting Logistics Services Manager at Alameda County > > Jana Sochor > > Senior Researcher at RISE Viktoria > > Josh Fried > > Head of Waze Carpool at Waze > > Shawn Chavira > > Associate Director of Transportation at University of Southern California > > Tamar Fuhrer > > Associate Director, Transportation & Commuter Services at Kite Pharma > > Evan Costagliola > > Director of Transportation Partnerships at Lime > > Adam Cohen > > Research Associate, Transportation and Sustainability Research Center at University of California Berkeley > > Gary Hsueh > Director of Mobility Programs at Prospect Silicon Valley > > > David Sorrell > > Manager, Alternative Transportation Programs at University of California Berkeley > > Jason Pavluchuk > > Founder at Pavluchuk & Associates > > Corey Tucker > > Director of Customer Success at RideAmigos > > Jeffrey Chernick > > Founder at RideAmigos > > > Learn more and sign up today! > > > > > > > > Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Forward to Friend > Copyright © 2019, All rights reserved. > > Our mailing address is: > > RideAmigos > 230 Pacific St. > Suite #202 > Santa Monica, CA 90405 > Want to change how you receive these emails? > Update subscription preferences > > > To unsubscribe from the TRANSP-TDM list, click the following link: > http://listserv.usf.edu/scripts/wa.exe?SUBED1=TRANSP-TDM&A=1

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WFP Analysis: Winter cycling isn’t extreme (Jan14'19)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jan '19

