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WFP: Wellington neighbours at odds over open streets initiative (Jun23'21)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

Wellington neighbours at odds over open streets initiative; issue to go before council Thursday Crescent conflict going to city hall https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/crescent-conflict-going-to-city-hal… IT’S a street fight that has pitted Winnipeg’s elites against each other. The tug of war over closing Wellington Crescent to vehicles, so cyclists and pedestrians can use the tony boulevard almost exclusively, is headed toward a showdown at city hall Thursday. A small group of residents rallied Tuesday to show support for current rules that restrict vehicles to one block of travel from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily from Academy Road to Guelph Street. The “Open Streets” program affects several streets across the city that are popular with cyclists and pedestrians and is scheduled to continue till Nov. 5. Organizer Sharon Kirk said the group represented a fraction of overall support to keep the street closed to vehicles, pointing to an online petition she and her husband organized that collected nearly 500 signatures over two days. “I’m a counsellor, so I fully believe having a safe place to exercise enhances the mental well-being of everyone, not just during COVID times, but moving forward,” Kirk said. She said the program improves the neighbourhood’s “community feel.” On the opposite side, a group of residents has submitted letters to city hall asking it to lift restrictions for vehicles on the street. Some argue traffic congestion has moved to nearby Academy Road, while others say people should be allowed to drive down the crescent and look at the landscaped yards. Gail Asper wrote it is “simply unfair to ban all vehicles from having any opportunity to experience Winnipeg’s most beautiful street” and that the prioritized access to cyclists is “discriminating against thousands of Winnipeggers.” Resident Brenlee Carrington-Trepel compiled a 68-page document that includes dozens of letters from residents who complained about the program. That prompted city hall to consider lifting the ban on vehicles on weekdays as of Sept. 7 In an email, Carrington-Trepel said more than 100 residents have contacted her and want “to keep Wellington Crescent part of the Open Streets program as a Sunday and holidays bike route after Sept. 7.” She notes the street had closed on Sundays and holidays “for decades.” She declined to speak further before council votes. Resident Atul Sharma said the letters exaggerate the inconveniences of the program. “I actually resent people speaking for me and saying that these are insurmountable obstacles,” he said. “They’re minor inconveniences.” Sharma has a disability which forces him to use a walker. He said he uses an adaptive bicycle to get exercise. The bike is wider than a regular bike, he said, which makes it difficult to safely coexist on the road with cars. Some of the residents who want the street open said the project discriminates against the disabled, but Sharma disagrees. “This opens the crescent up to them. We see them. We see them in electric wheelchairs, being pushed along by family members, using adaptive vehicles. I think it expands opportunity.” One major concern for resident Jutta Essig is making Winnipeg’s transportation culture safer and environmentally friendly. The mother of three from Germany said she and her family used to bike everywhere in Europe, but when she moved to Winnipeg, she noticed a lack of bicycle infrastructure. When a close friend was hit while biking on Wellington Crescent, her habits changed, she said. “From that moment on we went into North American lifestyle that we use the car for every little commute. It bothered me, but there was no option,” she said. Anders Swanson, executive director of Winnipeg Trails Association, a nonprofit that advocates for sustainable infrastructure, said reopening the street early to motorists would be a step in the wrong direction. “We can’t declare climate emergencies then roll back the simplest thing we’ve done,” he said. “That’s not leadership.” He said “Open Streets” is a “drop in the bucket” in terms of what needs to be done to boost active transportation. He commended residents who showed up on Tuesday, but said the issue affects everyone in Winnipeg. “Access to fresh air is a right,” he said. “The ability to drive is not.” The city conducted a survey about “Open Streets” in November 2020. At the time, 83 per cent of Wellington Crescent residents responded positively to the idea, out of the 48 per cent who answered the survey. Kirk said she believes this poll still represents her neighbourhood. In research conducted for the program in 2020, Wellington Crescent had the most cyclists and pedestrians during two 12-hour periods. The second busiest street was Wolseley Avenue. cody.sellar(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Wellington residents start their own petition to save the Open Street
by Anders Swanson 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

