- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

A ray of hope - Vancouver's experience
by Beth McKechnie 22 Aug '18

22 Aug '18

There seems to be a lot of negative perspectives published recently about walking and cycling in Winnipeg, so thought I'd share a snippet from Vancouver's experience. There will always be push back but it can be overcome. There wasn’t exactly a love fest over biking in the early days. “Bike lanes were controversial from day one,” Reimer says. “One of the things I’ve is learned is that people can agree on policy and direction, but the minute a piece of land comes into play, no matter how small, they get into personal arguments. I’ve sat in on meetings where people say I believe in childcare facilities, just not near me. And bike lanes are the environmental expression of that.” The bottom line, after years of tough conversations: Vancouver reached its 2020 “active transportation” goal five years early — 50 percent of commuters now walk, bike or take public transit, up from a baseline of 15 percent in 2007. According to Doug Smith, the city’s director of sustainability, that progress has fostered a ‘we can do better’ mindset. “Almost immediately [after reaching the 2020 target] the engineering department and the transportation team said we need to think longer term,” says Smith. The city now has a 2040 Transportation <http://vancouver.ca/files/cov/transportation-2040-plan.pdf> plan with a goal of getting to at least two-thirds of all trips by active transportation. One way the city intends to achieve this goal is by committing to zero expansion of car capacity, despite projections that another million people will be living in Greater Vancouver by 2040 (adding to the current population of 2.5 million). “All of that growth has to be through, walking, biking and transit. So, if you’re going to drive, you’re going to be stuck in your car,” says Smith. -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 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>

1 0

WFP Analysis: Neighbourhoods influence health; we should plan accordingly (Aug15'18)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Aug '18

21 Aug '18

Neighbourhoods influence health; we should plan accordingly KEVIN LAM AND JEAN WANG SINCE John Snow mapped out the large cholera outbreak in London in 1854 relative to where people lived, it has been known that where we live, work and play strongly influences people’s health. The way our cities and towns have been built plays a large role in many of the health conditions Canadians develop. Cities such as Montreal and Vancouver have been working to create better cycling infrastructure and public transit, with the goals of improving the quality of life and health of their citizens. It’s a good start, but is it enough? We need a systemic collaboration between physicians, public health departments, developers and urban planners to help Canada design the cities we want — ones that can keep us healthy. Let’s take obesity as an example. Among Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD) countries, Canada has one of the highest prevalence rates of obesity, with an alarming one in five Canadian adults affected. Yet despite all Canada is doing to address the lifestyle factors that contribute to obesity, many public health goals are stubbornly hard to reach and nowhere near close to targets. Ninety per cent of Canadian children don’t reach the physical activity recommendations, despite physical inactivity and sedentary lifestyles being flagged as a priority focus for the Public Health Agency of Canada. It can be difficult tomake healthy choices in certain contexts. If our daily lives are surrounded by cities without green spaces to play or where public transit is difficult to access, it can be hard to make healthy choices in spite of all the health promoting. So what can be done? Current solutions are heavily focused on changing individual behaviour. A great deal of funding is spent on promoting exercise, the food guide, community weight loss programs — all with a focus on individual behaviour. But evidence demonstrates that social marketing campaigns surrounding healthy eating and exercise aren’t sufficient to address the problem. Instead of simply telling people to spend more time exercising, we can incorporate it into their lives. We could encourage stair use instead of elevators by making stairs easier to access. We could integrate walking and biking to work — forms of active transport — or make cities more walkable in general. This is an area where physicians and public health departments can collaborate with builtenvironment experts to influence health. Urban planners are the experts at improving the livability of towns, cities and regions. Meanwhile, physicians see the downstream effects of a poorly built environment in their clinics, operating theatres and emergency rooms every day — from chronic diseases to motor vehicle collisions. The future of chronic disease and obesity prevention involves professions working together to generate collaborative solutions — to create better places to live, play and work. Many studies have demonstrated that active transport is associated with a decreased risk of developing chronic illness. Physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, including a reduction in heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, by up to 11 per cent. Systematic reviews, which pool the results of multiple studies, also demonstrate that active transport is associated with a reduced risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. With the many health benefits that can be realized from encouraging more active transport, health workers have an important role in advocating for and working with their urban planning colleagues to implement these ideas. How can we take action? It’s time for health workers to speak up and get involved to help improve neighbourhoods for everyone. Urban planners can also help with determining the health impact of land-use and transport decisions by working with public health departments. The good news is that this collaboration is already starting to happen in some places. Various areas across Canada, including in Toronto, Vancouver and the Region of Peel, are employing urban planners to examine the impact of different developments on the health of a community. This means new developments are being built to encourage more active transportation and existing ones are being altered to the same end. The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment has started a campaign advocating governments to adopt a national active-transport strategy. Such a strategy was one of the main recommendations in a reported released by the CPHA-Lancet Countdown Briefing for Canadian policy-makers. The future of chronic disease and obesity prevention involves working together to generate collaborative solutions. We need to fight together for better places in which to live, play and work. *Jean Wang is a second-year medical student at the University of Ottawa who has been involved in chronic disease management and prevention research. Kevin Lam is a second-year medical student at Mc Master University who has an interest in public health and its intersection with emergency medicine, with a special focus on improving health through urban design. They are both contributors to Evidence Network.ca, which is based at the University of Winnipeg.* — Troy Media

