- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Come ride the City's pop-up bike lanes during bike week!
by Shoni Madden 05 Jun '17

05 Jun '17

Thrilled to be a part of the team working on the City of Winnipeg's West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor project. As bike week approached's you will all get a chance to provide some feedback on the proposed design options at a number of events. Details are on the Bike Week event page, but I have pasted them below as well. Hope to see a few of you on the bike ride :) - *June 20 - 11:00am-1:30pm - City of Winnipeg Public Engagement and Pop-up Protected Bike Lane* As part of the *West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor*, the City of Winnipeg is looking at options to improve the existing painted bike lanes on McDermot Avenue and Bannatyne Avenue to protected infrastructure so that they are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The city is looking to continue the conversation and get input on proposed design options. The public engagement on this project began back in February 2017 and has documented input from stakeholders. The event will take place at Hugh John MacDonald School, 567 Bannatyne Ave. starting at 11:00 am. Come experience a pop-up protected bike lane demonstrating a potential design option and provide feedback. Attend the June 20, 2017 pop-up to win a free bike! (Bike provided by Hugh John MacDonald School and the WRENCH) For more information visit the website <http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/pedestriansCycling/walkbikeprojects/westAlex…> . *June 21 - 10:00am-2:00pm - City of Winnipeg Public Engagement and Pop-up Protected Bike Lane * As part of the *West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor*, the City of Winnipeg is looking at options to improve the existing painted bike lanes on McDermot Avenue and Bannatyne Avenue to protected infrastructure so that they are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The city is looking to continue the conversation and get input on proposed design options. The public engagement on this project began back in February 2017 and has documented input from stakeholders. The event will take place at at Old Market Square, Exchange District. starting at 10:00 am. Come experience a pop-up protected bike lane demonstrating a potential design option and provide feedback. For more information visit the website <http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/pedestriansCycling/walkbikeprojects/westAlex…> . *June 21 - 12:00pm-12:45pm - Lunch Hour tour of the Exchange District Pop-up Bike Lanes* Join other interested cyclists at Old Market Square for a lunch hour ride to explore and discuss proposed design options for the pop-up protected bike lanes in the Exchange District. Take part in the ride and join the conversation and experience options to improve the existing painted bike lanes on McDermot and Bannatyne. This ride is part of the City of Winnipeg’s public engagement for the *West Alexander to East Exchange Corridor*. Join us at Old Market Square, the ride leaves at 12:00pm and will return by 12:30pm with some time for discussion before you head back to work. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Happy Commuter Challenge week to all :) -- *Shoni Madden* | Active and Safe Routes to School Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3773 | 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/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> * Please note that my regular office hours are Monday/Friday. I will respond to your communication at this time.

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WFP: City lags behind Calgary, Edmonton in cycling lane construction (Jun3'17)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Jun '17

