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

Fwd: Help divert bikes from the landfill at Empty the Fill - THIS SATURDAY!
by Mark Cohoe 01 Aug '13

01 Aug '13

Help divert bikes from our land fills to our community bike shops by volunteering with the WRENCH this weekend! Mark -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Help divert bikes from the landfill at Empty the Fill - THIS SATURDAY! Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 15:10:56 -0500 From: Robin Ellis <volunteer(a)thewrench.ca> To: Robin Ellis <wrenchvolunteer(a)gmail.com> Inline image 1 Hey Folks! This Saturday (August 3rd) is the annual massive landfill diversion blitz: EMPTY THE FILL! We will be heading out to the Brady Road Landfill bicycle compound to STRIP, SORT, STACK and SCRAP bikes to fill the racks and shelves of community bike shops in Winnipeg. Come see what's in our waste stream as we turn garbage into the stuff of dreams! We can use as many volunteers as possible, and no prior bicycle knowledge is necessary! It would also be great to get some more folks with vehicles to transport people, parts or bikes. The WRENCH will be providing bike stands and tools, food, water, and shade for everyone who comes to help out. Be sure to sport sturdy closed toed footwear, a hat, sunscreen, rugged clothing, and a water bottle. Rides will be meeting at the bike dump at 10 am on Saturday morning. Feel free to email/call for more info, and please RSVP via email or phone so we know how many people to expect. Thanks! See you then! -- *Robin Ellis*, Volunteer Coordinator The Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub 1057 Logan Ave. Winnipeg, MB R3E 3N8 www.thewrench.ca <http://www.thewrench.ca/> 204.296.3389

1 0

Fwd: Cognitive performance is better in girls whose walk to school lasts more than 15 minutes
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 01 Aug '13

01 Aug '13

Cognitive Performance Is Better in Girls Whose Walk to School Lasts More Than 15 Minutes Published: July 24, 2013 By University of Granada<http://www.sciencenewsline.com/source/University+of+Granada> http://www.sciencenewsline.com/articles/2013072415030021.html *Cognitive performance of adolescent girls who walk to school is better than that of girls who travel by bus or car. Moreover, cognitive performance is also better in girls who take more than 15 minutes than in those who live closer and have a shorter walk to school.* These are some of the conclusions of a study published in *Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine*. The results come from findings of the nationwide AVENA (Food and Assessment of the NutritionalStatus of Spanish Adolescents) study, in which the University of Granada has participated together with the Autonomous University of Madrid, University of Zaragoza and the Spanish National Research Council in Madrid. They constitute the first international study that associates mode of commuting to school and cognitive performance. The authors analysed a sample of 1700 boys and girls aged between 13 and 18 years (808 boys and 892 girls) in five Spanish cities (Granada, Madrid, Murcia, Santander and Zaragoza). They studied variables of mode of commuting to school, cognitive performance, anthropometrics—like body mass index and percentage of overweight and obesity—and participants' extracurricular physical activity. They also gathered data on their families' socio-economic status using the mother's level of educational achievement (primary school, secondary school or university) and the type of school (state-funded or private) that participants attended. Information on mode of commuting to school came from a question asking participants how they usually travelled to school and giving the following response options: on foot, by bicycle, car, bus or subway, motorcycle, and others. They were also asked how long the journey to school took them. Cognitive performance was measured by applying the Spanish version of an educational ability test. Participants completed this standardized test that measures intelligence and the individual's basic ability for learning. The test assesses command of language, speed in performing mathematical operations, and reasoning. In adolescence, the plasticity of the brain is greatest. The researchers affirm that, during adolescence, "the plasticity of the brain is greater than at any other time of life, which makes it the opportune period to stimulate cognitive function". However, paradoxically, adolescence is the time of life that sees the greatest decline in physical activity, and this is greater in girls. Therefore, the authors of the study think that "inactive adolescents could be missing out on a very important stimulus to improve their learning and cognitive performance". "Commuting to school on foot is a healthy daily habit, which contributes to keeping the adolescent active during the rest of the day and encourages them to participate in physical and sports activities. This boosts the expenditure of energy and, all in all, leads to a better state of health", say Palma Chillón, researcher in the Department of Physical and Sports Education of the University of Granada, and David Martínez-Gómez, of the Department of Physical and Sports Education and Human Movement (Faculty of Teacher Training and Education) of the Autonomous University of Madrid, who have both participated in the study.