1 0

Webinar Reminder: Moving Beyond the Centerline - Advisory Bicycle Lanes, Best Kept Secret | Wed, Aug. 15th, 2-3pm
by Heather Mitchell 14 Aug '18

14 Aug '18

*** Friendly reminder about tomorrow afternoon's webinar *** Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg on August 15th for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre boardroom <http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…> followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. Best, Heather -- *Webinar: Wed, August 15th, 2-3pm* *Moving Beyond the Centerline - Advisory Bicycle Lanes, Best Kept Secret* Don't miss this exciting webinar from the experts on advisory bike lanes (ABL). Michael and Steve will give an introduction to ABLs where you'll learn what an advisory bike lane looks like and how it works. Then, learn how communities are using ABLs by hearing from Simon with the city of Minneapolis and Adam with the city of Ottawa. *Presenters*: Michael Williams, Michael Williams Company Steve Durrant, Alta Planning + Design Simon Blenski, City of Minneapolis Adam Hortop, City of Ottawa -- *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>

1 0

Winnipeg's $10M question is more about politicking than Portage and Main | CBC News
by Beth McKechnie 13 Aug '18

13 Aug '18

An interesting read: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/portage-main-referendum-winnipeg-1.…

1 0

WFP: Report says pedestrians crossing intersection will have minimal effect on traffic (Aug10'18)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Aug '18

