- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Biking To The Supermarket Made Easy
by Erik Dickson 23 Jul '11

23 Jul '11

Now if only the shopping cart disconnects from the frame to be used inside the store!

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Exciting legislation regarding TDM in CA
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jul '11

20 Jul '11

Interesting progress on a commuting-related bill in California that was circulated on the TDM listserv. (Okay, I find it exciting but maybe not everyone does!) cheers, Beth "California Senate Bill 582, authored by state Sen. Leland Yee (D-San Francisco), is now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk and awaiting the Governor’s signature after passing both houses of the state Legislature last week. The bill, which was jointly sponsored by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), aims to reduce both traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a four-year pilot program under which local air districts and metropolitan planning organizations could require employers with 50 or more employees (or, at the agencies’ discretion, 20 or more employees) to adopt commute benefit policies that offer workers one of the following: * the option to pay for their transit, vanpooling or bicycling expenses with pretax dollars, as allowed by federal law; * a transit or vanpool subsidy of $75 per month; * a free shuttle or vanpool operated by or for the employer; or * any employer-chosen alternative to these options that can be demonstrated to provide an equal or greater benefit." -- *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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What do you think? - I can't park my bike outside or it will get stolen
by Beth McKechnie 19 Jul '11

19 Jul '11

Hi everyone, Thought you might be interested in commenting on the latest green 'myth' posted on the Green Action Centre website as part of our mythbusting series. Often you'll hear people say they don't want to bike to work or a destination where they have to park their bike for any length of time as it will get stolen. What do you think? http://greenactioncentre.ca/2011/you-cant-park-your-bike-outside-it-will-ge… 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) 925-3772 | 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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Free transit for life - if you give up your car
by Stacy Matwick 19 Jul '11

19 Jul '11

Spanish city lets you trade in your car for a lifetime pass on public transit by Sarah Laskow 13 Jul 2011 1:26 PM - Grist http://www.grist.org/list/2011-07-13-spanish-city-lets-you-trade-in-your-ca… cheers Stacy Matwick Information Centre International Institute for Sustainable Development 161 Portage Ave. E., 6th floor Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4 Voice: (204)958-7755 Fax: (204)958-7710 Email: smatwick(a)iisd.ca<mailto:smatwick@iisd.ca> IISD Research Library web page: http://www.iisd.org/ic SD-Cite: IISD Research Library database: http://sd-cite.iisd.org<http://sd-cite.iisd.org/> GENERata web-magazine: http://www.iisd.org/generata/ "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" Groucho Marx

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After School Recreation Project Announcement
by Beth McKechnie 18 Jul '11

18 Jul '11

Recreation Connections Manitoba and Green Action Centre are pleased to announce the pilot sites for After The School Bell Rings: A Manitoba After School Recreation Project have been selected. *Please refer to attached announcement for more information!*****

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Winter Weather Warrior contest
by Beth McKechnie 18 Jul '11

18 Jul '11

Though no one is probably thinking about winter during this hot sunny weather, here's an interesting approach used to encourage cold weather riding. -cheers, Beth *December 15, 2010* Capital Bikeshare Winter Weather Warrior Contest Capital Bikeshare encourages greater use of the system during the frigid winter months by launching a contest. http://www.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/About+DDOT/News+Room/Snow+Announcements/Capital+B… (Washington, DC) Today Capital Bikeshare launched the details of its Winter Weather Warrior contest, designed to encourage greater use of the system during the frigid winter months. All Capital Bikeshare annual and monthly members are eligible to participate in the contest which begins January 1 and lasts through February 28. The member with the greatest number of trips in the two month span will be awarded with a three year extension of their membership, two annual memberships to give away to family or friends, a $100 Hudson Trail gift card and a $25 Starbucks gift card. Additional contests will take place to honor other cold-weather riders, including monthly “Long Haul Rider” and “Most Saddle Time” contests. All members who ride every day during the two month period will be given a prize for perfect attendance. Photo contests and random drawings will also be announced throughout the duration of the contest. All Capital Bikeshare members interested in participating must opt in to the contest. By opting in, members agree to be listed by name on the weekly leader board, and on both Facebook and Twitter if they win any of the various contests. For more details about the contest or to opt in, visit www.godcgo.com/winterweatherwarrior.aspx.