14 Jan '19

*Winter cycling isn’t extreme * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/winter-cycling-isnt-extr… “THE majority of people who are biking in the winter, they’re the extreme. They’re the extreme cyclists and I don’t see that changing.” Coun. Jeff Browaty made these comments last month at city hall, while questioning the value of clearing snow from Winnipeg bike lanes in the winter. His statement made headlines, but the sentiment that Winnipeg is too cold to support winter cycling is not seen as an extreme viewpoint. We don’t label cross-country skiers “extreme.” It is not extreme to let our children play in the schoolyard at lunchtime. A game of shinny on an outdoor rink isn’t extreme, and the only thing extreme about skating in the middle of Winnipeg’s frozen rivers is the lineup for skate rentals at The Forks. So, why is riding a bike in the winter seen as extreme? The difference, of course, is that cross-country skiers don’t share their tracks with 2,000-kilogram machines travelling 60 km/h. Winter cycling is seen as extreme not because of temperature, but because riders must compete with cars for space on slippery, ice-covered roads. What if they didn’t have to? What if cyclists had their own lanes, protected from cars and kept clear of snow? Would they still be extreme, or would they be as normal as someone skating on the river trail? The experience of other cities invariably shows that with those conditions in place, winter cyclists become quite ordinary. Studies, surveys and real world examples consistently demonstrate that the greatest deterrent to winter cycling is safety and road conditions, not temperature. Winter cities that have built well-connected networks of protected bike lanes and made it a priority to keep them clear of snow have all realized the same results — a dramatic increase in winter cycling. An extreme example of this can be found in Oulu, a city in northern Finland, 150 km from the Arctic Circle. With a very similar winter climate to Winnipeg’s, Oulu has an extensive cycling network and pervasive bike culture that have resulted in a percentage of cyclists in the winter months that is almost six times higher than what Winnipeg experiences in the peak of summer. Closer to home, Montreal has been celebrated as one of the top cycling cities in North America, with more than 100 km of on-street protected bike lanes and 800 total km of cycling paths. Over the past nine years, the amount of cycling infrastructure in the city has doubled and the number of Montrealers who cycle as their main mode of transportation has grown by 50 per cent. The city has begun to focus on winter cycling and now clears snow from 60 per cent of its pathways. Investments have been made in new technology such as rotating brush plows that are less damaging to protective curbs and more effective at removing ice. These efforts have paid off, more than doubling the number of winter cyclists in just a few years. In a city that experiences twice the amount of Winnipeg’s snowfall, with temperatures only about five degrees warmer in the coldest months, Montreal maintains 15 to 20 per cent of its summer cycling population through the winter, averaging more than 15,000 cyclists per day. Two-thirds of those continue to ride at temperatures below -20 C. Winter cyclists in Montreal were once dubbed les hurluberlus de l’hiver (the weirdos of winter), but today they are neither weird nor extreme. In Minneapolis, a top cycling city in the United States and its coldest major city, similar conclusions have been reached. In summer, almost three times more people commute by bike in Minneapolis than in Winnipeg. The city’s cycling system is an innovative network of on-street bike lanes connecting to a series of “bicycle freeways” along former rail lines, linking the suburbs with downtown. Most of these routes maintain more than 30 per cent of their ridership through the winter months, largely because the city has dedicated bike-lane clearing crews that are independent of the street cleaning system. Their mandate is to clear all bike paths within 24 hours of a major snowfall. The city’s new Pedestrian and Bicycle Winter Maintenance Study recommends going further, by identifying priority cycling networks that will be cleared immediately, similar to the way Priority 1 streets are handled in Winnipeg, allowing cyclists to anticipate safe routes connecting major destinations after a snowfall. In Calgary, a protected downtown cycling network was created in 2015, along with a strategy to promote winter cycling. The results were almost instant, with four times more people cycling downtown in the winter, only one year after the complete network was created. Today, about 30 per cent of summer bike commuters continue through the winter months. More than half of those ride in temperatures below -20 C. Some of Winnipeg’s neighbourhoods have high summer cycling participation. Wolseley is in the top 10 in Canada, with 15 per cent of all commuters using a bike. Other central neighbourhoods see more than six per cent cycling participation, a higher proportion than both Minneapolis and Montreal. As we continue to expand and fill in the gaps in our cycling network, a tipping point will come, and clearing lanes of snow will pay off with much higher winter-cycling ridership as it has in every other city. This could translate into thousands of winter cyclists in these neighbourhoods. Winnipeg is a proud winter city in many ways, but winter cycling is still viewed as extreme because we have built a city that makes it so. Our perceptions come from what Winnipeg has been, not what it can be. As our city moves forward, policies such as bike lane snow-clearing should reflect our aspirations, allowing the opportunity for our future to be different from our past. *Brent Bellamy is a senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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AT Webinar: Bus stops with bikeways (Jan 16th, 2-3pm, EcoCentre)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…> boardroom. This will be followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. Should be an interesting topic with Winnipeg's very own *Chris Baker* as one of the presenters! cheers, Beth *AT Webinar: Wed, Jan 16th, 2-3pm* Bus Stops with Bikeways: Designing Transit Stops with On-street Bicycle Facilities The increasing emergence of on-street bicycle facilities, including bike lanes and physically separated facilities, pose challenges for integrating transit stops while avoiding conflicts and delay for bicyclists and transit users. This webinar will explore the best practices for designing streets for bicycling and transit. *Presenters:* - Jesse Boudart, Toole Design - John Urgo, AC Transit - Brian Patterson, Urban Systems - Chris Baker, City of Winnipeg -- Beth McKechnie* | *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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WFP: Pedal to the metal for bike registry (Jan10'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

