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WFP: Canada’s public transit in crisis (Aug17'24)
by Beth McKechnie 17 Aug '24

17 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Operating costs sinking transit systems: report Canada’s public transit in crisis https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/business/2024/08/16/broke-and-broken-repo… OTTAWA — A new analysis warns that Canada’s major cities — including Winnipeg — are struggling to keep their transit systems running and says public transit is heading for a “downward spiral” unless major new streams of operating revenue open up. In a report published in late May, Leading Mobility Canada said the $120-billion in expansions planned for those transit systems won’t help cities that are struggling to keep the buses and trains running at current levels. David Cooper, the principal at Leading Mobility and the study’s co-author, said the majority of transit is funded through passenger fares and property taxes and cities have very limited options for other sources of revenue. The federal government is allocating billions to expand transit. “It’s great we’re getting these investments but you actually can’t materialize the benefits of these investments if the cities actually can’t afford to run it,” he said. The analysis looked at the budgets, revenue sources and long-term plans for eight transit systems in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax. Most of them are already reporting budget shortfalls. Calgary’s shortfall was $33 million in 2023, the same year Toronto reported a $366-million gap. Montreal anticipates its budget shortfall will exceed $560 million in 2025 and grow to $700 million by 2028. Halifax expects it will be up to $22 million short in 2026 — more than 15 per cent of its total transit budget — while Vancouver warns of a structural deficit of $600 million by the same year. All of them say the planned expansions, such as new light rail lines in Ottawa, bus rapid transit in Halifax and subway expansions in Toronto, will incur operating costs well above what they can afford. Vancouver estimated bus and light rail expansions will cost $1.2 billion extra. Calgary said in 10 years its operating budget will be $127 million higher. Edmonton said by 2033 its budget deficit will grow to $174 million a year, while Winnipeg estimated its expansion plans will add $37 million in annual costs. The provinces and federal government are only offering limited operating funding to go with the growth and even that is temporary. For example, Ontario has agreed to provide $1.2 billion to help Toronto run two new LRT lines for a three-year period. In late July, Vancouver’s TransLink warned that it will have to make significant service cuts if its structural deficit isn’t solved, including cancelling 145 of its 245 bus routes and reducing service on the SkyTrain and SeaBus. The result would push more than half a million people out of walking distance from a transit stop or station. On Aug. 8, Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe sounded the alarm about a “transit crisis” because of a $9-billion hole in OC Transpo’s long-range financial plan, including the opening of the nearly $5-billion second phase of light rail. “It’s nice to dream of building more light rail but we don’t even have the money we need to operate our existing system,” Sutcliffe said. “If we don’t get the help we need, it won’t even make financial sense to open Phase 2 of light rail. We’d be better off from a financial perspective not to open and run the system.” The report makes clear that COVID-19 hastened some of the structural funding problems plaguing transit systems when work-from-home policies took a massive bite out of ridership. Leading Mobility said before COVID-19, passenger fares covered an average of 59 per cent of the costs of transit in Canada, far higher than the 38 per cent in the United States. By 2023, fares covered as little as 23 per cent of costs in Ottawa and as much as 43 per cent in Toronto. Most cities have seen ridership return — though not quite to pre-pandemic levels — but people are using the system differently, with fewer people buying monthly passes, and in some places, more using subsidized transit passes or tickets. Property tax is most often the second-biggest source of revenue for public transit but inflation and affordability have put massive pressures on cities and there is limited ability for transit to get more money from property taxes. Vancouver’s TransLink gets a share of gas tax funding but with B.C. drivers adopting electric vehicles more rapidly than anywhere else, that funding source is shrinking fast. Gas tax revenues were down $34 million in 2023 from the year before. Halifax has a benefit area tax, a surtax on properties located within a certain distance of transit, which in 2023 accounted for almost half its total revenues, or $58.6 million. Montreal gets about five per cent of its operating revenue from a vehicle registration levy. Vehicle levies and benefit taxes are among the suggestions the Leading Mobility report makes for cities. It also suggests considering a tax on electric vehicle charging, or adding congestion pricing that taxes vehicles in the busiest parts of cities, similar to what’s in place in London and New York City. The report calculated what may work best in each jurisdiction but also notes that many cities need permission from their provincial governments for such changes. It recommends provinces make legislative changes to allow transit systems to raise new money. The report also calls for a national commission on transit operating funding, bringing together provinces and municipalities to determine the best way to save their systems. Cooper said cutting service is a death knell because people will only use transit if it is reliable and affordable. If ridership drops, revenues drop, and then more cuts follow. Marco D’Angelo, president of the Canadian Urban Transit Association, said he feels there is a will to solve this problem and it is not insurmountable. He noted that when ridership plummeted during the pandemic, federal and provincial governments stepped up to help. “We had leadership when it was needed to keep Canada’s transit systems running,” he said. “This is a different scenario but it was handled before by provinces and the federal government recognizing the national importance of public transit.” — The Canadian Press