View their petition <https://www.change.org/p/mayor-brian-bowman-don-t-exempt-wellington-crescen…>. Background: Yesterday, I learned that residents along Wellington had started a petition of their own to counter the messaging in the media and have their own say. It is intended to reflect the views of the majority of their neighbours who, according to their experience and the data, support open streets and are concerned about the process seems like it would lead to their early closure if a vote is successful at Council this Thursday. Winnipeg Trails' statement is here. <https://www.change.org/p/keep-winnipeg-s-open-streets-open-expand-them-unti…>

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WFP Analysis: Reimagining Wellington Crescent (Jun21'21)
by Beth McKechnie 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

Reimagining Wellington Crescent https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/reimagining-wellington-c… “WE heard birds” exclaimed Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, France, in an interview with Time magazine last summer. She was describing her city, all cities, during the first COVID-19 lockdowns, when, with fewer people driving, we were provided a glimpse into what the future of cities could be. She vowed that Paris would not return to a pre-pandemic world, pledging to learn from the devastating challenges of the last year and emerge as a more socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, cleaner, healthier and happier city. The changes that have swept across Paris since have been far-reaching and impactful, driven by a policy framework called the “la ville du quart d’heure,” or the “15-minute city.” The strategy focuses on building more diverse, integrated, and mixed-use neighbourhoods that provide residents access to all of life’s core services and amenities, within a 15-minute walk, bike or transit ride. Designing communities with integrated supports such as shops, restaurants, gyms, groceries, offices, schools and parks is in direct contrast to most modern neighbourhoods, where housing is separated by a vehicle trip from employment, shopping, entertainment and industry. The pandemic has forced many people to work from home and spend more time in their own neighbourhoods. The 15-minute city concept builds on this evolving social and employment landscape, offering an opportunity to improve local economies and deliver lasting health, equity and environmental benefits. In Paris, incentives are being provided to support development of small businesses and community facilities in targeted areas, emphasizing equal access to services, amenities and green space that strengthen neighbourhoods and actively reduce social divides and inequalities. A new policy has been developed to create pockets of “urban forest” and community gardens for local urban agriculture, in school yards, parks, plazas and other public spaces like city-owned surface parking lots. To facilitate more outdoor dining during the pandemic, restaurants and cafés across Paris were allowed to set up temporary outdoor patios in parking spaces on the street. It was recently announced that these patios will be made a permanent fixture in the city. As the pandemic lifts, other neighbourhood businesses such as florists or bookstores will also be invited to apply for summer terraces, turning over large parts of streets to more pedestrian uses. At the centre of the 15-minute city idea is a complete transformation of how people will move around the city. During the pandemic, more than 50 kilometres of new bike lanes, called coronapistes, were built on major streets across Paris, to provide direct access to key destinations that allows the bicycle to become a viable mode of daily transportation. These lanes are now being made permanent, and the government has committed to building another 650 kilometres of new cycleways, with public space and sidewalks that will transform 70 per cent of the city’s on-street car parking into places for people. To provide more public space during the pandemic, the city’s iconic east-west artery, Rue de Rivoli, became an open street to allow socially distanced outdoor activity. This major artery has now been made permanently open, complementing the riverside freeway that once served 40,000 vehicles per day that has now been transformed into a pedestrian promenade. More than one billion euros per year has been pledged for the maintenance and beautification of streets, squares and gardens, including the famous Champs-Élysées, which will see half of its eight vehicle lanes removed with new bike lanes, pocket parks, and public space, being created along its length. As one of the few positive legacies of the pandemic, Winnipeg’s Open Streets are, on a very small scale, reminiscent of what is happening in Paris. We have taken a tiny fraction of Winnipeg’s 7,000 kilometres of street lanes dedicated to vehicles and turned them into large linear parks. You can hear the birds again on Wellington Crescent. As popular as they are, Open Streets face opposition, but closing them doesn’t necessarily mean a return to the past. Paris offers us an important alternative to consider. The goal of its mobility strategies in the 15-minute city has been to connect pedestrians and cyclists safely and conveniently with their day-to-day destinations, by pedestrianizing major streets and building protected bike lanes on direct, heavy traffic, central routes. Wellington Crescent doesn’t have to be an Open Street, but its future can be something more than the high-speed vehicle freeway it once was. It could be reimagined with parking space removed to build bike lanes and sidewalks. Stop signs and raised crosswalks could be added at every intersection to reduce and slow traffic. It could become a vital active transportation connector between Polo Park and Osborne Village, and a slow, safe, park-like street to drive on. Similarly, instead of opening Scotia Street, adding wider sidewalks and protected bike lanes on a major route like Salter Street would provide equitable access to education, employment and recreation for North End residents. Every neighbourhood has main streets with similar opportunities to connect people with the places they want to go, using more diverse, affordable and sustainable modes of transportation. Paris has shown through its 15-minute-city strategy that by focusing on building stronger, more connected neighbourhoods that allow biking, walking and transit to be used as everyday transportation, great change can be realized. It is OK if Open Streets are not Winnipeg’s priority, if new, more impactful ideas replace them. It is impossible to compare any Canadian city to a global capital like Paris, but its desire to use the lessons of the last year to emerge from the pandemic with a new vision of what the future can be, is something that should inspire all cities. *Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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Webinar: Authentic Community Engagement - Best Practices for Equitable Work
by Beth McKechnie 17 Jun '21

