- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Transport Canada offers webinar series
by Beth McKechnie 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

TRANSPORT CANADA OFFERS WEBINAR SERIES Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is underwriting a series of new webinars. The first, on January 27th, 2009, covers 'The Urban Transportation Emissions Calculator' (UTEC), a free, user-friendly web-based tool developed by Transport Canada that estimates greenhouse gas and air contaminant emissions from urban transportation. This webinar will provide an introduction to the upgraded tool and case studies of how it can be used to estimate emissions and emissions savings for different transit and transportation projects. A February 3rd webinar will feature the Canadian "Walkability Roadshow," introducing a model for how to engage communities of all sizes in promoting walking, and a program available to Canadian communities. And on March 3rd, the topic will be "Individualized Marketing: Where Do We Go From Here?", featuring a discussion panel on how to engage additional audiences and increase the cost-effectiveness and practicality of the approach for a wider range of communities. Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program is paying for the first 85 Canadian organizations to participate in each of the webinars above at no cost. You can learn more about the webinars and register at: http://www.webinars.cullbridge.com/

1 0

WFP: Council refuses to budge on funds for bicycle paths (Dec.17'08)
by Beth McKechnie 17 Dec '08

17 Dec '08

Local News Council refuses to budge on funds for bicycle paths By: Joe Paraskevas Cycling activists left city hall disappointed Tuesday, having come up short in their attempts to increase capital budget spending on bike paths and pedestrian trails. City council passed the 2009 budget Tuesday over appeals from community groups and some councillors who called for more substantial investment in Winnipeg's so-called active transportation network. Council voted 11-4 to approve the $476.1-million budget, which earmarks $3.5 million to be spent directly on bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Community activists, some of whom lobbied repeatedly before city hall committees in the three weeks since the budget was released, were exhausted. "I don't know what else to say," said Anders Swanson, project co-ordinator of the cycling group One Green City, told councillors at the end of his five-minute presentation. "The bicycle is very, very, very, very, very, very good for you," Swanson added, drawing laughter from council members and an audience of about 75 people in the council chamber galleries. Despite public efforts to convince councillors that investments in active transportation could contribute to everything from friendlier neighbourhoods to healthier workers, the majority on council resisted. "There is nobody on the floor of council who believes we can't do more," Mayor Sam Katz assured onlookers. "We will get there." Other councillors pointed out that in addition to the money the budget committed directly, bike and pedestrian paths were also part of some large public works projects, such as the Chief Peguis Trail extension and the planned Disraeli Freeway overhaul. Councillors rejected a last-minute motion to increase active-transportation spending and sidewalk renewal by $2 million. The motion was tabled by Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan and seconded by Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt. "We have come into the dawn of a new era here in Winnipeg where the young people are looking for creative choices," Pagtakhan told council during the three-and-a-half-hour debate. Besides finding jobs, young Winnipeggers wanted to roam their city on foot, by bicycle or on inline roller skates, Pagtakhan said. "If we want people to get out of their cars, we've got to give them a reason to get out of their cars," he added. The motion was defeated, but Pagtakhan and Wyatt, who last week were the two councillors in Mayor Sam Katz's six-member executive policy committee to vote against the budget, turned around and supported the document at yesterday's council session. The two councillors said they had made their points at a cabinet meeting last week and would take their opposition no further. Councillors Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry), Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre), Lillian Thomas (Elmwood-East Kildonan) and Dan Vandal (St. Boniface) voted against the budget, however. Gerbasi bemoaned what she perceived was the limited time allocated for budget debate and the relatively little chance ordinary Winnipeggers had to influence budget decisions. She and Vandal called for the city to hold public meetings to gather input before it released the final budget document. The afternoon was also marked by tributes from councillors and Katz to Brenda Leipsic, the former councillor for River Heights-Fort Garry, who passed away last week from lung cancer. A red rose in a vase and a framed 8x10-photograph of Leipsic were on her council chamber desk throughout the budget debate and a book where the public could sign condolences was outside the chamber. The city's flag was also draped over Leipsic's empty black leather armchair. joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

1 0

Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany
by Beth McKechnie 15 Dec '08

