- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Warming Hearts in Winnipeg: Dr. Catherine O'Brien to present in Winnipeg
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jan '09

14 Jan '09

Hello AT Network partners! Dr. Catherine OBrien, Canadas leading expert on planning for sustainable happiness, will be in Winnipeg for a consultation in early February (10th, 11th or 12th we still have to work out the specific details). She has agreed to speak to members of Winnipegs AT Network for a reduced rate of $500 (down from $1500, as she will already be in town), and we are currently looking for partners to help share the cost of her speaking fee. She is a Research Associate of the Centre for Sustainable Transportation, and she is the co-author of Child and Youth Friendly Land Use and Transport Planning Guidelines for Canadian Provinces and Territories. In addition, Dr. OBrien has drawn from the fields of positive psychology and sustainability to develop a new concept: sustainable happiness. She defines this as the pursuit of happiness that is respectful of other people, the natural environment and future generations. Her work emphasizes the significance of creating communities that meet the needs and aspirations of children and planning for sustainable happiness (see attached studies). Please contact me as soon as possible if you are able to contribute! best, Jackie Jackie Avent Active and Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator Resource Conservation Manitoba 3rd Floor - 303 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B4 (204) 925-3773 www.resourceconservation.mb.ca Resource Conservation Manitoba: Living Green, Living Well Practical solutions for yourself, your community and the environment Green Commuting, Environmental Education, Reducing Waste, Composting Resource Conservation Manitoba is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation.

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Winnipeg's Winter Wonderland - TWO in motion @ the Library Sessions!
by Deanna Betteridge 13 Jan '09

13 Jan '09

******************************************************************************* In motion @ the Library - TWO different sessions - TWO different dates - TWO different locations! Tonnes of options for you and your family this Winter! Join Winnipeg in motion and the Winnipeg Public Libraries this month for two great in motion @ the Library sessions. As the mercury plunges and the snow piles high, your first instinct may be to hibernate until spring. Get up off the couch, put down the remote and discover the real potential of Winnipeg's winter. Join Greg Rubell of Mountain Equipment Co-op and Scot Miller of Olympia Cycle and Ski to learn how to turn the long winter months into an opportunity for family fun! TWO DIFFERENT SESSIONS TO CHOOSE FROM: Session 1 Winnipeg's Winter Wonderland...so many options Friday, January 23, from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Carol Shield Auditorium on the second floor of the Millennium Library (251 Donald Street) Session 2 Discover Winnipeg's Winter Wonderland...on skis Saturday, January 24, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. St. James Assiniboine Library (1910 Portage Avenue) FREE admission and NO registration is required - just wear comfortable clothing to join in the activities or come to watch. Contact Winnipeg in motion at 940-3648 or visit http://www.winnipeginmotion.ca/resources/in_motion_library for more information. Unable to attend? Visit winnipeginmotion.ca for winter activity options in your neighbourhood. Please pass this information on to your co-workers, family and friends. ******************************************************************************* Winnipeg's Winter Wonderland is part of "in motion Fridays", a series of monthly workshops that promote physical activity for better health. The in motion @ the Library series is sponsored by Winnipeg in motion and the Millennium Library. For a complete list of workshops, visit http://www.winnipeginmotion.ca/resources/in_motion_library or http://wpl.winnipeg.ca/library/. See you at the Library! This email and/or any documents in this transmission is intended for the addressee(s) only and may contain legally privileged or confidential information. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, copying or dissemination is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and return the original. Ce courriel et tout document dans cette transmission est destiné à la personne ou aux personnes à qui il est adressé. Il peut contenir des informations privilégiées ou confidentielles. Toute utilisation, divulgation, distribution, copie, ou diffusion non autorisée est strictement défendue. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire de ce message, veuillez en informer l'expéditeur immédiatement et lui remettre l'original.