10 Aug '18

Report says pedestrians crossing intersection will have minimal effect on traffic Reopening Portage & Main not such a pain https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/word-on-the-street-490504321.html There's undoubtedly a fortune to be made for the individual who can put together at Portage & Main for Dummies ahead of the fall civic election. It’s been 35 years since Winnipeggers were asked to vote on a ballot question and having access to an easy-to-understand background briefing could prove invaluable when it comes time to vote Yes or No to the question of reopening the famous downtown intersection to pedestrians. “I hope people will get themselves informed on this as much as possible before they vote on it,” said Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, the longest-serving council member and a strong supporter of the Yes vote. City hall had commissioned an analysis on the effect of having pedestrians use the intersection. The 95-page report from Dillon Consulting, titled Portage and Main Transportation Study, was released in October 2017. (A copy can be found online at wfp.to/KSA). The Dillon report relies on a great deal of technical jargon, maps and drawings, but the document best summarized the effect of pedestrians in two pages (36 and 37), comparing travel time for pedestrians, vehicles and transit through the intersection in 2016 with what it projected to be with pedestrians in the mix, using what it calls micro simulation models. “Overall roadway operations are relatively unaffected (with the introduction of pedestrian crossings) with (delays) generally contained to the individual turning movements,” the report states among its conclusions. “There will be an increase in travel time through the area after the crosswalks are restored, primarily to the turning movements at the Portage and Main intersection as they must yield to pedestrians. “This poses a risk to cross-city travel as congestion and variability will increase on average. This, however, should be balanced with the improvements to mobility for non-auto users and progress towards the city’s goal of a multi-modal and sustainable transportation system.” Dillon proposed only minor changes to the intersection to accommodate pedestrian access, including pedestrian crossing at all four intersections; avoiding scramble crossing; forbidding righthand turns from Northbound Main onto Portage Avenue East; and reducing Portage Avenue East to one lane to accomodate pedestrian crossing. The study found that people can — and do — cross the intersection via a circuitous underground route that is about 400 metres long. The report estimated it takes an able-bodied individual about four minutes to manoeuvre the underground route (assuming they know where they are going) but nine minutes for an individual in a wheelchair (again, assuming they know where they are going and the elevators and escalators are in working order, which they always aren’t, especially those located in private buildings during evenings and weekends). The study found that the at-grade crossing for able-bodied pedestrians would be shortened, compared with the underground route, as they have to wait for the lights to change. While the report considered five options, it recommended one — Option 4 — which had the least impact on traffic while providing the greatest degree of safety to pedestrians. The Dillon report was clear at the outset that introducing pedestrians would negatively affect traffic flow. “It can be seen from the tables that in all cases, the introduction of at-grade pedestrian crossings to the intersection will have a negative impact on vehicular traffic,” states the report. “This is logical and to be expected as the traffic controls must be adjusted toprovide safe crossing for pedestrians of all levels of mobility, whereas existing conditions prohibit crossings by pedestrians and prioritizes efficiency of vehicle movement over everything else.” The report concluded that introducing pedestrians will have minimal impact on traffic flows — traffic north and south on Main Street will see minimal delays, if any, and the greatest impacts will be vehicles turning left and right at the intersection, with greater delays for transit. The chart on pages 36 and 37 laid out the differences in vehicle travel times through the intersection as it was in 2016 and how it’s projected to be for the recommended Option 4: peak morning traffic delay would average about 30 seconds; peak afternoon traffic delay would average about 52 seconds; there would be no delay for northbound and southbound traffic on Main Street; Transit will experience some delays: Morning travel times through the intersection, in all directions, are projected to be unaffected but afternoon travel times will see delays for left- and right-hand turns through the intersection varying from under two minutes (eastbound Portage right onto Main) to 4:39 (west-bound from Portage Avenue East). Dillon estimated the cost of allowing pedestrians to cross the intersection to be $11.1 million, but advised the dollar amount is based on “a high conceptual design” and considered a Class 4 estimate, which means it could be 30 per cent lower or 60 per cent higher. City hall was expected to obtain a more realistic estimate and a more detailed design through another consulting contract that was to be awarded in July but, as a result of the ballot question, it will not be awarded until after the Oct. 24 election. Dillon said its estimate was for barebone streetscaping, but suggested the intersection’s iconic status warrants more decorative and landscaping elements in the final design, which will increase the cost. That $11.1 million included $3.8 million for construction, $2.3 million for possible construction over-runs and $5.5 million for the purchase of 11 additional transit buses to offset transit delays. Dillon said city officials informed it that Winnipeg Transit could expect to see an additional $1.8 million in annual operating costs due to the hiring of 12.5 equivalent full-time drivers and other staff as a result of adding the buses. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca * * * * * Highlights of the Dillon Consulting report A copy of the Dillon report can be found online at: wfp.to/KSA Traffic delays through the intersection ● Average vehicle delay time, for all directions, based on the recommended design and 2016 data: Mornings: 30.6 seconds; Afternoons: 52.6 seconds ● No delay for afternoon traffic in either northbound or southbound Main street ● A projected 15-second delay for morning southbound Main Street traffic ● Afternoon eastbound Portage Avenue traffic turning right onto Main: 2:42 delay ● Afternoon eastbound Portage Avenue traffic turning left onto Main: 1:59 delay ● Afternoon westbound Portage Avenue traffic turning right onto Main: 5:06 delay For Transit ● Morning travel times through the intersection, in all directions, is projected to be unaffected ● Afternoon travel times will see delays for left- and right-hand turns through the intersection varying from less than 2 minutes (east-bound Portage right onto Main) to 4:39 (west-bound from Portage Avenue East) ● Afternoon buses travelling north and south on Main through the intersection are not projected to experience any delays Costs A Class 4 estimate (considered accurate to within 30 per cent under and 60 per cent over), based on “a highly conceptual design” ● $11.1 million, including: $3.8 million construction, $2.3 million for possible construction over-runs, $5.5 million for the purchase of 11 additional transit buses to offset transit delays ● $1.8 million: additional annual operating costs to Winnipeg Transit for the hiring of 12.5 equivalent full-time drivers and other staff Intersection changes ● Pedestrian crossings at all four intersections ● Scramble crossing will not be allowed ● No right-hand turns from northbound Main traffic onto Portage Avenue East ● Portage Avenue East reduced to one lane to accommodate pedestrian crossing

