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WFP: Councillor calls for speed reduction (May17'19)
by Beth McKechnie 17 May '19

17 May '19

*Nason wants to slow residential traffic as concerns mount over pedestrian deaths* * Councillor calls for speed reduction * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/councillor-moves-to-reduce-winnipeg… PEDESTRIAN safety took centre stage at city hall as councillors discussed lowering residential speed limits and expanding school-zone driving restrictions. Councillors clashed over whether Winnipeg is doing enough to develop a comprehensive road-safety plan. In the shadow of a deadly first half of 2019 — six pedestrians have been killed in the city thus far — Coun. Shawn Nason (Transcona) said he plans to table a motion on Monday, seeking to reduce residential speed limits throughout Winnipeg. The rookie councillor is also planning to call for an expansion of school-zone driving restrictions that would result in reduced speed limits year-round for 12 hours per day. “With regards to residential (neighbourhoods), I’m open to having dialogue on either reducing it to 40 or 30 (kilometres per hour),” Nason told reporters following Thursday’s monthly city council meeting. “I think that’s a good dialogue to have, and I think that would go towards reducing risks on residential streets and not having a major impact on people getting around the city.” Research shows dropping the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h would add an additional 48 seconds for every kilometre travelled during a commute, Nason said. That’s not an unreasonable delay, he said. Other Canadian municipalities are looking at similar measures. Vancouver is in the process of piloting 30-km/h speed limits in residential zones, while Edmonton city council is discussing the possibility of lowering its limits in such neighbourhoods. Nason said Winnipeg council has repeatedly looked at it over the years, yet no action has been taken. “I get tired when people use reports as a crutch. As a council, it sounds like we can say, ‘Let’s go this route.’ The reports have been done. I think it’s high time we take some action on this and show some leadership,” he said. So far this year, eight pedestrians have been killed in Manitoba. In an average year, there are 12 pedestrian deaths in Manitoba, officials said. On Wednesday night, a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle in an alleged hit-and-run on Portage Avenue near the Viscount Gort Hotel. The victim was taken to hospital in critical condition, but was subsequently upgraded to stable. The Winnipeg Police Service said a suspect turned himself in shortly after the collision. During Thursday’s meeting, Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) repeatedly questioned Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface), chairman of the public works committee, about when the city will have its own “comprehensive road safety strategy.” Three attempts by Lukes to have the question answered — and to get a firm timeline nailed down — were sidestepped. Instead, Allard repeatedly pointed to the fact the city subscribes to the province’s “Towards Zero” strategy, while highlighting piecemeal initiatives the municipal government has been implementing in the past year. Efforts aimed at getting people to drive slower and safer weren’t limited to city hall. Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler held a news conference Thursday to warn motorists to slow down while passing construction sites and crews that are working outside. “A lot of pedestrians are becoming fatalities on our roads, and it is a really serious issue that we have to address. We just had two fatalities again on a road in just the last 48 hours,” Schuler said. A man and a woman were struck and killed while crossing Nairn Avenue at Panet Road on Tuesday. kevin.rollason(a)freepress.mb.ca ryan.thorpe(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Wpg Sun: Mandatory bike registry unlikely for Winnipeg: report (May15'19)
by Beth McKechnie 16 May '19

16 May '19

Mandatory bike registry unlikely for Winnipeg: report https://winnipegsun.com/news/news-news/mandatory-bike-registry-unlikely-for… [For tips, check out / share: https://greenactioncentre.ca/healthy-travel/how-to-avoid-bike-theft/] The city’s public service is advising council not to add a mandatory bike registry. Back in January, council ordered a study of mandatory registration at the point of bike purchases, with the goal of returning more stolen bikes to their owners. But the public service now recommends that idea be scrapped, arguing it would be too expensive and too complicated to implement. “Our engagement with stakeholders pointed to significant challenges related to implementation and enforcement of a mandatory bike registry,” Marcia Fifer, the city’s licensing co-ordinator, writes in a report headed to council’s protection, community services and parks committee. In a follow-up interview, Fifer said smaller retailers were concerned that adding registration to each bike purchase would demand too much staff time. “We didn’t want to put a burden upon our retailers,” said Fifer. She said a scan of bike registries in other Canadian cities found all who had tried mandatory ones, which at one point included Winnipeg, have since abandoned them. Fifer said the cost to administer and enforce such programs was found to exceed the potential benefits. “The cost definitely outweighed any money the program was bringing in,” she said. The public service does plan to find new ways to better promote the city’s voluntary bike registration system, which has grown to list 12,000 bicycles, Fifer said. “That’s significant because we used to get only a few hundred new registrations a year, now in the last year we’ve gotten about 3,000,” she said. Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski), who lobbied for the mandatory registry, said he’s disappointed by the report. Eadie said reuniting owners with stolen bikes is especially important in his ward, where cycling is a key means of transportation. He fears maintaining the status quo means it will remain difficult for police to return stolen bikes to their rightful owners. “They’re not considering the burden on the officer on the street, who will also face the frustration of the people,” said Eadie. Coun. Sherri Rollins, who chairs the protection and community services committee, agreed bike theft is a pressing concern, noting her own three children’s bikes were all stolen last year. “Winnipeg has particular challenges with respect to bike theft, so I think there is an imperative to always see … if there is any innovations that we could be doing,” said Rollins. The chair said she was pleased by the report’s extensive consultation efforts and will wait to hear her colleagues’ responses to it before weighing in on its recommendations. The protection committee will consider the report on May 22. jpursaga(a)postmedia.com Twitter: @pursagawpgsun

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WFP Editorial: Manitoba needs better road-safety strategy
by Beth McKechnie 16 May '19

