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WFP: His passion is the wheel thing - Winnipeg cyclist tireless advocate for AT
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jun '11

24 Jun '11

His passion is the wheel thing Winnipeg cyclist tireless advocate for active transportation By: William Burr When he goes on a canoe trip, Anders Swanson likes to be the one holding the map. The walls of his apartment are covered in them. Control freak or visionary, Swanson likes to know where he's headed. And he knows where he wants to take Winnipeg: toward a full-fledged embrace of the bicycle. Probably Winnipeg's most famous cycling advocate, his membership on the steering committee for Bike to Work Day, coming up Friday, is just the tip of the iceberg of Swanson's involvement. He sits on six advisory committees for active transportation, including Manitoba's and Winnipeg's. He participates in seven environmental organizations, some of which he started himself, such as the Orioles Bike Cage, a co-operative where cyclists go to learn how to repair their own bikes. His volunteer work is basically all he does outside his part-time jobs at the Natural Cycle shop and the Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba. "You get emails from Anders in the middle of the night all the time. I don't know when he sleeps," says Kevin Nixon, Winnipeg's active-transportation co-ordinator. Curt Hull, who works on Bike to Work Day with Swanson, is another peer who sings his praises. "It's his quiet, infectious enthusiasm and how he brings energy into a room -- I've seen him light up a city council meeting," Hull says. "He's pleasant to work with and funny, and he breaks up the gruelling agony -- he's got a good wit about him," says Janice Lukes, who sits on the city's active-transportation advisory committee with Swanson. She says he understands that cycling is more than a "niche market." "People generalize and think cyclists are spandex racer types. But they're not. They're the masses. And he gets it." Lukes says Swanson has been effective at selling cycling to people who were what she calls "tough nuts to crack," such as Mayor Sam Katz and city Coun. John Orlikow. Both speak highly of Swanson. "I'm a big fan of Anders, no question about it. That doesn't mean we're always going to agree," Katz says. "He's an advocate. We have many advocates in the city. We listen to them all, and we take a balanced approach after that," says Orlikow, but adds, "He's passionate and committed and a good community member, for sure." Swanson is a tall, burly, youthful 33-year-old and he has a thick, brown beard. He lives with his girlfriend in a spacious apartment downtown. A bike Swanson is working on sits upside down on the floor, wheels in the air. But he wasn't always a cycling enthusiast. When he was 16, he wanted nothing more than his own car, and he would eventually own several -- but not anymore. The cycling bug only bit him in 2004, when he bought a $25 bike to get to work and learned how to equip it for the winter. Beating Winnipeg's cold gave him a sense of accomplishment, and he was hooked. Shortly after that, he applied to work at Natural Cycle. Senior mechanic David Geisel says the cover letter Swanson wrote was so convincing they had to hire him. "He somehow touched on the cultural aspect of cycling and just made it sound as if nothing else mattered," Geisel says. While repairing bikes at Natural Cycle, Swanson heard many stories from commuters. "You get into discussions with customers and every second one has a story about this or that close call or this or that pathway that floods or doesn't go the right direction or doesn't connect, and I guess a penchant for mapping was making me connect all these dots in my head." He started OneGreenCity.com, a website where people share ideas about what kind of cycling infrastructure they would like to see in Winnipeg and then map it out digitally. One project led to another, and suddenly cycling advocacy was all he did. "It got pretty out of hand. All of a sudden there were so many trails to be built and events that people wanted to plan -- so anyways I started being on a lot of committees." Seeing ideas being turned into real changes to the city's landscape, such as new bike lanes, helps motivate him to sit through so many meetings. "When you see it come out in reality and then you see little kids biking down there, big smiles on their face, then it's like, OK, maybe this is pretty awesome," he says. Despite the bicycling inroads, it will be decades before Manitobans have the cycling infrastructure that other cities have, he says. "Even just to catch up, there's a lot of mapping and ideas and people to connect." william.burr(a)freepress.mb.ca *Put away the car keys... Friday is Bike to Work Day* BIKE to Work Day this year will feature over 20 "pit stops" spread out throughout the city where participants can meet up with each other and get free snacks, coffee, T-shirts and prizes. Largest pit stop will be at Bonnycastle Park -- at the corner of Main Street and Assiniboine Avenue -- where there will be a live TV broadcast. During and following the afternoon commute on Bike to Work Day, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., there will be a barbecue at The Forks with free hotdogs, veggie dogs or burgers for the first 300 cyclists and a prize draw. To register for this year's Bike to Work Day, map your route and find a pit stop, visit biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org

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Winnipeg Free Press Poll: Bike to Work Day
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jun '11

