- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

AT webinar: Street Design and Planning in Suburban Contexts (Wed, Aug 17, 2-3pm, EcoCentre)
by Beth McKechnie 11 Aug '16

11 Aug '16

Green Action Centre and Bike Winnipeg invite you to join us for a local viewing of this month's APBP webinar. Should be an interesting perspective given our usual focus on urban areas. The webinar viewing takes place in the EcoCentre boardroom (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) and will be followed by group discussion of local applications. RSVPs appreciated but not necessary. Hope to see you then! cheers, Beth * * * * * *Street Design and Planning in Suburban Contexts* *Wednesday, August 17 | 2-3pm CDT* Amelia Costanzo, Jennifer Noll and Letty Schamp will examine Active Transportation, Building Type Preferences and Changing Demographics: The ABC's of Street Design Considerations. They will discuss demographic trends based on population projections and predict the impact of demographic changes on residential and commercial development trends. Amelia, Jennifer and Letty will identify how an Active Transportation Plan can help communities to coordinate multi-modal transit planning efforts across jurisdictional boundaries to design safe and functional streets. *Presenters:* - Amelia Costanzo, Principal Planner, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission - Jennifer Noll, Associate Planner, Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission - Letty Schamp, Transportation/CIP Engineer, City of Hilliard

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I am Not a Cyclist - Tomorrow at 6:30 at the Handsome Daughter
by Anders Swanson 10 Aug '16

10 Aug '16

Shameless promotion only because folks on this list might find this evening very interesting: https://www.facebook.com/events/1762435217302043/ There will be a guided artist talk, and we'll be sharing some video and who knows what exactly...Definitely talking about the flip side of bicycle politics and policy. The purpose of the evening, if it has a purpose, is for the crew who made it to celebrate the making of the Bike Week movie, to raise awareness of the Plain Bicycle project and to describe, catalyze and promote everyday bike culture.Please join us. -anders

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CBC: Calgary's separated bike lanes
by Dustin Dilts 10 Aug '16

10 Aug '16

Callers weigh in on Alberta@Noon, as cycling experts from Calgary and Edmonton compare cities' infrastructure http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/tom-babin-conrad-nobert-alberta-at-no… from the first audio clip: "...we have a moral obligation to protect our residents who just want to get out and move around in active healthy ways." well said.

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How to drive if you don't want to kill people
by Jeremy Hull 09 Aug '16

09 Aug '16

An article from Momentum Magazine: https://momentummag.com/drive-like-dont-want-kill-people/?utm_source=WhatCo…

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Transportation planner posting at UofM
by Beth McKechnie 09 Aug '16

09 Aug '16

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Ian Hall <Ian.Hall(a)umanitoba.ca> Date: Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 10:24 AM Good morning, For your possible interest or that of your networks, there is a term posting for a transportation planner at UofM open right now: https://umanitoba.hua.hrsmart.com/ats/js_job_details.php?reqid=15853 This is an exciting time at UofM for transportation with a range of new activities underway (new campus plans, U-Pass, new Trans Canada Trail alignment through Fort Garry Campus, development of McDermot cycletrack by City of Winnipeg, planned development of a new student bike shop, new campus active transportation wayfinding coming), and a lot of positive energy around sustainable transportation. If you’re a creative thinker interested in joining a high-energy team and working in a dynamic environment, this would be a great position for you. Ian Ian Hall | MPA | MCIP Director | Office of Sustainability | University of Manitoba 501 Fitzgerald Bldg | Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 | 204-474-7995 [image: http://www.sirpizzamadison.com/facebook_symbol.jpg] <https://www.facebook.com/SustainableUofM> [image: http://scm.ulster.ac.uk/~B00555559/images/twitter_symbol.jpg] <https://twitter.com/SustainableUofM> [image: Insta] <https://instagram.com/um_sustainability/>[image: Stars_Seal_Silver_email_size] <https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/university-of-manitoba-mb/report/2015-…>

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Metro News bike lane & count articles
by Beth McKechnie 04 Aug '16