16 May '19

*Manitoba needs better road-safety strategy * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/manitoba-needs-better-… A NUMBER of high-profile pedestrian deaths resulting from collisions in Winnipeg this year has road safety on the minds of many. The question is, what to do about it? Manitoba’s Road Safety Plan 2017-2020 highlights a grim statistic: despite the fact some progress is being made — traffic-related deaths declined to 80 in 2015 from 120 in 2006 — motorvehicle collisions are the province’s fifth-leading cause of injury-related deaths. Clearly, action is required. Public awareness campaigns are one approach, to encourage safer driving practices and better awareness for motorists and pedestrians who use our streets and sidewalks. MPI’s “Save the 100” advertisements highlight individual responsibilities for making our roads safer, with emphasis on factors such as distracted driving, impaired driving and speeding. Actually making the most dangerous sections of road safer, however, is a stickier proposition. City Coun. Janice Lukes has pushed for a traffic safety initiative since 2016, aiming to get traffic fatalities down to zero. The initiative, Vision Zero, was developed in Sweden in 1997 and focuses on the design of infrastructure and how it is used, analyzing data to create safer spaces. And it’s working: Sweden has one of the lowest annual rates of road deaths in the world, at three per 100,000. Pedestrian fatalities there were reduced by half within five years. Other jurisdictions have adopted this outlook: in 2014, New York City launched a plan employing traffic data and improved engineering to get traffic deaths to zero within 10 years. Clearly, investing in our roads, walkways and other infrastructure with a view to safety is critical. Here’s another question: how do we pay for it? In this, the province has a role to play. The previous New Democratic government floated a proposal to devote funds from MPI to improve high-risk spots. That went nowhere, thanks to vocal opposition over the prospect of the insurer funding infrastructure upgrades rather than returning surplus funds to ratepayers. The fact that safer intersections reduce the risk of accidents and save lives must not have been enough justification for those opposed, but — if money is the issue — the additional knowledge that reducing the number of collisions also reduces the number of claims and thus lowers premiums should have been. It’s also worth noting that decreasing accident and injury numbers lessens the financial burden on the taxpayerfunded health-care system. Other jurisdictions have taken this approach. The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia partners with local government to pay for safetyrelated road improvements. A 2015 evaluation found that the initiative led to an average 24 per cent decrease in severe collisions over a threeyear period. Manitoba has taken a lot of flak for not devoting more money to road and highway repair. Yet, the much-criticized increase to the provincial sales tax under the NDP was intended to fund infrastructure, something the opposition Progressive Conservatives attacked at the time. Even if the Pallister government were not philosophically opposed to spending PST income on roads, the revenue loss created by its promised-anddelivered one percentage point PST cut (effective July 1) would make such an investment difficult to achieve. We use our roads, highways, sidewalks and intersections every day, and pointing fingers doesn’t make any of those routes safer. It’s time to take a long-term approach, as Sweden did, and learn from what other jurisdictions, such as B.C., are doing. Because as the various safety campaigns make clear, the only number of traffic deaths we can all live with is zero.

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Washington, DC creates protected bike lane barriers from downed trees
by Beth McKechnie 15 May '19

15 May '19

Hmmm, perhaps a good use for Winnipeg's downed elm trees? *WASHINGTON, DC CREATES CYCLE TRACK BARRIERS FROM DOWNED TREES* -> The AASHTO Journal reported the District Department of Transportation in Washington, DC, is testing whether "re-purposed timber" gathered from trees removed due to damage can be used to build cycle track barriers. This timber is much less expensive than concrete barricades, and DDOT can create and fabricate these barricades in house. See the brief video: http://bit.ly/2LH1lwP <https://pps.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c803e70a8ad33c13a95a1ee6&id=…> -- 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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AT Webinar: Engaging Youth to Choose Car-free Mobility, May 22, 12-1pm
by Beth McKechnie 14 May '19

14 May '19

Please join Green Action Centre in the EcoCentre <https://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-…> boardroom for a group viewing of the following webinar (or register here <https://trec.pdx.edu/events/professional-development/webinar-05-19> to watch it at your desk). *Engaging Youth to Choose Car-free Mobility* *Wed, May 22nd, 12-1pm* Today’s youth are tomorrow’s riders, bikers, walkers, voters, and transportation planners. As more transit agencies begin to offer free fare passes to public middle and high school students, it is important to have good communication strategy in place to encourage transit usage so they don't miss out on the potential to affect behavior change. Thus, transit agencies need to develop age-appropriate messaging strategies and tactics that promote youth car-free mobility. This webinar will present results from a NITC research project that sought to create and evaluate communication messaging that fosters more positive attitudes, intentions, and behaviors related to transit and other car-free transportation options among Portland youth. While there is no "one size fits all" approach, the Portland-based findings may yield insights that could be adapted for application in other regions. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES - Understand the car-free mobility-related attitudes, intentions, and behaviors of teens in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area; - Identify communication channels and settings that could be most effective with youth in regards to transportation system information and promotion; - Study the data to learn how strategic themes promoting car-free mobility were perceived by Oregon youth.

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Vancouver passes motion on 30km/h limit pilot project
by Beth McKechnie 14 May '19

14 May '19

A Vancouver City councillor’s motion for a pilot project on reducing the speed limit <https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-city-speed-limits-side-streets-bc…> on the city’s side streets and residential areas to 30 km/h passed unanimously on Tuesday. https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-30km-h-speed-limit-side-streets-r… -- 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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How We Talk About Drivers Hitting Cyclists
by Beth McKechnie 14 May '19

14 May '19

*How We Talk About Drivers Hitting Cyclists * *What the media gets wrong, and why, says a lot about how our society views vulnerable road users* Hardly a week goes by without an article about a crash in which a driver hits and kills a rider... Almost as troubling as the rise in deaths is the media coverage of these crashes... News stories often play a key role in shaping public understanding of traffic safety. And when news stories victim-blame or fail to convey the larger context in which these crashes take place, they do deep injustice to the victims and the conversation about road safety in general. Two new studies on inaccuracy and subtle bias in mainstream-media reporting about driver-cyclist crashes highlight the extent of these issues. What they show make clear just how deeply rooted the problem is—and how difficult it will be to fix. Full article: https://www.outsideonline.com/2392955/lets-talk-about-drivers-hitting-cycli… -- 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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CanStar (The Lance): Exciting active transportation improvements (May13'19)
by Beth McKechnie 14 May '19

