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WFP editorial: Send right signals to pedestrians PLUS study on scramble corners
by Beth McKechnie 24 Apr '12

24 Apr '12

Send right signals to pedestrians http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/send-right-signals-to-p… The complaint that you need a jet pack to cross Portage Avenue on foot has been around for years. The city's traffic department, however, responds the perception likely is a lack of understanding of how the signals at intersections work. Pedestrians are given five seconds to start a crossing, and the appearance of the flashing red hand is merely a warning, not a sign to stop walking midstream. Pedestrians are given more than 10 seconds to cross -- the timing is calculated at a pace of 1.2 metres or less per second for a safe crossing. But if misperception has lingered longer than a quarter-century, if some walkers are getting caught on the median, then better communication is needed. To that end, the city is investigating the "countdown" signals used in other cities to show pedestrians how many seconds are left to get across safely. The city should also remove the buttons that must be pushed at some intersections to activate the "walk-man" signal allowing people to enter a crossing safely. The buttons were removed downtown and should be yanked in other areas, as well, to assert a pedestrian's right to cross on a green light. There are other ideas around that Winnipeg should investigate. Calgary, for example, introduced in 2008 the diagonal crosswalk at 3rd Street Southwest, in the Eau Claire area. It stops all vehicles to allow foot traffic to cross in all directions, including diagonally. Such unconventional signalling requires a learning curve, but there are intersections in Winnipeg -- River and Osborne -- where heavy foot traffic impedes vehicles turning left and right. Perhaps there, unimpeded pedestrian crossings can make sense. Motorists in Winnipeg celebrated when Mayor Sam Katz promised years ago to synchronize lights on busy streets such as Portage and Broadway. That recognized the need to inject efficiency to signalled intersections. The population is getting older and heavier. Intersection signals should help, not discourage, those who choose to walk, and walk safely, around town. * * * * * NOTE: Here's a study<http://www.toronto.ca/transportation/walking/pdf/pedestrian_scramble_crossi…>comparing the planning and implementation of "diagonal crosswalks", or scramble corners as they're sometimes called, in Toronto and Calgary. At a glance, it appears Toronto's example is the better implementation from which to learn or perhaps it's a difference in car/ped culture in the two cities. Pasted below is the concluding paragraph from the analysis, which was prepared by a representative from each of the two municipalities. cheers, Beth "It is recognized that the implementation of pedestrian scramble would increase vehicle delays. There was a significant increase in delays to mixed traffic in Toronto; from a policy implementation perspective, this tradeoff was acceptable given that there are over 50,000 pedestrians at the Toronto intersection in a typical 24 hour period compared to 36,000 vehicles. The increase in delay to transit vehicles is a concern – while a better level of service is being provided to pedestrians at the Toronto intersection, these same pedestrians are subject to additional delays when they ride on the streetcars. Similarly in Calgary the expected increase in vehicle delay was considered acceptable given the safety and operational benefits for pedestrians that scramble control provides. Implementation of scramble control in Toronto and Calgary demonstrates both cities’ commitment to creating more walkable cities. Based on the high number of pedestrians observed crossing diagonally at the three locations, it does appear that the pedestrian scramble phasing is being well used by pedestrians in Toronto and Calgary."

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Long and winding road - Winnipeg needs to move toward a more car-free culture
by Beth McKechnie 23 Apr '12