03 Jun '17

City lags behind Calgary, Edmonton in cycling lane construction Winnipeg stuck in slow lane http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/winnipeg-stuck-in- slow-lane-426052613.html CIVIC leaders often compare our city’s progress to Calgary and Edmonton but when it comes to building bike networks, the experts say Winnipeg has a lot to learn from its western counterparts. Calgary has been cited for the speed with which it built a world class, 6.6-kilometre bike lane network through its downtown — four months in the spring of 2015 at a cost of $5.45 million. Edmonton is on pace to do an even bigger network (7.1 km) in three months, with a price tag of $7.5 million. Meanwhile in Winnipeg, city officials are boasting about how they will build 2.2 km of separated bike lanes in downtown over a three-year period. Construction on the first leg, along Garry Street, is expected to start later this month. Work is to be completed in 2019. A civic spokeswoman said it was unable to provide the cost of the downtown network as it’s part of an overall upgrade to several streets and water mains and separate costs for the bike lanes are not available. “I’m just really impressed with the Calgary network more so than almost anywhere,” said Tom Bertulis, a Boston-area traffic engineering consultant and an expert in multi-modal transportation design. “It’s one of the most impressive projects in North America. Even when compared to places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen — you look at Calgary and say ‘wow, this is really amazing what they’ve done.’ “If there’s any model to follow for Winnipeg, I recommend the Calgary model.” Bertulis, manager of traffic engineering for Design Consultants Inc. of Somerville, Mass., said the traditional approach to constructing bike networks has been to do them piecemeal, a branch at a time, over several years — an approach that Winnipeg is taking. But the lighting speed with which Calgary built its network — and is now being duplicated in Edmonton — has shown municipalities there is a more cost-efficient and timely method. Instead of digging up roads and pouring new concrete curbs to separate bike lanes from vehicular traffic — a labour- and time-consuming process that slows traffic flows during construction and leaves no room for design errors — Calgary opted for a lighting quick approach: design the network on paper, paint lanes on the streets, put down pre-cast concrete curbs inside the painted lines, and then place green plastic bollards on top to highlight the bike lane to motorists. To make it look nice, add a few decorative planters at key locations and intersections. Adjust traffic signal timing, where necessary, to lower the chance of collisions between riders and motorists. Highlight troublesome spots — intersections, driveways — with green road paint. “You can do a lot of planning and design to estimate what the usage and behaviour (of a bike network) might be but once it’s in place there might need to be tweaks,” said Tyler Golly, a member of the Stantec consulting team that designed the Calgary downtown network and the network now being built in Edmonton. Golly dubbed it the “test and tweak” method. “Using these adjustable materials allows municipalities to implement something fairly quickly because it doesn’t take a lot of time to construct and you can make adjustments by moving the barriers and changing signal timing to make it operate better for everyone,” Golly said. “Ultimately, when you’re rebuilding those roads, you can upgrade the network with permanent materials.” Calgary originally put its network in place in what was then an-unheardof- record pace of four months in the spring of 2015 on a 18-month pilot basis, arguing that since it used “adjustable materials” they could be taken out if the public didn’t like it. Bertulis said the disadvantage of building a network on the traditional piece-meal basis is that it usually fails to connect to the rest of the community, fails to attract the number of riders anticipated and then is branded a failure unless there is a strong political will to maintain it. Over the 18-month test period, ridership on all legs of the Calgary network increased. There were 100 adjustments made to the layout of the corridor based on feedback from riders, the public and adjacent property owners. The network attracted more women cyclists and more children. Some civic politicians who were initially opposed to the test program switched their votes when Calgary council voted in December to make the pilot permanent. The “adjustable” materials will remain for now and might be upgraded in the future with permanent fixtures when the roadways or underground infrastructure are upgraded. “I was a person that didn’t support this in the beginning,” Calgary Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart told the Calgary Herald following the Dec. 19 council vote. “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.” After trying the traditional, one-legat- a-time approach, Edmonton hired the Stantec team to design and implement its downtown bike network. Work on a 7.1-km network started April 5 — of this year — and is scheduled to be completed July 17. “We are poised to be one of the fastest implemented bike networks in Canada,” said Olga Messinis, Edmonton’s downtown bike network project manager. Messinis said Edmonton council had relied on the traditional approach to building a bike network, installing permanent lanes when rebuilding or upgrading roadways or underground infrastructure, but it was taking too long and failing to attract the expected ridership increase. “That failed for us miserably,” Messinis said, adding that Edmonton politicians were convinced to follow the Calgary model and gave the goahead in October 2016 and construction began in April. Messinis said the $7.5 million price tag for Edmonton’s downtown bike network is misleading, explaining that $4.2 million is being spent to upgrade and modernize the city’s downtown traffic signal network — which leaves the bike network cost at $3.3 million. The success of what’s happened in Calgary and Edmonton is frustrating for St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes, who was unsuccessful in convincing either the public works department or her council colleagues on the public works committee to simply study what those two communities have done and determine if it can be done here. Lukes said she was convinced Winnipeg could do better after safely riding through downtown Vancouver on its elaborate bike network while attending a conference in September. When she heard of what had been done in Calgary, she proposed a similar approach be studied here. Winnipeg adopted its cycling and pedestrian strategy in 2015, which outlines a 30-year plan to construct cycling routes across the city. Council approved the traditional, piece-meal approach for the bike network, approving routes each year. Lukes suggested following the Calgary model for the downtown segment, pointing out the city’s own 2015 strategy had recommended something similar — quickly building a complete downtown network — but public works staff ignored that portion of the report and Lukes’ proposal. Coun. Marty Morantz, chairman of the public works committee, earlier this week defended the decision to ignore Lukes’ proposal, incorrectly stating her idea is a breach of the city’s adopted strategy. “I thought we were all about innovation and new ideas and adopting best practices,” Lukes said. “It’s beyond frustrating.” aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Re: [At-network] Debunking John Forrester & Vehicular Cycling
by Beth McKechnie 01 Jun '17