1 0

Fwd: PACM Contract position
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 01 Aug '13

01 Aug '13

Forwarded on behalf of PACM: Enclosed is the PACM contract position information. Please circulate to candidates who you feel may be suitable. ** ** ** ** ** Casie Nishi**** Executive Director**** Wellness Institute at Seven Oaks General Hospital **** 1075 Leila Avenue Winnipeg, MB R2P 2W7**** Phone: (204) 632-3901 Fax: (204) 697-2412**** Email: cnishi(a)sogh.mb.ca**** www.wellnessinstitute.ca**** ** ** ** ** ** ** This email and/or any documents in this transmission is intended for the addressee(s) only and may contain legally privileged or confidential information. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, copying or dissemination is strictly prohibited. If you receive this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and return the original. Ce courriel et tout document dans cette transmission est destiné à la personne ou aux personnes à qui il est adressé. Il peut contenir des informations privilégiées ou confidentielles. Toute utilisation, divulgation, distribution, copie, ou diffusion non autorisée est strictement défendue. Si vous n'êtes pas le destinataire de ce message, veuillez en informer l'expéditeur immédiatement et lui remettre l'original.

1 0

News flash for drivers: Cyclists are helping subsidize your ride
by Beth McKechnie 31 Jul '13

31 Jul '13

News flash for drivers: Cyclists are helping subsidize your ride *Local roads and bike lanes are almost exclusively paid for by local property taxes, not fuel taxes* By Peter Ladner Tue Jul 30, 2013 12:01am PST http://www.biv.com/article/20130730/BIV0319/307309939/-1/BIV/news-flash-for… As the “war on bikes” continues in my little corner of our sun-drenched paradise, I’ve been trying to understand the road rage that’s generated every time space for cars is shifted to other uses. Some of it is fear borne out of fertile imaginings of disasters unforeseen by professional traffic engineers. It’s true, the engineers have been wrong before. They initially predicted massive lineups from the east and west to get onto the south end of the Burrard Bridge if a bike lane was put in on the bridge. Those turned out to be only minor delays in one direction at peak travel times. Business organizations recoil at the uncertainties by assuming harm for businesses if a bike lane is put in. Yet in New York City, retail sales along new bike routes jumped by 49% compared with 3% overall. On the Hornby bike route, retail vacancies went down from 10% to 2% after the bike lane was installed. So, yes, businesses along Cornwall should be concerned about a new bike route along York Street – they’ll lose bicycle-riding customers who no longer go by their premises. In a week when the Transport for London reported that 24% of all vehicles in the morning rush in London are now bicycles, many people refuse to believe that cycling is a viable alternative to the automobile, because it wouldn’t work for them. Fine, it doesn’t have to, but it does work for a lot of people – and will work for a lot more when they can do it safely in a protected lane. But the biggest gagging point for many motorists is that they think cyclists are getting a free ride on someone else’s dime. The rude, arrogant and law-breaking attitude of some cyclists only adds to this resentment. Oddly, drivers who endanger lives by breaking the speed limit rarely provoke the same reaction. In fact, the opposite is true. Cyclists subsidize car drivers. Local roads and bike lanes are almost exclusively paid for by local property taxes, not fuel taxes. Yes, some city hall revenue comes from parking fees, but those fees don’t begin to cover the opportunity and maintenance costs of the 30% of the city’s land base that is used for cars, especially for “free” on-street parking. The amount of roadway in Vancouver dedicated to cars is 10 times that dedicated to bicycles, which usually park off-road. Property taxes are paid by everyone who lives in the city, whether they rent or own. Cyclists are more likely to live in the city, since they stay closer to home than motorists who come into Vancouver from all over the region. Cyclists also subsidize motorists when they live in buildings or buy groceries that cost more because of legislated off-street parking spaces they don’t use. City police costs to patrol traffic, enforce drunk driving laws and attend to accidents are paid by cyclists and car drivers alike, even though car drivers use up vastly more of those resources than cyclists. Then there are health-care costs, which everyone pays through provincial income taxes and medical service premiums. Cars are huge health hazards, plain and simple. Pollution from cars generates huge health-care costs – especially diesel cars like my Passat TDI. Accidents and ambulances are an obvious source of those costs, but they only account for 10% of the casualties due to traffic. Three times as many people die from the effects of emissions, and twice as many again die prematurely from lack of exercise and obesity-driven diseases related to time spent driving. Protected green lanes reduce non-fatal cyclist road injuries by 90%, so the return on investment from bike lanes is possibly covered by that health care saving alone. Drivers concerned about unfair tax burdens should welcome more bicycle lanes – especially in pricy waterfront neighbourhoods where the increased property values will lighten the property tax load for everyone else.