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WFP: Driver tried to flee after hitting boy (Aug14'24)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Aug '24

14 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. DRIVER TRIED TO FLEE AFTER HITTING BOY: POLICE A driver is facing charges after he allegedly struck a young boy riding a bicycle and tried to flee the scene. An officer with the Winkler Police Service was on patrol in the area of Pembina Avenue and Main Street when he saw the collision at about 1:06 p.m. Monday. A red Chevrolet Silverado turned east onto Pembina from southbound Main and struck a small child who was crossing the intersection on a bike. The truck briefly stopped in the roadway before the driver accelerated eastbound in an apparent attempt to leave the scene, the police service said later that day. The officer was able to stop the suspect before trying to give the victim first aid. An off-duty local doctor approached the scene and gave the boy medical care. The boy was transported to hospital by paramedics in stable condition with undetermined injuries. The driver of the truck, a 50-year-old Plum Coulee man, is facing charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failure to stop after a collision causing bodily harm and driving without a licence.

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WFP: One pedestrian killed, two injured in three accidents (Aug12'24)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Aug '24

12 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. One pedestrian killed, two injured in three accidents https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/10/one-pedestrian-ki… A 49-year-old woman is dead after she was struck by a vehicle while reportedly lying down on the Harry Lazarenko Bridge, while two other people are in hospital in critical condition after they were hit while crossing Winnipeg streets in just over six hours. Winnipeg Police Service officers were called to the bridge, which connects Redwood Avenue with Main Street, about an injured woman at about 1:45 a.m. Saturday. Police found the woman with serious injuries, but she died before paramedics were able to arrive to try to revive her. Traffic investigators, in a preliminary probe, found the woman was lying on the road when she was hit by a driver headed west. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and spoke with officers, police said. Investigators have identified the victim and informed her family of her death. Police are also still investigating another serious collision between a vehicle and pedestrian on Pembina Highway at Adamar Road, which also occurred overnight. Officers were called to the intersection at about 4 a.m., where they found a man with serious injuries. Paramedics took the man to hospital in critical condition. The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and spoke with police. Police have determined the man was walking eastbound across Pembina near the intersection when he was hit by a driver headed east. Earlier Friday, at about 9:45 p.m., police were called to Smithfield Avenue and Main Street, where a 57-year-old man was in critical condition on the road. He was rushed to hospital. Investigators believe the man was crossing Main Street against a red light when a vehicle, travelling south, hit him. The driver stayed at the scene. Police have asked anyone with further information, including video or dash camera footage from the areas near the collision scenes, to call the traffic division at 204-986-7085<tel:204-986-7085> or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204786-8477<tel:204786-8477>. The death of the woman on the Harry Lazarenko Bridge is the second fatal collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle this week. A man was struck near Queen Elizabeth Way (Main Street) and Mayfair Avenue near The Forks at about 3:30 a.m. on Thursday by a driver that fled the scene. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, but later died. Police have said investigators were closing in on the kind of vehicle that hit the man on Thursday. fpcity(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:fpcity@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: City seeks stronger analysis of traffic data (Aug9'24)
by Beth McKechnie 09 Aug '24

