- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Parker lands BRT route news fails to mention AT benefits
by Beth McKechnie 26 Feb '13

26 Feb '13

(Please see message below) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Terry Zdan <tjzdan50(a)gmail.com> Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:48:14 -0600 Subject: Parker Lands BRT route news fails to mention AT benefits http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Committee-OKs-rapid-transit-corridor… -- Terry Zdan 126 Duncan Norrie Drive Wpg MB R3P 2J9 CANADA tjzdan50(a)gmail.com <tjzdan(a)gmasil.com>

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WFP: Walk this way - Pedestrian signals, street redesigns helping to make intersections safer (Feb.23'13)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Feb '13

23 Feb '13

Walk this way Pedestrian signals, street redesigns helping to make intersections safer By: Bruce Owen http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/walk-this-way-192666351.html It's been blinking for less than a year, but already it's being trumpeted as one of the best ways to make busy city intersections safer for pedestrians and drivers. It's called a pedestrian countdown signal and it sits at the corner of Portage Avenue and Donald Street across from the MTS Centre. Like its name, it counts down the number of seconds pedestrians headed to a Jets game or an arena concert have to safely cross the street before the traffic signal for the oncoming lane turns green. It was installed in June by the city as a way to introduce Winnipeggers to something more common in other cities. The countdown signal is just one tool traffic experts use to make streets safer, but how soon we'll see more of them in the city is unknown. They can only be installed where existing software and wiring can support them, and more importantly, when the city's budget process supports it. The cost of the countdown signal is about $10,000 per intersection. "There's no plan with timeline," Winnipeg traffic signals engineer Michael Cantor said of future installations. "We're trying to push for it. There's a benefit from them. It gives pedestrians an enhanced feeling of safety when they're crossing. They know exactly how much time they have to cross." Pedestrian countdown signals are now mandatory in the United States -- any new or replacement pedestrian signals being installed must include countdowns unless the pedestrian change interval (flashing upraised hand) is seven seconds or less. In Canada, they are not, but many cities (Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary) have installed them anyway, simply because of the safety benefit. Asif Iqbal, senior traffic safety engineer with the City of Edmonton, said the benefit of countdown signals is best seen in that city's downtown area, where there is a lot of foot traffic. He said Edmonton's policy is that any new interaction location or reconstruction is considered for a countdown signal. The city's first countdown signal was installed about five years ago. "Drivers like them too, because it gives them an idea on how much time they have before the light is going to turn amber," Iqbal said. "Our message, though, is that these are for pedestrians, and drivers should not rely on them." Cantor said the single countdown signal at Portage and Donald has already sparked several requests from city councillors and members of the public to have them installed at other locations, mostly in the downtown. He said there is mixed research on the cost-benefit of the signals -- do they reduce pedestrian collisions and costs to the health-care system? Cantor said the research isn't decisive and that in some jurisdictions, people get used to the countdown signals and their novelty runs out, so any safety benefit is temporary. "Different studies say different things," he said. "We want to put them in because we feel that it will give more of a safety component and better decision-making tool for pedestrians before they cross. It just feels safer when you know how many seconds you have to cross." Traffic engineers are also looking at other ways to make intersections safer but still maintain traffic flow. Edmonton's Iqbal said the most common crashes at intersections are rear-enders, mostly caused by the trailing vehicle following too closely. By re-engineering the geometry or design of some intersections, Edmonton has found it can lessen the chances of those collisions and also reduce the possibility of more severe right-angle or side crashes. Iqbal said a re-designed intersection makes it easier for drivers making right turns to turn their