1 0

Webinar recording now available: The Latest Spin on University Bike Share Programs
by Beth McKechnie 29 Jul '13

29 Jul '13

In case you missed last week's webinar on University Bike Share Programs, here's a link to the recording along with pdfs of the slides: http://www.bestworkplaces.org/events/best-workplaces-for-commuters-web-conf… I found it particularly interesting that there appears to be a shift in the approach to bike sharing on campuses vs municipal bike share programs. The key difference being that the technology is stored on the bike's rear rack, which means that regular bike racks can be used rather than specialized docking systems. cheers, Beth

1 0

WFP: Long-term planning crucial - Strategic thinking needed with Winnipeg seeing growth (July22'13)
by Beth McKechnie 25 Jul '13

25 Jul '13

Long-term planning crucial Strategic thinking needed with Winnipeg seeing growth ON ARCHITECTUREBy: Brent Bellamy http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/long-term-planning-crucial-216396… Winnipeg's population is nearing 800,000 and is growing by more than 10,000 per year. Property values are rising, construction is happening and the economy is prospering. We have an IKEA, a professional hockey team and a half-dozen new towers rising in our skyline. Winnipeg is without question a progressing city -- but is it a progressive one? After decades of stagnation, Winnipeg is beginning to face the challenges that come with more rapid urban growth. The suburbs are sprawling in every direction, traffic levels are increasing and established neighbourhoods are being redeveloped. The city is evolving and we are at the point of having to ask ourselves: What kind of community do we want Winnipeg to become? Old Winnipeg was a special place, filled with dense, tree-lined, walkable neighbourhoods of grid-pattern streets, community clubs and corner stores. Will new Winnipeg have the same character and soul, or will we look back on this growth period as a lost opportunity to progressively shape our future city? Will we have the same pride and foresight as those who planted our characteristic tree canopy a century ago, or will we leave a legacy of ubiquitous suburbs, unmanageable civic finances and crumbling infrastructure? In 2011, city council voted to accept the Our Winnipeg plan and the Complete Communities Direction Strategy into official civic policy as a response to these very questions. These comprehensive planning guidelines are intended to provide a progressive blueprint for the city's economic, social and physical growth over the next 25 years. Our Winnipeg emphasizes creative ways to guide new neighbourhood design and transform existing areas into "complete communities." It focuses on developing mixed-use, mixed-income and mixed-density neighbourhoods that are walkable, safe, beautiful and vibrant. Perhaps, most importantly, it outlines ways to make the city more economically sustainable by curbing the prevailing model of low-density, expansive growth that has already stressed civic budgets to a point where taxes are rising and public services are declining. Our Winnipeg is a long-term plan, but it is not a law. Without aligning its strategies with current zoning bylaws, the document becomes a fanciful vision without any real method of implementation. Earlier this month, city council chose to defer their vote on a series of recommendations from the planning, property and development department that would align several features of Our Winnipeg with zoning bylaws. The recommendations focused on reducing