November 2012 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

AT Webinar: Data and Resources to Propel Local Walking Programs and Solutions - Thurs, Nov. 29, 1-2:30, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 23 Nov '12

23 Nov '12

Green Action Centre invites you to join us for a local viewing of the upcoming America Trails webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion of local applications.* *Detailed description provided below. *Data and Resources to Propel Local Walking Programs and Solutions Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! Please note that this is a free webinar, so you can also register individually if you prefer (https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/886842880) . cheers, Beth 925-3772 * * * * * * * All Things Walking Webinar Series *Webinar Topic #1: Data and Resources to Propel Local Walking Programs and Solutions* ** ** *Have you wondered how to keep up with all the tools and data available for successful local walking initiatives?* This webinar, the "kickoff" of a new series, will provide you with in-depth information and resources to support your work at the state, tribal and local levels. *Presenters* - Tom Schmid, Sr. Evaluation Specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Physical Activity and Health Branch - Laura MacNeil, Planner II, Sam Schwartz Engineering - Scott Bricker, Executive Director, America Walks *Tom* will talk about how the CDC has a growing interest in promoting walking as a critical intervention to improving public health, their recent Vital Signs<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001kaXRK9MspmNDCEyxIqMYkILiFxmAMjWzyMnv43jzxwcA…> report that highlights encouraging trends in walking among adults, and exciting work that addresses walking. *Laura,* whose engineering firm partnered with America Walks to develop the new Steps to a Walkable Community Guide<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=001kaXRK9MspmMb-eT7xnBe9FeMvMNQbBQmBlUifO6Xjuh9…>, will talk about the Guide and how to use this book and our "soon-to be-launched" on-line resource to develop strategies toward walkable communities. * * *Scott* will give an overview of how America Walks is working to develop multi-sector partnerships to advance walking initiatives. He'll also talk about our on-line technical resources, community Walking Action Network workshops, and give an update on our national campaign strategy.

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Metro Winnipeg: Winnipeg cyclists not sold on speed limit increases (Nov.20'12)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Nov '12

23 Nov '12

Winnipeg cyclists not sold on speed limit increasesBy Shane Gibson | Metro Winnipeg http://metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/447360/winnipeg-cyclists-not-sold-on-spee… While the province’s Highway Traffic Board considers increasing the speed limit on a number of Winnipeg streets a group of city cyclists who advocate for bike safety say not so fast. Bike to the Future executive director Mark Cohoe told Metro the group would meet Tuesday night to discuss the changes proposed for many four-lane divided streets in Winnipeg. “It’s really seems they haven’t thought about cyclists,” said Cohoe. “They are just thinking about how to get cars moving quicker but they have to put the context of all road users into consideration as well.” The Highway Traffic Board has reviewed all the existing 50-km/h four-lane divided roadways within the city and is considering increasing them to 60-km/h. Board chair Al Rivers explained the idea is to eliminate sections where speed limits suddenly change—which have become popular spots for cops to set up speed traps. “It’s just far too confusing,” said Rivers. “Our job is to make everything as consistent as possible, and when you do that the roadways become safer.” Among the dozens of roadways being considered for increases are University Crescent between Chancellor Matheson Road and Pembina Highway, Broadway between Osborne Street and Main Street and Moray Street between Portage Avenue and Ness Avenue. Cohoe is also worried about pedestrian safety on roadways like Waverly Street between Taylor Avenue and Grant Avenue that have residential houses on both sides. “It seems like they’ve gone with the decision that if a roadway is divided it automatically goes to a higher speed limit, and for some of the areas that doesn’t really make a lot of sense,” he said. The board has three public hearings planned for Nov. 27, Dec. 4, and Dec. 11 to go over the proposed changes with Winnipeggers, and Rivers said it’s too soon to say if or when limits will increase. *A breakdown of streets under consideration for speed limit increases in Winnipeg*: On *November 27/12* the Board will be hearing the following streets: - Dugald Road, between a point 400 metres east and west of Plessis Road; - Grant Avenue, between Kenaston Boulevard and Stafford Street - Pembina Highway, between Ducharme Avenue and the bridge crossing the La Salle River (also under consideration is increasing the speed zone from 60 km/h to 80 km/h between rue des Trappistes to south of Turnbull Drive and increase the 90 km/h to 100 km/h between Turnbull Drive and the City limit); - Waverley Street, between Taylor Avenue and Grant Avenue. On *December 4, 2012* the Board will be hearing the following streets: - Corydon Avenue, between Kelvin Boulevard and Cambridge Street; - Roblin Boulevard, between Haney Street and Wexford Street; - University Crescent, between Chancellor Matheson Road and Pembina Highway. On *December 11, 2012* the Board will be hearing the following streets: - Broadway, between Osborne Street and Main Street; - Memorial Boulevard/Colony Street/Balmoral Street, between Broadway and Qu’Appelle Avenue; - Isabel Street/Salter Street, between William Avenue and Stella Avenue; - Main Street, between Assiniboine Avenue and Manitoba Avenue; - Inkster Boulevard, between Lansdowne Avenue and Main Street; - Moray Street, between Portage Avenue and Ness Avenue; - Wellington Avenue, between the east limit of James Armstrong Richardson International Airport and St. James Street. Additional streets not yet advertised: - Kenaston Boulevard; - Taylor Avenue; - Provencher Boulevard.