head sideways to see opposing traffic. "If the angle is such that when you are going through that right turn, it moves you away from that stream of traffic, it becomes difficult to turn your head, because you have to turn your head almost 180 degrees so that you can see if someone is coming," Iqbal said of older intersections. What Edmonton has done at some of its intersections is reduce the size of the right-turning lane or eliminate it, making oncoming traffic more visible to drivers going right. "What we did was when you are making a right turn now, the angle is such that when you go into the intersection, you basically make a 90-degree right turn," he said. "We call it a high-entry angle." By its design, a high-entry angle not only improves visibility for drivers turning right, but forces them to slow down before entering the intersection, he said. "If you look at statistics for most major cities, intersections are overrepresented for most collisions," said Gerry Shimko, executive director of Edmonton's Office of Traffic Safety. "Typically, more than 50 per cent of all collisions are intersection-related." An example of a change of intersection design in Winnipeg is at Salter Street and Jefferson Avenue. Last year, the four-way stop signs were replaced by traffic signals. They were installed as a way to better control an increasing amount of traffic on both streets during rush hour. In the process, a right-turning lane northbound off Salter to go east on Jefferson was eliminated. A small pedestrian island also disappeared. That was done more to realign the intersection and facilitate the installation of the traffic signals, city road engineer Stephen Chapman said. However, the road change now makes it easier for drivers turning right onto Jefferson from northbound Salter to see oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The change has also "calmed" traffic down. Chapman said traffic signals were also installed at Sinclair Street and Inkster Boulevard at the same time to reduce right-angle crashes. "We had a pattern of westbound with southbound right-angle collisions," he said -- there were 19 over a three-year period. Chapman said other busy intersections don't get traffic signals -- they get turned into roundabouts, which also reduce the chance of right-angle collisions. The most recent examples are Grassie Boulevard at Molson Street, and Lakewood Boulevard at Beaverhill Boulevard. For the worst intersections in the city, such as Leila Avenue and McPhillips Street, they see more crashes simply because of the high volume of traffic. Most collisions are fender-benders, such as rear-end crashes. "That's not necessarily something that can be engineered out," Chapman said. Shimko said Edmonton is also targeting high-risk drivers as a way to reduce collisions. That includes identifying drivers with a high number of traffic violations -- 12 or more over a two-year period. It's those drivers, who also tend to have criminal records, who are typically involved in serious collisions. "There are high-risk drivers that need to be dealt with and identified for police intervention, because that will be the only thing that will basically deal with them," he said. "Police go out and target the registered owners of these cars to deal with the offending drivers. They've had some initial good success." What Edmonton also does is divert some of the proceeds from its automated or photo-enforcement program back into traffic safety, including road redesign to lessen right-angle collisions. In Winnipeg, photo-enforcement revenue goes into policing. "We made a conscious choice that traffic safety is important," Shimko said. *bruce.owen(a)freepress.mb.ca* ** *TOP 10 worst intersections for vehicle collisions, June 2002-June 2012* Leila Avenue and McPhillips Street 1,736 Kenaston Boulevard and McGillivray Boulevard 1,719 Lagimodiere Boulevard and Regent Avenue 1,347 Grant Avenue and Kenaston Boulevard 1,343 Bishop Grandin Boulevard and St. Mary's Road 1,162 Bishop Grandin Boulevard and St. Anne's Road 1,077 Archibald Street and Marion Avenue 1,017 Portage Avenue and Moray Street 986 Portage Avenue and Main Street 943 Bishop Grandin Boulevard and Waverley Street 919 * * *TOP five worst intersections for vehicle-pedestrian collisions over five-year period 2007-11:* Portage Avenue and Cavalier Drive 9* Henderson Highway and McLeod Avenue 8 McPhillips Street and Jefferson Avenue 8* Isabel Street and William Avenue 7* Osborne Street and River Avenue 7 *denotes location of one of city's photo-enforcement intersection cameras *Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 23, 2013 A4 *

