November 2018 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

WFP: Legalize free-range parenting (Nov30'18)
by Beth McKechnie 30 Nov '18

30 Nov '18

*Legalize free-range parenting * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/legalize-free-range-pare… KATHARINA NUSS I AM encouraged by the amount of discussion and conversation that has been happening around whether the law should more explicitly allow children under 12 more independence. Dan Lett — in “ Protecting kids can mean awkward questions” (Nov. 3) — argues that protecting children requires diligence, and I fully agree with that. As I have said before, my issue is not with receiving a visit from a Child and Family Services worker — I understand and support CFS’s need to follow up when a concern is brought to their attention. What I take issue with is being told that it is not acceptable for children under 12 to be on their own under any circumstances, and that is the focus of the petition I started. Lett makes the argument that there is no harm done in being overly cautious, and that a few CFS visits that turn up no concern are a small price to pay, as it may keep some children from suffering serious neglect or abuse. It seems to be a sensible argument. However, this does not take into account that the status quo is not neutral, but is actually doing damage. It prevents children from engaging in activities that are key for healthy development. By denying our children opportunities to gradually learn independence, we put them at risk of a number of conditions and challenges. There is a sizable body of respectable research that demonstrates the importance of self-directed play, outdoor play, risk-taking and incremental independence for children’s physical, social, emotional and mental well-being. The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health of Canada says, “Access to active play in nature and outdoors— with its risks — is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings— at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” Psychology Prof. Peter Gray says, “Over the same decades that play has been declining, we have seen a well-documented increase in all sorts of mental disorders in childhood… five to eight times as many children today suffer from major depression or from a clinically significant anxiety disorder as was true in the 1950s.” ParticipAction has identified the protection paradox: “Children are overprotected in the name of safety, but trying to keep them safe by keeping them close and indoors may set them up to be less resilient and more likely to develop chronic diseases in the long run.” Dr. Mariana Brussoni et al. states that “The evidence… indicates that the overall positive health effects of increased risky outdoor play provide greater benefit than the health effects associated with avoiding outdoor risky play… (and) that risky play supportive environments promoted increased playtime, social interactions, creativity and resilience. These positive results reflect the importance of supporting children’s risky outdoor play opportunities as a means of promoting children’s health and active lifestyles.” As it stands right now, we have a law, enforced by CFS, which says kids cannot be unsupervised until the age of 12. Reality, however, paints a different picture of what we as a society deem normal and acceptable. Many children under 12 play outside without a parent hovering over them at all times — as they should, according to the research. Many children walk to school alone, or with friends or siblings, long before they are 12. School patrols are responsible for helping children (often under 12, often unaccompanied) navigate traffic before they are 12. If CFS tells parents that children under 12 should never be unsupervised, that means we are turning a blind eye to many such “violations” and the law is being enforced very selectively. What I am advocating is not for CFS to ignore a concern when it comes in. Rather, I would like to see a change in the law that explicitly allows for children to have these basic freedoms and learning opportunities, and which creates room for parental discretion based on the circumstances and an individual child’s maturity. That way, there is no basis for someone to call CFS solely because a parent is not hovering over their child every moment of their day. CFS then would not have to get involved in such a situation, which frees up valuable resources for them to attend to children and families that truly do need support and protection. Calls to CFS about children going to the local bakery, with a parent watching, are not, in fact, the ones that save lives, but ones that divert CFS resources from situations where the lives and safety of children are at risk. These situations only make parents and children anxious, and damage CFS’s reputation. To use an analogy: we do not aim to address the dangers of driving by saying that “staying out of a car is a small price to pay,” but rather by trying to balance the need for safety with people’s need to get places. Similarly, we should try to strike a balance here. I believe we need to find a way, while protecting all children’s safety and well-being, to also honour their need for healthy development. A change in the law would do both: it would give children the opportunities to develop the skills needed to become competent and confident in the world, while freeing up valuable CFS resources to focus on children and families that truly do need protection and support. Additionally, it would reflect the reality that our society already expects and allows our children to have gradually increasing independence before they are 12. *Katharina Nuss has started a petition to enact a “free-range parenting” law for Manitoba.*

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Webinar | Complete Streets: Key Challenges and Lessons Learned
by Mark Cohoe 29 Nov '18

29 Nov '18

Join us on Tuesday, December 4th for a webinar on complete streets from the perspective of three Canadian examples. *Tuesday, December 4, 2018 | TIME: 12:00-1:00 PM * *MB Eco-Centre Board Room* This webinar will highlight challenges faced by complete street projects across Canada, and identify lessons learned by three practitioners. *Argyle & Grafton Shared Streetscape Project* *Hanita Koblents* (Halifax Regional Municipality) will present this award-winning project, which transformed the heart of Halifax’s entertainment district into a “shared streetscape”. *Main Street Renewal: Retrofitting a Complete Street* *Ronald Clarke* (Parsons) will discuss the planning, design and reconstruction of an arterial road through the Old Ottawa East community - a transformative investment that improved multimodal mobility, the streetscape and public realm. *The Art of the Trade-Off* *Ryan Martinson* (Stantec) will address approaches to making trade-offs when designing complete streets, drawing on his own experience of integrating technical and stakeholder inputs. Mark Cohoe Executive Director Bike Winnipeg t: 204-894-6540 e: mark(a)bikewinnipeg.ca