red tape and streamlining the approval process for desirable development. Densification of existing neighbourhoods is seen as a key strategy for making the city more economically sustainable in the long term, but the provision of parking to meet current bylaw standards can be a barrier to infill development on smaller urban sites. The recommendations addressed this issue by reducing minimum parking levels in mature communities, permitting some on-street parking for multi-family developments and allowing car-share and bike programs to offset parking requirements. To promote the subdivision of larger properties, it was recommended that the minimum required lot areas be reduced while allowing properties to be subdivided as long as newly created lots are no smaller than existing ones located within 60 metres on the same street. These modest changes met with apprehension from council, which cited fears of increased street parking and smaller residential properties that might be considered unappealing to community residents. It is human nature to fear change, but councillors who struggle every year to balance civic budgets likely understand our current urban-development model is not economically sustainable. As Winnipeg grows, promoting density is the only way to ensure a healthy and competitive city in the future. To prosper, we will have to embrace the long-term goals outlined in the Our Winnipeg plan by empowering it with a legal backbone. This resistance to long-term planning as a method of guiding change seems to have recently become a trend in Winnipeg. Last year, the Corydon-Osborne Neighbourhood Plan was stopped in its tracks despite the pressing need to address significant changes happening in the area. Promises to restart the process have gone unfulfilled for almost a year. Recently, the City of Winnipeg cancelled its active-transportation study, indicating its $400,000 cost would be better spent on construction. The complex web of bike and pedestrian paths, intertwined with transit and vehicular networks across the city, will now be implemented without a strategic plan to ensure its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The argument appears to fall flat considering other studies continue, including a $1.2-million plan for the development of the Waverley Street underpass. The lessons of proceeding without planning and public consultation might have been learned when a hotel and water park near The Forks were abruptly proposed, resulting in significant community opposition and the eventual failure of the project. The value of an effective urban plan can be seen as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers implement costly reactive solutions to traffic issues at their new stadium. Winnipeg is at a critical moment in its history. Just as development from the pre-war boom era a century ago continues to inform our city's urban character today, the decisions we make in this growth period will define what kind of city we pass on to future generations. To be a truly progressive city, we must establish long-term goals through comprehensive planning and without fear of change, implement public policy that adheres to plans such as Our Winnipeg and promotes development that effectively realizes the goals they strive to achieve. *Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.* bbellamy(a)numberten.com Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 22, 2013 0

1 0

Webinar: The Latest Spin on University Bike Share Programs, Thurs, July 25, 2-3:15
by Beth McKechnie 25 Jul '13

