November 2013 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Webinar - New NACTO Urban Street Design Guide, Wed, Nov.6, 2-3pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 02 Nov '13

02 Nov '13

Green Action Centre invites you to join us for a local viewing of the following APBP and NACTO webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave). This will be followed by group discussion of local applications. Detailed description provided below. *Wednesday, Nov. 6th | 2:00-3:00 p.m.* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! (Please note that this is a free webinar, so if you prefer to watch from your office you can register here: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/796641226) cheers, Beth (204) 925-3772 ** * * * ** New NACTO Urban Street Design Guide *Wednesday, Nov. 6th | 2:00-3:00 p.m.* The leading experts in street design who contributed to the guide's development will address how this resource will change the face of our streets, the ways you can use it in your community, and how specific topics and elements in the document differ from conventional practice. The NACTO Urban Street Design Guide <http://nacto.org/usdg/> charts the principles and practices of the nation’s foremost engineers, planners and designers working in cities today. The Guide offers a blueprint for designing 21st century streets, and unveils the toolbox and the tactics cities use to make streets safer, more liveable, and more economically vibrant. In this webinar, participants will achieve a better understanding of how and why city streets demand a unique set of design tools specific to their distinct needs and characteristics; will learn how to implement different "interim" design strategies, including parklets, public plazas and temporary safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians; will clarify how to utilize the guide as a tool for local and state advocacy, including basic information on NACTO's endorsement campaign for the guide. Each webinar presenter is an expert in street design and a contributor to the guide: - Michael Flynn, Director of Capital Planning, NYC DOT; - Michael King, Principal, Nelson\Nygaard Associates; - Peter Koonce, Division Manager, Signals, Street Lighting & ITS, Portland Bureau of Transportation; and - David Vega-Barachowitz, Director, Designing Cities initiative, NACTO. *NACTO* - The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) is an association that represents large cities on transportation issues of local, regional and national significance. NACTO views the transportation departments of major cities as effective and necessary partners in regional and national transportation efforts, promoting their interests in federal decision-making. They facilitate the exchange of transportation ideas, insights and best practices among large cities, while fostering a cooperative approach to key issues facing cities and metropolitan areas. As a coalition of city transportation departments, NACTO is committed to raising the state of the practice for street design and transportation by building a common vision, sharing data, peer-to-peer exchange in workshops and conferences, and regular communication among member cities. For more information about the organization, visit www.natco.org<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?AssociationofPedestr/b5b8593e4e/4474d32d6e/5d5d1b72…> . *APBP *- The Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) provides expertise for sustainable transportation and is the only professional membership organization for the discipline of pedestrian and bicycle transportation. APBP members are employees of all levels of government, consulting firms and non-profits who work in the engineering, planning, landscape architecture, police, safety, health and promotion fields and specialize in improving conditions for bicycling and walking. For more information about the organization, visit www.apbp.org<http://cts.vresp.com/c/?AssociationofPedestr/b5b8593e4e/4474d32d6e/21f21a00…> .

1 0

Presentations from 8th Nova Scotia Cycling Summit
by Beth McKechnie 02 Nov '13

02 Nov '13

(courtesy of Velo Cape Breton) In addition to their enforced 1m passing law, Nova Scotia is making great strides on several fronts thanks to a combination of political will and a growing network of interest groups such as Velo Cape Breton. See: Nova Scotia Cycling Summit Presentations<http://www.velocapebreton.ca/?q=node/429>

1 0

Head injuries are among the most severe injuries sustained while bicycling
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '13