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Active Transportation - Canada: January 6, 2009
by Beth McKechnie 06 Jan '09

06 Jan '09

----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Haynes To: activetransportation(a)rogers.com Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 10:26 AM Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: January 6, 2009 Active Transportation - Canada features a regular posting of news articles, studies, reports, and other items that have relevance in this field, with previous postings available in an archive. In addition, pictures of existing Active Transportation infrastructure from communities across Canada will be profiled each week. The following items have recently been posted to the Active Transportation - Canada Blog. To view in more detail, go to: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com **************************************************************************************************** 1.. Article - Announcing Ontario Communities walkON! 2.. Article - US: Trail Campaign 3.. Article - Tim's lineups spark halt to new St. John's drive-thrus 4.. Article - Winter biking challenges the hearty cyclist 5.. Article - Winnipeg prepares to make river skating trail even longer 6.. Article - Skater[boarder]s shovel out Marina Park site for winter use 7.. Website - freewheelinwaytogo.com 8.. Website - Bike Route Toaster 9.. Article - 50 Ways to Improve Your Life: Ride Your Bike to Work 10.. Article - US Survey: People think biking is dangerous **************************************************************************************************** A reminder e-mail of new postings will be sent no more often than once per week. To continue to receive these updates, you need take no action. Should you not wish to receive updates, please return this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the Subject area. For more information, please contact: Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions activetransportation(a)rogers.com 613.424.2803

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NYC's Ciclovia success story
by Jessie Klassen 05 Jan '09

05 Jan '09

Hi All, Here is a beautiful story of the success of New York City's Ciclovia-type events held last summer. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/08/30/fashion/20080830-street/index. html Enjoy (I did!), Jessie Klassen Workplace Transportation Demand Management Resource Conservation Manitoba jessie(a)resourceconservation.mb.ca (204) 925-3772 Resource Conservation Manitoba: Living Green, Living Well Practical solutions for yourself, your community and the environment Green Commuting, Environmental Education, Reducing Waste, Composting Resource Conservation Manitoba is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation.

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Sign up for free upcoming transportation webinars!
by Jessie Klassen 05 Jan '09

05 Jan '09

Hi All, There are a number of interesting webinars coming up in the next few months, including: 1) Cycle Zone Analysis: A New Bicycle Planning Tool - January 21st, 2-3pm 2) The Urban Transportation Emissions Calculator - January 27th, 11-12:30pm 3) The Canadian Walkability Roadshow - February 3rd, 11-12:30pm 4) Individualized Marketing: Where do we go from here? - March 3rd, 11-12:30pm The Eco-Centre boardroom will be a host site for the above webinars. If you are interested in attending any of these webinars, please RSVP to jessie(a)resourceconservation.mb.ca or 925-3772. The first webinar is already filling up fast, with only 5 seats left. More information follows on each of the webinars. Thanks, and hope to see you there! Jessie Klassen Workplace Transporation Demand Management Resource Conservation Manitoba jessie(a)resourceconservation.mb.ca (204) 925-3772 Resource Conservation Manitoba: Living Green, Living Well Practical solutions for yourself, your community and the environment Green Commuting, Environmental Education, Reducing Waste, Composting Resource Conservation Manitoba is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. January 21, 2009: Cycle Zone Analysis: A New Bicycle Planning Tool Learn about Portland's (Ore.) new bicycle planning tool, Cycle Zone Analysis. Find out how this tool helps planners more accurately assess bicycling micro-environments and fine-tune improvements to cycling conditions. Register at www.bikewalk.org/webinar.php January 27, 2009: The Urban Transportation Emissions Calculator (UTEC) UTEC is a free, user-friendly, web-based tool developed by Transport Canada that estimates greenhouse gas and criteria air contaminant emissions from urban transportation. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts involving different vehicle types (e.g., cars, commercial trucks, buses, light rail), fuel technologies (e.g., gasoline, diesel, hybrid, ethanol, biodiesel, etc.), and planning horizons (2006-2031). The Tool has recently been upgraded with a new user interface, more recent emission factors and fuel efficiencies, and additional vehicle and fuel technologies. This webinar will provide an introduction to the upgraded tool and case studies of how it can be used to estimate emissions and emissions savings for different transit and transportation projects. Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is paying for the first 85 Canadian connections to participate at no cost. Register at: www.webinars.cullbridge.com February 3, 2009: The Canadian Walkability Roadshow The Canadian "Walkability Roadshow" is both a model for how to engage communities of all sizes in promoting walking, and a program available to Canadian communities interested in doing so. It involves a questionnaire completed my municipal staff in related departments, a needs analysis workshop, subsequent homework, site visits by international experts, the development of local pedestrian action plans, and the securing of commitments from key decision makers. Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is paying for the first 85 Canadian connections to participate at no cost. Register at: www.webinars.cullbridge.com March 3, 2009: Individualized Marketing: Where Do We Go From Here? (Discussion Panel and Case Study) Individualized Marketing has proven highly effective across North America, as well as in Europe and Australia, for reducing vehicle trips and increasing walking, cycling and transit use. This special 90-minute webinar features a case study of one such program, followed by a discussion panel on how to engage additional audiences and increase the cost-effectiveness and practicality of the approach for a wider range of communities. The case study is on the TravelSmart pilots conducted in six different Vancouver neighbourhoods with differing urban environments and levels of transit service. The result was an 8% reduction in vehicle trips and a corresponding increase in walking, transit use and cycling. Members of the discussion panel have been selected from municipalities across North America (Portland, Raleigh/Durham, Seattle, and Vancouver) that have implemented and evaluated the approach. Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is paying for the first 85 Canadian connections to participate at no cost. Register at: www.webinars.cullbridge.com