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Webinar: Segmenting the Market for Transportation Demand Management Campaigns
by Beth McKechnie 27 Nov '18

27 Nov '18

Apologies for the late notice but feel free to join us in the EcoCentre boardroom tomorrow at noon to view this webinar. Or register for free to watch from your desk. cheers, Beth ---------- Forwarded message --------- *Free NITC Webinar: *Wednesday, November 28, 2018, 10 am PT (1 pm Eastern) Speaker(s): Philip Winters and Amy Lester, University of South Florida Register: https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/events/professional-development/webinar-11282018 Social marketing seeks to develop and integrate marketing concepts with other approaches to influence behaviors that benefit individuals and communities for the greater social good. It is a useful transportation demand management (TDM) planning approach to promote travel behavior change. The purpose of this study was to explore a consumer market segmentation technique successfully used in Europe for its applicability to marketing efforts in the United States. Attitudinal and demographic data were collected from 1900 individuals in Florida, Oregon, and Virginia modeled after the European approach. Clustering analysis was applied to divide the sample into segments so that members of the same group share similar attitudes. These include attitudes about various modes, car use, and congestion and environment. A classification model was built to predict group membership. The most stable and distinctive segmentation resulted in 7 segments. From this list of over 100 attitudinal questions, 17 questions were found to separate segments most significantly and predict group membership with high level of accuracy. Attitudinal profiles for each group were developed based on thee mean responses to these “golden questions”. This webinar will discuss the method and results. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this webinar, the learner will be able to: - Describe at least 2 potential benefits of market segmentation; - Explain differences between the European results and US results; - Identify 2 potential applications of the segmentation; and - Describe how to use the spreadsheet tool to identify a commuter’s segment. *CLICK HERE TO REGISTER <https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5346491132771270915>* *THE RESEARCH* This webinar is based on a study funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC) and conducted at the University of South Florida (USF). Read more about the research: SEGMENT: Applicability of an Existing Segmentation Technique to TDM Social Marketing Campaigns in the United States <https://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/research/project/1057/SEGMENT:_Applicability_of_a…> . *SPEAKERS* *Philip Winters, **University of South Florida* Philip Winters is the Transportation Demand Management Program Director for the University of South Florida's Center for Urban Transportation Research. *Amy Lester, University of South Florida* Amy Lester is a Faculty Research Associate at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. Dr. Lester earned her PhD in Public Health concentrating on Social Marketing in 2014 from the University of South Florida, College of Public Health. Dr. Lester holds additional undergraduate and graduate degrees in Public Health, Anthropology, and Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Lester has strong methodological expertise, and her research interests focus on qualitative formative research, social marketing, social determinants of health, and program evaluation. In addition to research, Dr. Lester has extensive teaching experience at both the college and high school levels. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT This 60-minute webinar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary) <https://www.planning.org/cm/provider/100058/details/>. We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance. LEARN MORE Sign up for our newsletter <http://nitc.trec.pdx.edu/news/newsletters/join-mailing-list> to get updates on our events. ADD TO CALENDAR <https://calendar.google.com/event?action=TEMPLATE&tmeid=M2xncXQxMDAwNmoxOTl…> *This webinar is hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University. The research was funded by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), a program of TREC and one of five U.S. Department of Transportation national university transportation centers. The NITC program is a Portland State-led partnership with the University of Oregon, Oregon Institute of Technology, University of Utah and new partners University of Arizona and University of Texas at Arlington. We pursue our theme — improving mobility of people and goods to build strong communities — through research, education and technology transfer.* *For more information about this webinar, contact us at asktrec(a)pdx.edu <asktrec(a)pdx.edu>.* -- Beth McKechnie* | *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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Fwd: 2018 Cycle of Giving
by Dave Elmore 23 Nov '18

23 Nov '18

Always lots of ways to help make holiday bicycle miracles come true. Donate (bikes/$), volunteer (so many ways to help, not just as a mechanic), spread the word (to your personal and corporate contacts. View this email in your browser <https://mailchi.mp/0287b547bb40/2018-cycle-of-giving-2868781?e=2b47fa6a9b> *Just over one week away! The **Cycle Of Giving 24 hour kids bike building marathon* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…>is bringing volunteer mechanics together to build over 300 bicycles for kids in need. We aim to raise $15,000 to support free bike programming for children and families in 2019. >From *12 pm December 1st to 12 pm December 2nd*, the Orioles Community Centre will be transformed into a magic workshop where salvaged and donated used bicycles are turned into holiday dreams come true. Help us give to more kids than ever before! *You can be part of the Cycle of Giving!* *Volunteer* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> *Donate* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> *Donate Online* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> *Tell a friend or Like **WRENCH* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…>* on Facebook* <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…> *Copyright © 2018 The Wrench, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this e-mail because you signed up at the WRENCH or at an event that the WRENCH was a part of. *Our mailing address is:* The Wrench 1057 Logan Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3G 0A1 Canada Add us to your address book <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/vcard?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1abd&id=…> Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/profile?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1abd&i…> or unsubscribe from this list <https://thewrench.us9.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=6238a8c152cbe3f4aa1ed1a…>. [image: Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp] <http://www.mailchimp.com/monkey-rewards/?utm_source=freemium_newsletter&utm…>

