- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Just a little something for the list on this dark wet day
by Stacy Matwick 23 Oct '12

23 Oct '12

With nasty rainy dark days upon us I thought I'd share this with you all for a smile. Warning do not try this at home :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTLsAnxUwzQ via Laughing Squid http://laughingsquid.com Cheers Stacy Matwick

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Introducing the Walking and Wheeling Webinar Series
by Shoni Litinsky 22 Oct '12

22 Oct '12

** Please share widely! ** Join Green Action Centre's Active and Safe Routes to School Manitoba <http://greenactioncentre.ca/programs/asrts>team as we host our first ever webinar (online seminar) series this November 2012-January 2013. Our team has put our heads together and come up with 5 great sessions that will address some of questions we get asked most from parents, schools, communities, and municipalities! Please click here to see full descriptions and to register<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/walking-and-wheeling-webinar-series/>for the free sessions which will take place in our online WIMBA learning classroom (ie - from the comfort of your own computer!). Note: If you cannot attend the time of a session you would like to see, please register anyway as we will be sure to circulate the recorded archive following the event. *How to Start a Bike Repair Program & Shop in Your School or Community* *Date and time:* November 23, 2012 at 12:30pm-1:30pm *Presenter: *Geoff Heath – the WRENCH <http://http://thewrench.ca/> *5 Key Bike Safety Tips for Kids (Ages 9-11)* *Date and Time:* November 30, 2012 at 12:30pm-1:00pm *Presenter:* Dave Elmore – Green Action Centre *Winter Walking Activities for your Classroom or After School Program* *Date and Time:* December 7, 2012 at 12:30pm-1:30pm *Presenter:* Shoni Litinsky and Lea Grzenda – Green Action Centre *Building a Culture of Walking and Cycling* *Date and Time: *January 10, 2013 at 12:30pm-1:30pm *Presenter:* Lea Grzenda and Masha Giller – Green Action Centre *Pedestrian and Bicycle Engineering 101 for School Travel* *Date and Time:* January 18, 2013 at 12:30pm-1:30pm *Presenter:* Anders Swanson – Green Action Centre We hope you will join us! -- *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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GLOBE AND MAIL: Separated bike lanes make cyclists safer, study says
by Anders Swanson 19 Oct '12

19 Oct '12

[ source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/separated-bike-lanes-make-cycl…] Separated bike lanes make cyclists safer, study says One of the most ambitious studies of bicycle injuries ever conducted in Canada has reach a conclusion that won’t surprise anyone who rides to work: It is far safer to travel on a physically separated bike lane than on busy city streets. The research, led by Prof. Kay Teschke of the University of British Columbia’s school of population and public health, involved interviewing hundreds of victims of bike accidents in Toronto and Vancouver, and then studying the location where the accident took place. More Related to this Story - Bicycle Data Toronto falling behind pack in averting bicycle collisions, data reveals <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-falling-behind-pack-in-…> - Helmets can prevent bicycling deaths, study finds <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/helmets-can-p…> - Toronto's Jarvis bike lanes to be removed by end of year <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/torontos-jarvis-bike-lanes-to-b…> <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/explore-the-data-toronto-bicycl…> Interactive Data Explore the data: Toronto bicycle collisions mapped over 25 years<http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/explore-the-data-toronto-bicycl…> The analysis, published in the American Journal of Public Health, shows that a cyclist is ten times as likely to be injured on busy street with parked cars than on a cycle lane alongside the street, separated by a physical barrier. It is also much safer to bike on less busy local streets, major streets without parked cars, and on bike lanes through parks, the study found. On those routes, the risk of injury is about half what it is on a busy street with parked cars. The study shows there is a “dramatic reduction” in accidents when separated bike lanes exist, Prof. Teschke said. And it underlined how much more likely bike accidents are to occur if there is construction, steep hills, or, in the case of Toronto, streetcar tracks. Indeed, nearly one-third of the accidents studied in Toronto occurred on streetcar tracks, either with bike wheels getting caught in the tracks or slipping on the slippery rails. Prof. Teschke said the results jibe with earlier studies of route preferences that indicate people don’t like to ride on busy streets. This research shows “there is a reason for that [attitude]. People’s gut reaction is the correct reaction.” The study could bolster the action being taken in many large North American cities, where separated bike lines are now being constructed. Vancouver and Montreal already have many kilometres of separated lanes, and the first one in Toronto is now being built along Sherbourne St. on the east side of the downtown core. While there are enough separated bike lanes in Montreal to form a connected network throughout the downtown core, Vancouver is not at that point yet, and Toronto is years away from anything similar, said Toronto bicycle consultant Yvonne Bambrick. “If you have one little space that [has separated lanes] and everywhere else is regular, it doesn’t make any sense,” she says. She also notes that the design of separate lanes is crucial in making them safe and functional. The new bike lane on Toronto’s Sherbourne Street has been criticized because its barrier is so low that it will still allow delivery vehicles to pull into it and park. The UBC study interviewed 690 people who were injured in bike accidents, 414 from Vancouver and 276 from Toronto. Almost three-quarters of the accidents involved collisions with motor vehicles.