25 Jul '13

Friendly reminder regarding today's FREE webinar on University Bike Share Programs. *PLEASE NOTE the correct local time for the webinar is 2:00-3:15 pm today! * If you like, come join us in the EcoCentre boardroom (303 Portage Ave, third floor) for a group viewing or simply watch from your own desk (no registration required). cheers, Beth ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Bond, Julie <bond(a)cutr.usf.edu> Date: Thu, Jul 18, 2013 at 8:15 AM Join us for an intriguing look at three University Bike Share programs during a FREE Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC) webinar. **** ** ** *Date*: Thursday, July 25, 2013**** *Time: *2:00 - 3:15 pm (Central / local)** ** ** *Join the Session: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/cutr/join?id=bwcbikeshare&role=attend&pw=web… * * * *Add to your Outlook calendar: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/cutr/meetingICS?id=bwcbikeshare&role=attend&… * * * *Speakers:* * * *Holly Parker, Director ***** *Sustainable Transportation Systems***** *Yale University***** Still unsatisfied with the existing bikeshare models available at the time, Yale started “Y-Bike,” a departmental bikeshare program in 2008—in which a bicycle was provided to a Yale department for anyone in the department (a small, controlled environment) to use. The expense of the kiosk-based bikeshare system was prohibitive, and it was felt that getting staff members—some of whom hadn’t been on bikes since childhood—to use bikes for travel between campus locations would be a good way to build bike culture. In addition to the over 40 Y-Bikes on campus (and 8,000 collective miles pedaled later), Yale now provides 50 shared-use bicycles to anyone who registers with a valid Yale email address. Listen to how Yale designed this 6-month pilot and how they plan on evaluating it. **** **** *Jim Simon, Sustainability Engagement Coordinator***** *University at Buffalo***** When the community bicycle sharing program closed, a search began for alternatives that would meet the needs of the campus in light of their goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030. Counseled by a report prepared by an undergraduate planning class and examined options that would promote synergy in the community with partners working on providing bike share in their city and region, they engaged in a partnership with a start-up company that offers a GPS-enabled bike that can be located and borrowed using your mobile phone. The technology meets students where they are—on their mobile phones and computers—and is accessible at any time. By becoming the first college or university to partner with this company, they have learned and applied several important lessons about innovation, partnership, and the development of learning opportunities for our students. Participants will learn how being on the leading edge of innovation through embracing new technology can benefit the research, teaching, and public service mission of your university. Additionally, participants will learn how to involve students in campus decision making through classroom learning opportunities and how the immediate risk of working with a start-up organization can lead to rewarding opportunities for collaboration with students, the community, and the campus. **** **** *Joshua Cantor, Director* *Parking and Transportation* *George Mason University* George Mason University’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and fostering a bicycling community on campus has led to a series of new projects, including a bike path that would stretch from the Fairfax campus to the Vienna-Fairfax-GMU Metro Station and Patriot Bike Share, a bike-sharing program on campus. George Mason’s Office of Sustainability has joined with the local bicycling community to create a series of new initiatives to achieve carbon neutrality by 2015. Chief among them is the Patriot Bike Share program on campus, which allows students to rent bicycles for two hours and return them at one of four locations across campus. The program was started by Tyler Orton, bike program manager for the Office of Sustainability, who brought his idea to the Office of Sustainability and was given $36,000 to invest in the project as part of the office’s new “Patriot Green Fund”. Listen to the challenges and opportunities that existed for this customized bike share solution.**** **** *Moderator:* Julie Bond, Program Manager, Best Workplaces for Commuters**** National Center for Transit Research, University of South Florida**** ** ** A Q and A session will follow the presentations. Visit www.bestworkplaces.org for further information, and learn how you can become a member.**** ** ** If you have questions, please email bond(a)cutr.usf.edu.**** ** ** Best regards,**** ** ** ** ** Julie Bond**** Program Manager, Best Workplaces for Commuters**** National Center for Transit Research**** Center for Urban Transportation Research**** University of South Florida**** 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, CUT100**** Tampa, FL 33620**** Direct Line: 813.974.9799**** [image: cid:image002.png@01CE0EB7.27D18690]**** ** ** ------------------------------

1 0

Bicycles - the new conservative enemy (Macleans.ca)
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jul '13