17 Jun '21

How to wield your walkable, people-first community advocacy work as a true tool for empowerment Support Walkable Communities <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> Authentic Community Engagement - Best Practices for Equitable Work Wednesday, July 14th at 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT Register Here <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> Join us for presentations and a robust Q & A dialogue with active transportation professionals, nonprofit leaders, and equitable engagement experts around what it means to practice and build authentic community engagement with diverse coalitions as the foundation for driving those vital relationships. Panelists will share their best practices for equitable work in striving for inclusive, accessible, connected, and walkable communities - through the lens of their invaluable learned, professionally practiced and lived experiences. Among the details covered, presenters will lean into the importance of acknowledging past harms and learning how to demonstrate an awareness and distinction of active transportation and walkability work as a true tool for empowerment vs. a weapon of racialized oppression. The presentations/discussion will address the following critical questions: - What are the most universal best practices in achieving equity in our work? - How can advocates, practitioners and leaders center the needs and desires of BIPOC and low-income residents? - How can we achieve buy-in and funding streams from government leaders? - How can we habitually challenge normativity in how we define safe walking, biking, mobility, and access? - Why is it imperative to get out of your demographic bubble? - How can we get overlooked community members involved in government-decision discourse? - What are examples of removing barriers for individuals to experience safe destination-based movement while lowering car dependency? - How can we build trust, empowerment and agency with communities that have been perpetually ignored, harmed, and disinvested in? - What kind of data points, projects, or outreach can provide the most insight for determining connected, safe active transportation routes and services in the given community? Learn More and Register Here <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> Help Us Spread the Word About this Webinar [image: Facebook] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> [image: Twitter] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> Learn More About Our Presenters John Yi is the Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks. Prior to joining LA Walks in 2019, John was the Advocacy Director for the American Lung Association in California, where he worked on strong tobacco control and air quality policies. At the Lung Association, John also served as a lead organizer by training tobacco control coalitions throughout the state. He helped bring smoke-free ordinances to over a dozen different cities, fighting back against secondhand smoke and Big Tobacco's efforts to target low-income and communities of color. John also served as the interim National Director for Parent Revolution, an education and social justice non-profit. In this role he led parent organizing campaigns in Texas, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Ohio. He received his master's degree at Georgetown University and his bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan. He is a brother of Pi Alpha Phi, speaks Korean and Russian, and loves to cook. Waffiyyah Murray is the Better Bike Share Partnership Program Manager and a Philadelphia native with a love for walking and biking. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Temple University, and over fourteen years of experience working with different Philadelphia-based non-profit and community organizations. As Education Program Manager for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, she worked with the City to support its Safe Route to School program, a national initiative promoting safety and physical activity in school age children through walking and biking. Waffiyyah first arrived at oTIS as the Indego Community Coordinator, where she worked to connect communities to Indego programming and resources to ensure equitable access to Indego, the City of Philadelphia’s bike share system. In her current role as the Better Bike Share Partnership Program Manager, Waffiyyah works to address barriers to the use of bikeshare in low income communities and communities of color, and increase equitable access in bikeshare systems nationally. Jeremy Maxand is the Executive Director of the Living Independence Network Corporation, a center for independent living serving 16 counties in southwest Idaho. Jeremy grew up in a small island community in Southeast Alaska and has used a manual wheelchair since 1989. He moved to Idaho in the early nineties to attend Boise State University, where he earned undergraduate degrees in Criminal Justice Administration and Sociology, and a graduate degree is Applied Historical Research. Jeremy holds a certificate from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute, and from the University of Missouri’s College of Human & Environmental Sciences, School of Architectural Studies, ADA Coordinator Training Certification Program. Jeremy has twenty years of nonprofit management experience, and 10 years in executive leadership. Most recently, he was an emergency preparedness program specialist with the Idaho State Independent Living Council, working with local, state, and federal emergency management and public health partners to improve disaster response and recovery for people with disabilities. In Alaska, Jeremy served as an assembly member and mayor of the third geographically largest city by area in the country. Jeremy currently serves on the Valley Regional Transit Regional Advisory Council, the Ada County Highway District ADA Advisory Committee, the Idaho State Independent Living Council, the Idaho State Building Code Board, the Idaho Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Board, and is a founding board member of the Idaho Access Project. José Leal (moderator) At MIG, his projects have encompassed everything from complete streets, parks, schools, and recreation facilities. As Director of the Tribal Nation Building Studio, José is responsible for guiding an interdisciplinary studio of designers, planners, engineers, and scientists to provide engagement, planning, and design services to Tribal Nations to support and strengthen tribal community cohesiveness and resilience, self-determination, and sovereignty. His work focuses on the power of inclusive planning and design and cultural relativism to connect people to the spirit of place through storytelling. STAY CONNECTED <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> Donate Today <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> [image: Facebook] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> [image: Twitter] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> [image: LinkedIn] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> [image: Instagram] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0014CmJIQ6i_1yELurQdLLA9bjguVufZzlkTtu4a4qb02S…> America Walks | PO Box 371, Annandale, VA 22003