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The future of driving - seeing the back of the car (The Economist)
by Beth McKechnie 18 Oct '12

18 Oct '12

*The future of driving - seeing the back of the car* *In the rich world, people seem to be driving less than they used to* For transportation geeks, this comprehensive article from The Economist about driving levels and car ownership includes some compelling statistics. For example: * At Canary Wharf, a business district in east London, 100,000 jobs are supported by only 3,000 parking spaces. * Space is already at a premium in dense centres such as Jakarta, where the number of cars is growing ten times faster than the roads available for them to roll on. Read the full article: http://www.economist.com/node/21563280

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[At-network] WFP View from the West: We could learn from Copenhagen, Moscow (Oct.17'12)
by Beth McKechnie 17 Oct '12

17 Oct '12

[Nice to see these columns about Copenhagen and other bike friendly cities keep popping up in the Free Press...] We could learn from Copenhagen, Moscow By: Michael Czuboka My wife and I recently spent three days in each of the cities of Copenhagen St. Petersburg, Russia and Moscow. As Winnipeggers, we could not help but make comparisons. Returning to Winnipeg, after viewing and travelling over the excellent streets in these European cities was like coming to a third world country insofar as road maintenance and quality are concerned. We love Winnipeg. Our city has many fine qualities, but our roads are rough, uneven, patched, in some cases dangerous, and in general an absolute disgrace. Copenhagen was especially impressive because of the wide and clearly marked bicycle paths that are a feature of many of its major streets. Copenhagen has a population of about 528,000, so it is similar in size to Winnipeg with our population of about 684,000. We learned that about 40 per cent of Copenhagen's citizens bicycle to work or school on a system of paths that run for about 400 kilometres. How much would 400 kilometres cover in Winnipeg? The combined lengths of Portage, Pembina, Main, Henderson, St. Mary's, St. Anne's, McPhillips and Regent, according to Sherlock's map of Winnipeg, is less than 200 kilometres. It is obvious that 400 kilometres of bike paths would cover all of our major streets very adequately. Each bicycle path in Copenhagen is about the width of an automobile lane. Motor vehicles seldom intrude on bicycle paths and cycling is relatively safe for cyclists of all ages and abilities. We watched in awe as hundreds of bikers filled the streets every day. St. Petersburg often is referred to as the most beautiful city in the world and it is certainly very attractive with many beautiful buildings and parks. Its major streets, like those of Moscow, seemed to be absolutely perfect and without blemishes of any kind. Apologists claim that Winnipeg's cold weather is to blame for many breaks and potholes that occur, but that excuse does not hold up when Winnipeg's weather is compared with that of Russia. Winnipeg has an average January temperature of -13.2 C; St. Petersburg's is -6 C, and Moscow's is -9 C. Both Russian cities, like Winnipeg, have winter temperatures that often plunge to -30 or -40 C. It appears the Russians, perhaps because of their tendency toward authoritarian leadership, spend whatever it takes to make perfect roads in their major cities. Winnipeg's mayors and councils, on the other hand, seem to base their decisions mainly on the prospect of upcoming elections. "What do I need to do to get re-elected?" they seem to ask themselves. "Keep taxes down, of course," is the answer. Our engineers probably know as much about building good roads as their compatriots in Russia, but the limited funds allocated to Winnipeg's roads results mostly in patching and inferior paving that results in limited longevity. The bright side of our poor roads is it provides our vehicle repair shops with a lot of extra business. We did not see any graffiti or beggars in St. Petersburg or Moscow. It appears that the police and courts are much less forgiving than those in our country. Ugly overpasses were not evident in the three cities we visited. Is the Disraeli Freeway really necessary? A tunnel, similar to those of major cities, would have been much more preferable. Was a tunnel ever considered? Are our civic leaders lacking in creativity and imagination? Although we travelled on many streets in St. Petersburg and Moscow, we did not see even a single road barrier or construction project. The major streets appear to be in perfect condition and apparently rarely need patching or new paving. Travelling the streets of Winnipeg, after we returned, came as a shock. Almost every street seems to have construction of some kind in progress. A major problem, however, is not just the construction itself, but rather how it is organized. Barriers, which restrict the flow of traffic and create hazardous conditions, often go up for several days or even a week or more before any construction takes place. There seems to be very limited communication or co-ordination between those putting up the barriers and those doing the actual construction. We were also very impressed by the cleanliness of the streets of St. Petersburg and Moscow. Looking out of our hotel room window in Moscow early one morning, we witnessed, much to our amazement, several orange trucks pouring large quantities of water on the sidewalks and streets. According to the Moscow News, an English-language publication, thousands of tons of water are used daily. Winnipeg's streets, by way of comparison, are generously speaking, unclean. We live in Osborne Village, which recently was judged to be the best neighbourhood in Canada. We live here, and we love the place, but street washing in Osborne Village and elsewhere in Winnipeg takes place only when it rains. Winnipeg is a great city, but we could improve greatly by studying and implementing some of the practices of places such as Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, and Moscow. Let's keep this in mind the next time we have an election for a mayor and councillors in Winnipeg. *Michael Czuboka, former superintendent of schools in Manitoba, is the author of Why It's Hard To Fire Johnny's Teacher; Juba; They Stopped at A Good Place; and Ukrainian Canadian, Eh.* http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/we-could-learn-from-copen… * *