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WFP: Review of speed limits planned - Province to soon begin wide probe seeking consistent, safe standards (Feb.14'13)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Feb '13

21 Feb '13

Review of speed limits planned Province to soon begin wide probe seeking consistent, safe standards By: Bruce Owen http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/review-of-speed-limits-planned-19117… The Selinger government is days away from announcing a provincewide review of speed limits on Manitoba's roadways. Infrastructure and Highways Minister Steve Ashton said Wednesday the goal of the review is to devise more consistent standards of how speed limits are set on Manitoba's highways and streets, including in Winnipeg and Brandon. That includes addressing the "patchwork-quilt" application of speed limits by municipalities and taking into account newer, better-designed roadways that can handle higher speeds. "You're not going to get one-size-fits-all," Ashton said. "But there are certain basic parameters that do apply and there are ways of dealing with things. "What we're trying to get here, and the balance of the review will reflect that, is making sure that we get the recognition of local realities, but at the same time have some consistent speed limits and guidelines." He said the two basic speed-limit guidelines in Manitoba are that when driving in the city, the speed limit is 50 km/h unless otherwise posted and when driving on the highway, the speed limit is 90 km/h or 100 km/h unless otherwise posted. "We'll look at all those elements," he said. "We're going to look at the general parameters in terms of speed limits and a combination of everything from the convenience side of it to safety. Safety will always be paramount." CAA Manitoba and the Manitoba Trucking Association welcomed the upcoming review, saying it's badly needed to address inconsistencies in how speed limits are determined. "A lot of development has been done over the last 10 to 20 years and as they've added roads, Bishop Grandin and Kenaston, I don't think there's been a lot of consistency," CAA Manitoba vice-president of marketing and sales Tim Scott said. "A lot of roads have been developed from single lanes to two lanes and that makes a big difference. "But the litmus test is always safety." Terry Shaw, general manager of the Manitoba Trucking Association, said more consistent speed limits would mean better efficiencies for the trucking industry. "Efficiency comes through setting speeds based on an informed decision, which comes from a legitimate study," Shaw said. "Our concern is the inconsistencies -- the 60 to 50, the 70 to 50, items like that, the inconsistencies without legitimate reasons or legitimate purpose or inconsistent signage." Ashton said the review -- which will include public consultation -- will not alter the province's position on reduced speeds in school zones. Last year, Ashton introduced legislation to give local authorities the power to create reduced-speed zones for schools. Last August, Winnipeg city council voted unanimously to reduce the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour in elementary school zones. Last month, a city committee rejected a call to reduce the residential speed limit in Winnipeg from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. A city report said many studies conducted throughout North America showed driver speed is affected by the road conditions and not by speed-limit signs. Ashton said the provincial review is separate from the work of the province's Highway Traffic Board, which is considering raising speed limits on selected stretches of city streets, including sections of Dugald Road, Grant Avenue, Pembina Highway and Waverley Street. The board held public hearings late last fall. However, he added the provincial review will examine the role of both the Highway Traffic Board and the Motor Transport Board. The boards were amalgamated more than a decade ago and serve different functions: The wHighway Traffic Board is responsible for the administration of speed limits, and the Motor Transport Board is responsible for the licensing of truck operations and intercity buses, plus regulating rates for intra-provincial bus operations. The province last increased the speed limit on certain sections of twinned roadways in Manitoba to 110 km/h in July 2009, including the Trans-Canada Highway from the Saskatchewan border to Virden and Highway 75 from the Emerson border crossing to St. Jean Baptiste. bruce.owen(a)freepress.mb.ca *A DRIVING FORCE*: CAA Manitoba recently questioned 8,628 of its members on driving and speeding *How acceptable do you personally feel it is for a driver to drive above the speed limit on a highway?* Completely acceptable 5.8% (498) Somewhat acceptable 43.6% (3,755) Somewhat unacceptable 25.1% (2,161) Completely unacceptable 25.0% (2,155) I don't know 0.04% (34) *How acceptable do you personally feel it is for a driver to drive above the speed limit on a residential street?* Completely acceptable 2.0% (169) Somewhat acceptable 4.7% (400) Somewhat unacceptable 17.2% (1,478) Completely unacceptable 75.8% (6,496) I don't know 0.3% (29) *When on a residential street, how often do you drive over the speed limit?* All the time 0.6% (49) More than half the time 1.5% (130) On occasion 13.8% (1,172) Very rarely 48.0% (4,080) Never 36.0% (3,064) Not applicable 0.1% (12) *When on a highway, how often do you drive over the speed limit?* All the time 6.2% (525) More than half the time 23.6% (2,006) On occasion 38.4% (3,266) Very rarely 24.0% (2,045) Never 7.5% (636) Not applicable 0.4% (34) *Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 14, 2013 A3 *

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WFP online: Lower vehicle speeds, separated bike lanes lower risk of cyclist injuries - study (Feb.20,13)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Feb '13