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WFP: Open-street project promotes accessibility, users say (Jun16'21)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

Open-street project promotes accessibility, users say https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/open-street-project-promotes-access… AT the height of evening rush hour, winding Wellington Crescent is abuzz with all kinds of traffic — even with automobiles limited to one block of travel. Cyclists, joggers, rollerbladers, children on skateboards and scooters, families out for an evening walk with the dog all crowd to the tree-canopied route, taking advantage of the barricaded streets and wide pedestrian boulevard in the warm, sunny afternoon. While most car traffic stuck to the open block, a handful still trekked further, one earning a flash of police lights and a conversation with an officer. Since May, the Winnipeg street has been closed to most vehicle traffic between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.; cyclists are permitted to use the roads, pedestrians are asked to use walkways, and drivers allowed only to travel a block to and from their homes. Though the policy has drawn ire from Wellington and River Heights residents who feel the “open street” brings more problems than opportunities, others say the program provides more accessible ways to get outside and get active — provided everyone shares the road. In a recent package of submissions to the City of Winnipeg public works committee, some disgruntled residents took issue with the increases in traffic on the alternate route, Academy Road. Some residents noted difficulty turning onto the alternate route during rush hour, “bumper-to-bumper” traffic, or tacking extra minutes onto their commute. Others described frustrating encounters with pedestrians and cyclists aggravated by cars on the road — even while driving just one block to their residences. For Sarah Manteuffel, who lives in the Fort Rouge/River Heights area and uses Wellington Crescent when it’s closed to vehicle traffic, the wide-open road provides a safer place for her to ride. On her day off Monday, Manteuffel went for a leisure ride down Wellington and posted a photo of herself — smiling wide next to road barriers outlining the open street rules — in response to criticism of an initiative she feels “makes Winnipeg great.” “I have dwarfism, so I ride a smaller bike and on the streets don’t usually feel very safe,” Manteuffel said in an interview Tuesday. “Even in a designated bike lane, am I going to be trusted to be seen by large vehicles? I go pretty slow, so even other passing cyclists can sometimes be a hazard.” Brian Szklarczuk, an adaptive cycling advocate who co-owns Wolseley’s upcoming bike shop Prairie Velo, said more inclusive forms of movement (three-wheeled bikes, handcycles) often take up a little more space, but those who use them also want to feel safe and comfortable on the road. “We know we need a little more space in the adaptive world, but we really want to be able to not be on the margins all the time,” he said. “(We want) to be able to use the other areas and just feel normal, just feel like we’re another person riding — and that’s what the open streets have allowed folks to do.” As some area residents argued the streets were inaccessible to those who are not as mobile and unable to travel the street except by car, Manteuffel said she found that perspective “challenging” to hear. “I understand that people may want to participate in driving down the crescent to utilize it but, there are other methods and opening the street allows for a different variety of body types to take advantage of that space,” Manteuffel countered. Szklarczuk agrees, and hopes to see all Winnipeggers mindful of each other’s needs when out on the roads. “If we can have the conversations about true inclusiveness, we can have everyone feel safe on whatever mode of transportation they’re using: cyclists, walkers, folks using mobility devices, power chairs, manual chairs — everything you can think of can co-exist really well. We can also co-exist with vehicles really well if there is a shared responsibility that we are all using the road,” he said. Coun. Matt Allard, public works chairman, said a recent motion to knock Wellington Crescent off the holiday closure list came about in an effort to both satisfy the community’s needs and keep the street program running. After Wellington’s ward councillor, John Orlikow, tabled a motion asking for more flexibility on open street rules, by putting power in the hands of the public works director, Allard feared staff could have the power to nix the program. After talking off-the-record