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The Guardian: 'If we wanted beauty, we'd travel to Paris': how Calgary resisted its iconic pedestrian bridge
by Beth McKechnie 22 Nov '18

22 Nov '18

The controversial Peace Bridge is now one of the most-used walking and cycling routes in Calgary. The councillor behind it reveals the project’s stormy process https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/oct/17/if-we-wanted-beauty-wed-trav… The level of hatred directed towards that piece of infrastructure was out of proportion with the cost,” says Druh Farrell as she recalls the stormy process leading to the construction of Santiago Calatrava’s pedestrian and cycling Peace Bridge in Calgary. “It was an incredibly painful process. It became so intense.” The celebrated Spanish architect was brought in to address a complicated brief. The crossing – connecting downtown to the northern river pathway and the community of Sunnyside – had to completely span the Bow River, while being flat enough to avoid obstructing a nearby helicopter-landing area. Bringing in a big name didn’t change people’s opinions, however. For the opening of the bridge, councillor Farrell was escorted by four bodyguards. Even Farrell’s brother had to endure the ire directed at the Peace Bridge when a dinner guest discovered their relation and said to him: “You tell your sister that if we wanted beauty, we’d travel to Paris. In Calgary we just need it to work.” “It was the first piece of significant infrastructure predominantly for active mobility,” Farrell explains. “If it had been for vehicles, we would not have had any debate, and it would not have been controversial.” Since its ribbon-cutting in March 2012, though, the Peace Bridge has become one of the most-travelled walking and cycling routes in the city, with more than 5.5 million crossings, an average of 28,000 per week – not bad for a region that enjoys a meagre 1.75% modal share for cycling. Most Canadians know Alberta as “Oil Country” due to its economic dependence on the Tar Sands. Calgary, Canada’s fourth largest city, is home to a number of oil and gas headquarters. Covering a 848 sq kilometre area – eight times the size of San Francisco – and sprawling endlessly into the prairies, it’s easy to see why driving has become the default mode of transportation for the vast majority of Calgarians. In recent years however, things have started to shift, and residents have begun demanding options. Farrell sits at the heart of that transition. In 2007 Calgary’s Centre City Plan <http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/pd/Pages/Centre-City/Centre-City.aspx> was passed by a vote of the council under the then-manager of planning and design, Brent Toderian. The plan established that they would not consider any new river crossings for motor vehicles entering the downtown core. Situated where the Bow and Elbow rivers meet, Calgary’s downtown is only accessible from the north and east by means of a river crossing, resulting in several car-dedicated bridges that are largely unwelcoming to cyclists and pedestrians. The Centre City Plan identified three locations where potential bridges could be built, dictating two simple criteria: they had to be dedicated pedestrian and bicycle crossings only, and they had to be beautiful. But as Farrell soon found out, building something of beauty in “Cowtown” would not be as easy as it seemed. The total budget for the bridge was C$24.5m (£14.2m), half the cost of a planned highway interchange in nearby Cochrane, 11 miles west of Calgary, that would serve one-50th of the population of Calgary. “Now I think most Calgarians would recognise it was worth it,” she asserts emphatically. “I certainly believe it was worth it because the bridge is so well used.” In spite of the initial negativity, the bridge stands out for Farrell as a memorable pivot point for Calgary. “The Peace Bridge really was a first for a lot of reasons,” she says. “It got people talking about architecture, and it identified a bottled-up need and desire for more walking and cycling connections to our downtown core.” In the years to follow, the city constructed the George C King and Elbow River Traverse bridges – a pair of pedestrian and cycling connections to the east of downtown, with a fourth crossing planned to the west when demand grows to sufficient levels. The iconic structure has become more than just a gateway to the city. “What we ended up doing unintentionally with the Peace Bridge is building a public space over the river,” recalls Farrell. “It’s far more than a transportation hub or connection – it’s a meeting place, a sense of place, on top of our beautiful river. “It’s the most photographed structure in the city. It’s used for the promotion of Calgary in everything from real estate to hotels, and included in international bridge-design showcase books. It reinforces that we did the right thing.” The Peace Bridge also laid the groundwork for Calgary’s next big cycling infrastructure project: a downtown cycle-track network. Within a year of the bridge opening, the latent demand for cycling infrastructure became clear. As more people were using the trails and bridges to enter the city, they needed a comfortable place to travel once they burst onto the downtown streets. Farrell stood at the forefront again, providing the initial push for the 7th Street Cycle Track that would connect directly to the Peace Bridge. Perhaps unsurprisingly, talk of reallocating road space spurred anger. After the construction in 2013, the 750m bidirectional, curb-protected lane quadrupled cycling numbers along that corridor overnight. Initially the project was to be completed in increments, but the discussion shifted to the idea of building the whole scheme at once as an 18-month pilot project. It seemed to be smooth sailing until a change of council later that year made the politics more challenging. As with the Peace Bridge, Farrell says hostility towards the project from businesses and politicians was disproportionate to the cost of C$5.75m. But the temporary nature of the pilot cycle lanes allowed them to pass by an 8–7 vote in April 2014. A little over a year later, Calgary’s downtown cycle-track network was delivered two months early and $2m under budget – reallocating just 2% of downtown street space to induce 1.2 million bicycle trips over 18 months, with little to no driver disruption. “Pilots are so important. For one thing, we were constantly adjusting,” explains Farrell, referring to the 100 tweaks that staff made in response to data collected at 80 different points. These changes were facilitated by the provisional nature of the scheme, including flexible delineators, planter boxes, temporary concrete curbs and floating traffic signals. “The transportation department was extremely nimble in identifying problems and mitigating them. By the end of the pilot, the system worked. So they weren’t just waiting until the end of the project to make adjustments – they were doing it all along and measuring the data. We had such a compelling case. We had more people cycling: different people, young people, women, and families were all using the network. It was hard to say ‘no’.” In December 2016, the council voted 10–4 in favour of making the network permanent, meaning that the pilot had accomplished exactly what was intended: demonstrating to a skeptical public that with safe separated space for cycling, even the sprawling, frigid cities of the Canadian Prairies will get on their bikes. Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart, who had initially voted against the pilot, changed her vote, telling reporters: “I was a person that didn’t support this in the beginning. I thought this was madness. But, to see how it’s evolved, and how it’s working and to see how people are starting to get the fact that this is shared public space …” Now Calgary’s cycle network is cited as a reason companies and employees are relocating to the city. As Farrell said: “If we want to attract new industries to Calgary, we need to first build a city that’s worth moving to.”