23 Jun '11

Friendly reminder to sign up for and participate in Bike to Work Day<http://biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org/index.html>this Friday, June 24th. In related news, the Winnipeg Free Press Poll question today is: Will you bike to work on bike to work day? Visit http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ if you are interested in casting your vote! cheers, Beth -- *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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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WFP: Pedal pusher - Bike Valet Winnipeg
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '11

20 Jun '11

Pedal pusher With his bike valet service, David Wieser is hoping more Winnipeggers will two-wheel it to city events By: David Sanderson / Roll With It Revenge is a dish best served cold. And dripping with paint. Not long ago, regulars at a bar in Livingston, Mont., were being plagued by a bicycle thief who would nab their wheels while they were inside, tossing back a few. One night, some of the victims hid near the watering hole's bike rack, and waited for the perpetrator to show up. Within an hour, a dark figure appeared and began sawing the lock off one of their bikes. Before the crook could make his getaway, however, he was greeted by a barrage of paintball pellets. (Charles Bronson fans everywhere will be pleased to learn that the act of vigilantism was filmed by one of the participants, and is now available for all to enjoy, on YouTube.) "That was a good video; I watched it last week," says David Wieser, the founder of Bicycle Valet Winnipeg -- a year-old organization that parks and protects Winnipeggers' bicycles at events all over town. The million-dollar question, then: will Wieser now follow suit, and arm his legion of valets with paintball guns? "Uh, no," Wieser says, with a laugh. "There are no plans to do that at this time." Bicycle Valet Winnipeg is exactly what it sounds like: Cyclists present their bikes to whoever is on duty at happenings like rock concerts and street festivals. Valets park the bikes in a cordoned-off area, then hand out claim stubs. At the end of the event, the bike owners return their ducats, and the valets fetch their rides. Best of all: it's free. "People always ask, 'How much?' but thanks to our sponsors and event organizers, we don't have to charge a penny," Wieser says, adding that Bicycle Valet Winnipeg is a subsidiary of Bike to the Future, a non-profit organization whose mandate is to make cycling in the Peg a safe and convenient transportation alternative, year-round. Wieser came up with the idea for Bicycle Valet Winnipeg in 2007, after reading about a similar enterprise in San Francisco. But before he made his dream a reality, Wieser, a 17-year member of the Canadian Armed Forces, was redeployed to Edmonton for training, and then to Afghanistan for a six-month tour of duty. "It was while I was in Kandahar that I really began jotting down notes, bouncing ideas off other people, and firing off emails," Wieser says. By the time he returned to Winnipeg in April 2010, the married father of one was "pretty much ready to go." Well, not exactly. At Bicycle Valet Winnipeg's inaugural event -- Bike to Work Day 2010 at The Forks -- Wieser had plenty of takers, but nowhere to put their bikes. "It fell on the same day that the Queen was in town," Wieser explains. "The city was supposed to deliver a bunch of bike racks, but they were so busy with the royal visit that they forgot about us." To make sure that never happened again, Wieser began building his own bike racks. (Last week, he put the finishing touches on No. 51.) He's also busy building on Year One, when his valets -- all of them volunteers -- worked at close to 20 events, including the last six Blue Bomber games. Wieser just got word that his services will be needed at all of the Big Blue's home games this year, and Bicycle Valet Winnipeg will also be present at the Red River Exhibition, Canada Day at The Forks, and the M.E.C. Bike Fest in July. To date, Bicycle Valet Winnipeg has tended to everything from skateboards to unicycles to bike trailers. "Last year, we even had a 10-foot-long, four-wheel car cycle -- it was awkward to park but we did it," Wieser says. On the other hand, mopeds need not apply. "No, we won't park anything with an engine. We're trying to encourage people to choose active transportation to get to their event." In addition to establishing relationships with organizers of the Manitoba Marathon, and/or the management of this city's new NHL franchise, Wieser has one other goal in mind. "We parked (Hot 103 DJ) Ace Burpee's bike at the Ciclovia festival last year," Wieser says. "He draws such a crowd, I wish we could have a bike valet following right behind him wherever he goes." For more information, and to see where Bicycle Valet Winnipeg will be setting up next, visit www.bicyclevaletwinnipeg.ca. david.sanderson(a)freepress.mb.ca Valet girl IN August, David Wieser will bid adieu to Winnipeg, and to his "baby," Bicycle Valet Winnipeg. Wieser, an electrical distribution technician at 17 Wing, is being transferred to a base in Ontario. Last month, Wieser hired Rosanne Ritchot to take his place as Bicycle Valet Winnipeg's chief co-ordinator. We recently caught up with Ritchot, and asked her a few questions about the future of Bicycle Valet Winnipeg, and her own passion for getting around town on two wheels. Free Press: Was there a seminal moment in your life when you discovered you were a serious cyclist and not just somebody out for a little fresh air? Rosanne Ritchot: I discovered my love for cycling during a bike trip from Winnipeg to Alaska and back, in 2004. Understandably, it would have been wiser to discover this love before leaving on a 5,000-plus-kilometre trip, but fortunately, it worked out. FP: Just a hunch, but I'm guessing you didn't show up for your interview with a David Wieser behind the wheel of a Hummer. RR: I wouldn't have dreamed of showing up for this job interview in any type of car! I have to admit, though, that I didn't ride my bike. I walked. FP: I know you haven't officially started yet, but do you have any ideas re: your new title? RR: I don't have any specific plans yet. But I do dream of Bicycle Valet Winnipeg getting bigger, if only because I dream of Winnipeg being a city more open and accessible to cyclists. FP: One of David Wieser's chief tenets is that Bicycle Valet Winnipeg will never charge individual cyclists to use its services. Do you subscribe to that belief? RR: Absolutely. In my opinion, BVW's purpose is to make taking your bike instead of your car as easy, as accessible, and as affordable as possible. Using your bike is a glorious thing, and BVW should help to make that true for more and more Winnipeggers.