23 Apr '12

Long and winding road Winnipeg needs to move toward a more car-free culture By: Bartley Kives http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/long-and-winding-road-148422775.html If you own a 2012 Honda Civic or any other car with a 50-litre gas tank, it'll cost you an extra $1.25 to fill 'er up on May 1. This is the short-term cost of the Selinger government's 2.5-cent-a-litre provincial gas-tax hike, which is expected to rake in $48.6 million of additional revenue for the province during the forthcoming fiscal year. The cash, the province says, will be devoted to fixing roads and bridges. But as Premier Greg Selinger has been forced to concede, the province has no plans to spend an extra $48.6 million on roads and bridges this coming year. While legislation demands provincial gas-tax revenue must be spent on infrastructure, there is no similar rule against taking money out of roads-and-bridges and spending it on other priorities. To some extent, that's precisely what the province plans to do this year, as administrative officials confirmed during last week's budget lockup. The spin doctors on the political side protested loudly, claiming there are in fact increases hidden somewhere within the budget papers. But there is no doubt the province is not taking all that extra gas-tax cash and using it to top up the roads-and-bridges budget. Just as there is no question the City of Winnipeg tried to pull off a very similar trick in 2011. About 13 months ago, Mayor Sam Katz announced Winnipeg's first frontage-levy hike in about a decade, a move intended to raise an extra $14 million for the city last year. Like Selinger this year, Katz claimed in 2011 this extra revenue would be spent entirely on infrastructure. And he was correct: It went into the city's road-maintenance budget. What civic politicians were not eager to admit is even more money came out of that very same budget, to be spent on other priorities. In other words, both the city and province have tried to place the precise same spin on a form of tax hike over the past two years. Faced with budget shortfalls, Selinger and Katz tried to dress up the politically unpopular decision to raise taxes with the only form of populist window dressing voters seem to accept: We're taking your money to fix the roads. As far as spin goes, this is not very effective, as even the most easily confused reporter, blogger or opposition politician can look at two numbers and discern which one is smaller. But the fact this ploy gets used at all is a testament to how much Winnipeggers and Manitobans seem to care about their roads. Poll after poll reveals the condition of both city and provincial roads are among the top two concerns of voters in this flat patch of the planet. So politicians pander to that sentiment -- and continue to perpetuate the notion that simply "fixing the roads" will cure much of what ails this city and this province. As any historian will tell you, the presence or absence of a properly functioning transportation system may be the most crucial factor determining the success or failure of a city, both in terms of material wealth and the health and well-being of its citizens. But inherent in that assumption, across much if not most of North America, is that a properly functioning transportation system can and should be measured solely by the state of its roads. "I wish they would fix the damn roads" may be the most common complaint in Winnipeg, where the freeze-thaw cycles of our sub-Arctic climate ensure we wind up with some of the most pockmarked, potholed buggy tracks on the continent. When we travel to the U.S., many of us are left awed and envious by the sight of freeway systems with endless kilometres of elevated concrete and steel-supported overpasses. So we desire these things, much like we desire big-box stores full of IKEA furniture and glass hotel atria full of plastic waterslides, but those apparent amenities are rant fodder for another day. Based on anecdote and data, it's fairly safe to say many of us feel this way. But I would argue this is folly. Yes, a functioning highway system is important for the transfer of goods around the globe. But Winnipeg's ever-expanding road system is the key to its endless struggles, as all sane politicians come to realize over time. Winnipeg is no different from many North American cities in that the primary mode of transportation is the personal vehicle. Cars provides us all with freedom, we believe, even as we know it is more environmentally efficient, less expensive and less isolating to get around using public transit. Cars, however, are simply more convenient to use in cities designed for cars instead of people. So whenever efforts are made to improve transportation for people who don't use cars, a chicken versus egg inevitably arises. Spend money on public transit? Many of us argue against it, insisting we should simply build more roads, thus ensuring we must all spend vast sums of money to purchase, maintain and operate expensive vehicles that require large tracts of concrete for parking and, by extension, ensure our cities continue to grow outward and require more roads. Expansive parking lots for expansive stores ensure retailers pay higher property taxes and charge us more for our goods. But we demand free parking, because we have been brought up to believe it is our God-given right. Some of us even believe public transit should bloody well pay for itself, because we don't use it. The corollary argument -- that non-drivers should not have to pay for road construction -- is deemed irrelevant, if not laughable. So politicians and policy-makers put off investments in public transit, even though our leaders are well aware of the arithmetic that makes higher-density planning the most sensible and responsible financial option for any city in the long-term. The public wants more roads, the politicians shrug. They want to live in single-family homes, far away from anywhere they could possibly reach on foot, the developers claim. So the people who sculpt the shape of our lives give us what we want. And anyone foolish enough to question this logic is deemed to be a naive utopian or an urbanist geek. Of course, the price of oil and the inconvenience of congestion tend to increase both urban density and the popularity of public transit. These are the market forces that will inevitably drive even car-dependent Winnipeg toward a more car-free culture. I would argue our leaders should take us to this place far before the time comes when we have no other choice but to go there. I say this as a driver. I say this as a pedestrian and occasional transit user. I also say this as a person who looks around North America and feels envy -- not for freeways, but for the eagerness, elsewhere, for change. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca

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I'll walk, thanks. I'm a liberal.
by Beth McKechnie 23 Apr '12

23 Apr '12

I'll walk, thanks. I'm a liberal Strange trend emerges in examination of cities' walkability By: Will Oremus http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/ill-walk-thanks-im-a-li… Reading Tom Vanderbilt's Slate series on the crisis in North American walking, I noticed something about the cities with the highest "walk scores." They're all liberal. New York, San Francisco, and Boston, the top three major cities on Walkscore.com, are three of the most liberal cities in the United States. In fact, the top 19 are all in states that voted for Obama in 2008. The lowest-scoring major cities, by comparison, tilt conservative: Three of the bottom four -- Jacksonville, Fla., Oklahoma City, and Fort Worth, Texas, -- went for McCain. What explains the correlation? Don't conservatives like to walk? You might think it's a simple matter of size: Big cities lean liberal and also tend to be more walkable. That's generally true, but it doesn't fully explain the phenomenon. Houston, Phoenix and Dallas are among the nation's ten largest cities, but they're also among the country's more conservative big cities, and none cracks the top 20 in walkability. All three trail smaller liberal cities such as Portland, Denver, and Long Beach. Substituting density for size gets us closer: Houston, Phoenix and Dallas are notorious for sprawl, while New York, San Francisco and Boston are tightly packed, partly because they are older cities whose downtown cores developed in the pre-car era. As they grew, their borders were constrained by those of the smaller cities and towns that surrounded them. That's not the case with many southern and western cities. Jacksonville and Oklahoma City, for instance, are vast in terms of land area, encompassing suburban and even semi-rural neighbourhoods as well as urban ones. That still leaves the question of why urban density should go hand-in-hand with liberal politics, however. I see four possible categories of explanations. 1. Liberals build denser, more walkable cities (e.g., Portlanders supporting public transit and policies that limit sprawl). 2. Liberals are drawn to cities that are already dense and walkable (think college grads migrating to Minneapolis rather than San Antonio, or young families settling down in Lowell, Mass., with a walk score of 64.1, rather than Fort Wayne, Ind., with a walk score of 39. 3. Walkable cities make people more liberal (by forcing them to get along with diverse neighbours and to rely on highly visible city services such as parks and subways). 4. The same factors that make cities dense and walkable also make them liberal. My guess is that it's mostly No. 4, with some of the other three thrown in, depending on the situation. What do dense, walkable cities have in common? Besides being older, they also tend to be on the coasts. New York (No. 1), San Francisco (No. 2), and Boston (No. 3) sprang up as port cities -- hubs of international commerce and immigration. That leads to both dense development along the coastline and to an atmosphere of diversity and tolerance. Those three cities top the list because they're both old and coastal. The others in the top 10 are mostly one or the other. Seattle (No. 6) and Miami (No. 8) are diverse coastal ports. Chicago (No. 4), Philadelphia (No. 5), and Minneapolis (No. 9) aren't coastal, but they are ports, and more importantly, they're relatively old and industrial. Look at a walkability map and you'll see that unwalkable cities are concentrated in the South. While the northern United States developed an industrial economy, the South was dominated by agriculture until the last few decades. Whereas industry breeds density, immigration and social mobility, agriculture requires vast plots of land and leads to an entrenched social order dominated by the large landowners. The historical perspective might help explain why cities such as Houston, which today is one of the nation's largest ports and a magnet for immigration, remain relatively unwalkable. As Houston becomes increasingly diverse, it is already becoming more liberal. Harris County went narrowly to Obama in '08 after going consistently Republican for decades before that. In theory, it should be getting more walkable as well. The problem is that once a city has an infrastructure built around cars, it's harder to build support for density and public transportation funding. That is, it may be easier for a city to turn liberal than for a city to turn walkable. Link to Slate story: http://slate.me/HG44LM -- Slate