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Exhaust-ing ride for cyclists: Air pollutants trigger heart risk
by Beth McKechnie 15 Jul '11

15 Jul '11

Exhaust-ing ride for cyclists: Air pollutants trigger heart risk In big cities around the world, cyclists breathe an array of pollutants from exhaust-spewing cars. A new study has now found a link between cycling on high traffic roads and heart risks. Even healthy cyclists had harmful changes in their heart rates. Experts say cyclists should stick to their two-wheels, however, pointing to simple solutions to reduce exposure. By Brett Israel Environmental Health News July 6, 2011 http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/exhaust-ing-ride-for-cyclis… NEW YORK – Even by this city's standards, the Garment District is an imposing place to ride a bike. A never-ending parade of delivery trucks rumbles along 8th Avenue between 34th and 42nd streets, leaving a wake of gritty exhaust for cyclists to feel, smell and breathe. After riding in the Garment District, Robert "Rocket" Ruiz, a 13-year veteran of the bike messenger business, would often look into the bathroom mirror and see his face covered in grime. "I remember having to wash my face three or four times a day," said Ruiz, now the head dispatcher for Quik Trak Messenger Service. "There's nothing but tar and smoke on your face." Ruiz, a star on the Travel Channel's bike messenger show "Triple Rush," said he once had to miss a day of work to see a doctor because of exhaust burning his eyes. Pedaling behind pollutant-spewing cars and trucks may not seem as scary as being hit by one, but scientists say it can pose invisible dangers. Now, for the first time, cycling in heavy traffic has been linked to a heart health risk, Canadian researchers reported last month. A new study found cyclists in Ottawa, Ontario, had heart irregularities in the hours after their exposure to a variety of air pollutants on busy roads. Pedaling behind pollutant-spewing cars and trucks may not seem as scary as being hit by one, but scientists say it can pose invisible dangers."Our findings suggest that short-term exposure to traffic may have a significant impact on cardiac autonomic function in healthy adults," the scientists from Health Canada, Environment Canada and the University of Ottawa wrote in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The study does not suggest that bikers would be better off driving, experts say. Rather, the findings intensify the scrutiny on cyclists' pollution exposure, and point to simple solutions for a cleaner ride, such as avoiding busy roads like 8th Avenue whenever possible. "It's something that actually concerns a lot of people that do cycle," said Michael Brauer, a cyclist and atmospheric scientist at the University of British Columbia who was not involved in the new study. "People want to understand their risk. They're just thinking all the time, 'Is this good for me? Is this bad for me? I'm doing my part, but there's this car that's throwing this exhaust in my face.' " For the study, 42 healthy, non-smoking cyclists wore heart monitors before, during and after cycling for one hour on high- and low-traffic roads between May and September last year. Instruments on the bikes' panniers measured exposure to air pollution. [image: 2011-0706cyclingmom] Brett IsraelStudy results point to simple solutions for a cleaner ride, such as avoiding busy roads whenever possible. Short-term exposure to heavy traffic significantly decreased heart rate variability in the cyclists for up to three hours after they finished cycling. Experts say reduced heart rate variability is associated with a higher risk of heart attacks. "A very healthy person is like a Ferrari," said Arden Pope, an expert in the health effects of air pollution and professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. "Step on the gas and it really goes fast. Step on the brakes and it really slows down. The human heart, you want it to be like that too." But with lower heart rate variability, the heart is behaving more like a minivan than a Ferrari, Pope said, meaning that it is less able to respond to stress. Researchers are not sure how air pollution alters heart rate variability, Pope said. One idea is that particles in the lungs cause inflammation, which throws off the body's ability to carry out its automatic functions. No respiratory effects were found in the cyclists. The researchers did not find any significant changes in their lung function, probably because all the cyclists were healthy, and most had no asthma or other respiratory problems. Around the world, researchers have found that whenever fine particles increase in the air, deaths and hospitalizations from asthma, heart attacks and other cardiopulmonary problems increase, too. Hours to weeks of exposure to particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which peak during rush hours, can trigger cardiovascular effects, according to the American Heart Association. Researchers are not sure how air pollution alters heart rate variability. One idea is that particles in the lungs cause inflammation, which throws off the body's ability to carry out its automatic functions.For the Canadian cyclists, when their exposure to certain pollutants, including ultrafine particles, nitrogen dioxide or ozone, increased, their heart rate variability decreased, according to the study. Sheer proximity to tailpipes is one reason why cyclists have a high exposure to the tiny particle pollutants, which are emitted by vehicles along with thousands of other chemicals. Diesel buses and trucks are among the worst offenders. "The closer you are to the source