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New bike plan unveiled for Toronto (includes a number of cycletracks)
by Anders Swanson 17 Jun '11

17 Jun '11

See more here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/06/15/toronto-bike-plan.ht… As per the article, these curb-protected facilities will be a first for Toronto. Winnipeg already has one on Assiniboine... Winnipeg: 1 .....*+0.5 if you count the Norwood Bridge* Toronto: 0 Success. Related note of pride: Thompson is getting its first bike lanes ever, this year (on Burntwood). Anders Swanson Active Transportation Project Coordinator Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba | www.pacm.ca c.204-294-7027 | activetransportation(a)pacm.ca

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In Mexico, citizens create DIY bike lanes
by Beth McKechnie 17 Jun '11

17 Jun '11

In Mexico, citizens create DIY bike lanes By Colleen Kimmett On Vancouver's city council, support for building bike lanes has been pretty much unanimous <http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/08/11/BicycleBacklash/>. (It helps having a mayor who bikes to work and opposition members who spend their vacation cycling around Europe.) Here, it's the politicians who have had to ease bike infrastructure into the public realm, with communication plans, consultations, and trial runs<http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Transportation/2009/06/23/BurrardBridgeBike…>. For some, it's still too much. For others, not enough. In Mexico, reports Treehugger.com <http://www.treehugger.com/>, residents of Guadalajara -- a city that adds 350 cars to its street every day -- are taking a different approach, with DIY bike lanes. The city at one point created a cycling plan with recommended bike routes. But nothing ever came of it. Fed up with their government's inaction, a group of citizens led by students and teachers at a local technical college, decided to take matters into their own hands. They erected signs and painted lines on the street to create dedicated bike lanes, and released a video and document explaining how and why they did it. "In Mexico, the cost of building a bike lane reaches about a hundred thousand dollars per kilometer," the group explained. "This means that the section on which we worked, 2.5 kilometers on each side of a two way avenue, could have cost about five hundred thousand dollars. The investment, the citizen's investment, was of only a thousand dollars." The full story and video, can be found here<http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/01/guerilla-diy-bike-lane-guadalajara-…>. *Colleen Kimmett reports for The Tyee.* *http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2011/01/13/DIYBikeLanes/ * -- *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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Register for Bike to Work Day Winnipeg!
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jun '11

16 Jun '11

*** Please share widely *** Dear Fellow Winnipegger, Join us in making an impact by cycling to work on June 24th as part of the 4th annual Bike to Work Day Winnipeg! By registering for free online, not only will you get a chance to take part in all of the days events including complimentary snacks, beverages, BBQ, prizes and parties, you will add your voice to ours and take a stand for cyclists and a greener, more bike-friendly Winnipeg. This year is a year to celebrate both the advances in our city's walking and cycling infrastructure as well as our event plans. Please take a moment to learn more at www.biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org Even if you are unsure today whether you can bike on June 24th--register! Your registration and support of the event will help grow the event each year. Please see below for a schedule of the day. We look forward to seeing you on your bikes soon! cheers, Beth -------- *JUNE 24th is BIKE TO WORK DAY* *6:30-9:00am* Locate a pit stop using our online map<http://bikeplanit.org/map/index.html?site=btwd&ll=49.87335,-97.160518&z=13&…>. Stop along your commute and receive free snacks and coffee (available on a first come, first serve basis) along with other swag and t-shirts. Find a buddy and share the ride to work! *Please note that there is NO pancake breakfast this year; instead we will be hosting a BBQ to bookend the day.* *4:00- 7:00pm* Manitoba Lotteries BBQ at the Forks. Stop by on your way home for free music and a great party! Free food for the first 300.