15 Dec '08

Transport Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 4, 495-528, July 2008 Making Cycling Irresistible: Lessons from The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany www.policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/Irresistible.pdf by John Pucher and Ralph Buehler, Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA ABSTRACT: This article shows how the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany have made bicycling a safe, convenient and practical way to get around their cities. The analysis relies on national aggregate data as well as case studies of large and small cities in each country. The key to achieving high levels of cycling appears to be the provision of separate cycling facilities along heavily travelled roads and at intersections, combined with traffic calming of most residential neighbourhoods. Extensive cycling rights of way in the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany are complemented by ample bike parking, full integration with public transport, comprehensive traffic education and training of both cyclists and motorists, and a wide range of promotional events intended to generate enthusiasm and wide public support for cycling. In addition to their many pro-bike policies and programmes, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany make driving expensive as well as inconvenient in central cities through a host of taxes and restrictions on car ownership, use and parking. Moreover, strict land-use policies foster compact, mixed-use developments that generate shorter and thus more bikeable trips. It is the coordinated implementation of this multifaceted, mutually reinforcing set of policies that best explains the success of these three countries in promoting cycling. For comparison, the article portrays the marginal status of cycling in the UK and the USA, where only about 1% of trips are by bike.

1 0

WFP: Councillors fight for more bike trail cash (Dec. 13'08)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Dec '08

13 Dec '08

Winnipeg Free Press Local News Councillors fight for more bike trail cash By: Bartley Kives and Joe Paraskevas Two members of Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet plan to take another crack at putting more cash in the city's bike-and-pedestrian kitty at a Tuesday city council meeting that promises to be packed with cyclists and other trail-building activists. Earlier this week, Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt and Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan annoyed fellow members of council's executive policy committee by voting against the 2009 capital budget, a $476-million blueprint for city infrastructure spending next year. Wyatt and Pagtakhan voted against Katz and finance chairman Justin Swandel to protest what they felt was insufficient cash for bike trails, sidewalks and other active-transportation corridors in 2009. Katz and Swandel proposed spending $2.75 million on trail creation next year, while Wyatt and Pagtakhan tried to increase that figure to $5.75 million. The duo will try again to amend the trail budget, this time by asking all members of council at Tuesday's special capital-budget meeting to support a total spending of $4.75 million on trails, sidewalks and other active-transportation corridors next year. "We can fix part of the problem right now," Wyatt said of the extra $2 million. "Why wait until next year?" Regardless of what happens, Wyatt and Pagtakhan are promising not to vote against the capital budget, a move that would suggest a lack of confidence in Katz and other EPC members . The mayor had no choice but to reappoint Pagtakhan to EPC and retain the outspoken Wyatt during an October cabinet shuffle, thanks to Mike O'Shaughnessy's desire to leave the committee and the late Brenda Leipsic's absence from council. But since EPC functions like a cabinet, a genuine rift between left-leaning and centre-right factions could not be tolerated for long. "Mike and I, we made our point on Wednesday," Wyatt said. "No one likes to have a gun held to their head." No matter how council votes, Wyatt and Pagtakhan will have a cheering section on Tuesday. The Winnipeg Trails Association, the Manitoba Cycling Association and Bike To The Future have called on all "cyclists, wannabe cyclists and anyone who uses a sidewalk" to attend the capital budget meeting in an effort to place pressure on council to increase active-transportation funding. WTA director Janice Lukes intends to present council with a list of 10 projects that could be completed next year with the extra $2 million. "We're going to compare this city to what other cities are doing now," Lukes said. "What do the people of Winnipeg want to see? Do we want to see a car culture or more active transportation?" Winnipeg has increased its trail-creation budget significantly during Katz's current term as mayor. The city only devoted $200,000 to trails and sidewalks in 2006, when council adopted the recommendations of a groundbreaking active-transportation study. bartley.kives(a)freepress.mb.ca joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

1 0

Fw: Cycling advocacy action on Tuesday December16th at 1:00 PM at City Hall
by Beth McKechnie 12 Dec '08