14 May '19

Exciting active transportation improvements https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/lance/correspondent/Excit… The new pedestrian and cyclist tunnel beneath Fermor Avenue, east of St. Anne’s Road, is now visible — and light can be seen from the other end. As well, several other exciting new pieces of active transportation infrastructure in Old St. Vital are complete or are about to be completed. The new tunnel will form the linchpin of an active transportation corridor reaching from Southdale, Royalwood and other southeast neighbourhoods up through Old St. Vital into St. Boniface and ultimately the core. "The tunnel creates a connection from the southeast across Niakwa footbridge to Des Meurons — it is a major improvement for cycling in St. Vital," says Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital). The tunnel will link the southern end of Des Meurons Street with the Niakwa Place and Alpine Place neighbourhoods. For walkers and cyclists, these communities, the most densely populated areas in St. Vital, are presently only connected to their northern neighbours via a detour to St Anne’s Road. The newly rehabilitated St. Anne’s and Fermor intersection features two high-quality bicycle lights and pathways through the signalized section. There are also new, elevated speed-table-style safe crossings over yield lanes for pedestrians and cyclists. A new, at-grade, bridge-level multi-use pathway across the Fermor bridge is also now operational. It provides an alternative route across the Seine River in the event —as is true at the time of writing — the trail to Niakwa Park is flooded. The City of Winnipeg’s active transportation strategy identifies several north-south routes through the Southdale area, as well as a north-south corridor along St. George Street, Worthington Avenue and then Grey Street to the Bishop Grandin Greenway. Passing, as it does, by St. George School, this project could represent a tremendous opportunity to calm traffic in front of the school. Speed tables, a narrowed road, and improved sidewalk would not only provide a safe north-south bike route for St. Vital but a safer and more pleasant experience for parents at that school. To the north, given that St. Anne’s and St. Mary’s roads are narrow and in great demand for both rush-hour vehicle traffic and day and evening parking, Des Meurons Street through Glenwood and then Norwood seems the logical place to continue a safe and pleasant bicycle pathway into St. Boniface and the core. These projects and future visions represent an amazing leap forward for St. Vital. *Ryan Palmquist is a community correspondent for St. Vital. *

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AT Webinar: Maintaining Green Infrastructure, May 15th, 2-3pm
by Beth McKechnie 09 May '19

09 May '19

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of the May 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. cheers, Beth * * * * * *AT Webinar: Wed, May 15th, 2-3pm* Maintaining Green Infrastructure: Hints for Success Now that you've got your green bicycle, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure, what's your plan to maintain it? How can green infrastructure elements be planned for, designed, and operated to ensure quality maintenance of these community assets. *Presenters:* - Morvarid Ganjalizadeh, District Department of Transportation, Washington D.C. - Ken Sides, Sam Schwartz Engineering -- 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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New B.C. study links chronic disease, health care costs to where you live
by Beth McKechnie 07 May '19

07 May '19

*Direct health-care costs for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease are lower for those in walkable neighbourhoods and close to parks. * https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/new-b-c-study-links-chronic-diseas…

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WFP: Victoria aims to eliminate public transit fares (Apr26'19)
by Beth McKechnie 29 Apr '19

29 Apr '19

*Victoria aims to eliminate public transit fares * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/victoria-aim… VICTORIA wants to eliminate public transit fares for everyone in the region to encourage more ridership and reduce the effects of climate change. Mayor Lisa Helps will bring a motion to the regional transit commission today, asking it to embrace a policy of phasing out user fees and expanding bus service to meet an anticipated increase in demand. Coun. Ben Isitt, who introduced the motion that was passed Thursday by council, said it would begin with the elimination of fares for youth under 19 next year and the broader community would be phased in. Isitt said there’s almost no more space in the city for expanding roads or parking. “Driving is only going to get more challenging, so I think as we make transit more convenient and cheaper, that provides a further incentive for people to leave their cars at home.” The transit system currently depends on $40 million in annual revenue from fares but is primarily funded through taxation in the form of provincial subsidies, gas taxes and property taxes. Isitt said the proposal would see the fare revenue loss replaced with an expansion of the existing tax formula. Similar policies have been adopted in jurisdictions such as Luxembourg and Estonia’s capital city Tallinn. Other places offer free fare for certain demographics or in geographic areas, such as Madison, Wis., where fare is free in the city’s core. In Toronto, children under 12 ride for free, and in Kingston, Ont., high schoolers can too. The City of Kingston said the objective of the program launched in 2012 was to expose students to the transit system, building habits they may continue after graduation. Jeff Casello, a transportation professor at the University of Waterloo, said eliminating fares can encourage ridership, including for those who avoid public transit because they don’t know how the fee structure works. “The idea of free public transport has been talked about in many cities,” he said. “What many public transport systems are trying to do is increase people’s accessibility.” It can be an unpopular policy for municipalities that expect to recover operating costs. Aside from some exceptions in megacities in Asia, Casello said few public transit systems actually break even, so every dollar counts. In North America, user fares typically support between 40 and 60 per cent of the operating budget, he said. Fare incentives also aren’t enough to make many people change their habits. Those who already depend on transit will continue to use it and high-income earners who don’t use transit won’t be incentivized by a fare change from something like $2 to zero, he said. There is a larger group in the middle that has some price sensitivity and can shift habits depending on fare, but price isn’t typically the most important factor, Casello said in an interview on Friday. “It’s often the quality and the calibre of the public transport system. So in a city where I can drive and it will take me 10 minutes and I have hourly transit service that takes 30 minutes, reducing their fare is not going to change people’s habits, at least not those discretionary users,” Casello said. But if transit is competitive and people are considering the option, then making it free can shift behaviours where it will generate new riders, he said. In Victoria, Isitt said an important part of the proposal involves both electrifying the fleet and expanding bus routes and service to meet the anticipated demand. — The Canadian Press

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Build infrastructure and they will ride...
by Charles Feaver 28 Apr '19