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Winnipeg Open House - Manitoba Capital Region Transportation Master Plan
by Janice Lukes 21 Nov '12

21 Nov '12

Just off the phone with Chris Baker, MMM group. Chris is organizing the Manitoba Capital Region Transportation Master Plan consultations <http://www.manitobacapitalregion.ca/downloads/Newsletter-November2012.pdf> . Chris assured me the decision has been made to hold an Open House IN Winnipeg - Date and Location to be announced. Currently the three open houses being held are outside of Winnipeg but due to multiple requests - MMM Group will be holding one in Winnipeg. SEE THE SURVEY posted - please respond - there are multiple active transportation questions: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CRTMP located on this website: http://www.wmcrp.com/ thanks Janice Lukes

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Life in the curb lane
by Dave Elmore 21 Nov '12

21 Nov '12

This is a pretty interesting perspective of life on 2 wheels. Can’t agree with the reference to “hugging the curb” but it unfortunately what many cyclists believe to be safe. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/life-in-the-curb-lane-1798475… Life in the curb lane A grandmother spends a summer as a bike courier -- and lives to tell the tale By: Bev Watson Bev Watson learned an important lesson in her summer of cycling: Bike couriers don't cry. Bev Watson learned an important lesson in her summer of cycling: Bike couriers don't cry. The traffic on St. Mary's Road didn't seem as busy one morning as I neared Fermor Avenue to head back to the Exchange District. I can pedal at a fairly fast clip when my legs feel like it. I was making good time; I could feel the strength in my quadriceps, and I smiled. I was becoming quite proud of the shape my legs were in and how many miles they could take me on my bike. As I cruised along, I became aware of the roar of a loud engine coming up behind me. That sound seems to spark a "spidey-sense" in cyclists; it usually means a large vehicle is approaching, and you automatically double check to make sure you're hugging the curb. Turning my head slightly to the left, I could see out of the corner of my eye a large dump truck gaining on me at a good clip, but he moved to the left lane. Suddenly, a second dump truck was speeding up to pass him in the curb lane; he was at my side in a split second: engine roaring in my ears, wheels up to my shoulder spinning in a blur, passing me by a whisper. I screamed out loud. And then swore. Out loud. It's my third week as a bike courier. I'm 51 years old. And I'm a grandmother. If I could have caught up with that truck driver, who was probably my son's age or younger, he would have had some finger wagging like never before. What if it were his grandmother, I'd say. How would you feel if someone did that to her? I'd ask him. She could be horribly hurt or even dead, all because someone was in a hurry, I'd nag, shaking my finger in his face. I'm sure he would no more than roll his eyes and drive away shaking his head at the crazy old lady. I worked for Natural Cycle Courier for four months this summer. They deliver anywhere in the city, 12 months a year. They use no cars; larger items are towed behind the bike on a trailer. And they're all very young. I swear I have 10 years on their mothers. But they took me on, and I had a summer like no other. My new job as a bike courier opened my eyes to life in the curb lane. I've heard that cyclists are a nuisance. I've heard sneers at their "saving the environment" and their young, granola-thinking attitudes. I've heard comments that they ride bikes because they just can't afford cars. I know otherwise. We're young; we're old. We're rich; we're poor. We're fit; we're fat. We do indeed "save the environment" to some degree every time we don't use a car, but we do own cars. A few of us weave in and out of traffic; most of us follow the rules of the road, and don't like to be lumped into the same group as the weavers. We are horrified when another cyclist -- stranger or not -- is injured or killed on the streets. And we don't like the "you're just asking for it" responses that