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WFP: Pedestrian-cross buttons walk (Apr.21'12)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Apr '12

21 Apr '12

Pedestrian-cross buttons walk City removes downtown devices after human-rights complaint By: Bartley Kives The City of Winnipeg has removed pedestrian-crossing buttons from downtown intersections to comply with a human-rights complaint over their ease of use for people with visual and physical impairments. This past winter, the city accelerated the removal of the crossing buttons from approximately 60 downtown locations as part of an effort to fulfil an agreement reached in 2008, transportation manager Luis Escobar said. People who are visually impaired complained to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission of having to fumble around to find the buttons, while some people with physical impairments could not push them at all, Escobar said. So the city agreed to remove the push buttons from intersections east of Maryland Avenue, north of the Assiniboine River, south of Higgins Avenue and west of the Red River -- and set the "walk" displays and chimes to operate automatically, he said. "The push buttons were redundant, because pedestrians were always using them," Escobar said Friday. "There is a general premise there is always pedestrian activity (downtown) so there is no need for people to push buttons." Winnipeg's public works department began disabling the crossing buttons four years ago. This means all the intersections in question have been set to display "walk" signals, regardless of whether anyone pushed the buttons, Escobar said. The city did not publicize the fact the buttons were disabled to avoid confusing pedestrians. The buttons remain functional at intersections outside downtown, Escobar said. It takes more resources to physically remove the buttons than it does to simply disable them, he explained. Most of the redundant buttons were finally removed over the past six months. "This winter, we made a significant effort to remove all the push-buttons in the downtown area," Escobar said. The removal of the buttons does not affect motor-vehicle traffic, he said. But his department took advantage of the removals to conduct other traffic engineering work, including the completion of the city's traffic-signal synchronization plan. During the 2006 mayoral race, Mayor Sam Katz promised to speed the flow of traffic in Winnipeg by spending $10 million to $12 million on red-light synchronization. "The computerized synchronization of traffic signals can help Winnipeggers move around our city more efficiently and avoid the nuisance of stop-and-start traffic," Katz said at the time. "Winnipeg drivers know all too well the frustration of having their commute constantly interrupted by badly timed traffic lights, being needlessly detained and seeing their paycheque go up in gas fumes." In 2009, council approved the spending of $13.8 million over six years on the resulting traffic-signal enhancement program, which was to last until 2014. In 2011 however, the program budget was reduced to $12 million and slated to end this year. The final $2.3 million will be spent on traffic signals on Grant Avenue as well as throughout downtown Winnipeg, Escobar said. Downtown signals were last synchronized 10 years ago, he added. "We have to make sure we target them all at once and we set them up for the current traffic volumes we have on the street," Escobar said. The city also plans to spend an additional $1.05 million this year on other traffic-engineering improvements. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP View from the West: Winnipeg must become pedestrian-friendly (Apr.21'12)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Apr '12