28 Apr '19

Guardian article on results of biking infrastructure in the UK; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2019/apr/26/if-you-build-… Cycle lanes are one of the most efficient and healthiest ways of moving people. A single bike lane can transport five times as many people as a motor traffic lane, without the air and noise pollution. This is good news for everyone, whether you drive, walk or cycle – or breathe. What’s clear from the data, though – despite occasional bizarre claims to the contrary, and attempts to have lanes removed – is that to reap cycling’s benefits you have to build proper infrastructure. But if you build it, they will come – and the cycle counters prove it. 2018 was a record year for cycle lane usage in the UK, thanks to the construction of new, high-quality cycle tracks, the growing popularity of existing routes and good networks that feed into those routes. ..... The country’s big hitter for cycling, problems with data collection have hampered publication of digital counts on its two major cycle superhighways, which opened in April 2016. In February 2018, digital counters were installed and soon started displaying prodigious numbers By August, 574,304 cycle trips had been logged on CS6, the north-south cycle superhighway, and by October 1,654,441 trips on CS3, the east-west route. After that, both counters failed and were switched off, but the CSH counters blog estimates they would have logged more than 3m cycle trips by Christmas. Using manual counts, Transport for London has recorded up to a 200% increase in cycling on the east-west route, and 124% on the north-south route, compared with numbers pre-construction. The city’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, announced on Tuesday that the counters were fixed again. Closure of streets to through motor traffic – filtering – also boosts cycling. Goldsmiths Row in Hackney, where more people commute by bike than by car, was filtered in 2013. The cycle counter has logged 6.28m rides so far – an average of 3,917 on weekdays and 1,854 on weekends. It is estimated 1.4 million people used the route in 2018; in 2017 it was 1.1 million. ...

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Functional Transit: AGM & 101 Years of the Bus
by Beth McKechnie 26 Apr '19

26 Apr '19

Interested in helping to improve transit service in our city? *Functional Transit Winnipeg (FTW) is seeking applicants for board director positions. *See attached for details. Also, check out the upcoming FTW events: *1) Functional Transit Annual General Meeting* The AGM will take place on Monday, May 6th at 7:00 PM at St. Boniface Library. This is a great opportunity for everyone to learn more about FTW and what's been accomplished and what is upcoming. See (and please share) attached poster. *2) 101 Years of the Bus ft. Glen Murray and Dr. Orly Linovski* This FREE event will take place on Wednesday, May 29th from 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM at The Good Will Social Club. For more info, please visit FTW's event page and please share with anyone you feel would be interested. https://www.facebook.com/events/1989911237805011/

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Vancouver sees record low in trips made by private automobile: report
by Beth McKechnie 26 Apr '19

26 Apr '19

*Vancouver sees record low in trips made by private automobile: report* A new report released by the City of Vancouver illustrates the extent to which city residents have taken up to modes of active transportation, specifically walking, cycling, and public transit. In Fall 2018, the municipal government commissioned Mustel Group to conduct an extensive survey of the transportation patterns of residents living in Vancouver. It found that 52.8% of all trips were made by walking, cycling, and transit — up from 48.4% in 2017. Compared to the survey conducted in 2017, there was a 4% decrease in private vehicle trips in 2018, with the automobile mode share falling from 52% to 47% during this one-year period. The distance travelled using an automobile also fell by 2.9% compared to the previous year. But car sharing increased to 34% in 2018, an increase from 31% in 2017 and 29% in 2016, and access to private vehicles remained steady at 87%. Overall, city residents had an “all-time low” for automobile trips, while the share of those who walked increased from 25.1% to 28.5% year-over-year. The downtown peninsula had the highest walking mode share, with 30% in the Central Business District and West End getting around by foot and 31% in False Creek. The Central Broadway Corridor’s walking mode share is 14% in comparison. The area with the lowest walking mode share was the southeast quadrant of the city at just 2%. The mode share for cycling remained relatively constant compared to the previous three years, with the mode share in 2018 at 7.3% — up from 6.7% in 2015 and 4.4% in 2013. According to the data, interest in biking is two times higher during fair weather conditions than cold and wet conditions. Cycling in fair weather is highest in the Strathcona and Grandview-Woodlands areas (43%), followed by Kitsilano and Point Grey (38%), and Central Broadway and Mount Pleasant (32%). The cycling mode share for residents living in the downtown peninsula is roughly half those of Central Broadway and Mount Pleasant. Although regional transit ridership growth has been high in recent years <https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/translink-ridership-october-2018>, the citywide transit mode share was relatively constant at 17% in 2018, with the prior five-year period seeing a high of 18% and a low of 15.9%. Kitsilano and Point Grey saw the highest level of transit use (41%) for people travelling to work, and in most areas of the city over 50% of students reported transit as their usual mode of travel. Interestingly, the proportion of those who used transit passes was highest amongst residents in the West End and the eastern half of Vancouver. The vast majority of Vancouver residents regularly travelled within the city; about 77% of trips originate and end within city boundaries. These findings are based on 2,600 randomly-selected respondents who completed trip diaries throughout the fall. But it identified some challenges with the under-sampling of the 15 to 35-year-old age group and the over-sampling of the 55+ age group, as the younger age group typically does not have a landline and smartphone lists do not provide the home location of cell owners. Look here for charts: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-active-transportation-mode-share-…

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WFP: Ciclovia cycling event cancelled
by Patman, David 18 Apr '19

18 Apr '19

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/ciclovia-cycling-event-cancelled-50… Ciclovia cycling event cancelled By: Geralyn Wichers Posted: 04/17/2019 5:21 PM Ciclovia, the annual Winnipeg cycling event, is on an indefinite hiatus, Bike Week organizers announced Wednesday. Ciclovia began 10 years ago, when a section of Broadway was closed on a Sunday in September so cyclists could ride unimpeded by cars. The event was part of ManyFest and was run by the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ. It was patterned after a weekly event in Bogota, Colombia, where, on Sundays, miles of road are closed to all but cyclists and pedestrians. The event "has never really been able to achieve what was originally envisioned," Bike Week chairman Dave Elmore said, adding it became more about the street festival than a celebration of cycling. Last year, Ciclovia was held during a cycling celebration event called Bike Week, which is held annually in June. "We had a vision of building it into a true Ciclovia event," Elmore said, but explained closing roadways would involve city permission and a lot of funding. Until they can do Ciclovia right, they won't do it at all, said Elmore. He wasn't able to give details on what a revamped event would look like. geralyn.wichers(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:geralyn.wichers@freepress.mb.ca>

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Fwd: [Vision Zero]: Re: Webinar - Parachute's Vision Zero Network - REGISTER TODAY
by Anders Swanson 16 Apr '19