24 Jul '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 09:25:52 -0500 http://ca.news.yahoo.com/bicycles--the-new-conservative-enemy-203422964.html Bicycles: the new conservative enemy The rise of bike-sharing programs has created an unlikely new target in the culture wars [image: Maclean's] <http://www.macleans.ca/> By Jaime Weinman | Maclean's – Sat, 20 Jul, 2013 [image: At more than one million rides, Toronto's BIXI service is proving popular with riders but is struggling to cover costs.] <http://ca.news.yahoo.com/photos/more-one-million-rides-torontos-bixi-provin…> CBC/Ivy Cuervo/CBC - At more than one million rides, Toronto's BIXI service is proving popular with riders but is struggling to cover costs. In the 1980s, the conservative humourist P.J. O’Rourke wrote “A Cool and Logical Analysis of the Bicycle Menace<http://www.bikereader.com/contributors/misc/menace.html>.” He was joking. In 2013, *Wall Street Journal* editorial board member Dorothy Rabinowitz said, “the bike lobby is an all-powerful enterprise<http://live.wsj.com/video/opinion-death-by-bicycle/C6D8BBCE-B405-4D3C-A381-…>” and the presence of a bike-sharing program in New York was an example of “the totalitarians running the government of this city.” She wasn’t joking. Rabinowitz’s widely discussed appearance on a Wall Street Journal video, which was picked up by many news outlets and *The Daily Show* (“Slow down, lady, they’re just bikes!” Jon Stewart exclaimed), did more than draw attention to complaints about the effectivness of the Citibike program, New York’s attempt to compete with the bike-sharing in other cities such as Paris and Montreal. It made people aware of just how hostile some conservative commentators are to bikes. Rabinowitz was hardly the first conservative pundit to express scorn for bicycles and the people who ride them. One of the most-publicized recent bike-bashers was Don Cherry, who showed up to meet Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in 2010<http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/12/08/put-that-in-your-pipe-you-left-wing-kook…>wearing a loud pink shirt, explaining: “I’m wearing pink for all the pinkos out there riding bicycles.” Popular southern California radio host John Kobylt, an opponent of plans to build more bike lanes in Los Angeles, recently explained that cyclists are members of “a bizarre cult that worships two-wheel transportation, not a traditional God.” And Rush Limbaugh, the leader in conservative radio punditry, has always been willing to tee off on the pesky pedal-pushers: “Frankly, if the door opens into a bicycle rider, I won’t care,” he once said. “I think they ought to be off the streets and on the sidewalk,” where bike riders aren’t actually allowed. Why would bicycles become a political issue? Partly because things like bike-sharing programs are often placed in opposition to cars and the people who drive them. Lloyd Alter, an adjunct professor at Ryerson University’s school of interior design and the managing editor of *TreeHugger.com<http://www.treehugger.com/> *, says conservatives sometimes associate bikes “with environmentalism and anti-capitalism. Bike riders live in denser places, don’t go to big-box supercentres, lead a suspiciously different lifestyle.” The political splits in cities are often strongest between urban areas and the suburbs or exurbs, and that pits suburb-friendly transportation, mainly cars, against more “urban” vehicles such as bikes and light rail. So just as conservative politicians such as Ford have often won votes for their support of the automobile against non-traditional transportation, conservative pundits often stick up for suburban car drivers in the culture war, and portray bicyclists as elitists. Kobylt, cited by *The Atlantic*’s Conor Friedersdorf as a practitioner of “the paranoid style in bicycle politics,” told his listeners he fears that cyclists are trying to make him feel like, “I’m second class because I drive a car, or I have a commute to work, or I live in a suburban neighbourhood.” Journalist George Will, a prominent opponent of trains, also mocked then-U.S. secretary of transportation Ray LaHood for his support of biking: “Does he think 0.01 per cent of Americans will ever regularly bike to work?” Will sneered. Alter says that, to some pundits, cyclists are “a powerful force trying to squeeze cars off the road,” and “every advance by the cyclists is seen as an attack on the suburban way of life.” But just as there are plenty of liberals who drive SUVs, there are plenty of conservatives who contradict the bike-hating stereotype. Nicole Gelinas, a contributor to the conservative urban policy magazine City Journal, published an article about Citibike that, while critical of the program, also tried to counteract some of the stereotypes about it: “Despite fears to the contrary, especially among the elderly,” she wrote<http://www.city-journal.org/2013/eon0530ng.html>, “bike share won’t harm pedestrians.” Still, as bike-friendly conservative radio host Mitch Berg told the Utne Reader<http://www.utne.com/Politics/Conservative-Cyclists-Republican-Bikes-Transce…>, “people on both sides of the political aisle do ascribe political significance to biking.” Or, as P.J. O’Rourke put it all those years ago, “I don’t like the kind of people who ride bicycles.” -- Terry Zdan 126 Duncan Norrie Drive Wpg MB R3P 2J9 CANADA tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>