1 0

WFP: Thieves target bike repair stations (Aug10'18)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Aug '18

10 Aug '18

Thieves target bike repair stations REPEATED theft from the bike repair station outside the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre has left the community no choice but to keep the tools inside. At least 15 public repair stations are available in Winnipeg 24-7. The free stations differ in colour and style — they look like random coloured poles, either red, yellow or green, from a distance — but they usually have a stand so users can lift a bike up to work on it, as well as a pump and a range of multi-tools. There are a handful downtown, including one in West Broadway that only consists of a single metal stand because the tools and pump have been stolen. The station was installed last summer. It had to be replaced one month later. And now, the tools are gone again. “It’s unfortunate because there are a lot of families — not just bikers, moms who are pushing a stroller around and want to put air in their stroller tires,” said Lawrence Mulhall, director of the community centre. He blamed bike theft rings in the neighbourhood. Mulhall said they’re going to leave the stand outside and keep the tools and pump inside the centre, so people can take their bikes inside or sign out tools to do repairs at home. Meanwhile, the station outside thedowntown Millennium Library is going to be moved because of repeated theft, said Currie Gillespie, a cycling advocate and the general manager of Rackworks, a company that builds and sells made-in-Manitoba bike-repair stations in Winnipeg. Gillespie said the problem isn’t isolated to downtown; tools are stolen from stations all over the city. “All the (Rackworks) locations that are opento the public have been vandalized at least once,” he said. Those include the BNC pit stops, two on the Bishop Grandin Greenway and two in Transcona — the most recent targets. The Transcona BIZ installed two repair stations earlier this summer, one at the corner of Pandora Avenue and Bond Street and another at 135 Regent Ave. The cost to purchase and install the stations was $3,000. (The BIZ funded the project with part of an active transportation grant from the city; other pit stops have been installed thanks to private donations and city councillor budgets.) Both east end stations have been vandalized twice, said Alex Morrison, executive director of the BIZ. The latest robbery took place on the long weekend. “The idea is to bring your bike to the tools, don’t bring the tools to your bike,” Morrison said. “It’s frustrating. I don’t know if it’s maliciousness or someone who has beefagainst biking and this is their way of making their feelings known.” She said the BIZ set aside $400 in its annual budget for service stop maintenance. If needed, the general maintenance fund can be used for fixing things such as broken benches. “We’re creative, we could do a lot with $400 to improve the community if we didn’t have to set that aside for stupid things like replacing tools that have been stolen.” The latest Winnipeg Police Service report says theft of items worth $5,000 or less in Winnipeg increased 15 per cent in 2017. maggie.macintosh(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

1 0

WFP Analysis: For women, opening Portage and Main is a safety issue (Aug10'18)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Aug '18