16 Apr '19

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Julie Taylor <jtaylor(a)parachutecanada.org> Date: Tue, Apr 16, 2019 at 2:57 PM Subject: [Vision Zero]: Re: Webinar - Parachute's Vision Zero Network - REGISTER TODAY To: VisionZero(a)lists.parachutecanada.org < VisionZero(a)lists.parachutecanada.org> Hello Parachute Vision Zero network members, Some of you may be interested in registering for the below Vision Zero workshop taking place next Wednesday, April 24, 11am-12pm MST. Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals L'Association canadienne des professionnels de la sécurité routière *Webinar Series* *CARSP* and *City of Calgary - Roads* have joined to bring you a series of free webinars on a variety of topics focused on safety in transportation. This is part of CARSP's Knowledge Sharing Initiative. Stay tuned for more webinars on other important road safety topics. *Parachute’s Vision Zero Network* Free Webinar to CARSP Members *April 24, 2019, 11am-12pm MST* Vision Zero is a road safety initiative that was developed in Sweden and can be summarized in one sentence: No loss of life is acceptable. The road system that keeps us moving everyday should be designed to protect us when we make mistakes. Numerous cities across the world, including many in Canada have adopted Vision Zero or are in the process of developing their own strategic plans to create thriving, healthy, and safe communities. Join Parachute’s Interim CEO to hear about how Parachute Vision Zero is supporting Vision Zero and Safe Systems approaches in Canada. The first part of the webinar will look at concepts and basic tenets of Vision Zero. The second part of the webinar will focus on evidence based, knowledge translation tools and resources that Parachute produces with the support of Vision Zero champions across Canada and internationally. *SIGN UP EARLY - SPACE IS LIMITED!* *Presenter: *Pamela Fuselli, MSc is the Interim CEO at Parachute. Prior to this, she was the Vice President, Knowledge Transfer and Stakeholder Relations at Parachute. She was also Executive Director at Safe Kids Canada and one of the four leaders that led and co-founded the Injury Alliance that, through a process of national consultation and visioning, created a plan to move from collaboration to amalgamation of operations of the four NGOs, resulting in the formation of Parachute. Pamela received her BSC in Psychology from the University of Toronto in 1992, her BHA (2002) from Ryerson University and MSc (2010) in Creativity and Change Leadership from the State University of New York College at Buffalo. *Early registration for CARSP members only is until **Wednesday April 10th**, after which registration is also open to Roads Partners. Space is limited, so sign up soon to reserve your spot!* *Register Now!* <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> *Questions?* - *Webinar Content Questions:* *pfuselli(a)parachutecanada.org* <pfuselli(a)parachutecanada.org?subject=CARSP%20Webinar%20Question> - *Technical Difficulties **(either during registering or during the webinar): **ewan.macpherson(a)calgary.ca* <ewan.macpherson(a)calgary.ca?subject=Webinar%20Question> - *about CARSP** - **Brenda.Suggett(a)carsp.ca* <Brenda.Suggett(a)carsp.ca?subject=Questions%20about%20CARSP%20> [image: Image removed by sender.] <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> Twitter - #CARSP2019 <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> [image: Image removed by sender.] <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> CARSP - LinkedIn <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> *Copyright © 2019 CARSP-ACPSER, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email because you are a current member of CARSP. *Our mailing address is:* CARSP-ACPSER 17 Meadowbrook Crescent St Catharines, ON L2M 7G8 Canada Add us to your address book <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/vcard?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&id=247b…> unsubscribe from this list <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&i…> update subscription preferences <https://carsp.us7.list-manage.com/profile?u=abd86bfa37a97091490314c26&id=24…> [image: Image removed by sender. Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…> [image: Image removed by sender.] ------------------------------ ================================= You received this email because you are a member of the Parachute Vision Zero network email list. To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to: visionzero-unsubscribe(a)lists.parachutecanada.org Note that unsubscribing from this list does not otherwise affect your membership in the network, or prevent you from receiving the regular Vision Zero newsletter and other related items – it only unsubscribes you from this members’ discussion list. The Parachute Vision Zero network email discussion list is hosted by: Parachute - Leaders in Injury Prevention 150 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 300 Toronto, ON M4P 1E8 www.parachutecanada.org Send all administrative and/or technical inquiries related to the list serve to the List Administrator: admin(a)parachutecanada.org

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WFP Analysis: Pedestrians needn’t die in city traffic (Apr12'19)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Apr '19