we hear. The cyclist you see every day throughout the city is a student saving money to get through university. She's a girl who wants to play her part in doing something "green." He's a janitor making a few extra dollars working as a courier. It's a business woman taking a hiatus for a summer to take her mind off things. It's a grandmother wanting to get into better shape. And none of us want to lose our lives for a dump truck in a hurry. In my four months of pedalling, I've been hit by two cars and wiped out three times. I've cut my knee, scraped my legs and bruised my hips. I've been yelled at: "Get on the sidewalk!" "Get off the sidewalk!" "You're in my lane," and "Get your fat ass off the road." I've discovered a real camaraderie between bike couriers and bike commuters alike. "Girl power!" yelled one cyclist with her long thick red hair flowing out from under her helmet. "Good for you!" calls out one man with a salt-and-pepper beard as he pedals along with his own deliveries. We talk about our bikes, we brag of miles travelled, and we share stories of those close calls. I grew to love the painted bike lanes on the downtown one-way streets. There's something about that solid white line embracing that large white bicycle decal that seems to keep vehicles at a safe distance from our handle bars. Diamond lanes create somewhat of a safe haven for us, even though we share the lane with the biggest vehicles out there -- the city buses. Transit drivers may get frustrated with our speed, but most are amazingly patient. Unpainted streets create a different feel for a cyclist; at times we get crowded out for being "in the car's lane." While some drivers give us no space at all and even speed up to pass, others give us such a wide berth that it causes a danger to cars in the neighbouring lanes. Just take your foot off the gas for a few seconds, squeeze to your left, and you'll be on your way, and so will we. I shake my head at the poorly thought out bike lanes over the Main Street Bridge. If I take the bike lanes within the cement barrier, they force me onto the sidewalk with no safe way to get back onto the road. If I stay on the road, drivers yell at me to get on the other side of the barrier. And the positioning of the southbound bike lane? Thousands of cars headed into St. Vital are forced down to one lane due to a barricaded bike lane that I can't get on to or off of when I'm cycling. This makes no sense for cyclists or for motorized vehicles. I've seen it from both sides of the barrier. You quickly learn of roadways in our city that are not bike friendly, or even worse: downright dangerous. St. Anne's Road in South St. Vital has manhole covers in cement four inches higher than the road's surface. At a minimum, that's a horribly bruised crotch. At its worst, it's a deadly wipe-out waiting to happen. In St. James, the streets are roughest right along the curb. Add that to the very narrow lanes in the congested area and the impatience of the drivers, and it becomes one of the most difficult areas for deliveries. Lagimodiere is simply off limits for cyclists. There's nowhere to go; no paved shoulders and no sidewalks as a safe alternative, legal or not. Travelling in gravel does not work. Just ask my front tire. In my desperation to meet a delivery deadline, I tried to travel along the side of Highway 59 when my tire sunk into the dirt and threw me down hard. My helmet-covered head hit the dirt just a few feet from the white lined edge of the road. My leg slammed into the gravel, the bike chain ripped my skin and the handlebars stabbed into my side. I got up, brushed the dirt off my bleeding leg and straightened out my handlebars, while tears welled up in my eyes. I remember thinking "bike couriers don't cry!" So I walked along the gravel with my beat up bike and hurting body; blinking away tears until I reached the next paved intersection. Then I climbed back on my bike, and cycled away. Making my delivery on time. Bev Watson is a 51-year-old grandmother who has recently hung up her helmet and parked her bike for the winter. She is now driving her car to her much safer office job. Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 18, 2012 A8

