February 2009 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Come on Google - Get more cycle-friendly
by Beth McKechnie 17 Oct '09

17 Oct '09

[Snipped from the Centerlines e-newsletter #216 published by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking] COME ON GOOGLE -- GET MORE CYCLE-FRIENDLY! According to the Nov. 27th Life Cycle UK newsletter, "A global campaign is underway to persuade the planet's favourite search engine to be more cycle-friendly. Many of us use the wonderful Google maps to find our way around. The maps show a street plan, or at the click of a button, an aerial photo to help you get a feel for the terrain. Another click and you can summon up live traffic info, and car drivers can get detailed directions from A to B. For the USA and some other countries Google has also added a mass transit directions option which tells you how to reach your destination by bus, tram or train. Now cyclists are asking for a Bike There feature. "The organisers of the campaign say: 'By implementing the "Public Transit" option, Google and the Google Maps team have shown themselves to be concerned and capable world citizens. A "Bike There" feature would be the ultimate statement in support of sustainable development, self-reliance, exercise and healthy living: that's bicycle directions.' "Campaigners envisage the "Bike There" feature showing cycle lanes, bike paths and other infrastructure, and giving cyclists the option of seeing either the most direct route or the quietist and safest. The feature would make cycling easier and more pleasant for millions of people around the world. It would empower world citizens to adapt their lifestyles to face the challenges of global climate change and it would help Google fulfill its mission of "organising the world's information and making it universally accessible and useful. More than 40,000 people have already signed the on-line petition. Add your voice to the campaign now!" To learn more, go to: http://www.petitiononline.com/bikether/petition.html

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BRILLIANT SUMMARY of who is really moving Active Transportation forward in Winnipeg
by Janice Lukes 26 Feb '09

26 Feb '09

This appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, letter to the editor section on Monday, Feb. 23rd. SUPER SUPER letter Stephanie! on my behalf also - a HUGE thank you to all the volunteers, organizations and activists who are moving AT forward in Winnipeg - Janice Lukes Winnipeg Trails Association Coordinator * * * * * * * Mayor should ride to work Re: Environment panel that quit is replaced, Feb 13. With all due respect to Mayor Sam Katz, it is not difficult to point out dozens of mayors who have done more for active transportation in their cities. Try Mayor David Miller in Toronto, an avid cyclist and transit user, or Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, who transformed his city into a healthier and more enjoyable place to live. While progress has been made in Winnipeg in the last few years on active transportation, it is largely due to the many volunteers, organizations and activists working tirelessly on this issue. Far from being a visionary, Mayor Katz has much to learn. If Mayor Katz is sincere in his commitment to the environment and active transportation, surely we will soon see him leaving his vehicle at home, and joining the thousands of other Winnipeggers who walk, take transit or ride their bikes to work. STEPHANIE FULFORD

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Interesting article
by Stacy Matwick 13 Feb '09

13 Feb '09

on transit-oriented development (TOD) http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2009/02/10/how-transit-orien… How Transit-Oriented Development Works Posted by Eric de Place 02/10/2009 02:30 PM Sightline Daily Cheers And have a great weekend. 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 Website: http://www.iisd.org "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" Groucho Marx "Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance your must keep on moving" Albert Einstein

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Active Transportation - Canada: February 11, 2009
by Beth McKechnie 12 Feb '09

12 Feb '09

----- Original Message ----- From: Michael Haynes To: undisclosed recipients: Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:52 PM Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: February 11, 2009 Active Transportation - Canada features a regular posting of news articles, studies, reports, and other items that have relevance in this field, with previous postings available in an archive. In addition, pictures of existing Active Transportation infrastructure from communities across Canada will be profiled each week. The following items have recently been posted to the Active Transportation - Canada Blog. To view in more detail, go to: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com **************************************************************************************************** 1.. Lectures - BC: Shifting Gears II, Lectures on transportation, health and the built environment 2.. News Release - Walk to School in Winter - It's Cool 3.. Article - BC: Active Transportation Plan looks at local desires and designs 4.. Article - Australian's Buy More Bikes Than Cars 5.. E-Documentary - UK: The Bicycle Diaries 6.. Website/Blog - Cycling: TOTOBOBO mask 7.. Article - US: Bike Sharing Is Denver’s Effort To Keep Residents In The Pink and The Sky Blue 8.. Article - Paris Velib Crushed by Vandalism? 9.. Article - India: Peddling an eco-friendly, cost-effective ride for cities 10.. Article - US: Bicycle Commuter Act and Rep. McHenry 11.. Article - US: Drive-throughs cause friction with Beach's Laskin plan **************************************************************************************************** A reminder e-mail of new postings will be sent no more often than once per week. To continue to receive these updates, you need take no action. Should you not wish to receive updates, please return this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the Subject area. Interested in an AT workshop in community? For more information, please contact: Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions activetransportation(a)rogers.com 613.424.2803

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U of M Bridge - study team
by Janice Lukes 09 Feb '09

09 Feb '09

fyi - Feb 5th Lance (area community paper) Janice Lukes Student, teacher team study benefits of pedestrian bridge By Matt Powers Feb. 5, 2009 As someone who regularly cycles from St. Vital to the U of M campus, James Blatz has long been in favour of a pedestrian bridge linking the two. The civil engineer professor estimates a bridge would cut down his commute by 30 minutes a day. It would also reduce the demand for student parking on campus, according to Blatz and third-year student Mark Reimer, who recently conducted a study of the role such a link could play in active transportation. "What we did is looked at what the benefit would be just to the university if people decided to use that bridge instead of bringing their cars across and we were quite pleased to see that it is notable," Blatz said. By comparing the percentage of parking permit holders of students and staff living in the southwest of the city with those in the southeast, the pair discovered a noticeable difference. Within a six-kilometre radius of University Centre there were 48 more parking permit holders living in the southeast. "It suggests that with a pedestrian bridge, there would be a decrease in parking permit holders from the east side to a value closer to that of the west side of the river, where there is no travel hindrance," Reimer said. "What it would do is basically create 5% more space on the U of M campus, which is a significant amount to reduce parking by," Reimer said. Reimer also applied data obtained from a 2006 Statistics Canada study of commuting patterns, to predict that a pedestrian bridge linking St. Vital and the campus would attract 200 to 600 potential users. "The majority of these users would be students, who on average can be generalized as low income and young, both of which fall into the higher end of active transportation users," Reimer said. Blatz says the study doesn't take into account the number of users who would use the bridge to cross over to St. Vital Mall or St. Vital Park. "There is tremendous potential there. We should also be taking into consideration the possibility of a new stadium on the campus and the creation of the Bus Rapid Transit Line," Blatz said. Paul Hesse, of Winnipeg's Rapid Transit Coalition, says he sees the bridge benefiting active transportation in a number of ways. "The City has already committed to building a rapid transit line, but what we would like to see included is commuter cycling paths all the way from downtown to the U of M. A pedestrian bridge would be a key piece of that integration," Hesse said. "Secondly, it would give students the better option of walking or cycling to the university which would not only save them money, but also save the environment by reducing traffic congestion along the St. Vital Bridge," he said. Hesse is hopeful that some of the money contributed from the 2009 federal budget for infrastructure projects will be be set aside for the bridge's construction. Winnipeg City Council included $250,000 in its annual budget to study the bridge. The estimated total cost to build the bridge is $15 million. Back <javascript: history.go(-1)> Top of <http://www.canstarnews.com/page/story/the_lance/3639#top> Page

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