09 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Proposal request aims to improve road safety City seeks stronger analysis of traffic data https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/08/city-hopes-enhanc… A new system to collect traffic counts and collision data is on the way to Winnipeg in an effort to improve road safety. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the addition is great news. “If we have better data and better ability to sift, sort and analyze the data, then it becomes clear to us where we need to make changes and investments to improve the system. At a punch of a few buttons, we can see sooner where the collisions are, we can analyze when they happen,” said Lukes (Waverley West). A request for proposals seeks a company to implement the new system for Winnipeg’s traffic monitoring program. “The City of Winnipeg has greatly expanded their traffic-monitoring program in the last five years and needs a solution that will support the acquisition, validation, analysis and dissemination of all its data sources,” the document notes. It states the city’s current tracking program has “major limitations,” since it lacks a central database and information is difficult for the public to access. “Short-duration studies are currently managed through a series of disconnected excel files that result in poor scheduling, duplication of efforts, and data entry error,” the RFP notes. The new system is expected to let the city make better use of Manitoba Public Insurance collision data that municipal officials already receive. “(With this system) if we see a particular intersection is always either getting bogged down or there are collisions on a regular basis and then we can analyze it in a more rapid manner, then we can fix it sooner,” said Lukes. A request to speak with a city traffic official was not granted on Thursday. In an email, a city spokeswoman said the system will make better use of vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian counts, which are gathered through radar, intersection video cameras, pneumatic road tubes (tubes laid across the road to gather data) and other devices. “More than 40 permanent count stations have been installed across Winnipeg in the past five years and hundreds of other traffic studies have been collected with portable equipment as part of the traffic-monitoring program,” wrote spokeswoman Pam McKenzie. “The (new system) will help the city consume all of the data from these devices and present it in an easy-to-digest format that will help… derive more meaningful insights.” Lukes said ensuring all of the data can be quickly assessed to support safety decisions will help the city more efficiently select the changes most likely to reduce collisions. She said she hopes Winnipeggers will eventually see fewer collisions as a result. “If we can have a better technology to capture and monitor and analyze this data, it really helps us make better decisions,” she said. The RFP notes council approved a road safety strategic action plan in 2022, which this system would support. “Several of the 67 actions identified in the (plan) relate to the need to improve and better integrate safety data into divisional practices,” the document notes. For example, city officials expect the new system will help track performance toward a municipal goal to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions by 20 per cent between 2022 and 2026 and conduct road safety reviews with detailed collision analyses. In an email, Mayor Scott Gillingham’s communications director said the system is part of a renewed focus on road safety. “It started with council adopting the road safety strategic action plan in 2022, then we created a new unit to oversee the plan last year, and now we’re looking to improve our systems to make better use of traffic count and collision data,” wrote Colin Fast. The winning bidder is expected to implement the data system for four years, with a possible three year extension. The city expects to spend $200,000 on the contract. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Police using video to zero in on suspect involved in fatal pedestrian collision (Aug9'24)
by Beth McKechnie 09 Aug '24

09 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Driver can hit, run but can’t hide Police using video to zero in on suspect involved in fatal pedestrian collision https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/08/police-zero-in-on… POLICE said they are closing in on a suspect in a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian near The Forks early Thursday as officers canvassed the area for witnesses and additional surveillance footage. Although police haven’t identified the person responsible, investigators have “a good idea on the general type of vehicle that was involved, based on surveillance video and some roadway evidence,” Patrol Sgt. Brian Neumann said. “Ultimately, there will be evidence on that vehicle of this collision, so when we obtain that vehicle, we should be able to gather the evidence necessary to complete our investigation.” Officers responded to Queen Elizabeth Way (Main Street) and Mayfair Avenue at about 3:30 a.m. A seriously injured man was found and taken to hospital in critical condition but later died. The preliminary investigation indicated the man was walking across Queen Elizabeth Way when he fell and was struck by a southbound vehicle as he struggled to get up. The driver took off, police said. Neumann, who co-ordinates collision investigations, said officers rerouted traffic to gather evidence from the scene. Investigators have yet to release information about the vehicle involved in the collision but will provide an update to the public when they are ready, the patrol sergeant said. “What we are having to do is just expand our knowledge of what we have so far, so that when we want to be able to take that action, we have sufficient (evidence) to effect an arrest or bring a person in for an interview,” he said. “I’ve got investigators out who are viewing video and compiling their opinion on what they are finding… Especially in an urban environment, we tend to be able to follow them throughout their movement in the city until we get (the suspect) identified.” Speaking generally, Neumann said suspects identified in hit-and-run investigations can range from motorists with a clean driving record to people with criminal records. In some cases, drivers panic after a collision and flee the scene. Later, they turn themselves in to the police. Other times, motorists try to cover their tracks by destroying evidence or getting their vehicles washed, he said. Impairment can be a contributing factor that leads to a collision or influences a person’s decision to flee, he said. He urged anybody involved in a hit-and-run collision to do the right thing and come forward to police. “You may be wrong and you may be (held) accountable but you have to step up and take that. Just like you would expect someone else to do that if it happened to you or someone in your family,” he said. “In the case of something like today’s incident… you’re just compounding the problem. It’s not going to get easier.” Investigators ask anybody who was travelling near Mayfair Avenue and Queen Elizabeth Way around the time to call investigators, particularly if they have video footage, Neumann said. Investigators can be reached at 204986-7085<tel:204986-7085> or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477<tel:204-786-8477> (TIPS). Manitoba Public Insurance recorded 384 reports of hit-and-run collisions that resulted in injuries in Winnipeg since 2022, including 92 incidents as of July 31. Nine people were killed in hit-and-runs during the same period, including three this year. The numbers do not include Thursday’s fatality, MPI said. One hit-and-run investigation in which a person was injured remains unsolved from 2023, Neumann said. A cyclist was crossing Notre Dame Avenue and Isabel Street on the evening of June 30. The vehicle fled the scene before the police arrived. An empty but heavily damaged grey 2007 Pontiac G6 was later found in the 100 block of Juno Street. It was subsequently learned that four men were observed fleeing the vehicle, police reported. tyler.searle(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca>