21 Apr '12

Winnipeg must become pedestrian-friendly By: Harry Finnigan http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/westview/winnipeg-must-become-pede… Winnipeg has come a long way over the past 20 years and is just now beginning to be recognized nationally and internationally as a "can-do" city and is perhaps on the verge of becoming a great city. Of course, the development of the MTS Centre and the return of the Jets have had a tremendous impact on our city and its reputation. While we have made great progress as a city, we still have a long way to go if we're ever to be seen as a great city. For starters, we need to be more pedestrian-friendly. Have you ever wondered why the city provides insufficient time for even the fastest walker to get across a street before the "Don't Walk" sign comes on? Why do we have so many intersections with push buttons for pedestrians, yet for the unsuspecting pedestrian who is not aware enough to push the button, the "Walk" sign never comes on? It seems the city of Winnipeg treats pedestrians as if they were second-class citizens. I was reminded of this by Bethel Collie, who, in her letter to the editor, bemoans the fact that as a senior female who walks and buses everywhere, she finds walking across Portage Avenue at Arlington Street a real challenge. She suggests that it would help "if only they added two seconds to the length of the amber walk lights." Collie's plea was reminiscent of the late Art Jones, who, in the 1980s as president of the Downtown Winnipeg Association, would annually challenge then-mayor Bill Norrie to a foot race across Portage Avenue. To this day, the lights are synchronized such that a gazelle would have difficulty making it halfway across the street before the "Don't Walk" sign came on. The same can be said for crossing most other thoroughfares in our city, a reality that makes for very unsafe conditions. Case in point: It's not uncommon to see pedestrians stranded on the median in front of the Via Rail station. Having been given the green light to cross Main Street from the north side of Broadway, the light goes red before they reach the median. They are then confronted with impatient drivers, already going at a fairly good clip turning left off Broadway onto Main. Never mind that legally, these pedestrians have the right to cross. The signal being given for all to see is "Don't Walk." The solution really is quite simple. The city should ensure pedestrians are given sufficient time to at least get halfway across the street before having the light turn red. It also should install "countdown" traffic signals. Common in such cities as Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary, these signals tell both pedestrians and drivers exactly how many seconds are left before the light goes red. Five years ago, the City of Brandon installed one of these lights at a high-volume intersection, and it has been so successful that it now has plans in the works to install more. Why is it that not a single one of these "countdown" traffic signals can be found in Winnipeg? Why is it that Winnipeg seems so anti-pedestrian? The truth, at least since the 1960s, is when it comes to facilitating the movement of people on its streets, Winnipeg, unfortunately, has treated its pedestrians as an afterthought when compared to its citizens who drive vehicles. Traffic management generally has been focused on enabling vehicles to get from one end of the city to the other in record time. The most infamous example of this took place in 1979 when the city installed concrete barriers and introduced legislation prohibiting pedestrians from crossing at Portage and Main, its most historic corner. It also signed legal agreements with surrounding property owners guaranteeing it would continue to bar pedestrians from crossing the intersection for 40 years -- until 2019. One would be hard pressed to come up with the name of another city that chose to force its pedestrians to go underground. With an aging population and with so many struggling with obesity, governments at all levels should be encouraging people to walk and be active. The city should be commended for expanding its network of recreational trails and accommodating cyclists on its streets. Council's recently approved transportation master plan, with one of its goals to encourage "healthy lifestyle options," also is a step in the right direction. Plans, however, are one thing, actions quite another. The city should take action now to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly. It can start by installing a few "countdown" traffic signals. Looking to the future, in 2019, once the legal agreements have expired, Winnipeg will be in a position to implement a plan at Portage and Main developed in collaboration with the surrounding property owners in 2006. This plan would enable pedestrians to again cross our most historic intersection in the evenings, after rush hour on weekdays and during weekends. There are many good reasons for this to happen in time for the sesquicentennial celebration for Manitoba as a province. Let's see that it happens! *Harry Finnigan served as Winnipeg's director of planning, property and development (2002-2007). For most of his professional life, he has been able to commute to work by foot.*