of the fresh exhaust, the worse it is," said Patrick Ryan, an environmental epidemiologist at the University of Cincinnati, who studies the health effects of traffic-related pollution. Near the tailpipe, these particles are small enough to lodge deep in the lungs, triggering heart attacks and hospitalizations from lung diseases such as asthma. Tiny particles can also cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially harming the nervous system. Farther away from the tailpipe, these particles clump together, growing too large to lodge deeply, Ryan said. That's why even a small separation from cars, created by physical barriers to traffic – something that's missing for most of 8th Avenue – is important for cyclists. Two white stripes of paint, with a few feet of cycling space between them, is all that is reserved for bikers on this crowded street. Trucks commonly idle on the bike lane. Heavy traffic creates a wind tunnel that traps pollution on the road, according to a study by the California Air Resources Board. A 2010 study of cyclists in the Netherlands showed that hard-pedaling, deep-breathing cyclists on busy roads inhale more of this dirty air. In many cases, they also spend more time exposed to it compared to someone driving the same distance. "Those things add up and they give cyclists that cycle in traffic a high exposure," Brauer said. [image: 2011-0706cyclingpan]Todd Mecklem/flickr<http://www.flickr.com/photos/toddmecklem/4994420417/> Cyclists brave not only traffic, but rain and oil-slicked roads in Portland, Ore. But whether that exposure ups a cyclist's risk for heart or breathing problems has been less well established. One small study of Netherlands cyclists found a weak link between exposure to ultrafine particles and soot and airway inflammation. The new study of Canadian cyclists does not mean that people should lock up their bikes and hop back into the driver's seat, said Brauer. Another study has shown that drivers have higher respiratory problems than cyclists because of their higher exposure to volatile organic chemicals in vehicle exhaust. "In stop-and-go traffic, [drivers] have more exposure than a cyclist who stays 15 feet or more from the tailpipes," said Rebecca Serna, executive director of the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, a cycling advocacy group. The health benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks from air pollution and traffic collisions relative to car driving, according to one estimate by researchers in the Netherlands, where cycling is king. Taking cars off the road also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents. "In general, you're better off cycling than not," Brauer said. "The physical activity benefits outweigh negative impacts. But you'd like there to be no impacts." Exposure to dirty air adds to the perception problem that cycling is unsafe, said C.H. Christine Bae, an urban planner at the University of Washington in Seattle, who specializes in how bike facilities affect air pollution exposure. The Canadian study authors have a simple solution. Avoid busy streets. "In general, you're better off cycling than not. The physical activity benefits outweigh negative impacts. But you'd like there to be no impacts." *– Michael Brauer, cyclist and atmospheric scientist, University of British Columbia*"When possible it may be prudent to select cycling routes that reduce exposure to traffic and/or to avoid cycling outdoors or exercise indoors on days with elevated air pollution levels," the research team wrote. Others agree. "Our recommendations to cyclists would be to avoid busy as streets as much as possible," said Dimitri Stanich, a spokesman for California's Air Resources Board. Of course, cyclists might want to avoid busy streets for a number of reasons – fewer distracted drivers being one. But the busiest streets also have the dirtiest air, with ultrafine particle and soot exposure highest on busy roads, according to a recent study. Bike routes should aim to minimize time spent on these high-traffic roads, the Canadian researchers wrote. This would reduce exposures of riders who may be more susceptible to the immediate health risks of traffic-related air pollution, such as the elderly, children, and pregnant mothers. A study of bike lanes in Portland, Ore., showed that lanes separated by planters, not just by white paint, actually decreased cyclists' air pollution exposure. A Belgian study of traffic pollution found that cycling as little as several feet off the road gave measurable differences in exposure. Getting cyclists out from behind the cars helps, too. In Portland, when traffic stops at a red light, cyclists have a designated area at the front of the line of cars, called a bicycle box, which helps them navigate turns and flee the tailpipe fumes. [image: 2011-0706waitingspace] Spacing Magazine<http://www.flickr.com/photos/spacing/1121822878/>Solutions like this bicycle box in Portland help cyclists flee tailpipe fumes. "Little things like that can help a lot to reduce exposure to cyclists," Bae said. If a little is good, more is better. Brauer says the preliminary results of his lab's work suggest that bike lanes are best when built one block from a major traffic artery. Despite the emerging research, Bae said that she does not know of any cities that consider cyclists' pollution exposure when designing bike lanes. Including Vancouver, where Brauer cycles, many of the cities that built bike lanes one block away from a major road thought about cost, not pollution. "Most were done by accident, because they were cheaper," Brauer said. "But they actually give you an air pollution benefit."