04 Aug '16

In case you didn't see these... http://www.metronews.ca/views/winnipeg/urban-compass/2016/08/02/winnipeg-cy… http://www.metronews.ca/news/winnipeg/2016/07/11/winnipeg-cyclists-choose-s… -- *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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WFP: Number of cyclists seriously injured in Manitoba increased in 2015 (Jul28'16)
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jul '16

28 Jul '16

Number of cyclists seriously injured in Manitoba increased in 2015 http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/number-of-cyclists-seriously-injured… Cyclists hospitalized by road injuries increased 19 per cent last year in Manitoba, a Canadian Institute for Health Information study shows. The number of cyclists sent to hospital for a stay -- not just to the emergency ward and released -- climbed from 100, to 119 in 2014-15. As bad as that sounds, the rate is actually an improvement over both 2011-12 and 1012-13, when 138 and 133 cyclists had stays in hospitals due to road injuries. Serious injuries while cycling also jumped sharply in Saskatchewan (33 per cent), British Columbia (16 per cent), and Nova Scotia (15 per cent). Cycling injuries are still too high, said Mark Cohoe, executive director of cycling advocacy group, Bike Winnipeg. "The number one reason (for cycling collisions) is really just people not paying attention," said Cohoe. That includes cyclists as well as drivers. "We're getting more texting while driving. Texting has overtaken drunk driving as the main cause of collisions" according to insurance statistics, Cohoe said. Zach Fleisher, 23, recently wound up in hospital with a mild concussion when he hit a pothole "and went flying." "I tasted concrete. The helmet saved my life," he said. "It's my fault but I mean, what you see in other jurisdictions is they keep streets up to grade. You shouldn't be at risk." Cohoe said better road design would go a long way to preventing collisions, like the bike lanes on Sherbrook Street, where bike lanes are between the parking lane and curb. Cement blocks divide the bike lanes from parking lanes. Portland, Oregon, is regarded as a leader in urban cycling. Bike collisions have stayed the same or dropped, while the number of cyclists has risen, Cohoe said. Manitoba Public Insurance figures for 2010-14 show Redwood and Main to be the worst intersection for cyclists with seven crashes. Next highest is the five crashes at five intersections: Arlington and Logan; Dalhousie and Pembina; Main and Sutherland; Moray and Portage; and Sherbrook and Westminster. bill.redekop(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: Bringing down the barriers is just the beginning (Jul17'16)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