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Sou'Wester - Bike, Walk and Roll in Fort Richmond
by Shoni Litinsky 17 Oct '12

17 Oct '12

The article below can be found in the Sou'Wester and provides a great overview of the Green Action Centre project - Bike, Walk, Roll Fort Richmond. The project is funded through the Neighbourhoods Alive - LIFT program and aims to increase awareness and expand education on A/T in the Fort Richmond community. Live in Fort Richmond? Our public open house is next Tuesday October, 23rd from 7-8:30pm at the Acadia Junior High School library, located at 175 Killarney Ave. See more project details at: fortrichmondat.ca Bike, walk and roll in Fort Richmond<http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/souwester/Bike-walk-and-ro…> A brand new active transportation initiative is hitting the streets of Fort Richmond. Bike Walk & Roll Fort Richmond is a project that aims to increase awareness and expand active transportation opportunities and safety in the community. Active transportation includes walking, cycling, in-line skating or any mode of self-propelled transportation. The project was initiated by local community residents, but is being spearheaded by the Green Action Centre, a non-profit environmental education hub that does work throughout the province. Bike Walk & Roll builds on the Green Action Centre’s Active and Safe Routes to School program, which works with Fort Richmond schools to increase the number of students who walked or cycled to school. Through the program, the Green Action Centre had the opportunity to apply for the Bike Walk & Roll grant which will allow them to offer the program to the entire community, not just students. "It’s helping us to work more broadly with all ages and abilities to increase the education and awareness of active transportation around the whole community," said Shoni Litinsky, co-ordinator of the Active and Safe Routes to Schools program. Litinsky said the project will include different community events, including cycling education and public open houses. The first open house will be held Tues., Oct. 23 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Acadia Junior High School library, located at 175 Killarney Ave. The open house will be an opportunity for residents to learn more about active transportation and discuss how the conditions in the community can improve for cyclists and pedestrians. "If you look at the area, it’s a classic representation of a lot of old neighbourhoods with lots of bays, and a shortage of sidewalks. It’s really hard to navigate on foot," Litinsky said. She said one of the key components of the project will be to work with the community to develop a map to highlight walking and cycling routes in the neighbourhood. "We’re trying to highlight the key destinations and routes people can take," she said. Fort Richmond resident Jennifer Watt said such a map would be useful tool for people living in the neighbourhood. Watt said the neighbourhood is full of cut-through paths that go from one bay to another, but that many residents don’t know where they are. She thinks a map might encourage residents to get out and walk more. "A map is a very practical step that gives people options to go through residential bays where there’s not much traffic." Watt stressed other solutions will still be needed. She’s hoping to see a walking and cycling path installed near Ecole St. Avila, where her children attend school. "Walkers and bikers don’t really have a safe path to get to get to school," said Watt, who said one of the main concerns for residents in the area is the lack of sidewalks. "My daughter is in Grade 3 and she’s at the age where she should be able to bike to school by herself, but it’s really difficult to (allow it) because... the traffic... can make it quite dangerous. "With a few modifications we can make this a safer and more sustainable neighbourhood." For more information on the Walk Bike & Roll Fort Richmond initiative go to FortRichmondAT.ca. -- *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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AT webinar CANCELLATION: Wed, Oct. 17th, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