01 Jun '17

What I really should have said is that we (apparently, for Morantz) need to debunk John Forester's premise that there should never be any cycling-specific infrastructure. On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 3:35 PM, Curt Hull <curthull(a)mymts.net> wrote: > Hear! Hear! Very well said Jeremy. > > Councillor Morantz needs to understand this. > > *Curt* > > Phone: 204.233.0545 <(204)%20233-0545> > Cell/text: 204.803.5436 <(204)%20803-5436> > E-mail: curthull(a)mymts.net > > On May 31, 2017, at 1:56 PM, Jeremy Hull <hull.jeremy(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > I would suggest a different approach. Granted, John Forester is a > single-minded and sometimes combative advocate for "effective cycling" or > "vehicular cycling." His motto is "Cyclists fare best in traffic when they > behave and are treated as vehicles." His approach is the basis for the > CAN-BIKE cycling courses and works well as many of us who have taken > CAN-BIKE training can attest. If you follow that approach you will be safer > than you would be on sidewalks, for example, or on multi-use trails or on > some bike lanes, depending on how they are designed. The problem with his > approach is that most cyclists are unwilling to ride in traffic and haven't > taken the training that would give them the confidence and skills to do so > safely. So to really increase the numbers of cyclists you have to make it > more comfortable for them to bike by creating separated infrastructure > which, if well designed, can also improve safety. > > But for the foreseeable future cyclists will still need to use the streets > to get around. I would like them to do so safely, so my response to Marty > Morantz is that he and the city should be actively promoting cycling > education, a la Forester, as well as building safe new cycling > infrastructure. We also need to educate drivers about how to drive safely > when there are bicycles on the road. And we need to educate everyone about > how to use the new cycling infrastructure safely. > > In short it's not either/or - we need both both public education programs > and good infrastructure. Marty Morantz is not taking this seriously, he is > only using the Forester reference as a red herring. Let's not buy into the > false controversy. > > > On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 12:20 PM, Beth McKechnie < > beth(a)greenactioncentre.ca> wrote: > >> Hello everyone, >> >> In case you are looking for a solid piece on debunking the idea of >> 'Vehicular Cycling', as put forward by Councillor Morantz yesterday, I >> would recommend the following piece: >> >> http://shifter.info/heres-what-happened-when-one-city-reject >> ed-vehicular-cycling/ >> >> >> <http://shifter.info/heres-what-happened-when-one-city-rejected-vehicular-cy…> >> 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 green living hub >> Support our work by becoming a member >> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at >> CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> AT-Network mailing list >> AT-Network(a)lists.umanitoba.ca >> http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/at-network >> >> > _______________________________________________ > AT-Network mailing list > AT-Network(a)lists.umanitoba.ca > http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/at-network > > > -- *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 green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>

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Debunking John Forrester & Vehicular Cycling
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '17