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Kids and active transportation
by Anders Swanson 18 Apr '12

18 Apr '12

[Here are two separate stories published today. One points to a problem, the other is part of the solution. - anders] Kids get less physical activity than parents believe CBC News Posted: Apr 18, 2012 http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/04/18/physical-activity.html Reduced speed limits in school zones appear to be near 04/18/2012 9:56 AM http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Reduced-speed-limits-in-schoo…

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Webinar Reminder - Wed, Apr 18, 2-3:30 - A Bold Experiment in Four Communities
by Beth McKechnie 17 Apr '12

17 Apr '12

*** Friendly reminder regarding tomorrow's webinar *** Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a local viewing of the upcoming APBP webinars at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion.* *Detailed descriptions provided below.* *NTPP Update: A Bold Experiment in Four Communities Wednesday, April 18th • 2:00 to 3:30 pm CST In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much? Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth 925-3772 * * * * * Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) presents: NTPP Update: A Bold Experiment in Four Communities Wednesday, April 18th • 2:00 to 3:30 pm CST This webinar will focus on success stories and lessons learned from the four Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program (NTPP) communities in the U.S. [image: april-18]The NTPP program was established in 2005 "to construct…a network of nonmotorized transportation infrastructure facilities, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and pedestrian and bicycle trails, that connect directly with transit stations, schools, residences, businesses, recreation areas, and other community activity centers.” U.S. federal transportation legislation (SAFETEA-LU) provided $25 million for each of the four NTPP communities – areas with unique physical and demographic characteristics, and at various stages of implementing their respective nonmotorized networks -- and was designed to develop statistical information on transportation mode share shift before and after program implementation. Learn which specific programs and projects succeeded, what may be replicable and transferable to other communities, and how much money should be budgeted for success. The pilot communities will provide insight on various aspects of planning and project implementation, including innovation, leveraging resources, capacity building and the importance of community input and partnerships. A representative from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Volpe Center will also discuss the importance of evaluation, and the development and implementation of a common methodology for data collection and analysis. Presenters are Ted Curtis, Columbia, Missouri; Dan Dawson, Marin County, California; Tony Hull, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Emily Vetting, Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. APBP has applied to the AICP for 1.5 Certification Maintenance credits for this webinar, and will provide an attendance certificate to those who document their professional development hours. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! In-street Bicycle Parking: What, When, Where and How Much? Wednesday, May 16th • 2:00 to 3:00 pm CST Increasingly communities face the dilemma of bicycles and pedestrians competing for scarce sidewalk space. As pedestrian activity increases wider sidewalks are needed, while as cycling increases more bicycle parking—traditionally placed on sidewalks—is also needed. In-street bicycle corrals allow agencies to place bicycle parking in the street, [image: may-16]off the pedestrian way, resolving this conflict and making more efficient use of existing parking spaces. However, jurisdictions may hesitate to undertake bicycle corrals since there are few design examples and little specific guidance on which to base such projects. Planners, engineers, developers and advocates should attend this webinar to learn how to scale up bicycle parking to meet growing demand while avoiding negative impacts to the pedestrian environment. Placing bicycle parking in the street presents unique challenges for traffic engineers and streetscape designers. Issues include roadway operations, cyclist and pedestrian safety, placement of a bike corral in relation to other sidewalk and street design elements, pedestrian flows and adjacent land uses. The webinar will address these challenges with examples of successful in-street bicycle parking projects (examples from New York City, Portland, and Washington D.C.). Presenters will also define best practices for providing bicycle parking in the street and discuss how a program might progress, beginning with public process and moving through costs, installation, and maintenance. Presenters include Eric Anderson, City of Berkeley, California; Sarah Figliozzi, Portland Bureau of Transportation; Chris Holben, District Department of Transportation; and Hayes Lord, New York City Department of Transportation. APBP has applied to the AICP for one Certification Maintenance credit for this webinar, and will provide an attendance certificate to those who document their professional development hours. -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Wpg Fdn Charity Pop Quiz - help Green Action Centre win $910!
by Beth McKechnie 16 Apr '12

