- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

It’s healthy to walk to school
by Mike Tutthill 09 Jul '12

09 Jul '12

July 8, 2012 It’s healthy to walk to school By Ben KnightMetro World Walking to school is simple, healthy and fun. And a large number of Canadian kids never do it. “Unlike other countries, Canada hasn’t paid much attention to the issues that people have when they travel on foot,” says Jacky Kennedy, director of Canada Walks. “At some point in our day, everybody does it, but it’s the most under-represented, ignored mode of transportation.” Canada Walks — part of the umbrella organization Green Communities Canada — is trying to raise awareness of the benefits of active transportation — walking, cycling and rollerblading. They’re trying to reach the parents of the 41 per cent of children who are routinely driven to school. “Pretty much what our society has done, over the last 30 years, is we’ve engineered physical activity out of our children’s lives,” Kennedy explains. “Our program targets the 68 per cent of Canadian children who live within a reasonable walking distance of their schools — about one-and-a-half kilometres. Only about 30 per cent of those currently use active travel to get to and from school.” There are a lot of reasons why this is. Parents worry about the safety of their kids, and there’s a compelling level of convenience to just dropping your children off at school, and driving on to the rest of your day. Kennedy counters that this caution and ease has its consequences. “Children need a minimum of 90 minutes of physical activity a day, and we know that many children aren’t getting that. If they walk to school, there isn’t a problem with burning off their excess energy.” Canada Walks does detailed assessments of the community surrounding a school. Are the walking and biking routes safe? If so, they organize programs like the Walking School Bus, where groups of children walk home together, accompanied by adults. Another program is Walk on Wednesday, where as many children as possible are asked to walk to school on the same day. With repetition, parents begin to see the health benefits — and it’s hard not to notice a substantial drop in car traffic around their school. “Parents and kids who are using active transportation some of the time are happier, they’re less stressed, they feel healthier and the kids are doing better in school,” Kennedy notes. For more info, visit saferoutestoschool.ca. http://metronews.ca/health/290147/its-healthy-to-walk-to-school/ -- Mike Tutthill Planning & Community Engagement Consultant HEALTH in COMMON 200 - 141 Bannatyne Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R3 tel: 204.946.1888 ext. 4 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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Lordy, lordy, let’s drop it to 40
by Mike Tutthill 09 Jul '12

09 Jul '12

>From the Metro: July 8, 2012 By Colin Fast <http://metronews.ca/author/cfast/>Metro Winnipeg This month, city council is discussing lowering school zone speed limits to 30 km/h. If approved, it would take about five years and $1 million to install hundreds of new speed limit signs throughout the city. While the goal of the plan is definitely worthwhile — improving road safety for children — there’s a couple of problems with the suggested approach. First, it’s unnecessarily confusing. The lower limits would only be in effect from September to June, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. No word yet on what happens during holidays or in-service days, so you’d be advised to keep a copy of the local school calendar pinned to your dashboard. Second, while there’s a concentration of kids around schools, they’re not the only places where children deal with traffic. Just getting to school usually involves walking or biking outside the school zone boundaries. Kids also use school playgrounds and gyms in the evening, they play at neighbourhood parks, and they run around in front of their own houses. All of which has me wondering if there’s an alternative that could be a lot simpler, safer, and much quicker to implement. What if we just lowered the residential speed limit in general? Now I can already hear howls from drivers if I suggested a 30 km/h limit across the city, so 40 km/h might be a good compromise. And offset that by actually increasing speeds on some regional streets that are currently posted artificially low (Grant Avenue and Kenaston Boulevard, I’m looking at you). Given the condition of many of our residential streets, 40 km/h is probably the limit for a car’s suspension anyway, but it also significantly increases safety. According to transportation experts, a pedestrian or cyclist hit at 50 km/h is two to three times more likely to die as one hit at 40 km/h. One could logically assume that injuries and property damage are also greatly reduced at the lower speed. Edmonton recently experimented with 40 km/h speed limits in several residential neighbourhoods, and saw a 25 per cent drop in severe collisions. Councillors in Ottawa are now talking about a 40 km/h limit, several cities in Australia have adopted them, and in the U.K. there’s a thriving campaign based around the idea of lowering residential limits to 20 mph (about 32 km/h). By lowering the residential limit to 40 km/h, we’d not only make our streets safer for kids, but for every pedestrian, cyclist and driver for that matter. We’d reduce collisions, save money on insurance premiums, and cut back on gas consumption. We’d prevent driver confusion from having a patchwork of different speed limits, and avoid the visual pollution of adding hundreds of new signs to the streets. And at what cost? It might take the average driver one or two more minutes to get where they’re going. That’s a trade-off I’d be more than willing to make. -- Mike Tutthill Planning & Community Engagement Consultant HEALTH in COMMON 200 - 141 Bannatyne Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R3 tel: 204.946.1888 ext. 4 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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MPI launches new bicycle safety campaign
by Anders Swanson 08 Jul '12