31 May '17

Hello everyone, In case you are looking for a solid piece on debunking the idea of 'Vehicular Cycling', as put forward by Councillor Morantz yesterday, I would recommend the following piece: http://shifter.info/heres-what-happened-when-one-city- rejected-vehicular-cycling/ <http://shifter.info/heres-what-happened-when-one-city-rejected-vehicular-cy…> 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 green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>

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Join us Tomorrow for the Commuter Challenge Kick-off!
by Heather Mitchell 31 May '17

31 May '17

Greetings, *Join Green Action Centre to kick off the most popular green commuting event in Canada!* [image: Inline image 1] *What:* The annual Commuter Challenge is a national celebration of healthy and sustainable transportation taking place during the first week of June. Close to 8,000 Manitobans participate every year by taking the bus, carpooling, walking or cycling to work. Winnipeg has won the past 12 out of 13 years as the top performing city in Canada. *When:* *Thursday, June 1st at 12:00-12:45 pm.* *Where:* Red River College, Paterson GlobalFoods Institute (Bijou Park, 504 Main Street). *Who:* Green Action Centre is pleased to welcome guest speakers The Honourable Cathy Cox, Minister of Sustainable Development, Councillor Brian Mayes, and Paul Vogt, President of Red River College. Trevor Dineen of CBC will host. *Why Participate?* It's great for the planet, saves money, promotes a healthy lifestyle, and you have the opportunity to win great prizes! This is also a great opportunity to *Challenge Your Co-workers To Be Green <http://greenactioncentre.ca/healthy-travel/challenge-your-coworkers-to-be-g…>* ! *** If you haven't done so yet, be sure to register your workplace <https://commuter.commuterchallenge.ca/register/workplace> and yourself <https://commuter.commuterchallenge.ca/register/individual> for the Commuter Challenge <http://greenactioncentre.ca/module/commuterchallenge/participate-in-commute…>, starting June 4th! *** Happy Commuting, *Heather Mitchell *| Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> | 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue (204) 925-3772 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/>

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Metro Wpg: Winnipeg mayor weighs in on adjustable bike grid idea (May31'17)
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '17

31 May '17

'Playing catch-up': Winnipeg mayor weighs in on adjustable bike grid ideaCoun. Janice Lukes has been trying to get her council colleagues on board with a plan to catch up to other major cities quickly with a downtown bike grid. *By:* Braeden Jones <http://www.metronews.ca/authors.jones_braeden.html> http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2017/05/30/winnipeg-mayor-weighs-in-o… Winnipeg’s Mayor Brian Bowman is setting off for the Big City Mayors’ Caucus meeting in Ottawa this week, where he’ll sit on a panel with his colleagues from the west, Mayors Gregor Robertson, Don Iveson and Naheed Nenshi. They’re not meant to discuss cycling, but among that company, Bowman is the lone leader who hasn’t fast-tracked the expansion of downtown bike lanes. On Tuesday, after the current and former chair of Winnipeg’s public works committee traded jabs over the former’s attempt to get a downtown adjustable grid fast tracked — in vain — Bowman weighed in on the concept, and whether or not Winnipeg is late to the game Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary are already playing. “I don’t agree we are falling behind, we are actually playing catch-up significantly,” Bowman said. He explained this current council “inherited” poor active transportation (AT) infrastructure, and said it’s “going to take time to play catchup,” but noted progress has already been made during his tenure. “It’s a 20-year long-term plan, but let’s even look at this year,” he said. “This year we increased the AT budget by 57 per cent, a sizeable improvement from the previous year.” He also lauded the council-supported pedestrian and cycling strategy. But even with that plan, AT upgrades in Winnipeg are tied to road renewal in most cases, far from the quick turnaround pushed for by big-city mayors he’s meeting with this week. Innovative solutions like Edmonton’s efforts to install adjustable pre-cast curbs to rapidly build bike lanes downtown, which is still underway but was just initiated last fall, are exactly what former public works chairperson Coun. Janice Lukes tried to get current chair Coun. Marty Morantz to consider Tuesday. Bowman said he’d look at “any opportunities” the city has “to do things more efficiently,” but he wouldn’t voice support for the idea, even in principle. “It would be nice to fix all of the roads, to build all the bike paths, and fix everything with transit all in one year, but we are committed to a thoughtful plan that is an award winning plan, and pursing its implementation,” Bowman said.