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WFP Editorial: Making Winnipeg a cycle-safe city (Nov19'18)
by Beth McKechnie 19 Nov '18

19 Nov '18

* Making Winnipeg a cycle-safe city * ON Tuesday, the city’s public works committee will consider a proposal to spend $5.4million in each of the next three years on infrastructure, including cycling corridors, new sidewalks and cycling-education programs. However, the future success of the city’s active transportation network comes down to more than just cash and concrete. In recent years, in accordance with the city’s active-transportation strategy, there have been dedicated bike lanes and protected bike lanes installed on many streets in West Broadway, the West End, downtown and the Exchange District, to name a few. The new infrastructure has made it safer for cyclists and challenging for motorists used to having the streets to themselves. Frustrated cyclists point to limited road space and belligerent driver behaviour as reasons why cycling is dangerous or not worth the hassle. Motorists point to scofflaw cyclists with no regard for traffic signals or pedestrians as the problem. However, both groups (and many commuting cyclists also use cars, and many motorists ride a bike for pleasure) have a point. What’s really needed in Winnipeg is an actual active-transportation culture. We’re getting there in fits and starts. Infrastructure is a big part of it. But education and safety are also important. An example of the old way of doing things is found in Wolseley. In the summer, motor traffic on Wolseley Avenue is restricted to one block at a time on Sundays, leaving the street open for cyclists, many of whom continue over the Assiniboine River to ride along Wellington Crescent, where the same restrictions apply. However, that freedom to ride without worrying about cars is linked to the mistaken assumption that cycling is merely recreational, and seasonal. For cyclists to be safe around motorists, cycling needs to be part of year-round traffic awareness — not just on certain days of the week on certain streets. For motorists to be comfortable, cyclists must adhere to safety precautions and traffic laws. (Yes, cyclists, red lights apply to you. Yes, motorists, you should change lanes to pass a bicycle.) When residents are asked about local infrastructure, sometimes the most vocal voices will be against changing anything. The city has a long-term Pedestrian and Cycling Action Plan, available on the city’s website. Proposed changes to active-transportation infrastructure are guided by a 2014 policy document, Winnipeg Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies. The recent consultation process begun for the Wolseley to Downtown Walk Bike Project invites feedback from area residents and those who visit or pass through the area. Whether you use the roads or sidewalks or a combination of both, it’s worth taking part. But for taxpayers who wish infrastructure would only mean endless repaving of roads, consider what attempts to change the city’s transportation ecosystem can save you. Decreased motor traffic means better flowing traffic, and that’s one effect of people opting to ride a bike instead of a car in which they’re the only occupant: more room on the roads, even with a protected bike lane. Roads take less wear and tear, the community benefits from fewer greenhouse- gas emissions and individuals boost their fitness levels. Infrastructure upgrades can also mean more accessible sidewalks and better crossings at intersections. You don’t have to look far in Winnipeg to see how motor traffic has been prioritized for decades: a glut of surface parking lots, sidewalks and bike lanes that end abruptly, and increasing urban sprawl. It’s long past time to look at other ways of getting around, and making the city work for all its citizens — not only those with their hands on the wheel.