08 Jul '12

[read this in the Metro, text pasted below - Anders] Manitoba Public Insurance is launching a new program to educate motorists and cyclists about road safety and the obligation to share the road safely. Active Transportation (AT) Plan is a three-year program focused on safety for cyclists and pedestrians and raises cycling awareness for drivers. The ‘Cycling Champion’ program, under the AT Plan, aims to enhance cycling safety programs geared towards children and adults. All materials to do a presentation are provided at no charge by MPI. For more information or to register for a workshop, people can call Manitoba Public Insurance Road Safety at 204-985-8737. link to the original article: http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/288905/mpi-launches-new-bicycle-safety-ca…

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Fwd: 4 Publications - Traffic Calming and Road Safety, Air Quality, Noise and Active Transportation (Summary)
by Mike Tutthill 04 Jul '12

04 Jul '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: NCCHPP <marianne.jacques(a)inspq.qc.ca> Date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 3:07 PM Subject: 4 Publications - Traffic Calming and Road Safety, Air Quality, Noise and Active Transportation (Summary) To: "mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca" <mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca> ** *Our apologies for cross-posting.* Hello, The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) has published four summaries based on *Urban Traffic Calming and Health: A Literature Review.* These documents briefly present the effects of traffic-calming measures on road safety, air quality, environmental noise and active transportation. Each of these documents presents the mechanisms of action underlying traffic-calming strategies, the results of evaluative studies and their implications for public health actors. They are available in English and in French at: *-Urban Traffic Calming and Road Safety: Effects and Implications for Practice *http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/publications.ccnpps?id_article=719<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> ** *-Urban Traffic Calming and Air Quality: Effects and Implications for Practice *http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=751<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> *-Urban Traffic Calming and Environmental Noise: Effects and Implications for Practice* http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=753<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> *-Urban Traffic Calming and Active Transportation: Effects and Implications for Practice *http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=794<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> The literature review is also available in English and in French at: http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=686<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> You can also find other traffic calming resources at: http://www.ncchpp.ca/174/news.ccnpps<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=http%3…> If you have questions or feedback, please contact Olivier Bellefleur at: olivier.bellefleur(a)inspq.qc.ca<http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/redirect.aspx?id=984433&idcampagne=2399&url=mailto…> . Best regards, Marianne Jacques Network Development Officer National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) 190 Crémazie Est, Montréal, Québec Phone : 514-864-1600, ext. 3613 Email : marianne.jacques(a)inspq.qc.ca Click here if you want to be removed from this list. <http://netmail.ccnpps.ca/unsubscribe.aspx?email=mtutthill@healthincommon.ca…> -- Mike Tutthill Planning & Community Engagement Consultant HEALTH in COMMON 200 - 141 Bannatyne Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 0R3 tel: 204.946.1888 ext. 4 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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4 Publications - Traffic Calming and Road Safety, Air Quality, Noise and Active Transportation (Summary)
by Marianne.Jacques＠inspq.qc.ca 04 Jul '12