12 Dec '08

[From Jackie Avent, Bike to the Future, Co-Chair] http://biketothefuture.org Please spread this far and wide to anyone you know who would like to see safer and more accessible cycling routes in Winnipeg. Winnipeg has never been as close as we are today in seeing a significant increase in funding for Active Transportation (AT) to go towards complete routes throughout the city. You may have read in the Free Press about efforts by Bike to the Future and partners like the Winnipeg Trails Association, Resource Conservation Manitoba, One Green City, and other local AT supporters [ed. note: Physical Activity Coalition of Manitoba] advocating for an increase in AT funding in the City's 2009 Capital Budget. In an unprecedented move, two of the mayor's Executive Policy Committee members voted against the proposed 2009 Capital Budget because of limited funding for cyclists and other AT users. We need to show the councillors that cycling is not a fringe issue, but that safe, enjoyable, accessible, and convenient cycling infrastructure is in everyone's best interests. Tuesday December 16th at 1:00 PM at City Hall We are asking all cyclists to come out -– bring your bike bells -- and support Mark Cohoe from Bike to the Future and Janice Lukes from the Winnipeg Trails Association who will be doing a joint presentation to City Council opposing the 2009 Capital Budget and advocating for equality for cyclists. Your attendance will help make a difference. What else can you do to help? 1. Pass this message on to all the people you know who are interested in having better facilities for cycling in Winnipeg. 2. Contact your city councillor (http://winnipeg.ca/council/) and ask him/her to increase the funding for active transportation. Share your reasons why you want to see more and safer infrastructure; if it existed, you would use it. 3. There may be an opportunity to speak on Tuesday at City Council if you feel strongly about increasing funding. Currently only two presentations opposing the budget are allowed, but by-laws can be waived if there are enough people wanting to be heard. Call your city councillor and tell him/her you want to speak to this issue. Thank you.

2 1

WFP: Bike paths split civic committee (Dec.11'08)
by Beth McKechnie 11 Dec '08

11 Dec '08

Winnipeg Free Press Local News Bike paths split civic committee By: Joe Paraskevas In a surprising rebuke of the city's 2009 capital budget, two of six councillors in Mayor Sam Katz's cabinet rejected the $476.1-million public works plan Wednesday, saying the city could do much more to build bike paths and pedestrian trails. At a meeting of executive policy committee, Point Douglas Coun. Mike Pagtakhan and Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt voted to turn the budget down, signalling a split on council between bike-riding advocates and others. Last year, EPC councillors unanimously supported the budget. A city hall source said Katz was "shocked, surprised and disappointed" at Pagtakhan and Wyatt's actions. EPC did add $2.35 million to the budget, including $500,000 for biking infrastructure and pedestrian trails and the same amount for sidewalk and curb renewals. It also committed $250,000 for a study into a pedestrian-cyclist bridge across the Red River from the University of Manitoba to south St. Vital. The additions brought the budget's commitment to city cyclists to $2.25 million and its plans for sidewalk and curb repairs to $1 million -- pending the approval next week before city council. But the $1.25 million the committee pencilled in for cyclists and pedestrians wasn't enough for Pagtakhan and Wyatt. The additions came a day after several community groups lobbied the same committee for more spending on bike paths and bike lanes. One activist suggested the city commit $80 million over 10 years to build 50 kilometres of bike paths and three cyclist-pedestrian bridges. With that in mind, Pagtakhan tabled a motion calling for the city to spend $2 million on active transportation in 2009. And Wyatt echoed that demand by proposing $2 million for sidewalk and curb renewals, saying the extra money for cyclists would only build one kilometre of bike paths. "Basically, we're adding one kilometre of asphalt," he said. "I think we can do more." Winnipeg has about 190 kilometres of bike paths and bike lanes on streets across the city, Wyatt said. Calgary has more than 900: 635 kilometres of bike paths and 290 kilometres of bike lanes. And yet, Wyatt and Pagtakhan's motion failed. Their committee colleagues didn't share their devotion to cyclists and pedestrians. "We have an obligation not to throw money at the squeakiest wheel," St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel, the city's budget architect, told his fellow committee members. "We are doing a budget for the entire city of Winnipeg. we are not doing a budget for active transportation." Katz urged Pagtakhan and other active transportation advocates to come up with a five-year plan for cycling infrastructure. He said he was "extremely embarrassed" that parts of Winnipeg lacked proper sidewalks and back lanes as well as bike paths. The divide created by Pagtakhan and Wyatt is likely not large enough to stop the budget from passing before the full city council next week. But others interpreted it as a sign of conflicting visions of the city among councillors. "In all my years on council I don't recall two members of EPC voting against the final recommendations of a budget," said Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, who was first elected in 1998. "This may be a sign that there are two very different visions of our city and council is more polarized than ever." Mark Cohoe, chairman of the community group Bike to the Future, said in a news release "total funding for active transportation will drop from $2.35 million in 2008 to $2.15 million in 2009, just 1 per cent of the city's budget for roads and bridges. "At this rate of expansion it will take several hundred years to complete the city's bikeway network," Cohoe said. Mynarski Coun. Harry Lazarenko, a city councillor for almost three decades and a former member of EPC, called the budget rejections "irresponsible." "They voted in retaliation because they could not get their amendments approved," Lazarenko said, of Pagtakhan and Wyatt. "that's not what EPC is supposed to do." joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