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Scientific American: Why Don’t We Forget How to Ride a Bike?
by Beth McKechnie 17 Nov '18

17 Nov '18

Why Don’t We Forget How to Ride a Bike? *The way memories are anchored in the brain plays a role, neuropsychologist Boris Suchan explains* November 15, 2018 Most of us learn how to ride a bike during childhood. But as we grow older, many of us stop riding and put those once-beloved bikes in storage. Years later, when we discover these relics and hop on, it’s as if we never stopped biking. This is surprising because our memories let us down in so many other instances, such as remembering the name of a place or a person we once knew or where we put our keys. So how is it that we can ride a bicycle when we haven’t done so in years? As it turns out, different types of memories are stored in distinct regions of our brains. Long-term memory is divided into two types: declarative and procedural. There are two types of declarative memory: Recollections of experiences such as the day we started school and our first kiss are called episodic memory. This type of recall is our interpretation of an episode or event that occurred. Factual knowledge, on the other hand, such as the capital of France, is part of semantic memory. These two types of declarative memory content have one thing in common—you are aware of the knowledge and can communicate the memories to others. Skills such as playing an instrument or riding a bicycle are, however, anchored in a separate system, called procedural memory. As its name implies, this type of memory is responsible for performance. One of the most famous studies showing the separate memory systems was that of an epileptic named Henry Gustav Molaison (aka H. M.). In the 1950s he underwent the removal of portions of his brain, including large parts of his hippocampus. After the operation doctors found that although the number of seizures had decreased, H. M. was unable to form new memories. Many of his memories of the time before the operation were also erased. To learn more about his amnesia, neuropsychologists carried out various tests with H. M. In one, they asked him to trace a five-pointed star on a sheet of paper while only looking at it and his hand in a mirror—meaning the image was reversed. Although H. M.’s hand–eye coordination skills improved over the several days he performed this task, he never remembered performing it. This meant that he could develop new procedural, but not declarative, memories. Is procedural knowledge then fundamentally more stable than explicit knowledge? As it turns out, the former is more resistant to both loss and trauma. Even with traumatic brain injury the procedural memory system is hardly ever compromised. That’s because the basal ganglia, structures responsible for processing non-declarative memory, are relatively protected in the brain’s center, below the cerebral cortex. However, it’s not clear, beyond brain damage, why procedural memory contents are not as easily forgotten as declarative ones are. According to one idea, in the regions where movement patterns are anchored fewer new nerve cells may be formed in adults. Without this neurogenesis, or continuous remodeling in those regions, it’s less likely for those memories to get erased. One thing we know for sure, however, is simple sequences of movements we internalize, even far in the past, are typically preserved for a lifetime. Or as the saying goes, it’s “just like riding a bicycle.”

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Toronto closes major transit corridor to cars: transit, biking, walking way up
by Beth McKechnie 16 Nov '18

16 Nov '18

Streetsblog USA reports one year after Toronto, Canada turned King Street in a transit- and walking-priority street, streetcar ridership, biking and walking are way up. (King Street Transit Pilot: July & August Update: http://bit.ly/2DD7fKG <https://pps.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c803e70a8ad33c13a95a1ee6&id=…>) The project, which cost just $1.5 million, has produced an 11% increase in average daily ridership, and as much as 34% at peak hours. Once the street was closed to cars, about 20,000 additional streetcar riders materialized practically overnight. Biking, meanwhile, is up by as much as an astounding 440%, according to city estimates. Toronto will decide before the end of the year whether to make it permanent. There remains, however, a certain amount of discontent among some business owners. Toronto reports business receipts are up along the corridor as well, albeit a tiny 0.3%. The rest of the city was up 3.8% over the same period. http://bit.ly/2DEKTbH <https://pps.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2c803e70a8ad33c13a95a1ee6&id=…> -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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WFP: Proposed pedestrian, cycling projects (Nov15'18)
by Beth McKechnie 15 Nov '18