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City News: Calls for bike safety in Winnipeg continue after girl hit by vehicle in Wolseley neighbourhood (Aug7'24)
by Beth McKechnie 08 Aug '24

08 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2024/08/07/calls-bike-safety-winnipeg-latest-i…

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WFP: Cyclist dies after crashing into parked semi (Aug7'24)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Aug '24

07 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Man riding at high speed when collision occurred Cyclist dies after crashing into parked semi https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/06/cyclist-dies-afte… A 67-YEAR-OLD male cyclist died after crashing into the back of a parked tractor-trailer on the side of Kenaston Boulevard, near Waverley Street, on Friday. The cyclist was riding at high speed when he collided with the rear of the trailer, which had its hazard lights activated on the northbound shoulder, shortly before 2:30 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service said. “It’s always tragic. You feel for the family,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, which advocates for increased cycling awareness and safety in the city. “The bottom line is it’s just tragic,” said local Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West). The WPS provided limited information in a news release Tuesday. Police would not provide more details about the cause of the crash, which is being investigated by the traffic division. The cyclist’s name was not released. His family has been notified, police said. He is at least the second cyclist to be killed on Winnipeg’s roads in as many months. Police wouldn’t say if the man was wearing a helmet. The crash happened on a stretch of Kenaston that has one separated cycling route (on the west side) north of Waverley, and none to the south between Waverley and the Perimeter Highway. While details are limited, the incident points to a gap in Winnipeg’s active transportation network, and the importance of separated lanes for cyclists, said Cohoe. “You don’t have a pathway in that section,” he said. “It just showcases that we want to have a separation on those roadways.” There are plans to build a separated lane on the east side of Kenaston north of Waverley, said Lukes, chair of city hall’s public works committee. She said there are currently no plans for bike routes on Kenaston between Waverley and the Perimeter, given the province’s previously announced plans to build a bypass in the area. “When the St. Norbert bypass comes into play, then stuff like (bike lanes) will happen,” said Lukes. In 2015, the former NDP government said construction of a new $400-million route bypassing St. Norbert — by linking Kenaston and Highway 75 — would begin in five years and be completed within 10 years. The proposal included a cloverleaf interchange at Kenaston and the Perimeter. Almost 10 years later, no construction has taken place. The NDP lost the 2016 provincial election to the Progressive Conservatives, who ordered studies and held public information sessions while in government. The Tories lost last year’s election to the NDP. A provincial spokesperson said a 2020 design study proposed an interchange at Kenaston and the Perimeter as part of the long-term Winnipeg One Million Perimeter Freeway Initiative. Active transportation routes were considered in the study, the spokesperson said. Cyclists rallied in Winnipeg last month to call on the city to make streets safer for them, following a fatal collision in June and a separate crash that injured a teenage girl. Both collisions occurred on Wellington Crescent. Cohoe wants Winnipeg’s road-safety strategic action plan, passed by council in 2022, to be fully funded and implemented to help reduce fatal and serious injury collisions involving all road users. “The goal of the city really needs to be that we don’t see people dying in collisions,” he said. The plan comprises 67 actions for improved safety for all road users, and a goal of reducing fatal and serious collisions by 20 per cent over five years. Each year, Winnipeg averages 13 fatal collisions and 145 crashes resulting in serious injuries, according to city data. Across the province, an average of four cyclists are killed and 78 are injured in collisions per year, Manitoba Public Insurance’s website stated. A helmet was not worn in almost 90 per cent of cases in which a cyclist was killed in a collision with a vehicle, according to MPI. The WPS, meanwhile, is asking anyone with information about Friday’s crash or video from vehicle dashboard or home surveillance cameras to call investigators at 204-986-7085<tel:204-986-7085> or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 204-786-8477<tel:204-786-8477>. chris.kitching(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Festival brings together active transportation and environmental performance art (Aug6'24)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Aug '24