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Active & Green Winter 2008
by Jessie Klassen 18 Dec '08

18 Dec '08

Hi All! (Apologies for cross-postings) Our new holiday issue of Active & Green has arrived! Visit the link below at: http://www.resourceconservation.mb.ca/news/pdfs/Active%20&%20Green%20Winter% 202008.pdf We hope you will share it widely with your colleagues, family and friends. Have a very Happy Holiday and New Year! Here are a few highlights from the Active & Green Winter 2008 issue: * Tips for Greening Your Holidays * "Living Car Free" Story Contest Winner * Green Travel During the Holidays * New Bike Map for Winnipeg * Winter Cycling Tips from the Pros * Skating the Assiniboine * GC Highlights from Elsewhere * AT Holiday Greeting Cards If for some reason you are not able to access the link, please contact me and I will email the pdf file directly or provide a hard copy for posting at your workplace. Stay Active & Green (and warm!), Jessie Klassen Workplace Transporation Demand Management Tel: (204) 925-3772 Email: jessie(a)resourceconservation.mb.ca Resource Conservation Manitoba 303 Portage Ave, 3rd Floor Winnipeg, MB R3B 2B4 Fax: (204) 942-4207 web: www.resourceconservation.mb.ca www.LivingGreenLivingWell.ca

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Transport Canada offers webinar series
by Beth McKechnie 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

TRANSPORT CANADA OFFERS WEBINAR SERIES Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is underwriting a series of new webinars. The first, on January 27th, 2009, covers 'The Urban Transportation Emissions Calculator' (UTEC), a free, user-friendly web-based tool developed by Transport Canada that estimates greenhouse gas and air contaminant emissions from urban transportation. This webinar will provide an introduction to the upgraded tool and case studies of how it can be used to estimate emissions and emissions savings for different transit and transportation projects. A February 3rd webinar will feature the Canadian "Walkability Roadshow," introducing a model for how to engage communities of all sizes in promoting walking, and a program available to Canadian communities. And on March 3rd, the topic will be "Individualized Marketing: Where Do We Go From Here?", featuring a discussion panel on how to engage additional audiences and increase the cost-effectiveness and practicality of the approach for a wider range of communities. Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is paying for the first 85 Canadian organizations to participate in each of the webinars above at no cost. You can learn more about the webinars and register at: http://www.webinars.cullbridge.com/

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WFP: Council refuses to budge on funds for bicycle paths (Dec.17'08)
by Beth McKechnie 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