*Please note that this Wednesday's AT webinar is CANCELLED:* ** *FHWA Experimentation for Advancing Best Practices Wednesday, October 17th | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CDT* The content appears too U.S.-focused to be of value for us in Winnipeg. However, please plan to join us next month to hear about: Maps that Guide, Encourage and Inform Wednesday, November 14th | 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CST Details will follow closer to the date. cheers, Beth * *

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Happy International Walk to School Month
by Shoni Litinsky 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

Green Action Centre's Active and Safe Routes to School Program<http://greenactioncentre.ca/program/asrts/>would like to wish everyone a happyInternational Walk to School Month<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/iwalk>! Currently more than 70 schools in Manitoba are participating in IWALK, and encouraging students to walk to and from school. IWALK presents a chance for schools to celebrate our environment by keeping our air clean, to share walking safety skills with children, to bring safety to our neighbourhoods, address traffic congestion and speed around our schools. <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/iwalk-reg/> Schools can still sign up here.<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/iwalk-reg/> Last Wednesday was International Walk to School Day - and several schools held their own events to celebrate. See below for details! ----------------------------------- mysteinbachonline <http://www.steinbachonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id…> Niverville Elementary Places Emphasis On Walking To School Written by Sawyer Klassen on Saturday, 13 October 2012 [image: 2012 10 nes walk1]*One of the groups of students leaves for NES.* On Wednesday, students from Niverville Elementary School (NES) joined over 3,500 schools in North America in participating in International Walk to School Day. Students met at a church one block from NES before school started, and walked to the school from there in groups. Students who were bussed to school also participated by walking laps around the school playground. Matthew Fast, a grade five teacher at NES, explains why they chose to participate in I-Walk to School Day. "We're starting to try to change things around our community and make it safer for kids to walk to school. So in an effort to promote walking or biking to school and less driving, we want to be part of events like I-Walk to School Day." World-wide, schools in 40 different countries participated in the event. Fast notes that at NES, the majority of students also chose to take part in I-Walk to School Day. "I think we're close to about 65% participation. I'm not quite sure about the numbers yet as I'm still waiting for results from a few classes to come in, but I would say upwards of about 200 to 250 students at least." Fast adds this was the second year in a row they have taken part in the event, and he notes several other schools in Hanover School Division also participated. ----------------------------------- Green Action Centre Blog<http://greenactioncentre.ca/2012/a-successful-iwalk-day-celebrated-by-maple…> A successful IWALK Day celebrated by Mapleton School & Green Action Centre!<http://greenactioncentre.ca/2012/a-successful-iwalk-day-celebrated-by-maple…> **Despite the chilly weather in the morning, International Walk to School Day 2012 was a great success with approximately 150 students, teachers, and the school principal all joining in the walk together on October 10th! This year, Mapleton School in St. Andrews <http://www.lssd.ca/maple/> was selected as the recipient for a walk to school with Green Action Centre along with Councillor Russ Garvie. The event focuses on getting more kids active by walking and biking to school and over 65 schools in Manitoba and 40 countries worldwide will be participating over the month of October this year. It was great to see the excitement among the students and staff there to participate on IWALK day, since every single student was out there walking. Mapleton School also committed to doing this walk the entire week to show students that it’s fun to participate! Since some of the students at Mapleton live farther away, this morning walk is also meant to show the school that even though busing is a reality for some, they can still join in with those who walk and bike in this event. The morning walk started just after 8:30 am in the school yard where the staff and students began the walk on the track laid out around the school. Everyone was happy to celebrate IWALK day, especially the students who had fun playing and chatting with their friends along the way. When everyone completed their walk around the track and arrived back at the school, Councillor Russ Garvie said a few words on why it’s important to be active and participate in International Walk to School Month. For participating in the event, every student in the school also got a small prize and sticker! Thanks to Mapleton School and Mrs. Bouchard, the school’s IWALK coordinator, for celebrating the event with Green Action Centre this year and setting a great example for schools all across Manitoba! If your school would still like to participate, don’t worry, there’s still time! Register for IWALK here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/iwalk-reg/>and your school will receive a kit with all the resources, posters and stickers you need! This event is a chance to promote active transportation to students over a *day*, a *week*, or the *entire m**onth of October.* In addition for participating, your school can be entered great prizes including *great active transportation gear from Bikes&Beyond, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Healthy Schools in Motion and MPI! *Just remember to send in your tally sheet before *November 9*th! Happy Walking! By Lea Grezenda -- *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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Economic Impacts of AT Backgrounder (Toronto Centre for Active Transportation)
by Beth McKechnie 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