12 Apr '19

*Pedestrians needn’t die in city traffic * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/pedestrians-neednt-die-i… ON April 1, a 57-year-old woman died after she was hit by a half-ton truck in the parking lot of Garden City Shopping Centre. On March 26, a 41-year-old man died after he was hit by a vehicle on March 20 while he was crossing Osborne Street at Morley Avenue. On March 19, a four-year-old girl died a day after being hit by a vehicle while using the crosswalk with her mother at Isabel Street and Alexander Avenue. Those are examples of the many recent traffic deaths that cause grim concern when newsroom editors gather to discuss Winnipeg issues. Meanwhile, at city hall, councillors learned last week that the administration seems unable to develop a plan to make streets safer. The public works department was directed in January 2017 to produce a road-safety strategy. More than two years later, the department hasn’t started the plan. David Patman, the city’s transportation manager, blamed the procrastination on turnover in two senior positions. Coun. Janice Lukes expressed dismay, which was unsurprising because she’s pushed since 2016 for Winnipeg to implement Vision Zero, a traffic safety initiative created in Sweden that gets its name from its mandate of achieving zero fatalities on roads. It’s working wonders in Edmonton. To be fair, it should be noted that, even without a plan, Winnipeg has tried to improve traffic safety in recent years. Examples include pedestrian countdown signals at busy intersections, traffic signal poles with breakaway bases so hitting them will cause less damage, new bike lanes, traffic-calming devices such as traffic circles, and speed limits around schools reduced to 30 km/h during the school year. The problem is that such changes seem random, not part of a comprehensive strategy. The public has no way of evaluating how these isolated improvements fit together, which ones are working to improve safety and what’s ahead for the future. If Lukes had her way, the department would adopt the Vision Zero plan. There was confusion on this matter Tuesday when Mayor Brian Bowman said the city has already produced a plan, but the mayor was mistakenly thinking of the similarly named provincial road safety plan called The Road to Zero: Manitoba Road Safety Plan 2017-2020. If this city had a true Vision Zero plan, everyone, including the mayor, would remember it because the plan’s premise — no loss of life is acceptable — would require a revolutionary change in Winnipeg’s car culture. No longer would pedestrians, cyclists, school kids and senior citizens be only an afterthought. The safety of these vulnerable people would be the city’s top priority, ahead of the convenience of vehicles. Since it originated the strategy in 1997, Sweden has cut its number of traffic deaths in half. They did it with an all-in commitment to redesigning roads, mandating changes to vehicles and changing the behaviour of drivers. Jurisdictions around the world took notice. “The countries with the lowest levels of road violence have adopted a radically different paradigm of traffic safety, in which the state assumes full responsibility and the focus is on implementing fail-safe roads and vehicles,” reads a mission statement on the website of Vision Zero Canada. To understand real-life implications of a Vision Zero commitment, it’s instructive to scan the City of Edmonton’s 2018 annual traffic safety report. Since Edmonton adopted Vision Zero three years ago, traffic deaths have decreased by 40 per cent, collisions involving pedestrians have dropped 21 per cent and collisions involving cyclists have fallen 27 per cent. The report gives a comprehensive list of upgrades in 2018 alone: 20 new pedestrian signals; 65 new driver feedback signs that display a vehicle’s speed; 27 school zones got safety improvements; 21 intersections where turning safety was improved; and the introduction of five new pedestrian scrambles, which are intersections where traffic is stopped in all directions to let pedestrians cross laterally or diagonally. To get drivers to slow down, Edmonton uses a controversial blitz of cameras, laser and photo radar devices that move to different locations. In 2018, they gave out 379,000 tickets. They’re currently debating whether to implement a blanket speed limit of 30 km/h in residential areas. Would it work in Winnipeg? Vision Zero depends on results-based policies and practices, so it would likely flop in a city where the public works department is allowed to ignore for two years a directive to produce a road-safety strategy. Implementing Vision Zero here would require strong leadership to change the culture of Winnipeg drivers. We would need to drive as if every pedestrian and cyclist were one of our loved ones. It would also require a substantial investment of public money to change infrastructure in a city designed to be the domain of motor vehicles. Is it worth it? Ask the families of the people killed on Winnipeg streets. *Carl DeGurse is a member of the Free Press editorial board.* carl.degurse(a)freepress.mb.ca

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AT Webinar: Designing streets for the speeds you want (Wed, Apr 17th, 2-3pm)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of the recorded April 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. cheers, Beth * * * * * *AT Webinar: Wed, April 17th, 2-3pm* Designing streets for the speeds you want Should 85th-percentile speeds determine the design and operation of streets in your community? How can we lower speeds to improve safety if we don’t have the right tools and policies? This webinar will examine the relationship between posted, design and target speed in designing safer streets. -- 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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Globe editorial; the King Street streetcar experiment
by Charles Feaver 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-one-small-step-fo r-the-king-street-streetcar-one-giant-leap-for/ Even Junius has to get to work in the morning. The Globe and Mail editorial board's fictional leader and author of the newspaper's motto - "The subject who is truly loyal to the chief magistrate will neither advise nor submit to arbitrary measures" - tends to spend his time wrestling with weighty questions. Issues of principle. Matters of state. The capital-F Future. But before any of that happens, there's the small matter of getting to the office on time. And each day, like <https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2019/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-131386.pdf> 84,000 other people in Canada's largest city, Junius rides the King Street streetcar. A little more than a year ago, Toronto, site of some of North America's longest commutes and home to the continent's least taxpayer-subsidized public transit system, decided to try a little experiment. On the stretch of King Street running through downtown, streetcars would be given priority over cars. The goal was speeding up commuting times - with nothing more than a little change in the rules of the road. It involved installing a few concrete barriers and painting some yellow lines, over a weekend. It wasn't a multidecade, multibillion-dollar megaproject. It was an instant, cheap micro-project. And the impact has been enormous. So far, though, it's just an experiment - the King Street Transit Pilot isn't permanent. Last week, city bureaucrats recommended that Toronto Council make it permanent, essentially creating a kind of instant, low-budget surface subway through the centre of town. That should be a no-brainer. The little transit miracle on King Street deserves to be studied, expanded and emulated. Thanks to the project, commuting times have been significantly shortened, and passenger traffic on the streetcars is up 17 per cent. New streetcars have been added to the route, but they're still overcrowded at rush hour. It proves that shortening commuting times doesn't just benefit existing riders; it encourages new people to switch to public transit. The more a transit service is quick, frequent and convenient, the more people will use it. Obviously. The King car is not just Toronto's busiest surface transit route. It carries as many people as the number riding the Sheppard subway and the Scarborough RT - <https://www.ttc.ca/PDF/Transit_Planning/Subway%20ridership%20-%202018.pdf> combined. In fact, this one streetcar route serves more people than entire public <https://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2017-q4-rider ship-APTA.pdf> transit systems in many American cities. The King car carries more commuters than the Miami Metro. The subway in Florida's largest city has 23 stations and is 39 kilometres long. The King car carries as many people as the Denver, Colo., system of light rail (LRT) and commuter rail, with 63 stations and 141 km of track. On an average day, the number of passengers exceeds the entire daily traffic of each of the LRT networks in Phoenix; Minneapolis, Minn.; Seattle; and Houston. It carries more people than the Seattle trolley-bus system, which has 15 routes and 109 km of overhead wires. It carries only slightly fewer people than the LRT network of Dallas - which with four lines and 150 km of track is the longest light-rail transit system in the United States. At first, the King Street pilot project generated pushback from drivers who feared their bumper-to-bumper gridlock would only get worse, and from a small but vocal group of local restaurateurs along King Street who worried about losing car-driving patrons. But Toronto's downtown is so crowded that the only way to reduce paralyzingly heavy car traffic is to create more options for people to abandon cars for public transit. And while Toronto still needs several big fixes, such as the so-called Downtown Relief Line subway, the quality of life in a city is also the product of lots of small decisions that can either improve the life of citizens, or immiserate them. Right now, the stretch of King Street where streetcars have priority is only a couple of kilometres long. It should be gradually expanded, especially to the fast-growing neighbourhood of condos to the west of downtown. More streetcars should be added, further speeding up service. And, as in cities such as Montreal, restaurants can even be given the opportunity to set up patios on the street. The big stuff - making a city easier to live in, faster to commute to and more desirable to visit or do business in - is the product of a lot of small steps. On King Street, Toronto's small steps are having a big impact. Charles Feaver 11 Harvard Ave Winnipeg R3M 0J6 204.293.6332