Local News Council refuses to budge on funds for bicycle paths By: Joe Paraskevas Cycling activists left city hall disappointed Tuesday, having come up short in their attempts to increase capital budget spending on bike paths and pedestrian trails. City council passed the 2009 budget Tuesday over appeals from community groups and some councillors who called for more substantial investment in Winnipeg's so-called active transportation network. Council voted 11-4 to approve the $476.1-million budget, which earmarks $3.5 million to be spent directly on bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Community activists, some of whom lobbied repeatedly before city hall committees in the three weeks since the budget was released, were exhausted. "I don't know what else to say," said Anders Swanson, project co-ordinator of the cycling group One Green City, told councillors at the end of his five-minute presentation. "The bicycle is very, very, very, very, very, very good for you," Swanson added, drawing laughter from council members and an audience of about 75 people in the council chamber galleries. Despite public efforts to convince councillors that investments in active transportation could contribute to everything from friendlier neighbourhoods to healthier workers, the majority on council resisted. "There is nobody on the floor of council who believes we can't do more," Mayor Sam Katz assured onlookers. "We will get there." Other councillors pointed out that in addition to the money the budget committed directly, bike and pedestrian paths were also part of some large public works projects, such as the Chief Peguis Trail extension and the planned Disraeli Freeway overhaul. Councillors rejected a last-minute motion to increase active-transportation spending and sidewalk renewal by $2 million. The motion was tabled by Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan and seconded by Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt. "We have come into the dawn of a new era here in Winnipeg where the young people are looking for creative choices," Pagtakhan told council during the three-and-a-half-hour debate. Besides finding jobs, young Winnipeggers wanted to roam their city on foot, by bicycle or on inline roller skates, Pagtakhan said. "If we want people to get out of their cars, we've got to give them a reason to get out of their cars," he added. The motion was defeated, but Pagtakhan and Wyatt, who last week were the two councillors in Mayor Sam Katz's six-member executive policy committee to vote against the budget, turned around and supported the document at yesterday's council session. The two councillors said they had made their points at a cabinet meeting last week and would take their opposition no further. Councillors Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry), Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre), Lillian Thomas (Elmwood-East Kildonan) and Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) voted against the budget, however. Gerbasi bemoaned what she perceived was the limited time allocated for budget debate and the relatively little chance ordinary Winnipeggers had to influence budget decisions. She and Vandal called for the city to hold public meetings to gather input before it released the final budget document. The afternoon was also marked by tributes from councillors and Katz to Brenda Leipsic, the former councillor for River Heights-Fort Garry, who passed away last week from lung cancer. A red rose in a vase and a framed 8x10-photograph of Leipsic were on her council chamber desk throughout the budget debate and a book where the public could sign condolences was outside the chamber. The city's flag was also draped over Leipsic's empty black leather armchair. joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany
by Beth McKechnie 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 4, 495-528, July 2008 Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany www.policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA ABSTRACT: This article shows how the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country. The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programmes, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking. Moreover, strict land-use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the article portrays the marginal status of cycling in the UK and the USA, where only about 1% of trips are by bike.

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WFP: Councillors fight for more bike trail cash (Dec. 13'08)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Dec '08

13 Dec '08

Winnipeg Free Press Local News Councillors fight for more bike trail cash By: Bartley Kives and Joe Paraskevas Two members of Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet plan to take another crack at putting more cash in the city's bike-and-pedestrian kitty at a Tuesday city council meeting that promises to be packed with cyclists and other trail-building activists. Earlier this week, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt and Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan annoyed fellow members of council's executive policy committee by voting against the 2009 capital budget, a $476-million blueprint for city infrastructure spending next year. Wyatt and Pagtakhan voted against Katz and finance chairman Justin Swandel to protest what they felt was insufficient cash for bike trails, sidewalks and other active-transportation corridors in 2009. Katz and Swandel proposed spending $2.75 million on trail creation next year, while Wyatt and Pagtakhan tried to increase that figure to $5.75 million. The duo will try again to amend the trail budget, this time by asking all members of council at Tuesday's special capital-budget meeting to support a total spending of $4.75 million on trails, sidewalks and other active-transportation corridors next year. "We can fix part of the problem right now," Wyatt said of the extra $2 million. "Why wait until next year?" Regardless of what happens, Wyatt and Pagtakhan are promising not to vote against the capital budget, a move that would suggest a lack of confidence in Katz and other EPC members . The mayor had no choice but to reappoint Pagtakhan to EPC and retain the outspoken Wyatt during an October cabinet shuffle, thanks to Mike O'Shaughnessy's desire to leave the committee and the late Brenda Leipsic's absence from council. But since EPC functions like a cabinet, a genuine rift between left-leaning and centre-right factions could not be tolerated for long. "Mike and I, we made our point on Wednesday," Wyatt said. "No one likes to have a gun held to their head." No matter how council votes, Wyatt and Pagtakhan will have a cheering section on Tuesday. The Winnipeg Trails Association, the Manitoba Cycling Association and Bike To The Future have called on all "cyclists, wannabe cyclists and anyone who uses a sidewalk" to attend the capital budget meeting in an effort to place pressure on council to increase active-transportation funding. WTA director Janice Lukes intends to present council with a list of 10 projects that could be completed next year with the extra $2 million. "We're going to compare this city to what other cities are doing now," Lukes said. "What do the people of Winnipeg want to see? Do we want to see a car culture or more active transportation?" Winnipeg has increased its trail-creation budget significantly during Katz's current term as mayor. The city only devoted $200,000 to trails and sidewalks in 2006, when council adopted the recommendations of a groundbreaking active-transportation study. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

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