16 Apr '12

*** Please feel free to share widely *** The Winnipeg Foundation is hosting a charity pop quiz challenge, and the winning charities will receive $910. Please play every day this week to help that charity be Green Action Centre! Plus it's fun and you learn stuff. Like today's question, which I got wrong! The link to play is: http://on.fb.me/CharityPopQuiz *Today's question is: Which charity operates out of the oldest building in Winnipeg? * thanks for your help, 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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy
by Mike Tutthill 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

A few relevant highlights from NCCHPP's Newsletter: *Events* *CAN - Healthy Communities and Planning for Active Transportation: Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk<http://politiquespubliques.inspq.qc.ca/url.php?i=2728&f=News&l=En> * The Ontario Professional Planners Institute is organizing this conference on active transportation in Markham on September 20 and 21, 2012. Speakers will look at trends, planning and success stories in active transport. *US - True urbanism: planning healthy communities for all<http://politiquespubliques.inspq.qc.ca/url.php?i=2727&f=News&l=En> * This conference, organized by The International Making Cities Livable Council, will examine the evidence, and focus on ways we can reshape the built environment to increase physical and social health and well-being. The conference takes place in Portland Oregon from May 20 to 24, 2012. *Publications* ***INT - Greenhouse Gases – Emissions, Measurement and Management - The Environmental and Population Health Benefits of Active Transport: A Review<http://politiquespubliques.inspq.qc.ca/url.php?i=2720&f=News&l=En> * This 504-page book collects studies of recent advances in the understanding of greenhouse gases that are essential to stopping climate change and global warming. Chapter 19 deals with the benefits of active transportation to the environment and to public health. It was produced by Richard Larouche from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. -- Mike Tutthill Planning & Community Engagement Consultant HEALTH in COMMON 200 - 141 Bannatyne Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R3 tel: 204.946.1888 1.800.731.1792 fax: 204.284.2404 email: mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca web: www.healthincommon.ca +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ *Health in Common on Facebook*< http://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-in-Common/120069149875> ü Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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Ceding ASRTS to seed a garden
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 12 Apr '12

12 Apr '12

*please post to your networks as you see fit* Dear AT Network, I am writing with news about staffing changes at the Active and Safe Routes to School Program. After 7 years as program coordinator for the Active and Safe Routes to School Program at Green Action Centre, I will be taking a 6 month leave of absence (May - November) to more deeply explore my dream of farming! Because we do not know what my level of involvement with this project will be after November 2012, we have made some changes in the project management and staffing of the program to ensure it continues to operate smoothly. It's exciting to have such a capable and competent team at the helm who are dedicated to children's mobility and active transportation and who can ensure the ASRTS program continues to grow and support the exciting uptake that is taking place around the province and Canada. Shoni Litinsky, Lea Grzenda and Masha Giller will all stay with the program, however will shift some of their responsibilities to fill in my absence. We are also excited to announce that Anders Swanson will be working with the ASRTS Team to assist with some program development, namely the creation of an IPAD application that will build our capacity related to mapping and data collection for school travel planning. I believe I can speak for the other ASRTS Staff that Anders will be an asset to this project! I will remain connected to the project one day per week throughout my leave in order to assist with the transition and will always be a supporter willing to share information, resources and opinions (!) about sustainable transportation and Active and Safe Routes to School. Please note that my e-mail address will shift to jackie(a)greenactioncentre.ca, and the e-mail "asrts(a)greenactioncentre.ca" will be directed to Shoni Litinsky after May 1st, 2012. My best to you all this summer. I look forward to crossing bike-paths with you soon! Sincerely, Jackie -- *Jackie Avent* Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> | Active and Safe Routes to School 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3773 Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/> Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/>

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