15 Nov '18

Proposed pedestrian, cycling projects Local sidewalks • $200,000 — Cliffwood Drive west/Newcroft Road north/Shamrock Drive south • $200,000 — Wellington Crescent, north side from Omands path to Renfrew Street Cycling corridors • $200,0 00 — West Broadway to University of Winnipeg connection, preliminary design • $250,000 – Maryland/Sherbrook upgrade to protected bike lane (select locations) • $250,000 — Leila Avenue bicycle facility, functional design • $300,000 — Keewatin Street pathway Burrows Avenue to Gallagher Avenue, functional design • $550,000 — St. Boniface west-east corridor study and improvements Recreational walkways, cycling paths • $1.7 million— Transcona Trail, Regent Avenue to Panet Road • $300,000 — Rover Avenue to Chief Peguis Trail study • $1.1 million— Northwest hydro corridor, Phase 2 Public education, awareness and promotions • $75,000 — Bike parking in parks, various locations, sign installation • $25,000 — Communication, education and promotions campaigns • $50,000 — Active and safe routes to school, various locations Bicycle parking partnership grants— installations • $10,000 — Exchange District BIZ • $5,000 — Selkirk BIZ • $10,000 — Downtown Winnipeg BIZ Public education, awareness and promotion partnership grants • $10,000 — International Trails Day (Winnipeg Trails) • $10,300 — Winnipeg Trails • $45,000 — Bike Week Winnipeg • $35,000 — WRENCH • $1,750 — Movable Feast (Downtown Winnipeg BIZ) • $6,450 — Bike Friendly Business Program (Downtown Winnipeg BIZ) • $2,500 — Pedal in the Peg (Downtown Winnipeg BIZ) • $7,000 — Infrastructure Educational Videos (Exchange District BIZ) • $7,000 — Bike Friendly BIZ (Exchange District BIZ) • $20,000 — Commuter Challenge (Green Action Centre) • $10,000 — Bike to School Month (Green Action Centre) • $20,000 — Bike Education and Skills Training (Green Action Centre) Projects subject to additional funding • $15 million— Fort Rouge to McFadyen Park Bridge over the Assiniboine River • $15 million— Bishop Grandin greenway over Pembina Highway • $6 million— Maple Street through-pass of the CPR mainline • $7 million— New crossing of the Seine River • $3 million— Northwest hydro corridor construction, remaining phases • $2. 2 million— Confusion Corner to Fort Rouge Park, bicycle connection • $10 million— Ruby/Banning neighbourhood greenway construction and road renewal • $2.7 million— Wolseley Avenue/Westminster Avenue/Balmoral Street/Granite Way, construction • $2 million— Keewatin Street underpass bicycle facility, construction • $2 million— Waverley Street, John Angus Drive to Victor Lewis Drive, construction • $4 million— Downtown west-east corridor connection • $500,000 — Princess Street, Higgins Avenue to William Avenue • $2 million— West Broadway to University of Winnipeg, connection • $4 million— Leila Avenue, construction

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WFP: City eyes $16M for bike paths, sidewalks (Nov15'18)
by Beth McKechnie 15 Nov '18

15 Nov '18

*City eyes $16M for bike paths, sidewalks * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-hall-plans-more-than-16m-in-si… CITY hall plans to spend $16.2 million over the next three years on sidewalks and cycling corridors. A proposal for consideration at Tuesday’s public works committee states the administration is proposing to spend $5.4 million in each of the next three years— 2019, 2020, 2021— on new sidewalks, cycling corridors and programs to support cycling education. The public works department has also listed 14 cycling and pedestrian-related infrastructure projects, with a total price tag of $74.5 million, that it wants to complete; no funding sources are identified. The process for the projects approval was set in place in 2015 when council approved the award-winning Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies, which requires approval from the public works committee for individual pedestrian and cycling projects carried out each year before going to council. While the projects are approved for a three-year period, council must authorize spending annually in the capital budgets. While civic departments have been preparing budget proposals since the spring, the new council is expected to begin review of the 2019 budget in January. The cycling and pedestrian projects, identified in the initial 2015 strategy report, include new sidewalks on regional and local streets, new multi-use pathways, new cycling routes, crossing control improvements, public education programs and a series of awareness and promotion and partnership grants. The administrative report says that if the approved projects come in under budget, or if additional funding is provided by Ottawa or the province, that money would be redirected to one or more of the other 14 projects — but only after the committee approves the spending. aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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2019 Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Action Plan
by Mark Cohoe 14 Nov '18

14 Nov '18

Hi everyone, The city has put out the 2019 Pedestrian and Bicycle Program Action Plan, which will go before the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works Committee on November 20th. Its report #7 on the agenda. http://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=17409&SectionId=&InitUrl= Mark Cohoe Executive Director Bike Winnipeg t: 204-894-6540 e: mark(a)bikewinnipeg.ca

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Minnesota College Becomes First to Offer Degree in Bike-Building
by Beth McKechnie 14 Nov '18

14 Nov '18

Minnesota College Becomes First to Offer Degree in Bike-Building STUDENTS AT MINNESOTA STATE COLLEGE SOUTHEAST CAN SOON EARN A TWO-YEAR DEGREE IN BICYCLE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING https://www.bicycling.com/news/a25013049/bicycle-design-manufacturing-degre… -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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WFP: City seeks feedback on bike lanes (Nov13'18)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Nov '18