06 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ROLLING CIRCUS Festival brings together active transportation and environmental performance art https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/2024/08/06/rolling-circus IT’S an outdoor adventure that combines the thrill of live performance with the charm of nature. Bike and Circuses, returning for its second year from Aug. 7 to 11, promises a blend of theatre, music and dance set against the backdrop of Whittier Park. “Bike and Circuses is about combining physical adventure with being a participant in a theatrical event,” explains Daina Leitold, executive director of Green Kids Inc. and co-producer of Bike and Circuses. “We wanted to experiment with the way we tend to take in the arts — quietly and passively. We are talking about taking action for the health of this planet. This is no time to be passive.” “And also, just breaking down this kind of theatre convention where everyone’s inside and they’re watching a play,” adds co-producer Brenda Mc-Lean. “We want more engagement and more of a feeling of the audience being participants in the theatre spectacle.” The inspiration for Bike and Circuses came when McLean visited Quebec City and saw an outdoor circus event by Cirque du Soleil. “The energy was incredible, with so many people from the city and surrounding areas coming out to watch. I thought, ‘Why not bring that kind of vibrant outdoor circus festival to Winnipeg?’ We needed more of that festival atmosphere in Winnipeg and to bring these great events to our city,” she says. The event is carbon neutral, prioritizing eco-friendly materials and transportation. Costumes, sets and props will be made from mostly salvaged or second-hand items and travel will be by foot, bike or transit as much as possible. The show takes audiences on a tour of the park, stopping to take in various performances along the way. Green Kids has partnered with community organizations, environmental NGOs and local businesses to create an interactive outdoor lobby where audiences can learn about environmental advocacy and active transportation, says McLean. Circus performer Lil Borger is excited about the show. “I specialize in something called cyr wheel. It’s like a big metal hula hoop that I spin in, kind of like when a coin spins on the ground,” says Borger, who has been performing since the age of seven. “I’m working with an amazing accordionist from Winnipeg named Anne-Marie (Williot), who’s going to be doing live accompaniment. My act also involves some spoken word.” Borger and Williot have been co-ordinating via Zoom as Borger currently lives in Montreal, attending McGill University. The performance tackles the theme of economic growth and its impact on the environment. “It goes into themes of overconsumption tied to overproduction and overuse of our planet and natural resources,” says Borger. “It shows the tension between nature, which I play, and our human economic system of production, which is represented by the wheel and the accordionist.” ANOTHER performer featured is Charlene Van Buekenhout, a Métis/Belgian/Canadian theatre artist, who will use a crankie machine — a moving panorama — to create an immersive storytelling experience. “I’m doing something that I have not done before. My whole piece is based around the concept of an ultrasound, connecting people to what’s inside themselves and the world around them,” Buekenhout says. Luekenhout was inspired by an exercise she learned from an elder at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. “You sit in the environment, notice the things around you and connect those things to yourself. It’s all about personalizing our world and recognizing that we are made up of the world around us,” she says, adding she will invite audience participation in a gentle and engaging manner. “I will be the ultrasound wand, and you can place your hand on my head while I turn the crankie machine. You’ll see what’s inside yourself. It’ll be very pain-free and non-invasive, just a fun and sweet way to engage with the audience.” Other performances include butoh dancer Tanja Faylene Woloshen, theatre artist Loc Lu and musical theatre performers Brittany and Mario Lagassé. THIS year’s event aims to be more inclusive than the first, with different routes and accessibility options. The event offers three versions to accommodate various audience needs: one for those on bicycles, one for those walking or slow rolling and a more physically-accessible route. “Knowing right away we wanted to do a show that was on bikes, our first thought was ‘That’s awesome, but is that for everybody?’” Leitold says. “We’ve been working with accessibility consultants. We offer the show for people walking as well as for people on bikes, and we have a physical show with an accessible path for folks who prefer not to walk too much but still want to experience being in the park.” Despite some challenges, the team is committed to making Bike and Circuses a recurring event, she says. “There was no Bike and Circuses in 2023 due to funding issues but we hope to make it a yearly event with enough community support. We want to show that being out in your city and taking time away from your cell phone, computer and car to go to a park and walk or ride a bike is a good way to get in touch with nature. The closer you are to nature, the more you might care about being environmentally responsible.” Tickets are available on a pay-what-you-choose pricing model: $10, $20 or $30 plus fees, with children four and under free. thandi.vera(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:thandi.vera@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP Analysis: More bike lanes make for a better city (Aug6'24)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Aug '24