On Oct 11, 2012, the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) released its latest backgrounder, *The Economic Impacts of Active Transportation*. This backgrounder discusses some of the economic impacts related to walking and cycling within an urban environment, in terms of impacts on businesses and real estate, personal and public finances, and indirect impacts such as health and productivity. It also includes figures from recent surveys and studies to introduce the wide array of economic benefits that investments in walking and cycling can return to governments, business owners, and individuals. *http://tcat.ca/sites/all/files/Backgrounder_Economic_Impacts.pdf* This backgrounder is the third in TCAT's periodic backgrounder series, the first focused on Bikeway Options currently under consideration in Toronto<http://tcat.ca/node/1686>and the second on Designing Off-Road Paths for Pedestrians and Cyclists <http://tcat.ca/node/1751>.

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UPDATE - Pembina Buffered Bike Lanes
by Janice Lukes 15 Oct '12

15 Oct '12

Hello! The below comments are made purely from observations made on Saturday, October 13th - I'm not aware of any updates from the City on the project -these are solely my observations and comments on the Pembina buffered bike lane project. If anyone else has observations - consider sharing them with this posting! PEMBINA MEDIAN (between Plaza Dr and Chevrier): Narrowing of the centre median between Plaza Dr and Chevrier, and construction of the curbs and roadway on both sides of the median is now complete. This aspect of the buffered bike lane project took about 3 months - undoubtedly creating new roadway lanes is a big component of the project. On Saturday, new topsoil was being installed on the medians and expect the salt resistant grass will be sprayed on shortly. In this last month of construction - the project is going to become really interesting as the detail for the buffered bike lanes is starting! BUS STOPS: Safe access on / off busses for transit users was a key aspect of the design of the buffered bike lane project. Transit users could not be in the 'line of cycling traffic' when waiting for or exiting a bus. The Bus Stop Treatment <http://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/ActiveTransportation/Pembi naBufferedBikeLanes/PDF/PembinaBufferedBikeLane-ChevrierBusStop.pdf> enables transit users to have a 'landing area' as they wait to enter / exit busses. The landing area has a point where they can then safely check for cycling traffic and cross the buffered bike way to the sidewalk. Southbound Pembina: You may recall that last year - new asphalt surfacing was placed on southbound Pembina between Chevrier and Plaza Drive ($890,000) as part of the City <http://www.winnipeg.ca/publicworks/Streets/StreetsProgram.asp> 's street maintenance program. Now, as part of the buffered bike lane design, construction is starting on the southbound Bus Stop treatments. Sections of asphalt are being cut out of the roadway at all the bus stops between Chevrier and Plaza Drive (see southbound Pembina jpg) to provide 'enhanced bus stop design <http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/MajorProjects/ActiveTransportation/PembinaBu fferedBikeLanes/default.stm> '. Not sure if the bus stop will be identified with raised surfacing or colored surfacing and expect the bike lane to transition into the existing sidewalk curbs. This will be interesting to watch unfold. Northbound Pembina: This year, as part of the City's street maintenance program, northbound Pembina (between Chevrier and Plaza Drive) was scheduled for new asphalt surfacing. This new asphalt surfacing is occurring simultaneously with the buffered bike lane project on the northbound side of Pembina. See the attached north bound Pembina jpgs highlighting the new roadway asphalt surfacing, bus stops awaiting enhanced design and soon to be constructed new sidewalk sections. PAINT & POLY POSTS: The final touches - once all asphalting / concrete is complete, there are to special paint markings installed on the roadway to provide a 'buffer' from vehicular traffic and the bike lane AND what I consider the most important part of this project - the installation of poly posts (upright posts) to create a 'visual separation' between vehicular traffic and the bike lane. SIGNAGE & PROMOTION: In theory - this new bike facility is to be 'intuitive' related to how it is used. (Wasn't the thought that traffic circles were 'intuitive'??!) I'm hoping there will be some kind of AWARENESS campaign about the buffered bike lanes. I really believe a lot of folks still think Pembina is being widened for vehicles - all in preparation for the new stadium. Last year saw upwards of $6 M worth of roadway improvements in the Pembina and Bison / Chancellor area related to the new stadium. COST for BUFFERED BIKE LANES: I've not heard what the final cost for the bike lanes will be - noting it is incorporated with the northbound Pembina new roadway asphalting project. (~ $1M) All very exciting for sure! Janice Lukes

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