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Trails Manitoba Speaker Event & AGM - Sat, Apr 13th
by Beth McKechnie 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

Trails Manitoba invites you to their speaker event and AGM this coming Saturday, April 13th. If you wish to go for the afternoon portion only to hear the speakers, it's free! See the poster for more details <http://www.trailsmanitoba.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/2019-Spring-Worksho…> . cheers Beth -- 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: City allocates funds for street work (Apr10'19)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Apr '19

10 Apr '19

*EPC votes to spend nearly $20M of Ottawa’s gas tax gift on cancelled repairs* * City allocates funds for street work * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/epc-votes-to-spend-some-of-ottawas-… SOME of the city’s planned — but slashed from the 2019 budget — residential street rehabilitation work appears to be back on track. Mayor Brian Bowman and members of his executive policy committee (EPC) Tuesday voted 6-1 in favour of spending almost $20 million — from an anticipated $40-million-plus windfall from the federal government — to restore street work. “We’re thinking about roads, first and foremost,” Bowman told reporters. “Our first priority is to fix the roads. That’s what Winnipeggers have asked me to do.” Council shocked many city residents when it passed its 2019 budget in March and decided to cancel the bulk of residential street work this year and next and use that money instead to pay for $40 million worth of work carried out last year that city hall expected the provincial government to cover. As a result, the public works department eliminated $45 million of local street work it had planned this year. But the federal government announced in its March 19 budget it would be doubling the gas tax revenue provided to municipalities. Winnipeg receives about $44 million in federal gas tax revenue annually. A similar plan to allocate much of the bonus federal dollars was proposed last week at the public works committee by Coun. Jeff Browaty, who said he would have liked to have seen the entire amount spent on local streets and active-transportation projects. “If roads are really our No. 1 priority, we should be doing everything possible to continue tackling the road infrastructure deficit that is all too obvious almost anywhere you look in this city,” Browaty told the Free Press in an email exchange. “We have been investing significantly in recreation and social infrastructure in recent years and I believe it’s time to redouble our commitment to roads. At this point, anything else would literally be the equivalent of putting in a swimming pool while the roof of your house is leaking.” Tuesday’s EPC motion proposes: • $19.25 million to be spent on residential streets, as determined by the public works department. • $2.5 million be spent this year on unspecified road-safety measures. • $750,000 for three active-transportation network studies. • Up to $20 million allocated to local streets and active transportation in 2020. • Any remaining dollars be allocated to projects to be determined in the 2020 multi-year budget process. Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the city’s property and development committee, cast the lone vote against the proposal. Mayes (St. Vital) said he believes the local MPs want the additional federal gas tax monies spent on parks, community centres and other recreational and leisure facilities. “I have some concern about the focus being exclusively on the roads,” he said. Mayes said he hopes any disagreement with area MPs can be resolved before council votes on the issue at its April 25 meeting. However, Bowman told EPC that MP Jim Carr, the federal government’s senior minister for Manitoba, had assured him that council is free to spend the funds as it wishes. City officials told councillors last week that how much work, and which portions of the original plan, can be done depends on when the money is available. Federal officials said municipalities can expect to receive the funding shortly after the budget is passed, which is expected before Parliament begins its summer recess in June. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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You're Invited! Community Night - Life is Better Biking
by Heather Mitchell 05 Apr '19

05 Apr '19

Green Action Centre's Active and Safe Routes to School <https://greenactioncentre.ca/module/asrts/> program is hosting a Community Night in partnership with DMCI on Tuesday, April 23rd from 6:30-8:00 pm for families to learn about healthy transportation, how to get affordable and/or free bikes, walking and cycling safety, and what communities can do to support student health through healthy transportation! We invite families, advocates, and interested community members to join us in learning, sharing, and breaking down barriers. Those who are interested can register through our Facebook event page here: *https://www.facebook.com/events/403057327138910/ <https://www.facebook.com/events/403057327138910/>. *Please help us by sharing this event with your friends, family, and networks! [image: Community Night Poster.png] Thanks, 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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WFP: Gas tax funds may save city street work (Apr3'19)
by Beth McKechnie 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

*Meanwhile, Waverley underpass nears completion, work on low-income bus pass begins* * Gas tax funds may save city street work * *https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/gas-tax-may-take-city-street-work-off-chopping-block-508015662.html <https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/gas-tax-may-take-city-street-work-o…>* * A WINNIPEG city council committee wants the $40 million-plus in bonus federal gas tax revenue announced in the 2019 budget to go toward restoring local street renewal work and active transportation projects.* * Councillors on the public works committee voted 3-1 Tuesday in support of using the money on the streets program that had previously been cancelled after the city said the province reneged on its funding.* * Jim Berezowsky, director of public works, said how much of the original program could be carried out this year depends on when the federal government approves its budget and when city hall receives the funding.* * Included in the March 19 federal budget was a commitment to double the dollars given to municipalities through the federal gas tax program, valued at more than $2 billion. Winnipeg budgeted to receive almost $44 million this year from the gas tax, and now council has to decide how to spend an additional $40 million-plus.* * The public works department had a list of 53 residential streets and back lanes it wanted to rebuild in 2019. Berezowsky said it may not be possible to do all the work, but that he would have a report ready for council on what streets could be completed this year.* * The lone dissenting voice Tuesday was Coun. Vivian Santos, who said it would be premature to allocate all of the bonus funds to local street work, explaining now would be the time to reinvest in the city’s neglected recreational and leisure facilities and the parks branch.* * The committee’s recommendation will go before council on April 25.* Waverley underpass update The Waverley Street rail underpass should be substantially completed by October, with the $97.9-million project finished by summer 2020. Officials from the public works department told councillors the project is on budget and on schedule. The project was originally budgeted for $156 million, but was revised downward in November 2017 to $121.34 million and again in January. Winnipeg chief administrative officer Doug McNeil said the $467-million southwest transit corridor project is also on budget and on schedule. The transit corridor is set for completion in late fall, and set to be fully operational by spring 2020. Bus-pass business Winnipeg Transit has initiated work on the proposed low-income bus pass. Transit officials told the committee a team has been assembled and would hold its first meeting Tuesday. Council approved the initiative in the city’s 2019 budget, passed March 20. The low-income bus pass is supposed to be operational by April 2020, first with a 30 per cent discount on the regular adult fare, rising to 50 per cent in 2022. Currently, the full-fare monthly pass costs $100.10. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: As fatalities mount, city’s road-safety strategy has stalled (Apr3'19)
by Beth McKechnie 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