06 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. More bike lanes make for a better city https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/04/more-bike-lanes-m… A FEW weeks ago in Winnipeg, Rob Jenner was killed by a driver while riding his bike to work. On July 29, a few blocks away, a young girl out for a bike ride with her dad was hospitalized after a driver crashed into her. Every year, an average of 70 people riding a bike are hit by drivers so severely that an injury report is filed with the police. In a six-month cycling season, that’s every third day. Yet, when the city began public consultation for three new protected bike lanes, two downtown and one in the West-Alexander area, the usual public opposition was heard. The talking points are always predictable and can be addressed one-by-one. ● Winnipeg is a winter city. We don’t need bike lanes for six months a year. This is like saying, “I don’t need to wear a life jacket because I only go boating in the summertime.” Far fewer people cycle in winter but this shouldn’t diminish the need for safe streets in the seasons when people are riding bikes and fighting for road space with thousand-kilogram machines. We publicly invest in many things not used to their full capacity year-round. Would this same argument not apply to parks, sidewalks, arenas, pools and splash pads? ● We can’t afford bike lanes. Bike lanes are cheap. We spend $5 million per year on all active transportation projects. Most of this funding is used to build and maintain sidewalks, with a small percentage used for on-street bike lanes that are often rolled into larger road renewal projects. Spending on dedicated cycling infrastructure is a rounding error in our overall roads budget. We spend $170 million every year fixing existing roads and the Transportation Master Plan projects spending almost that amount building new roads. If we can’t afford bike infrastructure, we really can’t afford car infrastructure like the Kenaston Boulevard widening, pegged to cost the equivalent of the entire active transportation budget for 150 years. ● Winnipeg is a car city. It sure is but with 8,300 kilometers of public roads and less than 30 kilometres of on-street protected bike lanes, there’s lots of room for cars. ● Nobody rides a bike in Winnipeg anyway. The federal census shows between 5,000 and 7,000 people ride a bike to work daily between May and October. While this represents less than two per cent of commuters citywide, it varies significantly by neighbourhood. About two-thirds of bike commuters live less than five kilometres from Portage and Main. In suburban neighbourhoods like Bridgwater, Seven Oaks, Island Lakes, Linden Woods, Sage Creek, and North Kildonan, this percentage is close to zero. It’s understandable, if you live in this type of neighbourhood, you might believe nobody rides a bike. In mature neighbourhoods like River Heights, West Broadway, Osborne, and Earl Grey, cycling mode share is closer to six per cent of all commuters. Wolseley is ranked as a top 10 cycling neighbourhood in Canada with 12 per cent of commuters riding a bike. Many more people, including children, cycle for other reasons, such as recreation, exercise, or riding to school. The bike counter near The Forks regularly shows more than a thousand people biking past on a summer weekend day. A 2022 CAA survey found that 15 per cent of Winnipeggers ride a bike at least a few times per week, with a further 30 per cent riding occasionally. Forty per cent of respondents said they would bike more if they had safe, protected lanes to ride in. ● If cyclists want bike lanes, they should pay for it themselves. City streets, sidewalks and bike lanes are paidfor overwhelmingly through property taxes. Like drivers, people who ride bikes pay property taxes. Cyclists don’t pay fuel taxes that go into the government’s general revenues but the money they save is spent on other things that are similarly taxed. Most cyclists also drive a car. ● Bike lanes take parking away from downtown businesses. Planners are careful to design bike lanes to be as minimally disruptive as possible. When the Exchange District bike lanes were built, diagonal parking was implemented to increase the total number of stalls in the immediate area. The downtown lanes currently being proposed will remove 97 on street stalls, representing 0.3 percent of downtown’s 26,000 public parking stalls. Diversifying mobility options is a key step in the long-term process of creating a downtown residential neighbourhood to support local shops and businesses, so they don’t have to rely on the ever-dwindling number of people driving downtown to shop. ● Bike lanes make driving worse. Separating cyclists, drivers and pedestrians into their own lanes is better for everyone. If you get frustrated as a driver having to pass slow-moving cyclists on the street, you should support bike lanes that keep them separate from car traffic. Bike lanes often get blamed for narrowing car lanes but most often, as in the case of Goulet Street, this is done intentionally to slow vehicle speeds and calm traffic having nothing to do with bike lanes. Many people will read this angrily and think cyclists deserve their fate because they don’t follow the rules of the road. Undoubtedly, some percentage of the population is selfish and irresponsible but just as many of those people are drivers, or pedestrians. Cyclists aren’t protected by a thousand kilograms of steel with crumple zones, air bags and seat belts. Improving their safety comes from the built environment. When we create safe streets by narrowing lanes and intersections, slowing vehicle speeds, improving sight lines, widening sidewalks and building bike lanes, we build in a safety factor that allows for mistakes, distractions, careless behaviour and unexpected conditions to happen — without having someone pay for it with their life. Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.

