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Montreal considering separate traffic laws for cyclists
by Beth McKechnie 17 Mar '18

17 Mar '18

Many cyclists (including this one) complain that rules designed for cars don't make sense for bikes. Some even occasionally just slow down for stop signs. In the City of Montreal they are finally having a look at this, and developing new rules for cyclists. Full story: https://www.treehugger.com/bikes/montreal-considering-separate-traffic-laws…

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WFP: Mayor mulls snow-clearing changes after complaints (Mar.15'18)
by Beth McKechnie 15 Mar '18

15 Mar '18

* Mayor mulls snow-clearing changes after complaints* COMPLAINTS about the poor job of sidewalk clearing following last week’s snowstorm have prompted Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman to speculate about changing how the work is done. Bowman told reporters Wednesday he is willing to change the sidewalk snow-clearing policy, if the city can afford it. “I’m open to making changes, if we can improve the quality of service for thosewho rely on our sidewalks to get around our city,” Bowman said. “I think reviewing the policy is a good idea. I think we should be open to changes that can work within our financial means to improve the quality of service for those that have accessibility needs.” Advocates for the disabled, cyclists and transit have long complained the policy favours vehicles over other forms of transportation, and last week’s storm only added to the controversy. While most Winnipeg streets are clear of snow, sidewalks in many areas remain impassible. Many people complained city hall wasn’t following its own rules for clearing sidewalks downtown and on busy streets within 36 hours of the end of a storm. “It doesn’t matter if you’re walking, biking or taking transit, the system we have is just not working for everyone,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. “A week delay between a snowstorm and a clean street that is accessible for you is just not workable.” Allen Mankewich, a wheelchair user who lives and works downtown, said there’s no question the city is not complying with council’s direction to clear sidewalks on busy streets at the same time as the roads. “I live on a P1 (regional) street and I wasn’t even able to get down my street until earlier this week. A week after the storm, I had to go a different way each day just to get to work,” he said. Mankewich said when he tried to manoeuvre a downtown sidewalk three days after the storm, he ended up flipping his wheelchair. “The job that they’ve done wasn’t adequate,” he said. “As far as I can tell, the snow-clearing policy that is on the books, they weren’t even following that.” Mankewich said clearing sidewalks to compacted snow conditions is acceptable when the temperature falls below -20 C. When the temperature hovers around freezing, as they have since the March 5 storm, the snow is too soft and creates conditions that are impossible to traverse for people who have mobility issues and for those who use a wheelchair. He said some of those people have been forced to use roads, despite concern over safety. Councillors have been waiting two years for a report on how to improve sidewalk snow-clearing. In March 2016, the public works committee directed the public works department to work with various stakeholders— Winnipeg Trails Association, Bike Winnipeg, Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities and the city’s own active-transportation advisory committee — to establish terms of reference for a review of the policy, with the aim of developing a strategy that refocuses the priority to include sidewalks, as well as pedestrian and cycling paths. It also asked for cost estimates. After repeated delays, the administration is expected to deliver a report to the public works committee at its April 6 meeting. While Bowman said he’s looking forward to hearing what the administration has to say, Cohoe pointed out it’s taken the public works department two years just to return with a request to initiate a study that will include cost estimates and options. Cohoe said he suspects public works department staff is reluctant to initiate a study requiring council to find additional funds, if making sidewalks accessible across the city in winter is a priority. In the meantime, Bowman said he wants to know if the department complied with the sidewalk policy this past week. “The question that I’ve raised with the public service (is) whether or not the policy as directed has been followed and to what extent, over the last week,” he said. “The direction previous councils have established is that P1 (regional) sidewalks are cleared in the same priority as P1 roads. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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study of health benefits of cycling
by Jeremy Hull 14 Mar '18

14 Mar '18

Report in today's Sun: http://winnipegsun.com/life/living/cycling-slows-down-aging-study-says/wcm/… The key to the fountain of youth may rest on the back of a bicycle. A new study found that cycling can hold back the effects of aging and help boost the immune system. Researchers studied a group of 125 amateur cyclists aged 55 to 79 and compared them to a group of 75 healthy adults aged 57 to 80 who did not exercise regularly and 55 young adults between the ages of 20 and 36. It found cyclists preserved muscle mass and strength as they aged, while maintaining stable levels of body fat and cholesterol. According to the research, an organ called the thymus, which makes immune cells called T-cells, typically starts to shrink at 20-years-old. However, the thymuses of older cyclists were generating as many T-cells as those of young people. “Hippocrates in 400 BC said that exercise is man’s best medicine, but his message has been lost over time and we are an increasingly sedentary society,” said professor Janet Lord, director of the Institute of Inflammation and Aging at the University of Birmingham to the U.K. Guardian <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/mar/08/cycling-keeps-your-imm…> . “However, importantly, our findings debunk the assumption that ageing automatically makes us more frail. Our research means we now have strong evidence that encouraging people to commit to regular exercise throughout their lives is a viable solution to the problem that we are living longer but not healthier.” The study’s findings were outlined in two papers for the journal Aging Cell <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1474-9726>.