with legal advisors, public works instead motioned to take Wellington Crescent off the list and let the area councillor and the public works team decide how best to proceed. Allard said the intent was not to see Wellington permanently dropped from the list, but rather to empower the local councillor and public works director to add routes in a way that works best for constituents. Internal conversations about Wellington Crescent — and its future use as a Sunday/holiday closure street — are still underway at city hall. “The road belongs to everyone, at the end of the day,” Allard said. “All of our taxes pay for the roads, and they are a public space and meant to be shared.” julia-simone.rutgers(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jsrutgers

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WFP Editorial: Street strife on Wellington Crescent (Jun16'21)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

Street strife on Wellington Crescent https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/street-strife-on-welli… THE city should pay close attention to the serious concerns raised by some Wellington Crescent residents about the consequences of favouring cyclists and restricting motorists. What the city must ignore, however, is the suggestion by several residents that their high-end addresses entitle them to special treatment. To bestow municipal favours on the basis of property value is a type of classism that has no place in Winnipeg. It would be a logistical nightmare, for example, if city staff had to prioritize posh areas for services such as fire, police and snow-clearing. It would also violate the egalitarian foundation of democracy, where citizens, regardless of address, get equal access to government consideration. That said, it’s equally important not to stoop to negative stereotypes. Many critics in public forums are denouncing the recent feedback on bike routes as the laments of well-to-do Winnipeggers who don’t want their tony street to be sullied by visitors. It’s a pilot project, after all, and feedback is warranted. These Wellington Crescent residents took the opportunity to offer their feedback, plenty of feedback, a prerogative that could be equally exercised by homeowners along any of the other 17 city areas involved in this summer’s Enhanced Summer Bike Routes program, formerly known as Open Streets. Their views were outlined in about three dozen letters, citing problems with the traffic-calming program that restricts motorists to one block of travel between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. seven days a week. Homeowners wrote about increased trash on the ground, and dog deposits on lawns. Many were also miffed that their alternative driving route, along Academy Road, is now so crowded that traffic is slowed. Alarmingly, several letter writers described conflict. One wrote: “I was threatened, yelled at, and physically blocked by cyclists and pedestrians, on a daily basis, while driving the one block allowed to access my residence.” Another wrote: “When you close the roads, the people that live on the street are treated like trespassers onto their own properties.” While councillors should thoughtfully weigh such concerns, they should ignore an attempt by several letter writers to wield their property taxes as a lobbying weapon. One writer noted: “I pay almost 12K a year in property taxes.” Another wrote: “I hope that with our hefty property tax bill our voices will be heard.” The letters were submitted to the city’s public works committee, which then recommended Wellington Crescent be removed from the open streets list. The recommendation now goes to council’s executive policy committee. Councillors should be wary about granting Wellington Crescent an exemption that could set a precedent and undermine the entire open roads program. Council could be required to grant similar exemption to any street where a few homeowners took the initiative to door-knock neighbours and obtain a petition and letters seeking, like Wellington Crescent, an exemption from open roads. Councillors, and Wellington Crescent residents, should live with the current open-road restrictions until this year’s pilot program ends on Nov. 5. It will then be decided which routes will be included in next season’s open-road program. Wellington Crescent is a beautiful area with well-tended properties, grand homes, lush gardens and flowering trees. It’s to be hoped homeowners fortunate enough to live there can bear with the added cyclists and pedestrians for now, perhaps even considering it a community service that their haven offers visitors a geographical tonic from the stressful grimness of the pandemic.