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WFP: 'Painful' limits reviewed - Manitoba Traffic Board slates public hearings on speed zones (Nov.20'12)
by Beth McKechnie 20 Nov '12

20 Nov '12

'Painful' limits reviewed Manitoba Traffic Board slates public hearings on speed zones By: Bill Redekop http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/painful-limits-reviewed-180094781.ht… There's a stretch of Pembina Highway just outside St. Norbert where there's nothing but open highway in front of you... and a 60-kilometre-per-hour speed limit. "It's painful" trying to keep to 60 km/h, said Todd Dube of WiseUp Winnipeg, who argues the limit should be 80 km/h. "There are horses on one side, a wide-open field on the other, and it's a divided highway." Dube and other Winnipeggers can have their say next week when the Manitoba Traffic Board opens public hearings on several four-lane divided streets where some people think the speed limits are too low and inconsistent with other speed limits. The Manitoba Traffic Board sets speed limits throughout Manitoba, including Winnipeg. The first public hearing is slated for Nov. 27 at 204-301 Weston St. starting at 10 a.m. Two of the disputed sections are on Pembina Highway in St. Norbert. Officials are studying whether to increase the speed limit from 60 km/h to 80 km/h on the aforementioned stretch from Rue des Trappistes to south of Turnbull Drive. It is also studying raising the speed from 50 to 60 km/h on Pembina Highway from north of Ducharme Avenue to south of the bridge crossing La Salle River. "It's long overdue" on both scores, said Dube. "We get calls from people from out of town and from the U.S. (driving into the city on Highway 75) who just can't believe the City of Winnipeg would allow this." Another generator of speeding tickets to be reviewed is a stretch along Dugald Road east and west of Plessis Road. The four-lane divided highway's speed limit is 70 km/h, then drops suddenly to 50 km/h for just 400 metres, then shoots back to 70 km/h. Police are often seen hiding in a forested yard with a radar gun at the start of the 50 km/h stretch. "That is so egregious. We got a call from an RCMP officer who was so outraged at getting a ticket there that she said she was going to fight it," Dube said. WiseUp considers the stretch along Grant Avenue between Kenaston Boulevard and Stafford Street as the worst area in terms of the high volume of photo-radar tickets it generates. A dispute over the accuracy of a photo-radar mobile unit on Grant near Nathaniel Street launched the anti-photo-radar group. Also being debated next week is increasing the speed limit on Waverley Street between Taylor and Grant avenues to 60 km/h. A proposal is also being made to increase the limit to 100 km/h from 90 km/h between a point 300 metres south of Turnbull Drive and the southern city limit. CAA Manitoba also thinks Winnipeg has some questionable speed limits on some four-lane divided roads. "We think (the review) is a really good thing," said Liz Peters, communications manager for CAA Manitoba. "There are some areas where it's been a long time coming, St. Norbert in particular. But even places like on Kenaston, there isn't much reason why the speed limit couldn't be raised a bit." That would improve traffic flow, she said. At the same time, CAA wonders how higher speed limits will mesh with current attempts to reduce speeds in school zones to 30 km/h. CAA is for some higher speed limits "as long as it's not in conflict with things like schools," Peters said. The review is "not just about motorists. It's pedestrians and cyclists and thinking of kids in school zones, too." The Manitoba Traffic Board will hold a second public hearing on Dec. 4 at the same time and place to discuss proposals to increase the speed limit from 50 to 60 km/h on the following streets: -- Corydon Avenue between Kelvin Boulevard and Cambridge Street. -- Roblin Boulevard between Haney and Wexford streets. -- University Crescent between Chancellor Matheson Road and Pembina Highway. Speed limits on Kenaston Boulevard, Taylor Avenue and Provencher Boulevard are already under review. bill.redekop(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Invest in Less: Peg City Car Co-op new Video!
by Shoni Litinsky 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