10 Aug '18

For women, opening Portage and Main is a safety issue https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/for-women-opening-portag… WOMEN often experience the city differently than men. Many women who regularly occupy the urban environment consider their navigation of the city carefully and avoid areas with a higher potential for a dangerous situation to arise. The reopening of Portage and Main to pedestrians would have a positive impact on safety in downtown Winnipeg, especially for women, and most notably at night. Hollaback! is a non-profit organization that combats street harassment in cities. Its 2013 study noted that more than two-thirds of Winnipeg women experience harassment, including honking, leering, whistling and comments of a sexual nature, at least once a month, and more than one-third experience street harassment at least once a week. These occurrences limit a woman’s right to safe and harassment-free public space. Winnipeg became the first Canadian city to join the UN Global Safe Cities Initiative in 2013. This initiative aims to reduce harassment and sexual violence againstwomen and girls in public spaces. An equitable city is a city in which all people — regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, race, physical ability or age — have equal access to the city. Downtown should be the heart of a vibrant modern city; however, there is a lack of actual and perceived safety at Portage and Main that prevents much of the population from engaging with ourmost famous intersection. A 2014 study conducted by Winnipeg Safe City concluded that 27.5 per cent of reported sexual offences in Winnipeg occur in the northwest area of downtown. Between 2011 and 2015, 22.9 per cent of assaults in this area occurred in South Portage, a zone which includes Portage and Main. How physical environments are designed can affect a sense of safety and limit or enhance a woman’s access to the city. The public entrances to the Portage and Main underground are unsafe, especially for women at night. The dark, unsupervised stairwells are beyond the sightlines of the adjacent streets and sidewalks. Once a pedestrian reaches the underground crossing, they are met by a privately owned mall with shops that close shortly after 5 p.m. The underground concourse after hours is sparsely supervised and difficult to navigate. Clear sightlines, navigation and views are important for safe movement throughout the city. The concrete walls above ground at Portage and Main create blind corners and limit visibility to the sidewalk for nearby motorists and pedestrians. While avoiding the underground stairs, a pedestrian at street level must still navigate a path that offers limited opportunities to exit if an unsafe situation arises. Adding pedestrian crossings at Portage and Main will provide alternate paths of travel, allowing individuals to avoid dangerous situations and find refuge more quickly when needed. Surveillance technology and professional supervision can aid safety; however, these measures are costly and do less to increase perceived comfort than the presence of others. The simplest and most cost-effective way to make an urban environment safer is to increase the amount of foot traffic by encouraging pedestrian activity. Increasing the number of pedestrians improves safety, prevents street harassment through accountability and provides immediate access to assistance if an incident occurs. A pedestrian-friendly environment that includes restaurant patios, storefronts, entertainment, green space, public seating and lighting has made the Exchange District more attractive to people throughout the day. In contrast, the design of Portage and Main repels pedestrians, forcing them underground or towards alternative routes. This calculated reduction in pedestrian activity creates a dead zone, with few pedestrians, storefronts or building entries, which heightens the feeling of isolation and lack of security. In 2017, a poll conducted by Mainstreet/Postmedia revealed Canadians believe Winnipeg is the least-safe city in the country. We can begin to change this negative perception by implementing a design that encourages more pedestrians to be on the sidewalk, creating strength in numbers during the day and night. The Forks, downtown theatres, Old Market Square and Bell MTS Place are visitor hotspots. A direct and obvious connection on foot between these places will provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for the 110,000 people who are downtown each day. Everyone should feel safe in their own city. Removing the walls and inviting more people back to Portage and Main will increase the sense of safety in the area and improve navigation and movement through the downtown. Perceived safety can have a large impact on the livability of a city forwomen and girls. Women should be afforded the same right to evening mobility in the city as men, free from the concern of harassment and violence. Reopening Portage and Main will help Winnipeg’s downtown feel more comfortable at all times of day, for all genders. *Erin Riediger is an architectural graduate student and interior designer.*

1 0

Vision Zero: New York bucking trend of ped/cyclist deaths
by Beth McKechnie 09 Aug '18

09 Aug '18

Helpful 7:53 min video from CBC summarizing what makes New York's Vision Zero program so effective. "Queens Blvd, which used to be the most deadly area in the city, has had zero deaths since Vision Zero was implemented." http://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/vision-zero-new-york-s-changing-traffic-… Thanks to Jaymi Derrett for the share! cheers, Beth -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 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>

1 0

AT Webinar: Moving Beyond the Centerline - Advisory Bicycle Lanes, Best Kept Secret | Wed, Aug. 15th, 2-3pm
by Heather Mitchell 08 Aug '18

08 Aug '18

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg on August 15th for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre boardroom <http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…> followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. Best, Heather -- Webinar: Wed, August 15th, 2-3pm *Moving Beyond the Centerline - Advisory Bicycle Lanes, Best Kept Secret* Don't miss this exciting webinar from the experts on advisory bike lanes (ABL). Michael and Steve will give an introduction to ABLs where you'll learn what an advisory bike lane looks like and how it works. Then, learn how communities are using ABLs by hearing from Simon with the city of Minneapolis and Adam with the city of Ottawa. *Presenters*: Michael Williams, Michael Williams Company Steve Durrant, Alta Planning + Design Simon Blenski, City of Minneapolis Adam Hortop, City of Ottawa -- *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>

1 0

WFP Analysis: Shedding light on Portage and Main (Aug8'18)
by Beth McKechnie 08 Aug '18