Bringing down the barricades is just the beginning http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/bringing-down-the-barri… I should be happier. A *Free Press-*Probe Research survey of Winnipeg adults shows 53 per cent oppose the removal of pedestrian barriers at Portage and Main. It was the first time in 40 years Probe surveyed Winnipeggers on the subject, and remarkably, support for bringing down the barriers has not grown. Although I haven’t lived in Winnipeg for as long as 40 years, I certainly have counted myself among the majority on this issue for as long as I have been here. As such, the poll results should be a cause of mild celebration. In short, I believed reopening the intersection to pedestrians would be a mostly meaningless gesture. That it would do nothing to attract people downtown or encourage people who live in the suburbs but work downtown to support above-ground businesses. That having pedestrians toddling across that intersection would snarl traffic and cripple downtown. Those fortunate — or unfortunate enough as the case may be — to cross swords with me on this issue can attest to the fact I stridently enforced my opinion whenever I had the chance. After several cocktails at a dinner party earlier this year, I may have even told one of my best friends that his support for removing the barriers was the stupidest thing I had ever heard him say. For reasons still unknown to me, he remains a friend. However, something funny happened on the way to a lifetime of disparaging the idea of re-opening Winnipeg’s iconic downtown intersection to pedestrians: I changed my mind. The epiphany started during an interview with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who was in town for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference, and joined me for a webcast chat at the Free Press News Café. Nenshi was staying at the Fairmont Hotel on the east side of Portage and Main. At a late stage of the interview, Nenshi demanded that I ask him about the pedestrian barriers at Portage and Main. As he was a visitor to the city, I complied. "It is, in fact, the most hostile pedestrian environment I have seen in any place in Canada. And boy, oh boy, it is the main intersection of Canada, Portage and Main. Let’s get people on it." In that moment, I had a change of heart on the whole Portage and Main debate. I’m as convinced as ever that there is little concrete benefit from tearing down the concrete barriers. However, I cannot argue with Nenshi’s assertion that the image of those barriers is a disheartening sight for citizens and visitors alike. But there’s more. Following the Nenshi interview I had another seminal conversation about Portage and Main with a fellow I will describe as a charter member of the "suburbs rule" fan club. This fellow suggested the city could not remove the barriers based only on the effect it would have on traffic. As we talked, it became patently obvious that despite working there, this fellow had no interest in downtown people or culture. He told me that every day he worked downtown, he wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. Anything that slowed him down — such as pedestrians crossing Portage and Main — was unacceptable. I suddenly found myself wishing the barriers had been removed and that the intersection had been flooded with pedestrians. I imagined that while stuck in traffic, Mr. Suburbs might notice a new restaurant or have time to contemplate some of the architecture. I then started to think about whether this fellow was smart enough to grab a bite to eat or a small cocktail after work and wait out the height of rush hour. As I thought about all these things, I realized there were just as many reasons to tear down the barriers as I have traditionally harboured for leaving them where they are. To be perfectly honest, I would still prefer the city take a different approach altogether when it comes to reopening the intersection. Remove the barriers if you must, but also take the time to consider alternatives for the pedestrian traffic: a pedestrian overpass, for example. At Re-imagining Winnipeg, a series of forums held at the News Café in partnership with StorefrontMB, a number of fascinating proposals came forward to reinvent the intersection as a public space. Some of the proposals reimagined the intersection as a park. Although impractical, it would certainly solve the traffic problem if there were no traffic passing through the intersection. Other architects dreamed of building pedestrian crossings above the intersection, with perhaps a small observation deck that would allow people to enjoy a unique view of Winnipeg’s two major thoroughfares. Imagine the wedding photos and selfies a place like that would produce. The point of all this dreaming is that if Portage and Main is to reopen, it should be as a public attraction, not just another crosswalk. Simply taking down the barriers is not transformative; to accomplish that goal would require much more imagination on the part of the city and support from the other levels of government. Unfortunately, that’s an awfully big task for a city that is not long on bold thinking. So, if I could be allowed to amend my position, I would like to see the barriers come down. But in their place, I want the city to do something spectacular to make Portage and Main a unique and compelling attraction. Dare to dream. dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca

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WFP: Younger people support opening up Portage and Main to pedestrians (Jul21'16)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jul '16