1 0

Boulder, Colorado - Platinum Bike Status
by David Wieser 06 Dec '08

06 Dec '08

Yet another spine tingling feel good video from streetfilms. Just posted today. It has something for everyone, biking, walking, safe routes to school, bike co-ops... http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/boulder-goes-bike-platinum/ Add Boulder, Colorado to the League of American Bicyclists' cities to achieve Platinum Bike Status. This Fall, they were bestowed the nation's highest rank for U.S. cities and joined Portland, Oregon and Davis, California as the only three cities to have that honor. My favorite line... 3 mile ride to work and no stop signs or stop lights, one continuous ride to work. Another feature is that kids can earn ipods by biking to school with a computer chip in the kids helmet to count their trips and encourage them to wear their helmets. David Wieser

1 0

Active Transportation - Canada: December 5, 2008
by Beth McKechnie 05 Dec '08

05 Dec '08

Active Transportation - Canada features a regular posting of news articles, studies, reports, and other items that have relevance in this field, with previous postings available in an archive. In addition, pictures of existing Active Transportation infrastructure from communities across Canada will be profiled each week. The following items have recently been posted to the Active Transportation - Canada Blog. To view in more detail, go to: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com **************************************************************************************************** 1.. Resource - BC Built Environment Summit Proceedings 2.. Article - Open house for wheeling walking and cycling in Golden 3.. Article - Now is the time to reshape our cities 4.. Job Opportunity - Regional Municipality of York ON 5.. Job Opportunity - Smart Commute North Toronto 6.. Article - Winnipeg dramatically increases spending on AT 7.. Upcoming Event - Kelowna BC: Building SustainAble Communities Conference 8.. Interesting Website - Team Wonderbike 9.. Links - Cargo Bikes 10.. Video - David Suzuki cycles in Copenhagen **************************************************************************************************** A reminder e-mail of new postings will be sent no more often than once per week. To continue to receive these updates, you need take no action. Should you not wish to receive updates, please return this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the Subject area. For more information, please contact: Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions activetransportation(a)rogers.com 613.424.2803

1 0

Free Press Article
by Stacy Matwick 03 Dec '08

03 Dec '08

Pedestrians, cyclists win small victory By: Joe Paraskevas Winnipeg Free Press Dec. 3, 2008 B4 People who walk or cycle around Winnipeg won a small but significant victory in a city hall committee room Tuesday. They lined up to demand the city's $476-million 2009 capital budget be amended to provide more funding for bike paths, bike commuting lanes on roads, better sidewalks and even a new pedestrian bridge across the Red River between the University of Manitoba and south St. Vital. And they succeeded -- though more hurdles remain before city councillors vote on the budget Dec. 16. After hearing delegations for the better part of four hours, members of the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works committee voted to re-allocate $4.7 million in the budget to cover projects associated with cycling, walking and in-line skating -- so-called active transportation. City hall should not squander the steps it has taken to improve its network of pathways and bikeways in the last two years, community activists said. "The city's got really good momentum. It's showing vision," said Janice Lukes, trails coordinator for the Winnipeg Trails Association. "When you come up with these numbers," Lukes added, referring to the budget released last week, "it's not showing vision." The budget targeted $1.75 million for bike paths and other active transportation works -- as opposed to $95 million for road and bridge construction. Committee members agreed to add $4.25 million for active transportation projects, leaving it to administrators to decide how such funds should be distributed. To cover the added spending, St. Boniface Coun. Dan Vandal said the city could tap its $300-million reserve funds or $3 million set aside in the budget for what Vandal said was unallocated spending. The committee also agreed to shift $250,000 from $1.9 million earmarked for land acquisition to pay for a study into building a pedestrian bridge across the Red River from the University of Manitoba into south St. Vital. That project had the backing of St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel, the city's Finance committee chairman and budget architect. Swandel appealed in person to the committee. A deal struck with the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corp. had freed some of the money the city had meant to use to acquire land for the expansion of Waverley Street in south Winnipeg, Swandel said. The public works committee also agreed to spend an additional $200,000 on sidewalk repairs. The budget had allocated $250,000 in 2009 to new sidewalks on major streets. The Executive Policy Committee, which reviews the capital budget next week, could still overturn today's decision. joe.paraskevas(a)freepress.mb.ca