1 0

Canstar weeklies: Bike study scrapped (July24'13)
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jul '13

24 Jul '13

Bike study scrapped By: Matt Prepost http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/times/Bike-study-scrapped-… Local councillors and bike advocates are cycling different paths when it comes to building an active transportation network in northwest Winnipeg. Earlier this month, the city confirmed it was suspending a $400,000 consulting study to develop a strategy to build future bike and pedestrian paths in the city. Instead, the city says it will spend that money on a handful of projects which are already underway. Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said the decision means the city is continuing to miss the big picture due to the competing interests and ideas of cyclists, residents and politicians, and will miss out on opportunities that could save the public money down the line. "They’re not looking at how individual projects fit into the whole," said Cohoe. "When we don’t have an overall strategy looking at the whole network, it’s hard to figure out what the role of one route would be in the network and what kind of infrastructure would fit that best. "Sometimes it can be a neighbourhood street with a sharrow (a shared or painted lane on the road). But, if it’s going to be a spine in your network, a sharrow won’t cut it." Cohoe has been developing a proposal for a path that would run through the Manitoba Hydro right-of-way that runs alongside McPhillips Street, from the Perimeter Highway to the McPhillips Street Station Casino. The nine-kilometre stretch passes near several shopping destinations, including a Wal-Mart, Safeway and Superstore, and connects into a number of schools. He sees opportunities along the path for community and butterfly gardens and gathering spots for the community. Cohoe led a group of about 10 people through the area in late May as part of the Jane’s Walk event looking at alternatives to cycling along McPhillips. He plans to hold a series of open houses on the project in the fall. "It really could create that situation of giving people the opportunity to take a short trip by bike instead of by car," said Cohoe, who lives in Corydon Village. Area councillors, however, have different ideas. Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie wants the city to carve up a pathway along the old Winnipeg Beach rail line owned by CP, which runs along the western edge of Riverbend before bisecting the West Kildonan, Garden City and North End communities. Old Kildonan Coun. Devi Sharma wants to see the city complete a trail connection from Kildonan Park under the Chief Peguis Trail and into Rivergrove. And Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan said he’d like to see buffered bike lanes, similar to those built along Pembina Highway earlier this year, placed along Main, Arlington and McPhillips streets. "Without a strategy, where do we go first? Where do we spend the money?" said Eadie, who opposed cancelling the contract. "If we’re not going to have a strategy, it’s just going to be randomly picked." Sharma said the city’s public works committee will put the cycling strategy on its agenda when it resumes sitting in September. "There seems to be some agreement to have the study, but how much do we spend on it?" said Sharma, who sits on the committee. Pagtakhan said the city does need an overall strategy for cycling and pedestrians, but should complete its existing list of projects before committing dollars and embarking on a study. "If we were to ask people, would they rather see a study or would they rather see dollars put on building actual active transportation routes, I believe people would want to see tax dollars put on actual routes," he said. Cohoe believes the city can do both. "You can definitely work on projects and plan for the future," he said.

1 0

MUTCD (U.S.) - Bicycle Facilities - what's in, what's not
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jul '13

24 Jul '13

Please see message below from Terry regarding the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) in the U.S. On a related note, the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) is updating the Canadian MUTCD<http://www.tac-atc.ca/english/projects/trafficcontrol.cfm>. Looks like it will be a while though, as the analysis of what is needed to be updated is not expected to be completed until spring 2014. cheers, Beth ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 12:05:01 -0500 Subject: This is a nice summary of what is in the MUTCD and what is not and the status of some of the "experimental" treatments of late… http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/guidance/design_guid… -- Terry Zdan 126 Duncan Norrie Drive Wpg MB R3P 2J9 CANADA tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>

1 0