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CBC News: Winnipeg city councillors exchange barbs over bike lanes (May31'17)
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '17

31 May '17

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/downtown-winnipeg-cycling-grids-1.41… Winnipeg city councillors exchange barbs over bike lanes Former public works chair accuses successor of ignorance after he quizzes her on urban-cycling theory By Bartley Kives, CBC News <http://www.cbc.ca/news/cbc-news-online-news-staff-list-1.1294364> The question of whether bike lanes help or hinder traffic safety generated a cycle of barbs at city hall in a dispute between council's current and former public works chairs. On Tuesday, Coun. Janice Lukes (South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) appeared before the committee she used to oversee to express concern that the city is about to delay the construction of an adjustable grid of downtown bike lanes. This prompted her successor, public works chair Marty Morantz (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Whyte Ridge), to suggest bike lanes do not protect cyclists from traffic accidents at intersections. Morantz also asked Lukes if she is familiar with the work of 87-year-old U.S. cycling activist John Forester, who lobbied in the 1970s for cyclists' right to use the road and argued against keeping bicycles separated from motor-vehicle traffic. Lukes, the former director of the Winnipeg Trails Association, asked Morantz if he was familiar with anything about cycling before he became public works director. Outside the committee room, Lukes called Morantz ignorant. "I think he just doesn't understand. He doesn't follow this," Lukes said. "It's just ignorance." Lukes said she remains upset that Morantz amended her request to ask the city to study the idea of installing an adjustable downtown bike grid as a means of quickly creating more room for cyclists. Morantz, she said, amended that motion to simply find out whether the grid is consonant with city active-transportation guidelines. "Had he read it in the first place, he would have seen that it was in there, but this was more of a delay tactic," Lukes said. "This probably won't happen in two or three years or longer. The only way it will happen sooner is if it's the mayor's priority." Morantz said he has conducted his own research into urban cycling and he believes there is an alternative to what he described as the "conventional wisdom" about protected bike lanes. "I don't think any debate is ever settled," Morantz said. "I think it's important for people to know that there's another school of thought." Morantz said city hall should be lauded for spending more on cycling infrastructure "than we ever had before" and denied he is attempting to scuttle an initiative favoured by Lukes, who was removed from the city's executive policy committee last fall by Mayor Brian Bowman. Bowman, for his part, said he believes protected bike lanes do serve cyclists well. "That's what the experts tell us," the mayor said. "When we developed our pedestrian-cycling strategies, it contemplates protected bike lanes in many cases." The city plans to spend $4.7 million this year on conventional bike-and-pedestrian infrastructure, plus another $3.6 million to extend buffered bike lanes along Pembina Highway between DeVos Road and Killarney Avenue and $1.6 million to create protected bike lanes on Empress Street between Portage Avenue and St. Matthews Avenue.