04 Jul '12

Our apologies for cross-posting. The National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) has published four summaries based on Urban Traffic Calming and Health: A Literature Review. These documents briefly present the effects of traffic-calming measures on road safety, air quality, environmental noise and active transportation. Each of these documents presents the mechanisms of action underlying traffic-calming strategies, the results of evaluative studies and their implications for public health actors. They are available in English and in French at: -Urban Traffic Calming and Road Safety: Effects and Implications for Practice. http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/publications.ccnpps?id_article=719 -Urban Traffic Calming and Air Quality: Effects and Implications for Practice http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=751 -Urban Traffic Calming and Environmental Noise: Effects and Implications for Practice http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=753 -Urban Traffic Calming and Active Transportation: Effects and Implications for Practice http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=794 The literature review is also available in English and in French at: http://www.ncchpp.ca/175/Publications.ccnpps?id_article=686 You can also find other traffic calming resources at: http://www.ncchpp.ca/174/news.ccnpps If you have questions or feedback, please contact Olivier Bellefleur at: olivier.bellefleur(a)inspq.qc.ca. Best regards, Marianne Jacques Network Development Officer National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) 190 Crémazie Est, Montréal, Québec Phone : 514-864-1600, ext. 3613 Email : marianne.jacques(a)inspq.qc.ca

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Floodway Trail Announcement - Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at 1:15 pm
by Janice Lukes 02 Jul '12

02 Jul '12

It brings me huge joy to be able to send this - please share with others who may be interested. WHAT: Official Opening of the new Red River Floodway trail and PTH 59 Pedestrian Overpass Bridge WHEN: 1:15 pm July 3, 2012 DETAILS : See attachment Some of us have worked on this since 2004 - pre 'Bike to the Future' - pre my involvement with 'Winnipeg Trails Association' The newsletters reveal an interesting overview of this project since inception - never the 'full story' but a good one none the less: http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/newsletter.html This was the most recent posting on the floodway trail: Pg 3: http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/pdf/floodway_nwsltr_eng_2011.pdf When the Manitoba Floodway Authority announced they would be overseeing the 'floodway expansion' - Robert (Bob) Roehle - founder of the Farmers' Market in St. Norbert, Lorna Hendrickson - Executive Director of Rivers West at the time, and I met to discuss what we could do related to GREENWAYS / TRAILS / the floodway and St. Norbert back in 2004 - Rivers West aligned to focus on this legacy project - from workshops, to tons of meetings of MLA's / MP's / etc - to taking a bus load of politicians / mayors / reeves to see the 'recreation' on Grand Fork's floodway protection system - the process / pathway to ensuring recreation was incorporated into the floodway expansion has been like no other. There have been various media stories over the years - but tomorrow is the 'official announcement' - opening. Maybe you can attend! The Premier will be speaking - reps from Conservation / MIT / Wolseley / Ft. Rouge / St. Norbert & Rossmere have been invited by the Manitoba Floodway Authority. WOW - Janice Lukes Past Co-Chair, Red River Floodway Trails Coalition

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ICBC backs plan for province wide bike training
by Cara Fisher 29 Jun '12