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WFP: City homes in on option two for greenway extension (Mar.14'18)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Mar '18

14 Mar '18

City homes in on option two for greenway extension *Addition will connect pedestrians from St. James to Dan Mac * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/sports/City-homes-in-on-o… *l* The City of Winnipeg is prioritizing a fasttracked option for the Yellow Ribbon Greenway extension. On March 6, the CoW hosted a public info session on the YRG at the Bord-Aire Community Centre (417 Hampton St.), which saw a small but engaged turnout. The drop-in event was aimed at providing area residents with probable plans for a pedestrian (cycling and walking) corridor to be added between the existing YRG and St. Matthews Avenue. Option one is a connected pathway which would take pedestrians northeast off of the existing greenway, just as it dips south to meet Silver Avenue. Option two is a much shorter pathway and would take cyclists and walkers north from the greenway, just before it meets Silver Avenue, to where it would join St. Matthews Avenue. The budget for option two is $750,000, while the budget for option one, including the construction of a bridge, is $1.3 million. The City’s active transportation co-ordinator Stephanie Whitehouse said most people want to see this connective trail put into place as soon as possible, and the difference for cyclists is only 60 seconds extra time with option two, making it favourable with the community as well. Whitehouse said while stakeholders and engineers explored a number of options internally, cost and timeline are big factors in why the City is tentatively moving ahead with option two. “It proved the preferred option because we can roll it out relatively quickly within this year,” Whitehouse said. “Option one wasn’t really within our current budget, so it meant construction would have to happen over a few years.” The plan looked promising to some residents. “It’s encouraging,” Westwood resident Paul Gittel said at the event. “If you have more people cycling, you’ll have a healthier population. I don’t cycle in the winter, I cross-country ski, but that adds an option for people who do (cycle).” Whitehouse said the project will connect two areas of the city that already see a lot of cycling. “What it’s supporting is, of course, local access to this amazing YRG, but as well, we want to support the commuter movement towards the downtown, where we’ve got the University of Winnipeg, the downtown core, Polo Park.” St. Matthews Avenue should also see the completion of buffered bicycle lanes this summer, which Whitehouse says is a “key corridor” towards the downtown. Coun. Scott Gillingham (St. James-Weston-Brooklands) said the extension was a campaign promise that he’s very excited to see through. “I’m hearing more and more from people that want to cycle, not just for recreation but as a means of commuting to and from work or school, and by providing this pathway, it increases the confidence that cyclists have because a lot of it will separate cyclists from vehicles,” Gillingham said. “This will connect St. James to the River Heights area and downtown, and it’s a very important project.” More info and maps can be found at winnipeg. ca/publicworks/pedestrians Cycling/ walkbikeprojects/yellowribbongreenwayextension. stm#tab-documents

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From A to B | Post event mixer confirmed!
by Mel Marginet 08 Mar '18

08 Mar '18

Greetings AT community, March 27th is *From A to B: Employee Wellness and Our Environment <http://greenactioncentre.ca/featured/2018-speaker-event-from-a-to-b-employe…>.* *When the program wraps at 4:30, we move into the ALT's Banquet Hall for a post event mixer, featuring snacks, a complimentary beverage and cash bar. This is an excellent opportunity to debrief and network in a relaxed environment. * *REGISTER TODAY! <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-a-to-b-employee-wellness-and-our-environme…>* *Don't miss this event linking Workplace Wellness and sustainability. * Dr. Frank is a Professor in Sustainable Transportation and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and President of Urban Design 4 health, Inc. which builds software tools and documents health impacts of transportation and land development actions. He specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality; and health; and in the energy use, and climate change impacts of urban form policies. He coined the term “walkability” in the early – mid 90’s; his work led to WalkScore and has been cited over 24,000 times making him one of the 2 most cited planning academics. Thompson and Reuters lists him in the top 1% globally as a highly cited researcher. Dr. Frank has published over 150 peer reviewed articles and reports and co-authored two of the leading books – *Heath and Community Design *and *Urban Sprawl and Public Health *on which helped to map out the field emerging at the nexus between built, natural, and social environments and health. Dr. Frank works directly with local, regional, provincial or state, and federal agencies and developers to help translate results from leading edge research into practice based tools. *Mel Marginet* | 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 x112 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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Inspiration from Calgary
by Beth McKechnie 07 Mar '18