01 Nov '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 09:01:44 -0500 Subject: Head injuries are among the most severe injuries sustained while bicycling http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/bike-helmets-to-reduce-risk-of-head… Principal author(s)Brent E Hagel, Natalie L Yanchar; Canadian Paediatric Society, Injury Prevention Committee<http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/bike-helmets-to-reduce-risk-of-head…> Paediatr Child Health 2013;18(9):475-80 Abstract Bicycling is a popular activity and a healthy, environmentally friendly form of transportation. However, it is also a leading cause of sport and recreational injury in children and adolescents. Head injuries are among the most severe injuries sustained while bicycling, justifying the implementation of bicycle helmet legislation by many provinces. There is evidence that bicycle helmet legislation increases helmet use and reduces head injury risk. Evidence for unintended consequences of helmet legislation, such as reduced bicycling and greater risk-taking, is weak and conflicting. Both research evidence to date and recognition of the substantial impact of traumatic brain injuries support the recommendation for all-ages bicycle helmet legislation. *Key Words:* *Bicycle helmet; Head injuries; Legislation* Recommendations Based on current evidence and the importance of preventing head injuries in children and youth, the CPS makes the following recommendations: - All jurisdictions in Canada should legislate and enforce bicycle helmet use for all ages. - Legislation should be rolled out using social marketing and education to raise awareness of bicycle helmet efficacy, accessibility and importance. - *Other strategies to prevent bicycling injuries, such as separating riders from motor traffic with bicycle lanes, pathways for commuting and recreational cycling, and community safety programs should be implemented concurrently.* - Physicians should counsel families about the importance of wearing bicycle helmets. Where all-ages legislation does not exist, parents should wear a bicycle helmet to model good behaviour and protect themselves. - Sales tax exemptions or rebates and federal tax credits to make the purchase of bicycle helmets less expensive should be adopted. Future research should explore both the intended and potential unintended effects of bicycle helmet legislation, with focus on: - Long-term follow-up to assess the effects of bicycle helmet legislation on compliance, prevalence and head injuries rates, with appropriate control for trends in other traffic safety initiatives. - How enforcement activities influence helmet compliance and prevalence. - The level of bicycling activity after implementation of helmet legislation, with appropriate control for independent and pre-existing trends in bicycling. Acknowledgements This position statement was reviewed by the Community Paediatrics, Adolescent Health, and Healthy Active Living and Sports Medicine Committees, and by the Emergency Paediatrics Section, of the Canadian Paediatric Society. -- Terry Zdan 126 Duncan Norrie Drive Wpg MB R3P 2J9 CANADA tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>

1 0

Denver tech companies: ‘The No. 1 thing they want is bike lanes’
by Mark Cohoe 01 Nov '13

01 Nov '13

In a world where city's must compete with one another for jobs, and employers have to work harder to hang on to their talent, both are coming to the realization that being bicycle friendly can make a world of difference. http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/denver-tech-companies-the-no.-1-th… Mark Denver tech companies: ‘The No. 1 thing they want is bike lanes’ October 31, 2013 /Michael Andersen, Green Lane Project staff writer/ /Bikeability: Denver's new economic development tool. Photo by Andrew Catellier (Flickr <http://www.flickr.com/photos/whltexbread/8193515101/sizes/z/in/photostream/>)./ The single biggest obstacle to recruiting tech workers to Denver is its lack of good bike lanes, the head of the city's downtown business association said this month. That's why her organization, the Downtown Denver Partnership, is taking the lead to create a "comprehensive protected bike lane plan" for the central city. Here's the passage from DDP President Tami Door's interview with the Denver Business Journal's Bill Husted <http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2013/10/18/tami-door-downtowns-dimin…> (emphases mine): *BH:* Who’s moving into downtown? *TD:* We are the number one destination for millennials in the country. Our staff met with a lot of tech companies in Denver and we asked them what we can do to make companies stay here and come here. You know what they said was the biggest obstacle on getting employees to Denver? *BH:* The 16th Street Mall? *TD:* No. *The number one thing they want is bike lanes.* Ten years ago we never would have thought that walkability or bike lanes would be economic development tools. *BH: *Do you like the B-Cycle program? *TD:* It’s great, but *more importantly we’re working on the creation of a comprehensive protected bike lane plan for downtown.* It’s great that we have the B-Cycle bikes and everyone can use them, but we would like to make bikes an integrated part of downtown. We want more people biking in the normal course of the day, not just because it’s a novelty, but that’s how they commute. Door (who in the same interview mentions that one of her favorite authors is Ayn Rand) is the latest person to make this discovery at the local level. We've previously heard it from the mayors of Seattle and Chicago <http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2013/02/20/mayor-mcginn-to-rahm-emanuel-seat…>, CEOs in Portland <http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/good-bike-access-helps-score-great…> and a commercial office building manager in D.C <http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/data-confirms-it-dc-is-the-new-u.s…>. There also seems to be an amusing generational clash here between the 60ish Husted, a former newspaper columnist who seems certain that downtown Denver's biggest economic problem is its mile-long pedestrian mall <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/us/denvers-downtown-mall-a-headache-and-d…>, and Door, 47, who sees a hunger for more human-friendly spaces, not fewer. In cities where digitally driven office work or the tech sector are important to driving job growth, more business leaders seem to agree that comfortable bike access is quickly advancing from "amenity" to "necessity." /*The Green Lane Project <http://peopleforbikes.org/green-lane-project>* writes about the ways cities are building better bike lanes. You can follow us on Twitter <http://twitter.com/GreenLaneProj> or Facebook <http://facebook.com/TheGreenLaneProject>, or sign up for weekly emails of our latest news here <http://www.peopleforbikes.org/green-lane-project>. Got a bike lane design story worth sharing? Write michael(a)peopleforbikes.org <mailto:michael@peopleforbikes.org>. / http://www.peopleforbikes.org/blog/entry/denver-tech-companies-the-no.-1-th…

1 0