1 0

Bike lanes work
by Beth McKechnie 27 Nov '08

27 Nov '08

Interesting article about research in Portland showing cyclists will go out of their way to use bike infrastructure (such as bike lanes): http://www.portlandtribune.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=1224022968389…

1 0

Roundabouts
by Janice Lukes 27 Nov '08

27 Nov '08

As the city and province set about to spend even more money on Hwys - I find the attached TIME article very interesting. Janice Lukes Winnipeg Trails Coordinator Winnipeg Trails Association 202 - One Forks Market Road Winnipeg, MB R3C 4L9 Cell (204) 952-4222 Fax (204) 943-7915 <mailto:jlukes@shaw.ca> jlukes(a)shaw.ca <http://www.winnipegtrails.com/> www.WinnipegTrails.com

1 0

WFP: Pedestrians rule! (Nov.20'08)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Nov '08

27 Nov '08

Winnipeg Free Press a.. Winnipeg Free Press View from the West Pedestrians rule! (Or they would if the law were enforced) Val Werier Updated: November 20, 2008 at 06:40 AM CST Now that winter is upon us, we must examine the perilous state of the pedestrian. Is there anything more unequal than the conflict between the pedestrian and the car? The car is the bully, big and powerful, equipped to stop in comfort, but it refuses to give the pedestrian the right of way. In Winnipeg, considered as one of the coldest capitals in the world, this is an atrocious display of bad manners. Pedestrians may freeze waiting to cross, but this is the way it is in Winnipeg. The civility of a city can be judged by the importance and respect given to pedestrians. On that basis, the standard of civility is poor indeed. Pedestrians are treated in a shabby manner. The law places them in an exalted position. A motorist must stop once a pedestrian starts crossing the street. That rarely happens. The pedestrian is regarded by drivers as a ne'er-do-well. That does not seem to bother all the agencies concerned with the rules of the road, safety and welfare of citizens. Rarely, if ever, is a word heard about the rights of pedestrians from the provincial Transportation department, Manitoba Public Insurance, automobile associations or city council and police. They are silent on the flagrant denial of the status of pedestrians. The safety and priority of the pedestrian is raised so seldom it creates a climate that may be a factor in this bizarre case. On a bright morning in April 2007, Shep Shell, a blind man of 62, led by his seeing-eye dog Page, crossed Cordova Street at Grant Avenue, a special pedestrian corridor. They were proceeding south and stopped at the median. There Shell pressed the button to reactivate the beeping sound and flashing yellow lights. The car in the first lane had stopped, as he had heard it do. Shell held out his arm to present a larger profile and proceeded into the second lane when he heard a car approaching quickly. He didn't dare to move back in case the car in that lane was moving. "I felt helpless," he told me. "I knew I was going to be hit." He swung Page behind him to save her from injury. He was struck and thrown to the street, suffering cuts, bruises and a severely swollen right hand. This is an extreme case -- a blind man with a seeing-eye dog struck in a pedestrian corridor with flashing lights in a school zone. Still, it does speak of the blatant disregard of the pedestrian. The record shows few drivers are charged for not yielding to pedestrians. The pedestrian must use common sense and not barge across an intersection. Most make certain it is safe to do so. In the period from 2004 to 2007, only an average of 16 tickets per year were issued for not yielding the right of way to a pedestrian or passing another vehicle stopped for a pedestrian. An average of 48 drivers per year were charged for failure to yield in a pedestrian corridor or passing in a corridor. The existence of special pedestrian corridors conveys the impression that here only pedestrians have the right of way. The law makes it clear the motorist must give way to the pedestrian at any intersection whether marked or not by lights. But that is not the way it turns out in Winnipeg. I am dumbfounded as I listen to a discussion on CBC radio about the hazards facing pedestrians. Callers say it is impossible to cross south Osborne. There is no let up in traffic to allow crossing. They want the city to establish another pedestrian corridor because the closest one is a few blocks away. I heard no one raise the point that pedestrians have priority and the law should be enforced. Other cities give pedestrians the break they deserve. Rosemarie Cloutis came to Winnipeg 12 years ago from Edmonton with her husband, Ed, and family. "I was shocked that drivers gave no regard to pedestrians," she recalls. "In Edmonton, pedestrians crossing the street at corners expect and are given the right of way." In Europe, the place of the pedestrian is so respected that an act of parliament was framed to focus on their rights. This is the Charter of Pedestrians' Rights, adopted by the European Parliament in 1988. One clause states: "The pedestrian has the right to live in urban or village centres tailored to the needs of human beings and not the needs of the motor car and to have the amenities within walking or cycling distance." Today, there are no champions for the pedestrian as such figures of the past as Coun. Joe Zuken, who denounced the closure of Portage and Main to pedestrians. There is no greater affront to pedestrians in Canada than the decision to make the symbol of Winnipeg the exclusive precinct of cars. It is a blot on Winnipeg that next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the scandal of Portage and Main. It reinforces the subordinate status of the pedestrian. Portage and Main must be opened to the people. The disrespect for pedestrians, I submit, is out of character. As a whole, Winnipeggers are a decent, caring lot as shown by the high number of volunteers in a multitude of services. We rate near the top in Canada. This is the spirit of civility that must be restored to our public streets. Val Werier is a Winnipeg writer. a.. b.. © 2008 Winnipeg Free Press. All Rights Reserved. Powered by McClatchy Interactive