21 Feb '13

Lower vehicle speeds, separated bike lanes lower risk of cyclist injuries; study By: The Canadian Press http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/reduced-vehicle-speeds-separated-bi… TORONTO - Some simple changes to the infrastructure of Canadian cities could go a long way towards keeping the country's biking enthusiasts safe from harm, a team of researchers suggested Wednesday. Erecting physical barriers between traffic and bicycle lanes, ensuring relatively flat commuting surfaces and regulating vehicle speeds all have the potential to curtail cycling injuries on city streets, they said. The findings came from a cross-country team of researchers and was published in the Journal Injury Prevention. The team's objective was to explore the factors that contribute to Canada's strikingly high rate of cycling-related injuries, according to the study's lead author. Anne Harris, assistant professor with Ryerson University's school of Occupational and Public Health, said several previous studies have established that North American cyclists are eight to 30 times more likely to be injured on the road than their counterparts in European countries such as Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. The figures could not simply be chalked up to cycling volumes, she added. "In the cycling countries of northern Europe, you see a much larger proportion of trips taken by bicycle and much lower injury rates," Harris said in a telephone interview. "We thought one of the reasons that there might be differences is because of the availability of bicycling infrastructure." Harris and her team interviewed 690 cyclists who were injured badly enough to require a trip to a hospital emergency room between May 2008 and November 2009. The injuries came on either the streets of Vancouver or Toronto. Researchers compared the point at which the interview subject got hurt with earlier intersections along the route that were passed without incident. The findings, Harris said, allowed the team to draw some conclusions about potential safety innovations for Canadian city streets. One comparatively simple measure would be the introduction of bike lanes that are physically separated from the street, she said. "Just as we know that separating pedestrians from motor vehicle traffic is a really important thing to do with sidewalks, we're seeing evidence that we need to separate bicyclists from motor vehicles with the use of segregated facilities." Those facilities need not be elaborate or expensive, she said, adding rows of planters are often enough to provide a protective barrier between cars and bikes. Such lanes are the norm in Europe, she said, adding designated bike paths marked out only by a painted line do not offer the same degree of protection. Regulating traffic speeds could also prevent injuries, Harris said, adding accidents were 50 per cent less likely to take place at intersections where traffic moved at 30 kilometres an hour or less. Traffic circles also posed additional dangers to cyclists, the study suggested. Harris said researchers also noted certain types of terrain that were more likely to result in a trip to the hospital. Upward slopes were safer than downward ones, she said, adding flat surfaces offered the most protection of all. Canada's naturally hilly cities would be powerless to address this concern, she conceded, but added centres such as Toronto are ideally equipped to implement infrastructure changes that could have benefits beyond road safety. Increased cycling use, she argued, could have positive ramifications on everything from gridlock to the environment. "Much of the infrastructure changes that would make things safer are also attractive to bicyclists, so it would encourage more people to ride," she said. "It's a public health issue."

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AT Webinar: Municipal Bicycle Parking Programs, Wed, Feb 27, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre
by Beth McKechnie 21 Feb '13

21 Feb '13

Green Action Centre and Stantec Consulting invite you to join us for a local viewing of the *second* of four APBP webinars on bicycle parking. It takes place at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. * Municipal Bicycle Parking Programs** Wed, Feb. 27, 2013 | 2:00-3:00 pm CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth 925-3772 * * * * * * * Municipal Bicycle Parking Programs This session focuses on the application of the basic principles to develop a municipal or regional bicycle parking program. A particular point of the presentation involves the development of an on-street parking program with both sidewalk and high capacity components. The APBP guide to development of codes and policies is discussed, as are funding and delivery methods for public bicycle parking programs. The session also covers differing requirements for residential, civic, commercial and industrial programs and the impact of bike share programs on bicycle parking. Who should attend? Municipal staff, transit agency staff, managers of educational, corporate and healthcare campuses, and members of Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committees (BPACs), as well as elected officials and staff of bicycle advocacy organizations. Both the experienced agency manager and those new to developing bicycle parking solutions will benefit. *For future dates and topics in the Bicycle Parking Webinar series, see: * http://greenactioncentre.ca/event/apbp-bicycle-parking-webinar-series/

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Webinar Handouts - Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work
by Mark Cohoe 19 Feb '13

19 Feb '13

Hi, Just a reminder that Bike to the Future and the Green Action Centre are hosting the APBP webinar Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work tomorrow @ 2pm in the MB Eco-Centre. Handouts for the webinar can be downloaded here <http://www.apbp.org/?page=Webinar_Downloads>. See you there, Mark

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From the WFP
by Stacy Matwick 15 Feb '13