*City staff to probe whether measure can curb meth-related theft* * Pedal to the metal for bike registry * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/councillors-ok-mandatory-bike-regis… A COUNCIL committee has unanimously supported a proposal to consider mandatory registration of bikes at the point of sale. Councillors on the protection, community services and parks committee told the administration on Wednesday to examine the idea, which was raised by Coun. Ross Eadie. Point Douglas activist Sel Burrows encouraged the committee Wednesday to support the plan. He wanted the registration system in place by the spring, but that’s not going to happen. The administration said the earliest a report could be completed for the committee is May. Council would consider it in June. “The big concern for us is going to be the consultation,” said Cindy Fernandes, the city’s social services director, whose department will be responsible for the report. “There are a large number of stakeholders — the public, the retailers, the Winnipeg Police Service. If the intent is we’re going to reduce the number of thefts, will this actually help in that way? We’d actually like to make a determination or recommendation as whether this will help resolve that issue.” Eadie and Burrows raised the issue in mid-December, saying bike theft is fuelling the meth crisis. Police acknowledge an increase in stolen bikes, which are taken to chop shops, where they are exchanged for hits of meth. The city maintains a voluntary bike registry, which went online in April. Fernandes said about 10,000 bikes are registered, but that’s believed to be a fraction of the number of bikes in the city. There is a cost of $6.60 to input data on the city’s online bike registry. Several bikes can be registered per household and three photos of each bike can be posted as well. If recovered by police, the stolen bikes will be returned without charge. Registration can be done at winnipeg.ca/bikeregistry The city says more than 3,000 bikes are stolen every year. While police recover about 1,000 of them, fewer than 100 are traced to their owners and returned. Burrows and Eadie said the idea originated with a police sergeant, who thought a mandatory registry could deter thieves. Burrows said when police see someone pulling two or three bikes down the street, they might suspect they are stolen, but since most aren’t registered, there is nothing they can do. He and Eadie believe that requiring retailers to register bikes when they are sold will put a dent in the number of thefts and the city’s meth problems. Fernandes said her staff will conduct a cross-jurisdictional review to determine what other cities are doing with registration, as well as talking to retailers and specialty bike stores. Fernandes told councillors she wants to be sure her department can devise a system that meets their expectations. Regardless of the municipal review, Eadie said Winnipeg’s public service shouldn’t be afraid to break new ground. “There’s no problem with the City of Winnipeg being at the leading edge of this,” he said. “If it doesn’t exist in the rest of Canada, I don’t care.” The proposal would see retailers who sell bikes brought under the jurisdiction of the Doing Business in Winnipeg bylaw, which regulates pawn shops and used-goods retailers, gold dealers and massage parlours. While a final report will be given to the committee in May, Fernandes was instructed to present a verbal status report for the committee’s April meeting. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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CTV: Councillor's tweet about bike lanes stirs controversy about snow clearing priorities (Jan8'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jan '19

10 Jan '19

Councillor's tweet about bike lanes stirs controversy about snow clearing priorities https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/councillor-s-tweet-about-bike-lanes-stirs-contr… An online post by a Winnipeg city councillor has some pedestrians and cyclists at odds. North Kildonan City Councillor Jeff Browaty was out in The Exchange District after this week’s big snowfall and took issue with the way the snow was cleared in the area. He posted a tweet showing a snow-covered sidewalk on King Street and a clear bike lane on nearby Bannatyne Avenue, with the caption ‘Typical sidewalk vs typical bike lane, today.” Browaty said commuter cycling isn't practical or mainstream and argues more people need to walk to the bus or get to the store. He's frustrated seeing bike lanes cleared before sidewalks. "You can't do everything on day one. It takes like a period of time to get work done. I would rather see sidewalks on Henderson Highway done, sidewalks in The Exchange done, prior to the bike lanes,” Browaty said. Cyclist Sasha Schellenberg said sidewalks should be prioritized to a degree, but it’s also crucial to clear bike lanes of snow. "All active transportation in Winnipeg we have huge issue with. It's just not being cleared in a timely fashion. It takes so long for sidewalks and bikes both to get to cleared so to make that comparison is ridiculous," he said. The city said King Street with the snowy sidewalk is priority one and Bannatyne Avenue is priority two, but sometimes the crews’ sequence is slightly off, and they do follow guidelines set out by city council. The section of the sidewalk Browaty photographed has now been cleared, which will help people like Mike Ginter. He has a broken foot and has been using crutches through the snow. Ginter agrees with Browaty -- that sidewalks should be cleared first. "It's really disappointing, not a lot of people ride a bike in when it's this kind weather, in deep snow. There are a handful that do. I believe they should be done absolutely last," said Ginter. Browaty said there's a review about snow clearing priorities underway and he’s going to make his opinions known. The City of Winnipeg said there are about 400 kilometres of bike path and 3,000 kilometres of sidewalk in Winnipeg. Sidewalks on main routes are cleared first, followed by sidewalks on bus routes and collector streets, then residential streets. The city says generally bike paths get the same priority as the street where they are located. The Exchange District Biz also has a crew to help out in the area. After a snowfall, it sends out a bobcat to help clear a path for pedestrians and push snow away from bike lanes.

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