Are you interested in seeing more sustainable transportation options in Winnipeg? Do you want to see less congestion, fewer cars, less parking pressure and less pollution? We share your vision, and that is why as a group of volunteers, we started Peg City Car Co-op which now has 4 vehicles in three neighbourhoods that meet the needs of more than 100 members. We can create more opportunities for biking, busing, and walking in our city and enable individuals to live car-free or car-light. Over the next* 2 years*, our co-op would like to expand into new neighbourhoods and have* 11 vehicles *that serve the transportation needs of *350 members. * *You can help get us there* **Peg City now has investment shares available for purchase! If you would like to see carsharing grow in Winnipeg, and help us reach our expansion goals, this will make it happen. We have been approved as an eligible enterprise under the Province of Manitoba’s *Community Enterprise Development (CED) Tax Credit Program. *<http://pegcitycarcoop.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=6e29483972e08a58af…> *What does this mean, you ask? Well it means that come tax time, *you will be eligible to claim a tax credit of *30% of the amount of* your investment. This is an opportunity to do good for your community (while getting something in return). How great is that? *Learn about the investment shares, and view our new video: * www.vimeo.com/pegcitycarcoop/invest www.pegictycarcoop.ca/invest Thank you, Shoni Litinsky Board Member, Peg City Car Co-op

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Dr Karen K Lee MD MHsc FRPCPC
by Zdan, Terry (MIT) 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

http://www.iuhpe.org/uploaded/Regions/NARO/20110608_Symposium/1_FitCity_KLe… Thank you and regards Terry Zdan BA MEDes Policy & Service Developemnt Manitoba Infrastructure & Transportation 1520 215 Garry Street Winnipeg MB R3C 3P3 P 204 945 7381 C 204 227 3724 E Terrry.Zdan(a)gov.mb.ca

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FW: Pedestrian LOS for Unsignalized Crossings (plus Spreadsheet Tool)
by Zdan, Terry (MIT) 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

Tools you can use. This compliments the US 2010 Highway Capacity Manual. From: Parks, Jamie Sent: Friday, November 16, 2012 10:13 AM To: members(a)lists.apbp.org<mailto:members@lists.apbp.org> Subject: Pedestrian LOS for Unsignalized Crossings (plus Spreadsheet Tool) Hi All, Apologies in advance for a long, but hopefully helpful email. Most of you are likely aware of the new multimodal LOS procedures in the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual that produce LOS A-F scores for pedestrians and bicycles along street segments and at signals. Fewer people (or so it seems to me) know that the HCM also has a new method for Pedestrian LOS at Unsignalized Crossings (found in Chapter 19: Two-Way Stop-Controlled Intersections). The method uses traffic volumes, crossing distance, and the likely yielding behavior resulting from any traffic control devices that may be present (e.g., rapid flash beacons) to estimate pedestrian delay which in turn determines the LOS grade. Default yield rates for common treatments are provided based on NCHRP 562 and other research, but can be supplemented/adjusted based on local experience. The intent is to complement the NCHRP 562: Pedestrian Safety at Unsignalized Crossings and FHWA Safety Effects of Marked versus Unmarked Crosswalks studies to (1) provide positive guidance on what treatments are likely to be most effective for a given location and (2) demonstrate the need for/impact of crossing investments using a readily understood metric (i.e., LOS). A quick example of how this works for a road diet and rapid flash beacon applied to a 4-lane undivided highway: Before Conditions: 4-lanes, undivided 44 foot crossing distance 2,000 vehicles per hour 10% yield rate (based on standard marked crosswalk) Results: Delay = 600s, LOS = F Note: actual pedestrians would not wait 10 minutes to cross here. They would likely walk to the nearest signal, pick a small gap in traffic and run, or cross "frogger-style" where they do not wait for the entire roadway is clear to begin crossing. The point is that any of these results are extreme inconveniences to pedestrians, and potential safety hazards. Conversion to 3-lane section with median island: 2-lanes, divided 11 foot crossing distance (x2 for each stage) 1,000 vehicles per hour (x2 for each stage) 10% yield rate Results: Delay = 15s, LOS = C Conversion to 3-lane section with Median Island (plus Rapid Flash Beacon): 2-lanes, divided 11 foot crossing distance (x2 for each stage) 1,000 vehicles per hour (x2 for each stage) 80% yield rate (based on rapid flash beacon research) Results: Delay = 4s, LOS = A The results show dramatic improvements for pedestrians from the road diet, which could be used to justify the expense or demonstrate the benefits of such a conversion (especially useful if the conversion were to degrade auto LOS). Compared to the urban streets Ped LOS, the methodology is easy to apply and generally provides intuitive results (for instance, road diets actually DEGRADE urban streets ped LOS in many cases). Of course I may be biased, since I helped develop the unsignalized methodology! Anyway, the biggest downside to the unsignalized methodology is that is requires a lot of math (probability associated with yielding across multiple lanes, etc.), and it recently came to my attention that unfortunately none of the 2010 HCM software yet includes the methodology. To that end, I have created what I hope is a user-friendly spreadsheet/computational engine to implement the procedures. With this spreadsheet, getting results takes only a couple minutes (I spent 4 minutes putting together the example shown above). I've placed a copy of the spreadsheet on my Dropbox here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/92064587/Ch19_PedLOS.xlsx. Please take a look, play around with it, and see what you think. I've left everything unprotected so that people can what's going on, check the formulas, and alter it for their purposes, but please use caution not to disrupt the calculations! If you've read this far, thanks for bearing with me. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Best, Jamie Jamie Parks, AICP Complete Streets Program Manager City of Oakland | Public Works Agency | APWA Accredited Agency 250 Frank H Ogawa Plaza, Ste 4314 | Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 238-6613| (443) 235-6873 Mobile Report A Problem | Public Works Agency Call Center | (510) 615-5566 www.oaklandpw.com<http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PWA/Connect/ReportaProblem/index.htm> | pwacallcenter(a)oaklandnet.com<mailto:pwacallcenter@oaklandnet.com> | Mobile app: SeeClickFix<http://www.seeclickfix.com/oakland/>