15 Feb '13

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION Winter cycling no longer weird in Winterpeg Numbers seem to be slowly rising By: Bartley Kives Posted: 1:00 AM | Comments: 0<http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=Winter+cycling+n…>g [JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A cyclist rides on the pedestrian bridge towards Jubilee Avenue this week. There are no hard numbers on a rise in winter biking.] Enlarge Image<http://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/4746248.jpg> JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A cyclist rides on the pedestrian bridge towards Jubilee Avenue this week. There are no hard numbers on a rise in winter biking. As recently as the 1990s, the only people brave enough to ride bicycles throughout a Winnipeg winter were a half-dozen crazy couriers and a few other Lycra-clad diehards willing to endure hostile road conditions and even more hostile motorists. Two decades later, Winnipeg winters remain almost just as frigid. Yet, seeing Winnipeggers bike to work in February is no longer any weirder than watching a lineup of cars snake out of a Tim Hortons drive-thru. Like almost every other North American city, Winnipeg has witnessed a rise in the number of people who commute by bike during the winter. The precise nature of this increase is unknown, however, as there are no reliable recent statistics regarding Winnipeg commuter-cyclist numbers. Seven years ago, the City of Winnipeg's seminal Active Transportation Study found 2.3 per cent of all Winnipeg workers and university students rode their bikes to their jobs or classes on a regular basis. The belief is that proportion has grown, as the cost of filling up and maintaining automobiles has only risen since 2006, along with the awareness of the health and environmental benefits of cycling. But no one has a clear handle on the number of regular Winnipeg winter cyclists, aside from anecdotal evidence. "Even among avid cyclists, winter cycling is an oddity," said Andrea Tetrault, a regular summer bike commuter and occasional winter cyclist who blogs at winnipegcyclechick.com. This morning, she'll be among the Winnipeggers taking part in Winter Bike To Work Day, an international event intended to encourage more people to try the once-unusual pursuit. While it may seem counterintuitive, she finds riding her bike in temperatures below -20 C way easier than cycling when it's just below zero, as extreme cold transforms the ice and snow on city streets into a harder, more predictable riding surface. Warmer winter weather creates sloppier conditions that demand more bike maintenance in the form of cleaning. Staying warm on a bike during the winter isn't all that difficult when you're moving, provided you take care to insulate your hands. Cleaning your bike during the winter is a bigger annoyance, which is why some cyclists just buy a garage-sale beater and ride it into the ground over the course of one season. The real limiting factor is road maintenance, suggests Anders Swanson, an avid cyclist who travelled to Oulu, Finland, this week to attend the world's first Winter Cycling Congress. Somewhat optimistically, Swanson titled his presentation Winnipeg, Winter Cycling Capital of North America, and immediately got called out on Twitter by an indignant Edmontonian. Oulu, which sits at 65 degrees north, is almost as cold as Winnipeg but quite a bit darker during the winter. Oulu also resembles Winnipeg in that it's not particularly dense, yet it still enjoys an extremely vibrant winter-cycling culture. "The first thing that's immediately apparent is everybody rides -- your grandma, teenagers and stylish young women," Swanson said over the phone from Oulu, where he said the McDonald's has more bicycle parking than motor-vehicle stalls. "Until you've seen something like that, it's hard to fathom." Swanson said the key to winter cycling's popularity in Oulu and other European cities is regular snow-clearing on all bike paths. Successful winter-cycling cities also clear their bike paths and pedestrian walkways before they clear their streets, he said. Such a move would provoke riots in automobile-centric Winnipeg. But Swanson said it's not that far from what this city already does, given that Winnipeg clears sidewalks long before residential streets are plowed. During the winter, Winnipeg clears snow off 130 kilometres of bike lanes on streets and also plows 75 kilometres of active-transportation corridors at a cost of $250,000 a year, city spokeswoman Tammy Melesko said. Clearing more paths may encourage more winter ridership. But the actual need remains unknown, even though it appears Winnipeg now has more winter riders. Motorists, meanwhile, have become more accommodating of winter cyclists, Tetrault said. "I think people are getting more used to it and are resigned to the fact we're not going away," she said. "In challenging conditions, I know I'm an inconvenience to get around, yet generally people are really courteous." bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca<http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/mailto:bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca>