29 Jun '12

http://www.vancouversun.com/ICBC+backs+plan+provincewide+bike+training+stan… The Insurance Corp. of B.C. is investing $24,000 in a BC Cycling Coalition initiative to develop a provincewide standard for bicycle training. "While new bike lanes continue to hit the head-lines, there has been no attention on the need to provide willing cyclists with the skills they might need to start riding," states the BCCC release. "Voluntary and commercial organizations have offered a variety of cycling courses across B.C. for years but there is no coordination or consistency on what is taught." A standardized cycling training program will lead to more knowledgeable and safer cyclists, said ICBC community involvement manager Jared Huber. The initiative, Right to Bike, will develop courses that incorporate various levels of cycling ability. It will also focus, at least initially, on bicycle instruction in schools. Vancouver-based HUB - formerly the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition - is a not-for-profit society that offers cycling training courses. It is also backing BCCC's initiative. "Cyclists should have access to education," said executive director Erin O'Melinn, adding "the best way to do that is to go through schools and teach children how to ride [as well as] the rules of the road." However, O'Melinn said cyclist-related training for drivers is equally important and that B.C.'s driver-training regime is inadequate, especially when compared to places like Europe. The City of Vancouver wants to make cycle safety awareness a key component of all B.C. driver training courses and examinations, according to its Transportation 2040 plan. "The driving environment has changed," city transportation director Jerry Dobrovolny said in a telephone interview. "We've got bike lanes now and bike boxes and [a lane] that denotes bikes and cars have to share.... A lot has changed in 30 years." The city plans to discuss this new infrastructure with ICBC, which conducts driver training courses and over-sees licence examinations. The discussions will also include feedback the city received on cycling issues during its transportation plan consultation process. Drivers may endorse the city's initiative, according to a Harris/Decima poll conducted recently for the Canadian Automobile Association. Ninety-two per cent of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat support including more information on cyclists in young driver programs. When ICBC was asked whether it would support the city's initiative, spokesman Adam Grossman replied in an email that the insurer already incorporates a great deal into its training and testing regimes regarding sharing the road with cyclists. Three pages in its Learn to Drive Smart guide deal specifically with cyclists. Topics include maintaining a wide margin when passing bicycles and hand signal explanations. ICBC-approved training courses teach drivers how to interact with cyclists as well, including indirectly through lessons on hazard identification. The learners' licence written examination may include up to 13 questions on cyclists, Grossman said. The 50 questions on the exam are randomly selected from a database of 150-200. The road examination also tests awareness of cyclists, Grossman added, by emphasizing skills such as checking over your shoulder. Grossman noted cyclist-related crashes in B.C. make up less than 0.5 per cent of all collisions. On average, there are 1,300 cyclist-related crashes per year out of a total of 270,000. The city's transportation plan is open to public feed-back until July 13 and will go before council in the fall. TOP CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ASSIGNED BY POLICE TO CYCLISTS in crashes involving cyclists are: Cyclist inattentive/distracted Driving on wrong side of road Failing to yield right-of-way Cyclist error/confusion Ignoring traffic control device TOP CONTRIBUTING FACTORS ASSIGNED BY POLICE TO VEHICLE DRIVERS in crashes involving cyclists are: Driver inattention/distraction Failing to yield right-of-way Driver error/confusion Improper turning

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School Travel Planning makes active travel a safer option for students in Steinbach
by Shoni Litinsky 27 Jun '12