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WFP: Gaping hole on city pathway remains ‘disgusting, a danger’ (Aug3'24)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Aug '24

03 Aug '24

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Gaping hole on city pathway remains ‘disgusting, a danger’ https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/08/02/gaping-hole-on-ci… A MASSIVE hole on a city pathway that has triggered safety complaints for more than a year has grown even larger, amid hope a permanent fix is on the way. Early Friday afternoon, the gaping depression surrounded by bright orange fencing appeared to stretch at least seven metres long, three metres wide and up to one metre deep. It previously triggered complaints when it was about six metres long in June 2023. “It’s ridiculous. I walk these trails at least twice a day… and this has been (very large for) a few years,” said Karen Stokes. “It’s an eyesore, I think it’s disgusting … Some of these (guard) rails are in that water. It attracts mosquitoes, there’s lots of reasons that it’s gross.” At least one barricade was spotted submerged in water, with weeds and algae in the hole on Friday. Most of the damage is located on the path that connects an Amarynth Crescent playground to the busy Sturgeon Creek active transportation route. Stokes noted the area is so well used by pedestrians and cyclists that their traffic has worn away grass on both sides of the path. During repeated downpours this June, those stretches became a wet, sticky “mud pit,” she said. “I’ve had to push a senior in a scooter out of the mud… She was literally stuck,” said Stokes. Even with the fencing and some metal barricades in place, she fears the massive gap still poses a risk to seniors and kids, noting it’s close to a playground. “For kids, it’s probably a bit of a danger,” Stokes said. “It’s disappointing because these trails are used a lot. Hundreds of people every day are out here and it’s disappointing that (it hasn’t been fixed).” Spring flooding and rain water appear to wash out the current section of the path in the low lying area at times, while storms fill it with water, residents said. Susan Cava-Salie said the gap looks “awful” but she believes the fencing is effective at reducing the risk of someone falling into it. St. James Coun. Shawn Dobson said the city has proposed a design to repair the path and expects to receive a cost estimate for it soon. The proposed fix would realign part of the path to the west and cover part of the area near the sinkhole with woven concrete to help prevent erosion, while a bank around the creek would also be cut back to reduce the velocity of the water, said Dobson. He said the hole has persisted for at least two years and poses safety risks, which led him to personally reinstall some barricades around the large depression this spring. “It is a hazard because there is a hole… This is unexpected because it’s on the pathway,” said Dobson. The councillor said the problem took time to study, but he supports the current proposal for a more permanent repair. “It was not the money (delaying repairs). It was figuring out (how to) fix it once versus fixing it every year,” he said. Dobson said he will push for the path to be fixed this year and would use ward funding to help pay for it, if needed. However, that work isn’t guaranteed at this stage, he noted. The Free Press reported on the hole in June 2023, when only a small barricade blocked off one of its sides. Fencing was added to surround the entire gap a day after the story was published. A request to interview a representative from the city’s public works department was not granted Friday. Dobson said the city previously filled the hole with limestone, followed by wood chips, both of which washed away. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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