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Lance Article from 1972 about cyclists
by Jackie Avent (ASRTS) 13 Feb '13

13 Feb '13

Hey Folks! Take a look at "The Tip" article from 1972 below (and attached). Has anything changed? Jackie [image: Inline images 1]

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AT Webinar: Driving Deaths Down, Wed, Feb. 20, 2-3 pm, EcoCentre
by Jessie Klassen 13 Feb '13

13 Feb '13

Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future invite you to join us for a local viewing of the following APBP webinar at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion of local applications.* *Detailed description provided below. *Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work Wednesday, Feb. 20th | 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST* RSVPs are appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca 925-3772 * * * * * * * Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work This is a 60-minute webinar [image: hawk]The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has identified countermeasures that research has proven effective in driving down injuries and deaths from crashes. This webinar will provide detailed case studies of countermeasures that improve safety for vulnerable road users: the pedestrian hybrid beacon (HAWK), the pedestrian refuge or crossing island, and road diets. Tamara Redmon, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Team Leader at FHWA, will provide an introduction that highlights research, guidance and key resources related to these facilities. In Scottsdale, Arizona, a HAWK beacon was installed in conjunction with a pedestrian crossing island on Scottsdale Boulevard, a busy commercial corridor that is also the boundary between Phoenix and Scottsdale. In Orlando, Florida, Edgewater Drive was an early road diet; 1.5 miles of 4-lane roadway (ADT approximately 20,000) were converted to 3 lanes plus bicycle lanes. Presenters will discuss project design details and information about cost and outcomes, including data related to the benefits to adjacent businesses and property owners. Presenters: - Jeffrey Arms, Project Manager, City of Orlando Public Works - Susan Conklu, Transportation Planner, City of Scottsdale - Tamara Redmon, Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Team Leader, FHWA

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Winnipeg to Oulu: Update prior to International Winter Cycling Conference
by Anders Swanson 12 Feb '13