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AT and cardiovascular disease risk factors in US Adults
by Beth McKechnie 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

Active Transportation and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in U.S. AdultsGregg L. Furie<http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2812%2900602-2/abstract#>, MD, MHS | Mayur M. Desai<http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2812%2900602-2/abstract#>, PhD, MPH Download full pdf: http://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797%2812%2900602-2/abstract Background Evidence of associations between active transportation (walking and bicycling for transportation) and health outcomes is limited. Better understanding of this relationship would inform efforts to increase physical activity by promoting active transportation. Purpose This study examined associations between active transportation and cardiovascular disease risk factors in U.S. adults. Methods Using the 2007-2008 and 2009-2010 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), adults (N=9933) were classified by level of active transportation. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, and minutes/week of non-active transportation physical activity. Analyses were conducted in 2011. Results Overall, 76% reported no active transportation. Compared with no active transportation, mean BMI was lower among individuals with low (-0.9, 95% CI= -1.4, -0.5) and high (-1.2, 95% CI= -1.7, -0.8) levels of active transportation. Mean waist circumference was lower in the low (-2.2 cm, 95% CI= -3.2, -1.2) and high (-3.1 cm, 95% CI= -4.3, -1.9) active transportation groups. The odds of hypertension were 24% lower (AOR=0.76, 95% CI=0.61, 0.94) and 31% lower (AOR=0.69, 95% CI=0.58, 0.83) among individuals with low and high levels of active transportation, respectively, compared with no active transportation. High active transportation was associated with 31% lower odds of diabetes (AOR=0.69, 95% CI=0.54, 0.88). Active transportation was not associated with high-density lipoprotein level. Conclusions Active transportation was associated with more-favorable cardiovascular risk factor profiles, providing additional justification for infrastructure and policies that permit and encourage active transportation.