1 0

Free webinar - Bicycle Transportation Planning
by Jessie Klassen 19 Nov '08

19 Nov '08

Hi AT folks, Join us in the Eco-Centre on November 19th for a free webinar on bicycle transportation planning. Details are included below. Please let me know if you plan to attend. Feel free to share this invitation. Cycle Zone Analysis (CZA): A New Bicycle Transportation Planning Tool Wednesday, November 19, 2008 · 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Eco-Centre boardroom, 303 Portage Ave., 3rd Floor. This workshop, first presented at Pro Walk/Pro Bike in September, focuses on the new bicycle planning tool used for the update of Portlands (Ore.) Bicycle Master Plan. Listen and learn from a professional working in one of only three U.S. cities to have achieved LABs Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community designation. Cycle Zone Analysis helps planners understand the nuances of cycling conditions in their communities, in order to tailor treatments to specific micro areas. Participants will learn how to define cycle zones, develop a bikeway rating index, and use the resulting analysis to improve cycling conditions. To preview Cycle Zone Analysis, visit http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=215045. The presenter is Roger Geller, Portlands Bicycle Coordinator. He was a member of the panel that presented the Cycle Zone Analysis workshop at Pro Walk/Pro Bike in September. Jessie Klassen Workplace Transportation Demand Management Coordinator Resource Conservation Manitoba jessie(a)resourceconservation.mb.ca (204) 925-3772 Resource Conservation Manitoba: Living Green, Living Well Practical solutions for yourself, your community and the environment Green Commuting, Environmental Education, Reducing Waste, Composting Resource Conservation Manitoba is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation.

1 1

With temps expecting to dip...
by Stacy Matwick 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

A timely short piece of advice. http://grist.org/advice/ask/2008/11/17/index.html I Cycle: On winter biking By Umbra Fisk - Astute Advice on All Things Environmental Grist 17 Nov 2008 Enjoy Stacy Matwick Information Centre International Institute for Sustainable Development 161 Portage Ave. E., 6th floor Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4 Voice: (204)958-7755 Fax: (204)958-7710 Email: smatwick(a)iisd.ca Website: http://www.iisd.org "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" Groucho Marx "Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance your must keep on moving" Albert Einstein