13 Nov '18

*City seeks feedback on bike lanes* https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-asks-wolseley-residents-for-in… IN a part of Winnipeg renowned for its environmental friendliness, a bike route shouldn’t be a hard sell. Still, residents of Wolseley are being asked by the city what they’d like to see. “What would a new bike route look like here?” new Wolseley-to-downtown walk-bike project signs posted by the city last week on Wolseley Avenue ask. They ask passersby to “tell us what you think.” Area resident Elena Howard-Scott likes the idea of Wolseley Avenue having a lane for bikes. “I think it’ll increase accessibility,” said Howard-Scott, who was walking her dog Ziggy in the area on Monday. The student, who works, said it might even persuade her to get back to riding her bicycle in the city. Cindy Gilroy, councillor for the area, said the goal is to make the traffic situation better for everyone, whether they’re walking, biking or driving. “What we are doing, is a greenway study looking at all modes of transportation on both Wolseley and Westminster,” Gilroy said. “It’s about finding ways we can all make sure that, holistically, we can live together with active transportation or driving a car,” said Gilroy, who was re-elected Oct. 24 in Daniel McIntyre. “Traffic’s been a big issue in Wolseley. It’s been pretty crazy,” said the councillor, who heard area residents’ complaints about it when she was campaigning door to door. She said the idea for the yellow and blue “Please Slow Down” lawn signs that she gives to people in her ward who request them came from a Wolseley resident that wanted to see traffic-calming measures taken. “How do we reduce traffic?” Gilroy asked. She said “traffic-calming” measures and active transportation can help. “It could be a variety of many different things,” she said, including making some residential streets one-way streets to eliminate cut-through traffic. “We do see a lot of cut-through traffic,” as more and more motorists use residential side streets to get where they’re going, rather than main traffic corridors, she said. The afternoon rush hour is especially bad, Gilroy said. “It’s piled up” with drivers trying to get onto the Maryland Bridge, she said. The traffic on Wolseley Avenue is especially frustrating on Sundays in the summer, when it is supposed to be closed to through traffic, said Shelagh Weedon. She’s lived in the area for nearly 30 years and said it’s not safe for her to walk her dogs on summer Sundays on the Wolseley Avenue roadway because so many drivers ignore the signs saying it’s closed to through traffic from dawn until dusk. She wondered what effect a bike lane there would have on vehicular traffic. “I’d like more clarification,” said Weedon, who planned to find out more online. “This is the first phase in public engagement,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. The advocacy group presents background information and bike-friendly recommendations to as many government agencies and related organizations as it can manage with its limited resources. “What they’re looking at is connections through Wolseley from Empress (Street) and Omand Park all the way through to Osborne Street and Assiniboine Avenue.” There’s an online survey Winnipeggers can take about the Wolseley-todowntown walk-bike project and opportunities to meet the planners in person at different times and locations in the neighbourhood. Even though it’s almost winter, Cohoe expects the city will receive a lot of public feedback from Wolseley residents. “The good thing about that neighbourhood is there’s a lot of people who cycle in that area of the city,” he said. “It has the highest cycling rates.” In 2018, the city budgeted $250,000 for the preliminary design of bike routes along Wolseley and Westminster avenues.

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WFP: New York state of mind needed for downtown (Nov12'18)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Nov '18

12 Nov '18

*New York state of mind needed for downtown * https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/new-york-state-of-mind-500254872.ht… THE envy washed over me like a bucket of cold water. It was a hauntingly temperate Wednesday evening, and New York City’s legendary Times Square was fulfilling my every expectation. It buzzed and throbbed and shimmered and glowed. Panhandlers in Marvel and Disney costumes lurched about, attempting to lure tourists into costly photo opportunities. Spoken-word artists pleaded their case as well, asking for any denomination of donation in exchange for some spontaneous free verse. Amateur photographers mixed with working stiffs passing through the intersection trying to escape the working day. In case you haven’t visited NYC lately, Times Square is no longer just an intersection. It’s a pedestrian plaza where automobiles are limited and pedestrians dominate. The result is a potpourri of humanity, strangers loitering, strolling and consuming the heartbeat of one of the world’s great cities. The pedestrian plazas started out in 2009 as an experiment by then-mayor Michael Bloomberg, who announced several lanes of traffic on Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street would be closed on a trial basis. The same thing was done in Herald Square, at the intersection of Broadway and Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) between 33rd and 35th streets. Bloomberg’s plan was part urbanist nirvana, part environmental statement, with a dash of traffic safety thrown in. The famed intersection had become a giant parking lot, where motor vehicles sat in endless gridlock. When traffic did flow, it was often interrupted by a violent meeting between pedestrian — forced from the overpopulated sidewalks into traffic — and vehicle. It was one of the most unsafe intersections in the city. Rather than fence or wall in the pedestrians, Bloomberg went all-in on another solution: limit traffic and give the intersection back to the pedestrians. His theory was that by making Times Square less of an option for cars and trucks, it would be safer for pedestrians, and in the process create a more engaging meeting place for visitors and residents. Initially, lanes of Broadway were just blocked off. The city put clutches of plastic patio furniture at various spots along the deactivated roadway to function as makeshift meeting places. After a period of initial skepticism, more and more New York decision makers bought into Bloomberg’s vision. Starting in 2010, Bloomberg started a five-year, US$50-million project to permanently transform Times Square into the pedestrian plaza. Today, the asphalt has been replaced by art deco-inspired concrete stones. Small metal discs embedded in those paving stones help reflect the luminous glow of the enormous video and neon signs that encircle the intersection. Fifteen-metre-long polished granite benches create small pockets of respite for visitors trying to escape the torrent of pedestrian traffic. Open-air cafés and restaurants have added to the ambience. It truly is a marriage of practical infrastructure and urbanist art. There are lingering concerns: aggressive panhandling by costumed characters; security concerns about exposing pedestrians to vehicle-assisted terrorist attacks; pedestrian traffic that has exceeded even the wildest estimates. Still, I couldn’t help but wish that Winnipeggers could somehow find their way into the mindset that led New York to this audacious statement. There is still an ugly stench surrounding the plebiscite result from last month’s civic election, which killed plans to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians. The plebiscite result has not, however, settled the future of the intersection. Major concerns exist about the state of the underground concourse. Repairs to the membrane that separates above ground precipitation from below ground concourses may turn out to be so significant that pedestrian barriers will have to be removed as part of the repair process. It will take years to figure out what has to be done, how much it will cost and what will happen to the barriers. If we’re lucky, the mayor and council will use that as an opportunity to rethink the intersection and surrounding neighbourhood. This isn’t about taking another run at reopening the intersection. Winnipeggers drove a stake through that idea, although “no” votes were mostly predicated on misunderstanding, or outright misinformation, about the consequences of reopening the intersection. Even so, that does not mean city council should not consider some other ideas of Bloombergian magnitude. I wrote a column some time back about cities around the world that have created pedestrian malls, platforms and bridges above busy intersections. Although much more expensive than the simple streetscaping the Team Open forces advocated in the plebiscite campaign, it is a project that could be more transformative for all of downtown. And if Portage and Main proves to be a no-go zone for transformative change, then perhaps local government could look at creating a permanent pedestrian mall west of Main that encompasses Albert and Arthur streets from Notre Dame north to McDermot, and ultimately to Bannatyne and Old Market Square. It does not solve the nagging ugliness of pedestrian barriers at our signature intersection, but it would still be cool. The most important point here is for city hall to continue to look for ideas to enhance and transform downtown. The plebiscite result was disappointing for all those who saw an opportunity to change downtown for the better. That defeat should not become an excuse for neglecting the future of the intersection and the neighbourhood that surrounds it. dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Event - Active School Travel Community Night: These Boots Were Made for Walking
by Heather Mitchell 09 Nov '18