07 Mar '18

DON’T LET ANYONE TELL YOU WE DON’T KNOW HOW TO INCREASE BIKING IN A CITY The latest bike counts <http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TP/Pages/Cycling/Bike-Data.aspx?redire…> from Calgary, Alberta — the site of a 2015 pilot project that cheaply installed a five-street downtown protected bike lane network <https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/calgary-rolls-out-a-downtown-protected-bike…> in one swoop — show that the Canadian city continues to be the continent’s clearest example of an auto-oriented city that got immediate results by quickly building a simple low-stress biking network in an area where many people want to go. ...in purely technical terms, Calgary’s recent experience is a message for any city that wants to change its transportation habits: Yes, it can be done. And we already know how. *Full story *(with maps!) - https://peopleforbikes.org/blog/dont-let-anyone-tell-you-that-we-dont-know-…

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We Need to Get More Kids on Bikes
by Dave Elmore 28 Feb '18

28 Feb '18

https://www.outsideonline.com/2283231/wasted-years Schools used to teach auto shop. Maybe it’s time to start teaching bike shop. Recently, as part of a series of lessons about “community helpers,” in which parents talk about their vocations, my son’s preschool teacher asked me to come in and tell the kids what I do. “What do you do, anyway?” she asked, looking me up and down. “I write about bicycles,” I replied. No doubt relieved that my job was far less sordid than my slovenly appearance might suggest, she penciled me in for an appearance between the doctors and librarians and other upstanding members of society. On the appointed day, I arrived with my props. Writing is a fairly abstract concept for three year-olds to grasp, so my presentation was heavy on the bikes. I had pictures of people racing, commuting, and just plain having fun on two wheels. I also let everyone take a spin on my son’s balance bike, and I even showed them how a Brompton works, because kids love things that make loud noises and can sever a digit. All in all, it went pretty well. Nobody wound up stuck in the Brompton like a thief in the stocks, and nobody soiled themselves. As for lessons learned, I can’t speak for the kids, but for me the balance bike test ride in particular was nothing short of a revelation. Very young children have boundless energy and relentless curiosity. While these qualities may make sitting near them in restaurants or on airplanes a living hell, when harnessed and directed, it’s a wonder to behold. Such was the case when the kids in the class finally got the green light to get out of their seats and hop on the balance bike. As a middle-aged cyclist psychically scarred from decades of anti-bike acrimony, the guileless enthusiasm and delight with which each child took to that little bike filled me with a dopey kind of joy. I felt like that bear pressing the clean shirt to his face in the fabric-softener commercial. Of course nothing pure remains untainted forever, and sooner or later that childlike joy of discovery succumbs to cynicism, apathy, or any number of the contaminants that are a by-product of age. Reading becomes onerous, math becomes a source of anxiety. Then there’s the bicycle, which most of us simply forget. When I asked the kids, “Who has a bicycle?” everyone raised a hand. Alas, I can pretty much guarantee it will be a much different story in ten years. A bike may still be de rigeur for the toddler set, but the relationship is fraught from the very start. “Not without your helmet!” screams the parent in the playground as the child attempts to straddle the Lightning McQueen bike from Toys ‘R Us, so instead the kid walks away from it in favor of the monkey bars. (For some reason, we’re comfortable with the possibility of kids falling from a great height without safety gear, but not with them puttering around helmet-less on a 10-inch bike with training wheels.) Then the bike goes home in the trunk. Since there’s no compelling reason to ride beyond recreation (we’ve pretty much killed the idea of riding to school and to visit friends), and since we’ve effectively stigmatized that recreation with our safety gear fixation, by adolescence the only kids still on bikes are the ones who were born with the burning desire to ride coursing through their veins and who have a high-risk tolerance. The rest just ride in the Hyundai until they pass their driving tests. Fortunately, more and more people are finding their way back to bikes as grown-ups. Maybe they’re looking for a new form of recreation or maybe a new bike lane in their city inspires them to try riding to work. Unfortunately, many of these people have a gaping hole in their riding experience due to those lost cycling years between early childhood and adulthood. This is one reason why American cycling can look a bit, well, silly. After all, if you didn’t come of age riding a bike, how are you supposed to know what you’re doing? The result of this experience gap is unsteady riders going against traffic, or else over-kitted dilettantes with more equipment than sense. Years ago when I was young and arrogant, my impulse was to mock them, but now I just want to hug them. “It’s not your fault,” I want to say to them as they rest their ill-fitting helmets on my shoulder. “Your best cycling years were taken from you!” The delight kids feel when presented with a bicycle is near-universal and knows no gender. What if we fostered that delight by making bikes an ongoing part of their education? In Washington, D.C., second graders are learning to ride in school <https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/all-dc-public-schools-studen…> : *“This a lifelong skill,” said Miriam Kenyon, director of health and physical education for D.C. Public Schools. “It’s a way students can get to school and it’s also a way they can exercise with their family. It promotes independence, and it’s a good way to get around.”* Why not do this everywhere? Furthermore, the desire to ride is always there, and it’s going to manifest itself one way or another. For example, all over the country, kids are participating in “ride outs <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRD47TgfYqA>.” The media likes to portray them <https://www.transalt.org/bike-forecast/2017/20/september-21st-2017-safety-n…> as the end of civilization as we know it, but an alternate view is that civilization ended when we surrendered our streets to cars and the next generation reclaiming them is merely the natural order of things. Wheelies aside, the bicycle can play a role in nearly every phase of your life. Casting it aside is like thinking you’ll never use math. Sooner or later you’re going to regret it.