1 0

Active Transportation - Canada: November 17, 2008
by Beth McKechnie 17 Nov '08

17 Nov '08

Active Transportation - Canada features a regular posting of news articles, studies, reports, and other items that have relevance in this field, with previous postings available in an archive. In addition, pictures of existing Active Transportation infrastructure from communities across Canada will be profiled each week. The following items have recently been posted to the Active Transportation - Canada Blog. To view in more detail, go to: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com **************************************************************************************************** 1.. Haliburton County Cycling Master Plan 2.. Toronto Bike Summit 2008: Proceedings 3.. Article - Kelowna BC: Summit looks to beat transit issues 4.. Article - Cambridge/ Coldbrook trail: officially open for use, closed to ATVs 5.. Article - The latest skirmish in the bike wars 6.. Article - Skateboarding in Class? Here, It’s Called Gym 7.. Video - New York: Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan 8.. Article - Councillor fears '500-kilometre discussion' over 700 metres of bicycle lanes 9.. Article - B.C. knee brace, Montreal bike system among Time's top inventions 10.. Article - A Canadian in Amsterdam discovers the downside of a cyclist's paradise **************************************************************************************************** A reminder e-mail of new postings will be sent no more often than once per week. To continue to receive these updates, you need take no action. Should you not wish to receive updates, please return this e-mail with "Unsubscribe" in the Subject area. For more information, please contact: Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions activetransportation(a)rogers.com 613.424.2803

1 0

Time magazine says Montreal's public bike system rocks
by Beth McKechnie 14 Nov '08

14 Nov '08

Time magazine says Montreal's public bike system rocks Time magazine has pronounced that Montreal's public bike system is among the 50 best inventions of 2008. It was number 19 on the list. When lots of people use a communal resource - like, say, a cheap public bicycle-rental program - they tend to abuse it. So when the city of Montreal built its Public Bike System, nicknamed Bixi, the designers packed in all the technology they could find, in a Canadian Magazines / Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:48:00 GMT

1 0

Transit Oriented Development Guest Speaker from Portland - Nov 20
by Beth McKechnie 04 Nov '08

04 Nov '08

The Winnipeg Rapid Transit Coalition, in partnership with the Downtown Biz, the Institute of Urban Studies, Winnipeg Realtors and other groups, is pleased to invite you to a lecture: "Talking about Transit Oriented Development" on Thu Nov 20 from noon to 2 pm. (Please register with Tina 958-4640 or tina(a)downtownwinnipegbiz.com) TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Winnipeg's approved rapid transit plan has three main components: 1) dedicated rapid transitways from downtown to the University of Manitoba, with permanent stations 2) commuter cycling paths beside the transitways 3) transit oriented development around the rapid transit stations Transit oriented development is an important feature of the plan as it increased density around the stations, increases ridership and enhances existing neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Use Windows Live Messenger to send messages to your buddies on their mobile phones Find out more on our PC to Mobile website

1 0

Commuter cycling is soaring
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '08

03 Nov '08

It appears that New York City's investment in infrastructure has yielded a huge percentage increase in commuter cycling... http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com:80/2008/10/30/commuter-cycling-is-soaring…

1 0

Americans want huge transportation funding shift (Canadians too?)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '08

03 Nov '08

AMERICANS WANT HUGE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING SHIFT According to an article in the Oct. 27th edition of Smart Growth Online, "Even before gas prices spiked high above $4 per gallon this spring and summer, a Harris Interactive poll found last December that 81 percent of Americans would radically change federal outlays of the 1998 Transportation Efficiency Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) from 79 percent for roads, 20 percent for mass transit, and 1 percent for biking and walking, to 37, 41, and 22 percent, respectively, in its 2009 replacement bill." For the full story see: http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/newsmail.asp?art=6854&state=52&res=1680

1 0

New bike lanes on Hargrave St.
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '08

03 Nov '08

Hello everyone: If you haven't had a chance to try out the new bike lanes on Hargrave, here are a few pics courtesy of Kevin Nixon, City of Winnipeg. These bike lanes are part of the 2008 AT Action Plan and will eventually include Fort and Garry as well as Carlton and Hargrave. For a few more details, check out the Action Plan online at: http://www.winnipeg.ca/PublicWorks/MajorProjects/ActiveTransportation/ -cheers, Beth

1 0

Commuter Friendly Workplace Awards
by Jessie Klassen 31 Oct '08

31 Oct '08

New Awards Program Is your workplace doing something new and exciting to support walking and biking to work? Has your employer been a long-time supporter of transit use, carpooling, or teleworking? Recognize their efforts with the first ever Commuter Friendly Workplace Awards! To find out more, visit www.resourceconservation.mb.ca/gci/TDM. New projects are also eligible to apply.