08 Aug '18

Shedding light on Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/shedding- light-on-portage-and-main-490327721.html FOR 40 years, we have been arguing over adding 18 seconds in the morning and 54 seconds in the afternoon to a daily Winnipeg commute that averages 24 minutes each way. The idea of letting people cross the street at Portage and Main has long evoked images of gridlocked cars lined to the Perimeter Highway, but with a public r eferendum n ow foisted upon us, it is time to investigate the facts. Last year, the respected engineering firm Dillon Consulting completed the Portage and Main Transportation Study, a comprehensive 95-page document which looked at the effects of introducing pedestrians at each corner, during both the morning and afternoon rush hours. Dillon compiled extensive, real-world data and used it to create precise computer simulation models, with cutting-edge software that is considered a global leader in accuracy and precision. The study found that the greatest impacts to traffic will be experienced in the peak of afternoon rush hour, when the average time it will take for cars to get through the intersection will be 33 seconds longer than today. When the impact of this is telegraphed across downtown, the average time of an overall commute will increase by a total of 54 seconds (cumulative delay for all cars/ number of cars). The two largest routes, Main Street northbound and southbound through traffic, representing 50 per cent of all cars entering the intersection, will experience no change from current travel times, because pedestrians will cross parallel with drivers. Eastbound traffic on Portage Avenue, representing 25 per cent of all vehicles, will experience the most notable increases, adding an average of about 2½ minutes to a total commute in afternoon peak hours. The conclusion for the morning rush hour states that “the overall experience for drivers will not be significantly different.” Cars will take an average of only 10 seconds longer to get through the intersection, and the average overall commute across downtown will increase by just 18 seconds. The minimal impact that introducing pedestrians at Portage and Main has on car traffic can be explained by the fact the intersection doesn’t exist in isolation. As an example, there are 10 pedestrian crossings on the one kilometre of Portage Avenue between Memorial Boulevard and Main Street. The study shows that adding one more does not significantly change average vehicle commuting times across downtown. Of 20 transit routes studied, one saw a delay of more than two minutes, and six were delayed by more than a minute. These time delays seem insignificant, but because every bus carries so many people, there would be a compound effect on transit capacity, so further study of transit times and routing would be needed to address the issue. It should be noted that the study did not examine opportunities to look at managing the effects on traffic through downtown m ore holistically, including signal-timing co-ordination, transit routing or changes in driver habits as conditions evolve. Interestingly, the model uses adjacent crosswalk volumes to predict the number of pedestrians that will use Portage a nd Main, revealing a reasonable balance, with 6 ,000 cars and 2,000 pedestrian crossings per hour at peak times. The Dillon study also addresses the cost of reopening the intersection by providing a detailed breakdown of work required to remove the barricades and restore the corner to a level typical of other city intersections. A $3.8-million construction cost has been identified, with a significant contingency of $2.3 m illion to cover any cost overruns or unknowns that could be found when digging up 4 0-year-old infrastructure. If the purchase of new buses is to be contemplated, a cost of $5.5 m illion was included as a separate line item in the budget. To put the $6.1-million overall constructioncost into perspective, the city currently has 82 capital projects underway that each cost more than $5 million. The study did not look at the cost of repairing the barricades and stairwells that are currently crumbling, with rusting steel rebar exposed in many locations. The cost of these longoverdue repairs, if the barricades were to remain, might begin to rival the expense of removing the walls completely. The study addresses pedestrian safety by proposing the use of signal timing that allows pedestrians to get a head start into the intersection, a technique currently proving effective at Broadway and Main Street. The study states that “while the risks of a collision with pedestrians will undoubtedly increase from zero, they will not be any greater than at other major intersections in Winnipeg.” Portage Avenue at Memorial Boulevard a nd Main Street at Broadway are intersections with similar ranges of vehicle traffic volumes and significant pedestrian numbers. The Dillon study touches on accessibility by indicating people who use wheelchairs or have limited m obility can currently t ake m ore than nine minutes to cross the street through the underground, and when the private office towers close after the workday, it is not accessible to people who are unable to navigate stairs. This requires an above-ground crossing, which for two of the four directions is a journey of about 400 m etres. The Dillon report provides an important resource of factual information to help inform the debate as w e m ove toward a public vote. The study alleviates fears of significant traffic congestion by demonstrating that most expected commuter delays will b e m inimal. It also makes some other important conclusions, stating that reconfiguring Portage and Main will improve the pedestrian experience, encourage a shift from single-occupant vehicles, ensure wheelchair accessibility exists at all times, improve area safety by b ringing m ore people to the sidewalks and make urban living more attractive. *Brent Bellamy is a senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

1 0