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One Month Away! From A to B: Employee Wellness & Our Environment
by Heather Mitchell 26 Feb '18

26 Feb '18

On *March 27th, 2018* The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ & Green Action Centre present: *FROM A TO B: EMPLOYEE WELLNESS & OUR ENVIRONMENT <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-a-to-b-employee-wellness-and-our-environme…>* featuring keynote speaker *DR. LARRY FRANK* Author of *Health and Community Design* and *Urban Sprawl and Public Health,* and Professor and Bombardier Chair in Sustainable Transportation and Health (University of British Columbia). Join us <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-a-to-b-employee-wellness-and-our-environme…> for an informative afternoon at the Alt Hotel in Downtown Winnipeg. You'll hear from various guest speakers and organizations who are working to create healthier workplaces and communities. Following the keynote, attendees will attend three break-out sessions for a short presentation followed by group discussion. Break-out topics will be: Healthy and Sustainable Workplaces, Workplace Transportation 101, and Connecting Workplace Health to Our Environment. *$50 tickets ON SALE NOW <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/from-a-to-b-employee-wellness-and-our-environme…>! Lunch is included in price.* Contact gohappy(a)greenactioncentre.ca with any questions. Dr. Frank is a Professor in Sustainable Transportation and Public Health at the University of British Columbia and President of Urban Design 4 health, Inc. which builds software tools and documents health impacts of transportation and land development actions. He specializes in the interaction between land use, travel behavior, air quality; and health; and in the energy use, and climate change impacts of urban form policies. He coined the term “walkability” in the early – mid ’90s; his work led to WalkScore and has been cited over 24,000 times making him one of the 2 most cited planning academics. Thompson and Reuters lists him in the top 1% globally as a highly cited researcher. Dr. Frank has published over 150 peer reviewed articles and reports and co-authored two of the leading books – *Heath and Community Design* and *Urban Sprawl and Public Health* on which helped to map out the field emerging at the nexus between built, natural, and social environments and health. Dr. Frank works directly with local, regional, provincial or state, and federal agencies and developers to help translate results from leading edge research into practice based tools. -- *Heather Mitchell * Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> | 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue (204) 925-3777 ext:107 Green Action Centre is your green living hub. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/green-action-centre/>. <http://canadahelps.org/> <https://www.gomanitoba.ca/Public/Home.aspx>

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WFP: Angle parking in Exchange to be permanent, expanded (Feb.22'18)
by Beth McKechnie 22 Feb '18