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(no subject)
by Dave Elmore 19 Nov '12

19 Nov '12

http://road.cc/content/news/70705-campaign-launched-nationwide-20mph-speed-l imit-road-safety-week-begins Campaign launched for nationwide 20mph speed limit as Road Safety Week begins Simon_MacMichael <http://road.cc/users/simon-macmichael> , November 19, 2012 <http://road.cc/content/image/834-20mph415x275jpg> http://road.cc/sites/default/files/imagecache/preview_500/images/%5bparent-n ode-gallery-title%5d/20mph_415x275.jpg A number of charities led by Sustrans have joined forces to launch a campaign calling for 20mph to be made the default speed limit on roads in built-up areas. The campaign, GO 20 <http://www.go20.org> , is launched today to coincide with the start of Road Safety Week, which continues until next Sunday 25 November. While some local authorities in England have already introduced 20mph speed limits on all or some of their roads - Oxford and Portsmouth, for instance, have city-wide limits, while Merseyside is introducing it on an area by area basis - Brake and the organisations that have joined it the campaign are calling for such a limit to be introduced nationwide. In the meantime, they are asking more local authorities to implement the speed limit, as well as appealing to motorists to reduce their speed to 20mph when driving near schools, shops and residential areas. A survey of 8,000 schoolchildren aged 7-11 years conducted by Brake, Brain Injury Group and Specavers ahead of Road Safety Week and the launch of GO20 found: Seven in 10 (70%) say they would be able to walk and cycle more if roads in their neighbourhood were less dangerous More than three-quarters (77%) say drivers need to slow down around their home and school Four in 10 (43%) say they have been hit or nearly hit while walking or cycling, and more than half (54%) worry about being hurt by traffic when out and about 72% said they would like to walk and cycle more than they do at present 75% would like more traffic-free cycle paths in their area, while 61% would like more footpaths, pavements and crossings, which they could use to get to school, the park, shops or to see friends 38% said they are not allowed to walk unaccompanied and 47% said they are not allowed to cycle unaccompanied. Brake and the other charities involved in the initiative, which besides Sustrans include Living Streets, the National Heart Forum, 20's Plenty for Us, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Ramblers, say that implementing the lower speed limit would result in: Fewer casualties: at 20, drivers have much more time to react, to help them stop in time if they need to, like if a child runs out. Studies show that when 20 limits replace 30, it means fewer casualties among pedestrians and cyclists. More walking and cycling: danger from traffic is a major barrier in enabling more people to walk and cycle. Town and city-wide 20 limits have resulted in more people walking and cycling. Healthier, happier people: More walking and cycling means healthier people, and more enjoyable outdoors activity for kids and adults. It helps communities interact and be communities. Less pollution: GOing 20 means lower emissions from vehicle journeys. Plus if more people can switch their commute or school run to foot or bike, it means less polluting traffic. Lower costs: Poor health from inactivity costs society dearly. Road casualties cost even more, due to the suffering and burden on health and emergency services. Preventing casualties and improving health means GOing 20 pays for itself many times over. It also helps people save money by choosing the cheapest ways to get about: foot and bike. Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, said: "GO 20 is all about enabling people to walk and cycle without fear or threat. "If we are to bring about a 2012 legacy of more active communities, we need to make our streets and communities safer places. "Fleet operators can play an essential role in bringing this about, by ensuring their drivers always put protecting people first, and understand the vital importance of slowing down. "Our main message in Road Safety Week is appealing to drivers to stay well within limits, and slow down to 20 around homes, schools and shops. "It makes roads safer for walking and cycling, and makes little difference to journey times. "It's great so many fleet operators are getting involved and helping to communicate this and other life-saving messages this year. "We urge other employers to register on the Road Safety Week website to get our free guidance on managing driver speed." The campaign will be formally launched at 1030 this morning with a walking and cycling street party at William Tyndale Primary School in the London Borough of Islington, the first in London to introduce a borough-wide 20mph peed limit. Malcolm Shepherd, chief executive of Sustrans, commented: "A 20mph national speed limit would save lives and make our streets better places to socialise, play, walk and cycle. "It would also improve our health, tackling obesity and heart disease as well as reducing the burden on the NHS. "A 20mph limit is already in place in many parts of the country, but a postcode lottery where children are safer in some areas than others is not acceptable. "A new national limit would save money for public health, education and transport budgets, and the Government should now act to lower speeds on streets where we live, work and play." Thanks Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X)

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