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New research: Benefits of New and Improved Pedestrian Facilities - Before and After Studies
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jun '11

11 Jun '11

S. Turner, R. Singh, P. Quinn and T. Allatt (2011), "*Benefits Of New And Improved Pedestrian Facilities – Before And After Studies*," Research Report 436, NZ Transport Agency ( http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/436/docs/436.pdf ). [snipped from the Executive Summary:] This research, conducted between 2005 and 2009, aimed to investigate whether the implementation of new pedestrian facilities (or the improvement of existing facilities) led to increased pedestrian rates, and to record these changes in a standardised format that could be used in transport planning and project funding. This study also tried to develop an expected pedestrian-usage model, based on before and after data analysis, for planners and funding agents to use when planning new or improved facilities and evaluating projects. The final part of the project involved developing a monitoring database containing before and after pedestrian count data for various new and improved pedestrian facilities, along with a list of accompanying factors such as safety, delay and directness. Results from the before and after pedestrian count surveys and analysis of the individual case studies showed that the implementation of improved pedestrian facilities resulted in increased usage at seven out of the eight sites analysed. The magnitude of these changes varied between sites, from 7% for the Moorhouse Ave signalised pedestrian crossing to 90% for the kerb extensions at Collingwood St. The reasons for the increases in flows were analysed in each of the individual case studies, and were found to be a mix of factors such as safety, delay and directness. Overall, it was observed that the construction of kerb extensions/refuge islands resulted in the largest increase in pedestrian numbers, followed by the installation of kea crossings. -- *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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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New research: increasing sidewalk coverage to reduce GHG emissions
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jun '11

11 Jun '11

[From the Victoria Transport Institute (VTPI) newsletter] Lawrence D. Frank , et al. (2011), "*An Assessment of Urban Form and Pedestrian and Transit Improvements as an Integrated GHG Reduction Strategy*," Washington State Department of Transportation (http:// www.wsdot.wa.gov/research/reports/fullreports/765.1.pdf ). This study used detailed data to assess the impacts of various urban form factors on vehicle travel and carbon emissions. This analysis indicates that increasing sidewalk coverage from 30% to 70% of streets in an urban neighborhood would typically reduce vehicle travel 3.4% and carbon emissions 4.9%. Land use mix and parking pricing also had significant impacts. Increasing average parking fees from $0.28 to $1.19 per hour (50th to 75th percentile) reduces vehicle travel 11.5% and emissions 9.9%. Study results were used to develop a spreadsheet tool that can evaluate the impacts of urban form, sidewalk coverage, and transit service quality and other policy changes for local and regional analysis. -- *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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Bike to Work Day Winnipeg is June 24
by Beth McKechnie 08 Jun '11

08 Jun '11

If you haven't registered yet for the 4th Annual Bike to Work Day Winnipeg, then please register now! It's easy and FREE! Just go to http://biketoworkdaywinnipeg.org/ and click Register in the top right corner then fill in your information. You'll be entered to win great prizes like a *bike makeover from Natural Cycle*. Then *on Friday, June 24th*, ride your bike to work. *Locate a pit stop near you using our online map and stop by between 6:30 and 9 AM for free snacks and coffee. At the end of the day you can wind down at the Forks from 4-7pm with a free BBQ for the first 300 cyclists and live music. Please note that there is NO Pancake Breakfast at the Forks in the morning.* It is very important for everyone to register as we want to show how important cycling is in Winnipeg with a great turn-out. Please forward this on to all your friends, family and coworkers so that we can make this the most successful Bike to Work Day Winnipeg yet! There are also volunteer opportunities still available. Please contact *CARA FISHER programs(a)thewrench.ca * if you would like to help.

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TRAIL BUILDING WORKSHOP - PROVIDENCE COLLEGE - OTTERBURNE JUNE 18th
by Anders Swanson 08 Jun '11

08 Jun '11

For those of you interested in the nuts and bolts of trails infrastructure development, please see the information on the workshop hosted by the Crow Wing Trail below. Regards, Anders Swanson Active Transportation Project Coordinator Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba | www.pacm.ca c.204-294-7027 | activetransportation(a)pacm.ca ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Crow Wing Trail <cwta(a)voyageur.coop> Date: Tue, Jun 7, 2011 at 2:40 PM Subject: MORE INFORMATION ON TRAIL BUILDING WORKSHOP - PROVIDENCE COLLEGE - JUNE 18th Please find attached cover letter, press release and poster providing more information about the trail building workshop. Please print and distribute or forward to your members and/or organizations that could benefit from this opportunity. Please register asap to assist us in accommodating everyone. Thank you. Murielle Bugera, President Crow Wing Trail Association

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