12 Feb '13

Good morning at-network: As you may know, I am in Oulu, Finland, about to attend the first ever international winter cycling conference <http://www.ibikeoulu.com/>, here to make a presentation about the Winnipeg experience and seeking to learn from the latest research into what makes a winter cycling city tick. I will be absorbing and bringing back as much as possible, and there are formal follow-ups planned. But, since it has taken so much effort to get here, I wanted to take a moment to give one solid update to you folks beforehand. I know you will find it interesting. *Note: If you don't have time to read the "first impressions" story, skip ahead and tune in at your leisure. I want to be sure that you know that there are a few ways that you can follow along and learn along with me. Its in a more bite-size format too (Flickr, Twitter, etc..). See the end of this message for more info.* - - - First impressions of Oulu This is my first day in the northern Finnish city of Oulu. I have been in Finland for almost two weeks now, filming, documenting, interviewing and observing, visiting mainly two urban areas so far: Helsinki<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helsinki>and Turku <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turku>. People from Helsinki and Turku - at least the ones whom I had a chance to meet / asked what I was doing in Finland in February / had been to Oulu - were all effusive: they all told me that I hadn't seen anything yet. "Wait for Oulu, if you want to see bikes.", they said. "This is nothing.", they said. And they were right. * * I spent this morning wandering around with a camera, and I didn't have to wander far, or look for long, to find evidence. One step outside the hotel and it became clear. Everywhere you look, there are people on bikes. Tall people, short people. Fat people, skinny people. Old people, young people. Men, women, children. Able-bodied people and people with disabilities. Fashionable people (and not-so-fashionable people, me included). Keep in mind its the middle of winter... The typical bike they are riding is what we might call a dutch bike. Mostly black ones. The typical city bike. Sporting fenders and a rack and not much else. The occasional mountain or road bike appears, but they are in the minority. For some reason a lot of the city bikes are pink or red too. The next most popular colour seems to be light blue - like the Finnish flag. More importantly: Plain old steel frame. Comfy seat. No studded tires that I can see. No special equipment at all, really. Helmets are very rare. Maybe 1 in 20 or so. About the only special equipment I have seen are bike trailers (stuffed with kids), and an old adult trike for a gentleman that, when he parked it, clearly had mobility issues. My bike, its old steel frame sporting fancy wheels, shiny cranks and touring rack, looks almost spiffy here. Baskets full of groceries and shopping bags are common. No room in the basket? Wup: The bread, the cheerios and the roll of toilet paper bags go on the handlebar and off we go. The bikes in the racks seem to outnumber parked cars. Riding with one hand on the handlebars is quite possible (more than a few young people are carrying a handbag, smoking a cigarette or chatting on cellphones while riding - possibly too self-conscious to wear a backpack, sneaking in one last drag at the last minute before work or arranging an a after-class meeting-point before heading to university.Not sure. You know: the things people do when they are on their way to work and not out to set a record. You get the impression that the bike is an afterthought here, not a intrinsic item. Simply a bit quicker than walking. No higher purpose. Exercise and environmentalism by association only. And it must be safe. Most people are cycling alone, but more than a few are cycling along, side-by-side, as a couple or in groups, having conversations. They tend to stop often, entering stores. No joke. Not trying, yet again, to explain how bikes are good for business. I know because it is difficult to sometimes predict their behaviour when taking a video. They change their mind often, perhaps glancing into windows. It certainly is a lot quicker than trying to park a bike than a car. It's funny to watch and compare the too trying to park. It's also funny that people back home sometimes find it surprising that people can cycle in the winter. Here, it is even more apparent that cars are equally out of their element come wintertime. They get easily stuck in the icy, snowy parking spots, lose traction often and, when faced with throngs of bikes and pedestrians, seem to move about like frustrated, drugged-up, unwieldy rhinos. It is cold here too. Colder, actually, than home. I compared the weather in YWG <http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/camb0244> and OUL<http://www.theweathernetwork.com/weather/fiol0000> on the internet, just to be sure I hadn't gone soft. Yes, Oulu is on the ocean, which moderates things a bit - but this seems to be more than offset by the fact that it's super far up north!<http://maps.google.ca/maps?q=oulu+map&ll=63.548552,-2.8125&spn=131.974924,3…>. There is snow too. Lots of it. It has been snowing constantly in Finland since I arrived - not sure about Oulu necessarily (because I just got here and because it seems like they make an extra effort to clear the pedestrian malls, sidewalks and bike paths) but definitely Helsinki and Turku were a snowy, blustery mess, and the snowbanks are fairly high at the moment, so I can only assume. The landscape here in Oulu is quite similar to Winnipeg. In fact, compared to Helsinki, which feels very "continental European" and is so packed with stuff that it makes more sense to most people to just walk, the main part of Oulu doesn't seem any more dense than, say, Osborne village. There certainly aren't any skyscrapers, and the biggest building is certainly a lot smaller than Polo Park. It's a university town, but so is Winnipeg. Like Winnipeg, Oulu is extremely flat. The images in the Flickr album (link below) should give you some idea of "what" is going on, if not the "why" it is happening. I hesitate to draw any conclusions as to why winter cycling is happening in abundance here - or get into the numbers. Not yet, anyway. That will have to come later. I am here to learn after all. And for now, I am content to simply watch what's going on. - - - *Next steps* * * Tomorrow, the conference starts. On Thursday, I