27 Jun '12

I just wanted to share this article<http://www.mysteinbach.ca/newsblog/16156.html>from the community of Steinbach. We have worked with the Hanover School Division over the past two years with our School Travel Planning approach<http://greenactioncentre.ca/program/asrts/school-travel-planning/>to increase active transportation to and from school and to improve the safety around the school sites. School Travel Planning gets more families walking and wheeling to/from school by bringing the community stakeholders together to identify the barriers to active transportation for each school and develop a written action plan to address those issues. The community based approach was so successful for them that the division is now working on School Travel Plans with 7 schools in three municipalities (Steinbach, Niverville, and Landmark). I am so proud of the work they have all done. If anyone is interested in learning more about how School Travel Planning can help improve a school near you, please get in touch with me to learn more about our program. _________________ National program gets Manitoba children walking to school Posted on 06/27/2012, 9:37 am, by mySteinbach.ca *Pilot results show increase in active travel, decrease in traffic congestion around schools* Students around Manitoba, including Steinbach, are walking and biking more, thanks to their participation in the School Travel Planning project, which sought to reduce numbers of children being driven to and from school. Prior to starting the national pilot, it’s estimated 41 per cent of children across Canada were driven to school, based on new data from Canada Walks. Green Action Centre’s Active and Safe Routes to School (ASRTS) piloted School Travel Planning (STP) in 4 municipalities (Winnipeg, Thompson, Fisher River Cree Nation, and Steinbach) totaling twelve schools. Honoured with a Manitoba Planning Excellence Award earlier this year, School Travel Planning aims to get more families walking and wheeling to/from school by bringing together community stakeholders to identify barriers to active transportation for each school and develop a written action plan. STP projects worked to improve street infrastructure, increase awareness of the benefits of active travel and establish walking and cycling groups. This translated into a 4-6 per cent increase in children walking to and from school provincially. As more improvements are made, numbers are expected to increase. Manitoba data also revealed 19 per cent of surveyed families reduced driving for the school trip, and parents noticed a corresponding decrease in traffic congestion by 19% around participating schools. Randy Dueck, Assistant Superintendent for Hanover School Division likes what School Travel Planning has done for the children of Steinbach’s Woodlawn School saying “School Travel Planning is a process that has helped us to take a comprehensive look at improving the safety of our students as they travel to and from our schools. We have already responded with some specific improvements that include infrastructure improvements made by the city. Without the data from School Travel Planning we would have experienced greater difficulty in achieving these improvements.” Hanover School Division saw such value in School Travel Planning that it was expanded to the communities of Niverville and Landmark also,”I am convinced the students in all three communities that have participated in this process are safer today than they were prior to School Travel Planning. School Travel Planning has already proven its value in helping us to resolve some of the student traffic challenges we face.” “We celebrate every family who chooses to walk, even if they can’t do it all the time” says Shoni Litinsky, ASRTS for Green Action Centre. “Breaking up sedentary time for children is key to bringing down rates of obesity, chronic illness and some cancers and when we leave the cars at home our communities become more connected and we have cleaner air. ASRTS in Manitoba believes so strongly in School Travel Planning we’re leading the nation in building capacity by delivering training workshops and building an iPad app that will expand data collection capability.” -- *Shoni Litinsky* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/> 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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Helmets not the only answer
by Beth McKechnie 27 Jun '12

27 Jun '12

[Editorial from The Record newspaper in Waterloo Region re the recently circulated report on bicycling deaths in Ontario. Note that I have put a couple of links in below that were not in the original article. -cheers, Beth] Helmets not the only answer Editorial | Fri Jun 22 2012 | Waterloo Region: The Record http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/747763--helmets-not-the-… Humans naturally crave quick and easy fixes for tough problems, and this holds true whether the human is pedalling a bicycle or driving a car. No surprise, then, that this week’s release of a report<http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/stellent/groups/public/@mcscs/@www/@com/docu…>on bicycling deaths by the office of Ontario’s chief coroner sparked heated demands for a new law forcing every cyclist in the province — regardless of age — to wear a helmet. The coroner’s report recommends precisely this change and a public debate on such legislation would surely be timely. Yet the report’s call to action includes so much more than just a mandatory helmet law that it would be wrong, in fact needlessly distracting, to focus on this issue alone. Too many people are doing this. The public deludes itself if it thinks a tough new helmet law will suddenly end all the dangers cyclists face on the road or that the passage of such a new rule will free us to move onto other matters, confident our roads are safer. Not so. It might be quick and easy. But it would hardly confer the armour of invincibility on those who mount a bicycle for fun, recreation or a commute. In fact, to read the Cycling Death Review of 129 fatal accidents involving cyclists in Ontario over a five-year period ending in 2010 is to reach a far different conclusion. Major changes, extensive changes, very expensive changes are needed in how this province builds its transportation networks. That’s the real point the coroner’s report: There are no simple fixes. We need what the report calls a “complete streets<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/complete-streets/>” approach that focuses on “the safety of all road users.” And this would lead to a profoundly new way of redeveloping existing communities and designing new ones. Why can’t we seriously consider putting in segregated cycling lanes whenever we rebuild major municipal roadways or construct new arteries? And why can’t we make it a priority to pave shoulders on provincial highways for the specific use of cyclists? Of course, this would cost us big-time. It’s so much easier to enter a predictable and somewhat tedious debate about bike helmets, with one side insisting they must be mandated and the other arguing that such a move would unreasonably infringe on personal liberties. Let’s resist that temptation. It won’t solve the problem. In its analysis of specific fatalities, the report itself is often ambiguous about the effectiveness of helmets in protecting riders. In some cases we know that riders who died weren’t wearing helmets — but the report refuses to speculate on whether a helmet would have made a difference. Similarly, there are other cases where riders wearing helmets were struck and killed by vehicles. No wonder some of the people who wrote this report urged careful study of the pros and cons of a helmet law before bringing one into force. One of the most stark and disturbing findings of this report is the fact that 71 per cent of the cycling deaths over five years — that’s 91 fatalities — occurred at least partly because of an avoidable cyclist error. Failing to yield the right of way, ignoring traffic signals, travelling against traffic and improperly using road lanes were all fatal errors. Amazingly, in 23 per cent of the cycling deaths that were studied — 30 lost lives in all — the cyclist was under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the collision. All this explains, and supports, one of the report’s other major conclusions. We have to do a better job educating cyclists and some of this could be done in our publicly funded schools. Better instruction on the responsibilities of drivers for those seeking a motor vehicle licence is also in order. This is an important report, one that should not collect dust on the shelf of some provincial bureaucrat’s office. But if Ontarians agree with its authors that the lives of cyclists should be a higher priority, they will also realize they must commit themselves and their tax dollars to prove it.