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Webinar Recording - Improving Traffic Signals for Bicycling and Walking
by Mark Cohoe 15 Jun '21

15 Jun '21

Hi, I had the chance to watch this webinar last week, and found it very interesting and useful. https://www.pedbikeinfo.org/webinars/webinar_details.cfm?id=109 One key part was the need to look at average pedestrian delay when setting phasing for traffic signals. When left out of reports that calculate average delay and levels of service for vehicles, average pedestrian waiting times often end up exceeding 40-50 seconds, or Level of Service F, even though it might actually be pretty easy to greatly reduce the average pedestrian wait times without causing much added delay to vehicles. To prevent this from happening, some cities's have adopted policies that require average pedestrian wait times to be measured in any report that includes intersection level of service for vehicles. Pedestrian Level of Service is then reported based on values in the 2000 edition of the Highway Capacity Manual. Cheers, Mark Cohoe Executive Director Bike Winnipeg t: 204-894-6540 e: mark(a)bikewinnipeg.ca

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Advancing Equity in Transportation Planning webinar
by Beth McKechnie 15 Jun '21

15 Jun '21

---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Winters, Philip <winters(a)cutr.usf.edu> Date: Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 12:25 PM The next webinar in the 2021 Florida Public Transit Assn, FDOT and CUTR Professional Development Workshop series is “*The Journey Forward: Advancing Equity in Transportation Planning*.” It will be held on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 (10:00-11:30am ET). The webinar is free but pre-registration is required. The webinar will be recorded. *Registration:* https://cutr.adobeconnect.com/pdw-21-advancing-equity/event/registration.ht… *The Journey Forward: Advancing Equity in Transportation Planning* *Moderator:* Stephanie Lewis, CUTR *Presenters:* Tia Boyd, CUTR and Joshua Barber, Hillsborough MPO This session will describe innovative processes, strategies, and tools to integrate equity into transportation planning. We will begin by introducing the Transportation Equity Toolkit – a resource to advance equity in local and regional transportation planning. This toolkit provides agency staff and community members with tools, guidance, and resources to address the transportation needs of traditionally underserved communities and move equity to the forefront of transportation planning practice. The session will then explore how to apply tools such as the Transportation Equity Audit Tool and the Transportation Equity Scorecard Tool to identify the needs of underserved communities and prioritize projects for funding that advance equity. To provide an example of real-world applications of equity-driven practices, Hillsborough MPO staff will discuss their processes and findings from the Title VI and Nondiscrimination Plan update. To meet Title VI and Nondiscrimination Plan requirements, Hillsborough MPO staff have been developing a wide-ranging update that includes a framework for equity for the agency, documenting the history of racism in planning in Hillsborough County, a comprehensive public involvement process with the most underserved communities, and policy and process recommendations for the agency. We will discuss some of the findings from the historical analysis and the feedback from community outreach efforts. The discussion of community feedback will include challenges community members face accessing transportation, housing, planning meetings, and other community elements. Overall, the session will explore: 1. The impetus to investigate historical inequalities and the cumulative impacts of inequitable planning practices, 2. Strategies for more meaningful involvement from diverse communities, including outreach and survey design, and 3. Available tools and resources to identify and address the unique needs of traditionally underserved communities. Registration: https://cutr.adobeconnect.com/pdw-21-advancing-equity/event/registration.ht… A list of all sessions can be found at https://www.cutr.usf.edu/fpta/register.html *PHILIP L. WINTERS, TDM-CP *Director, TDM Program Center for Urban Transportation Research <https://www.cutr.usf.edu/> University of South Florida Tampa Campus 813.974.9811 winters(a)usf.edu [image: logo of Best Workplaces for Commuters] www.bestworkplaces.org Follow us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/CUTRUSF/> | Twitter <https://twitter.com/CUTRUSF> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/27012080/> | Newsletter <https://usf.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c3b2561719f02cfb61009c74f&id=5…> *Due to Florida’s broad open records law, email to or from university employees is public record, available to the public and the media upon request.*