*As fatalities mount, city’s road-safety strategy has stalled * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/nothing-done-on-road-safety-strateg… THE death toll on Winnipeg’s streets continues to mount while officials appear unable to develop a plan to make them safe for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. It’s been more than two years since the public works department was directed to produce a road safety strategy that would strive to eliminate traffic fatalities. But no work has been done since the public works committee issued the directive in January 2017, David Patman, the city’s transportation manager, told councillors Tuesday. Department staff have been working instead on a handful of safety measures, he said. In that time 14 pedestrians and one cyclist have been killed in traffic collisions, as have nine people in vehicles and two motorcycle riders. Coun. Janice Lukes, who urged the committee to get tough on the department, said the death toll on city streets is tragic. “We are making record investments in roads, in transit and in active transportation, yet we are nowhere near having a comprehensive road-safety strategy in place,” Lukes said. Patman told the committee turnover in two senior positions was behind the department’s failure to begin the work, adding he expects it will get underway and become part of an updated transportation master plan due in three years. Anders Swanson, executive director of Winnipeg Trails Association, said the number of fatalities on Winnipeg streets is proof they are being designed for the benefit of motorists, not all users. “The reality is everybody would like to do the right thing, but only you folks (councillors) have the political tools,” he said. Swanson, who is participating in a panel discussion at the annual conference of the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals in Calgary in May, said professionals aren’t designing city streets from the perspective of people who walk or cycle, or from the perspective of a child. “You like to blame bad behaviour for causing traffic glitches. The reality is the same bad behaviour is the same behaviour inherent with children,” he said. “If we designed a public road system around children specifically, then it would be, by definition, safe. There would be basketballs flying around, bikes weaving in an out, there’d be three bikes riding side by side with children laughing, giving high-fives, passing a Slurpee to each other. And that would be OK. “But we haven’t, and the reason we haven’t is because in 1950 or so, we got addicted to building a city for cars, for dad driving alone to work in the morning, and we haven’t been able to get ourselves out of that, and that’s a conscious decision.” Committee chairman Coun. Matt Allard said the public works department has initiated traffic safety measures across the city and he’s confident a report will be completed someday. “From my experience, the public works department is really prioritizing this in ways that I haven’t seen in the past,” Allard said. “We have a number of things on the go. There’s a lot going on (for) road safety and traffic calming in the city and I’m looking forward to the reports coming down the pike.” Allard was unable to explain how he or the department could be certain ongoing safety initiatives meet any defined target without a strategy in place. “I think the public service is doing what they can to keep us safe on the roads and they’ll be confirming that in future reports,” he said, while acknowledging the department has yet to provide him with a comprehensive list of safety initiatives he requested in November. “I think you heard today we’re going above and beyond the status quo” when it comes to road safety, Allard told reporters. “The public service is doing their job. They are working on this.” aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: City safety audit to zero in on crosswalk where girl killed (Apr3'19)
by Beth McKechnie 04 Apr '19

04 Apr '19

*City safety audit to zero in on crosswalk where girl killed* https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-to-zero-in-on-crosswalk-where-… THE inner-city intersection where a four-year-old girl was struck and killed by a vehicle last month is one of several areas in the city that will be studied as a prelude to the introduction of traffic safety enhancement measures. Public works officials were directed Tuesday to conduct a pedestrian-traffic study at the intersections of Isabel Street and Alexander Avenue — where the girl was struck March 18 as she crossed with her mother — and also two blocks to the south, at Isabel and Ross Avenue. “We have more pedestrians, we have more traffic in that area for sure and I definitely would like to see some improvement,” said Coun. Vivian Santos, who proposed the studies at the public works committee meeting. The moves had been promised by Santos, the ward councillor, following the child’s death. The committee also agreed to conduct a study in six months at an intersection near École Sage Creek School, at Prairie Smoke Drive and Wild Iris Walk. Parents in the neighbourhood expressed concern about the potential threat to their children at the intersection, where there are no sidewalks or a crosswalk. Councillors on the Riel community committee agreed with the parents’ concerns and asked the public works committee to direct the department to investigate traffic-calming measures, including making the intersection a three-way stop or installing a pedestrian crosswalk. Discussion on road safety dominated the committee meeting, during which councillors learned the public works department had yet to begin developing a citywide road-safety strategy, despite being directed to by the same committee in January 2017. There have been five pedestrian deaths thus far this year, the most recent Monday in a Garden City Shopping Centre parking lot. In 2018, three cyclists and a pedestrian were killed in separate collisions with vehicles. In 2017, six pedestrians were killed and in 2016, four cyclists and three pedestrians were killed in separate collisions with vehicles. The Isabel-Ross intersection has a marked pedestrian crosswalk, but residents in the area requested an upgrade in 2016. The nearby Freight House community centre, located on the west side of the intersection, is a popular destination for area children, Santos said, and vehicles were frequently ignoring the crosswalk signals. Santos said she’d like to see a pedestrian- activated signal installed at Isabel and Ross, where the light would remain green for north-south traffic until a pedestrian activates the signal to cross the busy street. Santos said the intersection to the north, Isabel and Alexander, needs a formal crosswalk — she recommended something similar to the eye-level, flashing LED installation put up in St. Vital a year ago, following the death of an eight-year-old boy. That type is becoming common in many other Canadian cities. “I’m very, very happy that my council colleagues supported me,” Santos said, adding she briefed the other committee members before the meeting and advised them of her proposals. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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