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ON spending up to $42.5M this year on cycling infrastructure out of cap-and-trade fund
by Beth McKechnie 30 May '17

30 May '17

Good to see Ontario using their cap-and-trade monies on cycling infrastructure and other GHG emissions reduction projects. Would like to see the same approach for future carbon tax revenues in Manitoba. https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/05/29/ontario-to- spend-up-to-425-million-this-year-on-cycling-infrastructure.html -- *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 green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/>

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Metro Wpg: Bike grid discussion returns to City Hall Tuesday
by Beth McKechnie 30 May '17

30 May '17

Bike grid discussion returns to City Hall TuesdayCoun. Janice Lukes says she plans to reiterate her call for city staff to look into the feasibility of fast tracking a downtown bike grid, Tuesday. http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2017/05/28/winnipeg- still-lags-behind-on-protected-bike-grid-talks.html In the time it took Winnipeg’s public service to report back on whether an adjustable grid of bike lanes would fit the city’s existing plans, Edmonton has installed nearly 7 km of protected cycling infrastructure <http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2017/05/10/edmonton-downtown-bike-gri…> in its downtown. That really frustrates Coun. Janice Lukes, who last fall pitched a similar idea <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/10/13/winnipeg-forum-planned-for…> of adjustable infrastructure to expedite the bike-lane build <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/11/10/winnipeg-councillor-pushin…> out locally, around the time councillors out west unanimously supported fast-tracking their version by this spring. She hosted a well-attended info session with experts involved with bold cycling infrastructure projects in Calgary and Edmonton on a panel, then tried to get the Infrastructure and Public Works committee (IRPW) to order a report on what it would take to follow suit in Winnipeg. <http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/11/29/winnipeg-pumps-breaks-on-b…> But rather than research cost and feasibility, the committee asked administration to take 120 days to report back on whether the concept aligned with existing pedestrian and cycling strategies (PCS). “Surprise,” Lukes said Sunday. “They’ve come back and said it is in the plans. Imagine that.” An administrative report going to the IRPW committee Tuesday confirms what Lukes said about half a year ago, council had already looked at the roads a downtown “grid” would go on, and “adjustable methods” are already “considered as an implementation method at some locations.” The report notes “adjustable” bike lanes are a deployment method of protected cycling facilities, and concluded with “this being the case, adjustable methods for the implementation of a protected bike facility fits within the goals and objectives of the PCS.” Administration recommends the committee accept the report for information—there is no further action advised. “I guess what I am going to have to do then is come back with my original motion… direct the department to study it again,” Lukes said. “Now that we see it is in fact in the strategies, hopefully (the committee) will say, ‘okay, let’s study what it’ll cost to implement downtown in a short window.’” While she is pleased IRPW committee members will now know the public works department is acquainted with her preferred implementation method, and hopeful it can gain traction, she’s less happy with how the process has been delayed. “We need to start it now, then refine it, that’s the whole idea with an adjustable grid,” she said. Lukes explained that a protected bike grid allowing people to travel safely around the heart of a city is part of a bigger picture, with growth, civic pride, place making, bolstering the economy, and attracting new businesses and workers all in the frame. Without that bigger picture in the equation, she thinks it’s worth moving quickly on this item “for safety” at the very least. But she worries the IRPW committee, whose chairperson said “taking a baby step forward on this is a good idea” when her motion was changed in November, will concur with the administrative report to the point that there is no action taken, and no appetite for catching up to similar cities rolling out grids across the country. Even if the committee does support her original motion, she still has little hope that a new report would be ready in time to get a plan into the 2018 budget by the fall, pushing the whole idea back to 2019 at the earliest. “It’ll never get in unless the mayor made it a priority,” she said.

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Connecting cities' scattered bikeways
by Beth McKechnie 24 May '17

24 May '17

*Excellent article and resources on StreetsBlog:* For 20 to 30 years now, many cities have been laying down bike infrastructure where it’s cheap and easy.. ...cities are now looking systematically for possible connections between their existing bikeways. These examples [in Austin, New York City, Tallahassee, Seattle and Vancouver B.C.] demonstrate the value in shifting away from focus on the “low-hanging fruit” of bike infrastructure – streets with excess auto capacity or unused parking – and toward the most important roads for bicycle connectivity, even if they require difficult tradeoffs. These changes may be more politically difficult, but if chosen well they promise bigger payoffs in ridership and safety. http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/05/22/connecting-cities-scattered-bikeways-…

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