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The Herald: AT supporters want greenway included in road project
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '11

13 Jul '11

[As someone who thoroughly enjoyed cycling out to the Winnipeg Folk Festival this past weekend via NE Pioneers Greenway, Raleigh and the Floodway trail, I wholeheartedly agree with the need for this AT bridge over the Perimeter. It's extremely dangerous trying to run/cycle across multiple lanes of heavy traffic going 110+ kph! No matter how many times we do it, it's just as scary every time. -Beth] Active transportation supporters want greenway included in road project By: Adrian Alleyne Posted: 07/13/2011 http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/herald/Active-transportati… Some local active transportation advocates want to see the Northeast Pioneers Greenway extended as part of a series of proposed roadway improvements near Lagimodiere Boulevard and the Perimeter Highway. The provincial government has proposed making changes to the intersection to ease traffic congestion in the area. Sigrun Bailey and Louise Balaban, co-chairs of the River East Neighbourhood Network - Trail Committee, said the improvements would be an ideal opportunity to extend the trail further north to Birds Hill Provincial Park. The avid cyclists said what they would like to see is a bridge built that would allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Perimeter at Raleigh Street, similar to the one that was recently built near Birds Hill. A bridge would allow individuals to travel uninterrupted along the greenway and connect to the Floodway Trail System that leads to Birds Hill. "We’re trying to get a safe facility for non-motorized transportation," said Bailey, who lives in North Kildonan. "It’s also a health issue, getting people active." The province’s plans include construction of a full interchange at the intersection at an estimated cost of $80 to $100 million. "Basically we would be building an interchange that would allow motorists in all directions to go through that intersection of roadways without stopping," said Don McRitchie, a spokesperson for Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation. McRitchie cautioned that any extension of the greenway would have to be a shared initiative between the city and the Rural Municipality of East St. Paul. Bailey said it would be a mistake not to include the active transit trail in the province’s plans. "They’re not considering active transportation, which is ludicrous," she said. "They’re forcing people to be in their cars." Balaban said the proposed bridge would make the intersection safer for both cyclists and pedestrians. "You can’t ride your bike on the shoulder with semitrailers going by at 80 km/h," said Balaban, an East Kildonan resident. "We need to have a trail all the way to Birds Hill." Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), said plans are already in place for the greenway to be extended to Glenway Avenue once the construction of Chief Peguis Trail is complete. However, he said extending it to Birds Hill likely isn’t something the city could consider at this time. Bailey said she fears there might never be another opportunity to extend the greenway. "They all say they’re for it, but I’m afraid it will slip between the cracks," she said. "It’s a win-win for everybody, so everyone should chip in." adrian.alleyne(a)canstarnews.com

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Active Transportation Canada - New Posts July 12, 2011
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '11

13 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Haynes <activetransportation(a)rogers.com> Date: Tue, Jul 12, 2011 at 10:51 AM Subject: Active Transportation Canada - New Posts July 12, 2011 Dear Listserv Members: More than 20 new items have been posted on the Active Transportation-Canada Website. A complete list of titles may be found in the "Blog Archive" box, located on the right margin of the Website. Some sample new items: 1. Ottawa - Bike lanes earn rave reviews on first morning commute<http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Bike+lanes+earn+rave+reviews+first+mo…> 2. Product review: Top five skateboarding helmets for ultimate protection and safety <http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ycn-8779805> 3. Moncton - Bike Battles continue<http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/1422093> Active Transportation Canada URL: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com A "Search" function is available on the site. You will find this at the bottom of the page. With more than 1,000 items posted on Active Transportation - Canada, there are links available to dozens of studies and hundreds of news items from communities across Canada and the world. If anyone has a problem reading this message, please let me know. I welcome suggestions for posts, so if you have news items featuring your community, please share them with the other subscribers from Canada, the US, and Australia on Active Transportation-Canada. Thank you. Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions

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America's Top Cities for Bike Commuting: Happier, Too
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jul '11

13 Jul '11

America's Top Cities for Bike Commuting: Happier, Too By Richard Florida Jun 22 2011, 11:41 AM ET http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/06/americas-top-cities-for-bik… *A nationwide analysis shows that towns where people bike to work are richer, fitter, and more successful in many other ways * Riding a bike through a city, David Byrne wrote in his book *Bicycle Diaries<http://books.google.com/books?id=5Ar9V-4z9PwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Bicycl…> *, "is like navigating the collective neural pathways of some vast global mind." Biking, he adds, "facilitates a state of mind that allows some but not too much of the unconscious to bubble up. As someone who believes that much of the source of his work and creativity is to be gleaned from those bubbles, it's a reliable place to find that connection." Cycling is one of my own great passions. I like nothing more than to get on my road bike and just go. My bike is not just a great way to get around, it's a great way to get to know cities. It's also a good way to stay in shape, as witnessed by this post<http://www.livingstreetsalliance.org/2011/05/americas-fittest-cities/>at the Living Streets Alliance blog, which noted the uncanny overlap between the places listed in my post<http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/05/americas-fittest-cities/239…>on America's Fittest Cities and the cities where the greatest percentages of people who bike to work live. That got me wondering what other characteristics of metropolitan areas might be associated with higher levels of cycling. With the help of my colleague Charlotta Mellander, I took a quick look at the numbers. We used data from the American Community Survey<http://www.census.gov/acs/www/>(ACS) on the share of people by metro area who commute to work by bike. Nationally, less than one (0.6) percent of Americans ride their bikes to work. But the share of bike commuters varies quite a bit across metros. The gallery below lists ACS figures for the top 15 metros with the largest shares of bike commuters. (These data cover entire metros; data for core or center cities may be higher.) At the top of the list are Eugene, Oregon, and Fort Collins, Colorado, where more than 5 percent of commuters bike to work. College towns dominate the list—Boulder, Colorado, Madison, Wisconsin, Santa Cruz, California, Iowa City, Iowa, Gainesville, Florida, and State College, Pennsylvania, among others. But bigger metros like Portland, Oregon, Honolulu, Sacramento, San Francisco, and San Jose (Silicon Valley) also rank highly. (Source: American Community Survey, Share of Commuters Who Bike to Work) <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/> Top Cities for Biking Flickr/Kris Hurst 15 :: Iowa City, IA *Share of Commuters who Bike to Work*: 2.22% *Median Household Income*: $49,535 *Creative Class*: 32.46% <http://www.census.gov/acs/www/> All of this raises the question: What is it about these metros and others where cycling to work is more prevalent? So Mellander and I compared these figures on bike commuting to key social and economic characteristics of metros. Though all we are looking at are associations—our analysis does not infer causality and other factors may come into play—some of the findings are rather intriguing. First off, metros where more people cycle to work are more affluent. Metros with a greater share of bike commuters have higher average wages (with a correlation of .5). They have higher levels of education or human capital (a correlation of .5) and more knowledge-based economies as well. Cycling to work is positively associated with the share of creative class jobs (.3) and negatively associated with working class jobs (-.4). They're more diverse. The share of commuters who cycle to work to work is positively associated with higher levels of immigrants (.3) and even more so with higher concentrations of gays and lesbians (.4). <http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/richard_florida/Florida_biking2…> Cycling to work also goes together with happiness. The percentage of cycling commuters is positively associated with levels of happiness and well-being, which we measure via Gallup surveys (with correlation of .5). As for fitness, the hunch by the folks at the Living Streets Alliance was right. Metros with a higher percentage of cycling commuters boast higher rates of fitness on the American College of Sports Medicine's<http://www.acsm.org/> American Fitness Index™<http://www.americanfitnessindex.org/docs/reports/2011_afi_report_final.pdf> (with a correlation between the two of .5). Biking metros are richer, better-educated, and more fit than non-biking places. They're happier, and, as exemplified by Mr. Byrne, more creative too. *Richard Florida is Senior Editor at **The Atlantic and Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute at the University of Toronto. * **

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