22 Feb '18

*Angle parking in Exchange to be permanent, expanded * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/report-recommends- adding-angle-parking-to-more-streets-474723113.html ANGLED parking, once the domain of towns with one street light, is making a comeback in Winnipeg. An administrative report to next week’s public works committee meeting recommends backed-in, angle parking on one side of Bannatyne Avenue in the Exchange District be made permanent, and that angle parking be expanded to nearby streets. “The new back-in, angled parking on Bannatyne is a better fit for residents, businesses, and visitors alike, and we would like to thank the businesses and residents of the Exchange District for their patience, participation and feedback as this recent pilot helped us to improve parking in the area,” Coun. Mike Pagtakhan said. Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) said the return to angled parking creates more onstreet parking spaces, which is important as the popularity of the Exchange District as a shopping, dining and entertainment destination continues to grow. City hall has been testing back-in, angled parking on the south side of Bannatyne Avenue from Rorie Street to Waterfront Drive since July 2017. Changing the parallel parking stalls to back-in, angled parking, meant 10 additional cars could park in that section of Bannatyne. To facilitate the change, that stretch of Bannatyne was converted into a oneway street. An administrative report to the Feb. 27 meeting states public reaction to the new/old-style parking has been generally positive, with little effect on street traffic. The public works department is recommending Mc Dermot Avenue from Waterfront Drive to Rorie Street be converted into a one-way eastbound street with back-in, angled parking this year. The report states this would add nine parking spaces. The department is considering expanding the back-in, angled parking to other Exchange District streets, the report states, to compensate for the loss of on-street parking that resulted from the construction of protected bicycle lanes along Mc Dermot and Bannatyne avenues during 2017. With the construction of protected bike lanes along Mc Dermot and Bannatyne avenues this summer as part of the West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor project, and other bike lane projects in the vicinity, the public service is also looking at adding back-in, angled parking in a number of other locations throughout the Exchange to offset some loss of parking spots due to these projects. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Reminder: Winnipeg Climate Action Plan - Feb 27 Public Priorities Workshop
by Beth McKechnie 20 Feb '18

20 Feb '18

Recognizing that climate change is a serious global environmental problem, the City of Winnipeg is moving forward to formulate a community climate action plan, an initiative called the Winnipeg Climate Action Plan: Planning for Climate Change. Acting for People. In November 2017, stakeholders were invited to provide input into the development of the Plan. The intent of the initial phase was to create a climate vision for the City, introduce target-setting, and begin talking about climate actions. We are now inviting the public to an evening workshop where we will discuss and provide input on the draft climate actions that we have developed to date. Your participation will help to prioritize actions the City and the community partners to help reduce GHG emissions. Please see the official news release below and the attached event postcard for more detail. We look forward to seeing you there! Lindsay Mierau Office of Sustainability * * * * * For Immediate Release Tuesday, February 13, 2018 *Public invited to help shape Winnipeg's Climate Action Plan* Winnipeg, MB - The City of Winnipeg is inviting residents to a public workshop to help provide input on actions being proposed as part of Winnipeg's Climate Action Plan: Planning for Climate Change. Acting for People. The purpose of this process is to develop strategies that will lead to a community-wide climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In November 2017, the City launched the project with a public kick-off event at The University of Winnipeg. Over 70 residents attended, and provided ideas and input into Winnipeg's climate vision and targets. A follow up Facebook Live event aimed to gather more specific input about climate actions related to buildings, land use, transportation and waste in Winnipeg. "The feedback we have received from the public and our Climate Action Advisory Committee has been used to draft climate targets and actions. We have undertaken additional analysis to help prioritize these actions. Now it's time for the public to tell us if we have got it right," said Lindsay Mierau, Environmental Coordinator with the City's Office of Sustainability. Residents are invited to a public engagement session on February 27, 2018 at 6 p.m. which will allow citizens to review and provide feedback about the draft Action Plan. This will be the final opportunity for residents to participate in the process before it goes to Council for consideration in the spring. * Public Engagement Session:* * Date: Tuesday, February 27, 2018 * Time: Doors open at 5:45 p.m.; session runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. * Location: North Centennial Community Centre, 90 Sinclair Street Please RSVP by February 23, 2018 at climateactionreview.eventbrite.ca< http://www.climateactionreview.eventbrite.ca> or call 204-986-6978 to register. The Plan is funded by a Federation of Canadian Municipalities Green Municipal Fund grant totalling $94,875. For more information on the project, please visit winnipeg.ca/climateaction<http://www.winnipeg.ca/ climateaction>. -30- Media inquiries should be directed to the City of Winnipeg Media Inquiry Line at 204-986-6000 or via email at City-MediaInquiry(a)winnipeg.ca Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/cityofwinnipeg Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cityofwinnipeg

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