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Cycling study in [Waterloo] busts myths
by Daniel Gravenor 26 Jun '12

26 Jun '12

Adding to this: When I managed the OttoCYCLE GPS bicycle study here in Winnipeg, we had over 700 people participate and found similar results. Some perspective is required in looking at the results too - most people volunteered for the Winnipeg study which would depend on who heard of it, and might have limited participation from lower income groups, etc. ======================================= Cycling study in region busts myths http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/750633--cycling-study-in-region… VANCOUVER — Some myths about cyclists were busted by a study done by the University of Waterloo and the Region of Waterloo, presented Tuesday among the opening sessions of Velo-city Global 2012 in Vancouver. Velo-city Global, the international conference sponsored by the European Cycling Federation, is being held outside of Europe for only the third time, drawing 800 delegates from 41 countries to Vancouver, to discuss cycling infrastructure, planning, technology and advocacy. Among the reps from Australia, Uganda, the U.K., Germany and Korea are dozens of presenters and participants from Ontario universities and municipal governments. Kyrylo Cyril Rewa, a master’s student at UW, presented the joint UW-Region of Waterloo GPS study of cyclists, done between March 2010 and January 2011. Some 400 cyclists kept diaries, filled out surveys and carried GPS devices, tracking the best and worst that the area’s roads have to offer cyclists. Rewa told the audience that the research group was surprised to find that the study seemed to undermine the preconception that cyclists choose bicycles because they may not have the money for a car. In fact, the participants tended to have higher average incomes than the regional norm, and may have in fact have owned a car in their household, but chose to ride a bicycle. Another preconception, said Rewa, is that cyclists ride for leisure, recreation or exercise, but the GPS survey showed that the highest bicycle use occurred during the peak travel times for commuters. Essentially, the participants were riding to and from work. Rewa said this demonstrated the potential for reducing rush-hour congestion by encouraging more cycling among commuters. To reach that potential will require overcoming some obstacles, Rewa said. Among them: the feeling of many non-cyclists that cycling is unsafe. That the concern about high traffic on area roads and the perception that many motorists demonstrate poor behaviour to cyclists, were the main barriers to increased cycling. During the GPS study, cyclists identified several areas of concern in Waterloo Region, and Rewa drew laughter from the audience of 60 delegates when he showed an image of the intersection of Erb and Caroline streets in Waterloo, with red lines indicating the dangerous routes that cyclists have to take to proceed through the intersection. The database developed by the survey is being used to develop a “generalized cost” for cycling, to give regional planners a baseline for budgeting for future cycling infrastructure. Rewa told the group that the methodology developed by the Region and UW has attracted attention from outside the area, and a revised version of the project is being launched in Peel Region, tracking cycle use in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

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