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Study: An economic analysis of the health-related benefits associated with bicycle infrastructure investment in three Canadian cities
by Beth McKechnie 15 Jun '21

15 Jun '21

Decision-makers are increasingly requesting economic analyses on transportation-related interventions, but health is often excluded as a determinant of value. We assess the health-related economic impact of bicycle infrastructure investments in three Canadian cities (Victoria, Kelowna and Halifax), comparing a baseline reference year (2016) with the future infrastructure build-out (2020). https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0246419

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WFP: City hall lobbied to lift restriction on Wellington Crescent (Jun12'21)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

City hall lobbied to lift restriction on Wellington Crescent ‘Open street’ drive residents crazy https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/open-streets-drive-wellington-cresc… CLOSING Wellington Crescent to vehicles has driven some residents of the city’s toniest street to distraction and forced the city to reconsider the designation. In a package of letters submitted to the public works committee, residents argued their mental health, safety, and human rights are being violated because motorists are restricted to one block of travel between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. seven days a week. A 68-page package — compiled by resident Brenlee Carrington-Trepel and comprising more than three dozen letters from disgruntled residents — outlines their concerns. One letter, penned by Asper Foundation president Gail Asper decried the closure of the “historic” street to vehicles, arguing the “100-year-old trees, lilacs and cherry blossoms in full bloom, spectacular gardens of the homeowners and the stunning homes themselves” are an essential “mental health break.” Asper, like many residents, suggested the open street model also amounts to discrimination against the city’s older population who may not be able to access the street by bicycle. “I strongly believe in bike paths, but I do not believe in closing important and historic streets like Wellington Crescent in order to make space for bike paths seven days a week. This is discriminating against thousands of Winnipeggers and I submit there is simply no need for this, when cars, bikes and pedestrians have co-existed for decades,” she wrote. Another letter from one-time mayoral candidate and former councillor Paula Havixbeck argues the policy has caused an increase in property crime. Havixbeck wrote about the observations in the River Heights Community Watch Facebook group — where she is one of the administrators — suggesting open streets resulted in an increase of “crime that quite literally walks across the bridge at both ends” of Wellington Crescent. “The fact that Wellington Crescent is closed, however, poses an issue because fewer people are on site to see these individuals coming in with their empty shopping carts and to be there to be more of a deterrent. Individuals are coming over the bridge day and night. They target yards they can access quickly,” Havixbeck wrote. “I have asked that there be some support in terms of cadets monitoring those entry points.” The open streets summer program bans vehicles from travelling more than one block on select streets in an effort to encourage cycling. Wellington Crescent is also popular with pedestrians and dog-walkers. After an in-camera discussion, the public works committee agreed to request Wellington Crescent be removed from the open streets list and that the public works director be given the power to amend open street rules. The executive policy committee will consider the motion. Area councillor John Orlikow, who originally submitted a motion to public works requesting the director have the ability to alter open street rules, said his intention was never to see the open street shut down. He wanted flexibility to adjust the program based on health restrictions, street usage, traffic capacity on nearby Academy Road and community feedback. “A lot of people are very supportive of (open streets),” said Orlikow. “I feel comfortable that the goodness of the neighbourhood understands why it’s needed and the vast majority of people support that.” Orlikow, who said he is a member of the neighbourhood watch, noted he has not seen data that substantiates claims crime has increased as a result of open streets. “I have seen data that people are not feeling as safe as they used to, and that is very concerning. Are open streets the reason for that? I really can’t say it is,” he said. Another writer, Ian Restall, wrote the closure amounted to “inequity” with a “human rights element.” He argued residents are “disadvantaged and some might say discriminated against by these closures” should they be unable to bike or walk down the road. “I don’t think driving is a human right,” Orlikow countered. “If they do have a concern about human rights, I would suggest they take it to a human rights tribunal.” Several residents — including letter writer Naomi Devine — noted they pay “significant taxes” for the “luxury” of living on Wellington Crescent, arguing they expect to be able to drive more than one block on the road in return. “I don’t agree with that claim. Everybody pays taxes and everybody has the same rights as everybody else,” Orlikow said. While community feedback from those who live on the street is critical, he noted, “I don’t care how much taxes you pay… no one owns the streets, they are public assets.” Before the pandemic, Orlikow said, conversations were held about pedestrians, cyclists and motorists sharing the road. “At the end of the day, it will be my intent to keep open streets on Wellington Crescent. People really do enjoy it. And just try to find some way to get flexibility so we can adjust it based on variables out there,” he said. (To read the letters, visit wfp.to/7nL) julia-simone.rutgers(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @jsrutgers