1 0

Quantifying the benefits of AT
by Beth McKechnie 31 Oct '08

31 Oct '08

Hello everyone: We have had a couple of messages posted recently about quantifying the benefits of active transportation to justify the investment in infrastructure. There is a new report available from the U.S. that does exactly that. It is called "Active Transportation for America: A Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking" and may be useful in comparing to the Winnipeg situation. You can find the report and additional information at: http://www.railstotrails.org/whatwedo/trailadvocacy/ATFA/index.html cheers, Beth

1 0

CarShare Survey - Help make carsharing happen in Winnipeg!
by Beth McKechnie 30 Oct '08

30 Oct '08

We need your help with an exciting project to help establish a CarShare organization in Winnipeg! To determine the potential interest in this initiative we are surveying residents of the Osborne Village and Broadway-Assiniboine neighbourhoods. Log on to CarShareSurvey.com to take a quick survey, or call 786-9963. Please forward to any friends, family, colleagues or distant acquaintances that you think might be interested! Thank you from the CarShare Team!

1 0

An interesting idea
by Stacy Matwick 20 Oct '08

20 Oct '08

http://www.insnet.org/ins_headlines.rxml?id=25519&photo= Smart Bikes for Denmark iNSNews Oct. 13, 2008 MIT researchers unveiled a major new project in Copenhagen on Oct. 10 called Smart Biking, aimed at transforming bicycle use in Denmark's largest city, promoting urban sustainability and building new connections between the city's cyclists. Cheers Stacy Matwick Information Centre International Institute for Sustainable Development 161 Portage Ave. E., 6th floor Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0Y4 Voice: (204)958-7755 Fax: (204)958-7710 Email: smatwick(a)iisd.ca Website: http://www.iisd.org "Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read" Groucho Marx "Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance your must keep on moving" Albert Einstein

1 0

The Cost of Car Dependence in Winnipeg is 960 Million Dollars per year
by Anders Swanson 17 Oct '08

17 Oct '08

Does this help?: I calculated the current cost of accidents, pollution, congestion, noise and greenhouse gases for the city at apporximately $*960 million / year. *I thought it might help to have costs associated with any argument for active transportation and against projects which cause more long term car dependence like Waverly West, an inner ring road for Winnipeg, etc... I won't post often, but thought this might be a useful stat that is unique. It might put some context in a world where we are always told of the challenges and the costs of bike lanes/ paths, etc.. , but have no local ammunition to express the gains that we will see or the costs of simply doing nothing. * *While writing an email to a committee I sit on, I realized I needed a dollar number to attach to the problems caused by cars in Winnipeg. A fair and realistic number is hard to come by, so I had to figure it out. It pains me to talk dollars about what what should be an obvious, intuitive and heartfelt argument, . . . nonetheless . . I was inspired by the recently released results of a very unique 1.4 million dollar study done by Transport Canada, showing that the cost of car dependence in Canada is *$40 Billion* */ year*. (easy to read reference<http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/09/01/mtl-socialcosttransportstudy090…>(CBC) - I have emailed Transport Canada for help finding the study itself.) I thought it would be more useful if it were applied specifically to Winnipeg. My simple methodology, which Jeremy or Mark at Bike to the Future may wish to critique, was as follows: - The current population of Canada is 33,403,049 people. (reference)<http://www.statcan.ca/english/edu/clock/population.htm>Eighty percent of them live in urban centres, the people most affected by the adverse effects of automobile dependence. (reference)<http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo62a.htm>= 26,722,439 people. - The current population of Winnipeg (100% urban) is 653,300 (reference)<http://www.winnipeg.ca/cao/pdfs/population.pdf> or 2.4% of the urban population of Canada. 2.4% of $40 billion (Winnipeg's share) = *$960 million. ** 960 million dollars does not include the loss of the disposable wealth people would have from not owning a car (approx 13-17% of their income minus the cost of bicycles and a trailer for each of their family members, bus tickets/handit transit / taxis for the winter or for the elderly, membership to a car co-op for trips to the lake and train tickets at Christmas). It also does not include intangible costs like lost tourism, lost tax base (people mmoving away or not moving here at all), lost wildlife and lost aesthetic value and a great deal other things that always get overlooked in any rational / linear study attempts to quantify this interesting and complex world. *Anders Swanson* One Green City *

1 0