21 Jul '16

Younger people support opening up Portage and Main to pedestrians'More people walking downtown is a good thing' http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/younger-people-support-openin… Mayor Brian Bowman’s dream of opening up Winnipeg’s iconic intersection to pedestrian traffic faces a generational roadblock. A poll by Probe Research shows a clear age split on the issue — 68 per cent of people 55 and older are against reopening Portage and Main to pedestrians, while 61 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 are in favour. Overall, a slight majority of Winnipeggers (53 per cent) remains opposed to removing the pedestrian barriers. "I think the Probe survey is very much in line with what we know," Downtown BIZ CEO Stefano Grande said. "There is a segment of the population, the future generation, that understands for our generation to be vibrant we have to be able to walk from district to district. We have to be able to easily walk from our homes to our offices, our offices to our restaurants, and that means crossing streets. "The people who are starting to live here, the younger people who are starting to work here, we get it." Grande and Bowman said they aren’t troubled a majority of Winnipeggers remains opposed. They say reopening the intersection is integral to downtown growth and its transformation into a vibrant neighbourhood. "The property owners in the immediate area as well as the surrounding areas, in our view, are overwhelmingly in support of (reopening)," Bowman said. "We want to ensure when it’s opened, it’s done in a way that respects traffic flows as well as pedestrian safety but also supports the increasing number of residents and businesses downtown." The poll found there has been a slight shift in support of reopening the intersection during the past 20 years Probe has been gauging public interest on the question. In 1997, 36 per cent supported opening the intersection. The most recent findings put that number at 42 per cent. For Bowman, it’s not a question of if the barricades will come down, but when. It must be done in a way that maintains traffic flow and protects pedestrians. He has pledged to have it open in time for the 2017 Canada Summer Games, which Winnipeg will host. Tourists don’t like the barriers, he said, adding they find it difficult to find their way around the underground shopping mall. "Tourists want to be on street level," Bowman said. "They don’t understand how to migrate (underground)." Lennard Taylor, owner of Lennard Taylor Design Studio on nearby McDermot Avenue, agreed. "People from out of town, they come to my shop and they say, ‘What’s with that underground thing? I got lost,’" he said. "And there are a lot of people from Winnipeg who get lost in the underground. I think the signs are poor; it’s just confusing for people. "I know it because I’ve lived downtown for 10 years, but I think it’s difficult for people to understand the underground and why they can’t just cross the street." Another young businessman, Peter Takis, who runs three businesses within blocks of Portage and Main, said he’s "all for" opening up the intersection to pedestrians. "I would like to see it," Takis said, adding he supports "any innovative development or change in the Exchange or downtown that can create convenience for downtown." Takis’s businesses include the List on McDermot, Blackli$t Boutique on Albert and Blackli$t Studios on Portage. He suggested tearing down the barriers "could help business." When Bowman hosted the Federation of Canadian Municipalities conference last month, other mayors added their voices to the debate. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi called it the most hostile pedestrian environment he’s seen. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said the barriers are counter-productive to what the city’s objectives should be — creating a downtown hub of pedestrian activity. Bowman said new developments such as True North Square and The Forks’ Railside multi-use project will attract more residents downtown but leaving the barriers in place will stop the flow of people. "We are seeing a big increase in pedestrian traffic," Bowman said. "More people walking downtown is a good thing." Bowman said there are several intersections in the city that are busier and wider than Portage and Main, but he hasn’t heard a call to ban pedestrians from those crossings. "There are (other intersections) with more lanes, higher traffic volumes and currently allow pedestrian to cross. We’re not hearing an outcry of people wanting to close those to pedestrians," Bowman said. "We want to ensure we’re doing everything we can to ensure the safety at all the intersections but those that oppose (re-opening), we don’t hear from them they want those other intersections closed to pedestrians." — with files by Alexandra De Pape aldo.santin(a)freepress.mb.ca Talk on the street about Portage & Main PROBE Research surveyed 404 members of its proprietary Manitoba online panel from June 30 to July 4. Because this is a non-probability sample, no statistical margin of error can be ascribed. Probe put the following question to its online panel: “The intersection of Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg has been closed to pedestrians for almost 40 years. There has been ongoing discussion about reopening the corner to pedestrians. All things considered, do you support or oppose reopening the corner to pedestrians?” The results: Strongly oppose: 38 per cent Moderately oppose: 15 per cent Moderately support: 23 per cent Strongly support: 19 per cent Unsure: 6 per cent The results by age: Ages 18-34: 61 per cent support; 27 per cent oppose Ages 35-54: 38 per cent support; 59 per cent oppose Ages 55-plus: 28 per cent support; 68 per cent oppose The results historically: In 1997: 36 per cent support for reopening intersection to pedestrians In 2001: 39 per cent In 2006: 40 per cent In 2016: 42 per cent Portage and Main may be the country’s most famous intersection, but it’s not Winnipeg’s busiest. The mayor’s office says in 2015, there were five intersections with more lanes of traffic and greater traffic volumes over a 24-hour period than Portage and Main. Here’s how they rank: Lagimodiere Blvd and Regent Avenue West — 86,900 vehicles Moray Street at Portage Avenue — 83,300 vehicles Waverley Street at Bishop Grandin Blvd — 80,000 vehicles Century Street at Ness Avenue — 79,500 vehicles Kenaston Blvd at Sterling Lyon Parkway — 78,900 vehicles Portage and Main — 77,500 vehicles

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CBC: Southwest Transitway public info session coverage
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jul '16

20 Jul '16

Here's some coverage of yesterday's Southwest Transitway public information session yesterday, including the story boards, for those who weren't able to attend: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/southwest-transitway-update-1.3683930 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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