09 Nov '18

*Please share with your networks! Thank you!* *Link*: *https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/active-school-travel-community-night-these-boots-were-made-for-walking-tickets-52280819338 <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/active-school-travel-community-night-these-boot…> * -- [image: Social Media Photo.png] Green Action Centre invites parents, guardians, and community members to join them for a free information session on active school travel and independent mobility by their Active and Safe Routes to School program and two guest speakers, Katharina Nuss (Free Range Parenting Petition) and Tanya Hoover. Guests will learn about the Active and Safe Routes to School program, the benefits of walking and cycling to school, strategies for overcoming common barriers, and more. Approximate Timeline - 6:00-6:45 pm – doors open, refreshments served, and community networking - 6:45-8:00 pm – presentations by Green Action Centre, Tanya Hoover, and Katharina Nuss, followed by Q&A - 8:00-8:30 pm – Final discussion and community networking - 8:30 pm – Event concluded Encouraging your child to walk or bike to school is an important part of living a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle. We strongly encourage you to join us in this movement! The space is limited to 40 participants. If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact Heather at (204) 925-3777 ext 107 or heather[at]greenactioncentre.ca. REGISTER HERE <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/active-school-travel-community-night-these-boot…> -- *Heather Mitchell * Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> | 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue (204) 925-3777 ext 107 Green Action Centre is your green living hub. Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/green-action-centre/>. <http://canadahelps.org/> <https://www.gomanitoba.ca/Public/Home.aspx>

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AT Webinar: Ten Years of Safe Routes to School (Wed, Oct 17th, 2-3pm)
by Beth McKechnie 09 Nov '18

09 Nov '18

Please join Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg for a group viewing of the monthly APBP webinar in the EcoCentre <http://greenactioncentre.ca/uncategorized/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-o…> boardroom. This will be followed by discussion for those who wish to stay. cheers, Beth *AT Webinar: Wed, Oct 17th, 2-3pm* Ten Years of Safe Routes to School - Where do we go from here? It’s been over a decade since the Safe Routes to School movement launched in the US and times have changed, but Safe Routes to School initiatives are continuing to improve safety and get more kids walking and rolling to school. Join this webinar to hear about continued successes from state and local level programs. You will also hear thoughts on the exciting future of the movement from the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. *Presenters:* - Sara Zimmerman, National SRTS, Program and Policy Director - Katie Alexander, Michigan Fitness Foundation, Director of SRTS - Bryan Armstrong, Michigan DOT, SRTS Program Manager - Katherine Swidarski, Columbus, OH SRTS Program Manager -- *Beth McKechnie* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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Winter Cycling Congress Calgary this Feburary
by Anders Swanson 01 Nov '18

01 Nov '18

FYI: The 7th Annual Winter Cycling Congress is coming to Calgary February 6-8, 2019. We invite all interested participants to submit a proposal to help us create an exciting conference program. This year we want to explore how winter cycling contributes to building an accessible, equitable and resilient city. Northern cities have a lot to learn from one another and we look forward to sharing best practices and learnings (success and failures) on how to support winter policies for transportation, recreation and overall citizen wellbeing. We have a number of session formats including: - Breakout Sessions (practitioner and academic) - Workshop or Panel Discussion - Mobile Tour - Pecha Kucha Important dates: November 16, 2018- Deadline to submit proposals December 7, 2018- Presenters notified Learn more and submit a conference proposal at calgary.ca/wcc2019 <http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TP/Pages/Cycling/Winter-Cycling-Congre…> .

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