make my presentation. It was rather idealistically entitled "Winnipeg Winter Cycling Capital of North America <http://www.ibikeoulu.com/Program_WCC_2013.pdf>". Admittedly, that title should have been followed by a pretty big question mark. Crafted as it was at the last minute (with help from my generous compatriots at the Forks who likely have a more optimistic view on things thanks to the constant reinforcement of the nearby and very busy river trail), it might be a tough statement to pull off for someone who collects and analyzes (and ideally helps improve upon) bicycle and pedestrian data! I am a bit sheepish about trying to back up that statement in a room full of the world's leaders in this department - and with some Canadians and Americans in the room to boot. Even Yellowknife, with it's much higher winter mode share, may be miffed, for example. I already got called out on Twitter by someone from Edmonton. Oh well. Too bad. A theoretical capital is something you get to self-declare, and if someone wants to fight for the title, they can. There is no doubt that there is something special happening in Winnipeg - and I am glad people are paying attention. I will be quite proud to share what we are all working on. We can fight over who is truly the "capital" later. The recent summer mode share jump here is just one example of what is possible. And, if usage numbers on the one-of-a-kind Forks' River Trail<http://www.theforks.com/events/signature-events/river-trail>, the made-in-Winnipeg Winter Bike to Work Day's expanding list of communities<http://winterbiketoworkday.org/event-info/> and the physical/climatological similarities to Oulu are all indications, then there are some very good reasons to think that Winnipeg just might emerge as a leader. Anyway, I will be sure to bring along some good homegrown ideas to share on our behalf - and feel that they are indeed worth sharing with an international audience. ________________________________________________________________________________ *Staying in touch:* *Photos* See for yourself what cycling looks like in Oulu. I started a photostream. Most of the photos are only hours old. I will keep it updated with the other stuff when possible: Flickr Photostream - Winter Cycling in Finland<http://www.flickr.com/photos/andersswanson/sets/72157632747750585/> *Twitter* I started a Twitter account just for folks who might like to "virtually" tag along. It's @SwansonAnders. Yes, I know. Twitter is a stretch for me too. But, there are, I think, already a few interesting tidbits on there (see the bicycle/cross country skis storage setup they have on trains here, for example). The main purpose was to "live tweet" the salient points during the conference - so feel free to tune in. I hope you find it interesting. I will try to last longer than, say, Pat Martin<http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12/20/rat-faced-whores-ndp-mp-pat-martin-…> or Neil Macdonald<http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/02/16/f-rfa-macdonald-twitter.html> . *Video / Audio* I have taken rather few photos, actually. Taking video is more fun. Thus, the good stuff is on video. I have collected some audio from some folks I've talked to, too. I plan to make a mini-documentary, but need the good computer back home. Stay tuned. *Conference Webcast* I have been colluding with Timo, the lead conference organizer, to try and beam back a live feed of the conference. We'll see if we can pull it together. Because of the time difference, it may not be worthwhile. Send me a message letting me know if a Winter-Cycling-Conference-Pyjama-party is in the cards for you. If so, I will try a bit harder. If not (perhaps watching the World Junior Championships over the holidays exhausted your willingness to stay up late anyway; the conference day starttime is at 01:00am CST), no need to worry: The City of Oulu is taking care of video-documenting the conference and I am told it will be available as an archive afterward. *I will share the archive link, at the very least. * *A Get-Together in Winnipeg Later* More importantly, as part of the deal with this trip's generous sponsors, I will both collect and then *share* and discuss the most important lessons learned - in some format, probably workshop/presentation/film night - when I get back. If you have input or would like to help organize, let me know. Otherwise, stay tuned. * * *Ask me anything* Got a question? I am taking requests. Wondering about something specific about what makes Oulu tick? Always wanted to talk to the city manager from Prague and ask her/him a question? Let me know. If they are at the conference, or if the answer is out there, I will try and find out for you over the next couple days. I am already on a mission for a few people/organizations and I will try and learn what I can for you. Yours, Anders Swanson *Acknowledgements* Many many thanks to the fine people and organizations that have been contributing to making this possible including Setu, the PHD student at Helsinki Polykopury (Helsinki Bikes) for sitting down with me to give me the latest on the state of Helsinki, Sari, Cecilia and Marjo at the Finnish Meteorological Institute for introducing me to their work on pedestrian issues, the City of Oulu and Timo Perälä and the rest of the team for putting on the conference.. AND .. the Manitoba Cycling Association, Travel Manitoba, Economic Development Winnipeg / Destination Wpg, Bike to the Future, Green Action Centre, Natural Cycle, Bikes and Beyond, The Forks, Rivers West – Red River Corridor Inc, the Winnipeg Trails Association, and Janice Lukes for contributing/helping to raise funds to get me here. Thank you, and I, of course, very much appreciate the support. (note: there are probably some others, but I will be sure to thank the final list at the presentation/workshop planned for my return). YOU can help too: No, I am not asking for money. *If you want to help, just go ride your bike. *Preferably during *Winter Bike to Work Day*<http://winterbiketoworkday.org/> * this Friday* <http://winterbiketoworkday.org/>.* *I probably need at least 1000 people to start winter cycling just to offset the carbon from this plane trip, so if you've got a nice route, and feel up for it, help me out. If you fall in love with it, you can thank me later. : ) If you can't ride, but support the idea, just like our Facebook page<https://www.facebook.com/WinterBikeToWorkDay> .

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