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Globe and Mail: Speed kills: Slowing cars is great for cities
by Charles F 12 Jun '21

12 Jun '21

Speed kills: Slowing cars is great for citiesThe Globe and Mail (Alberta Edition)Acentury ago, during the Roaring Twenties, the automobile established its dominance in our cities. As car proliferated, pedestrian death surged. To cut the carnage, walkers were shunted to sidewalks and could only cross streets at specific intervals. Los Angeles in 1923 was among the first to outlaw jaywalking – in the lingo of the day, a “jay” was a half-witted rube. “Don’t jay walk” blared one poster of the era, depicting a hapless walker hit by an angry driver, a nearby cop shouting at the pedestrian. According to the 2020 book Slow Cities, automakers helped launch “a massive shaming campaign [that] prompted a radical shift in public attitudes to the use of streets.”Everyone knows how the story turned out. Streets came to be understood as things whose purpose was to speed traffic. Streets belonged to cars; people were just interlopers, like hairs clogging a drain.The first cracks in the car’s dominance emerged a half-century ago when public opposition prevented proposed freeways from ripping through downtown Vancouver and the heart of Toronto. In the late 1990s, Sweden formulated a bolder idea: Vision Zero. Its goal was to design cities so that zero pedestrians would ever be killed by a car. It asserted that when cars killed pedestrians, it wasn’t because pedestrians were “jays.”Vision Zero has been spreading, including to unlikely places such as Calgary and Edmonton – cities with traditional, car-centric layouts.In Calgary, as of May 31, the speed limit on most neighbourhood streets was reduced to 40 kilometres an hour from 50 km/h. Edmonton is making the same change in August; big downtown streets such as Jasper Avenue are included.The rationale is simple: Speed kills. If a car moving at 50 km/h hits a pedestrian, the likely result is death. But if the car is going 30 km/h, the pedestrian probably survives. Research cited by the City of Calgary suggests a 1-per-cent reduction in average driving speed reduces fatal collisions by 4 per cent.The move to 40 km/h is only a half-step. The goal of Vision Zero in neighbourhoods is a limit of 30. And on arterial roads, where speeds are higher, and more deaths occur, a limit of 50 km/h is advised as much safer than the usual 60 or 70.In Canada, Toronto may have made the most progress so far. City council in 2019 approved a plan to cut civic speed limits. Known as “Vision Zero 2.0,” it’s a second go at a first attempt that came up short. The city, in take two, cut speeds on numerous arterial streets but still chose a cautious streetby-street approach, rather making citywide changes. Toronto has since kept making reliable progress. Among the next moves is a plan to cut neighbourhood speed limits in much of Scarborough to 30 km/h from 40.Pedestrian and cyclist deaths in Canada are stubbornly high. From 2000 through 2004, according to Transport Canada, cars killed an average of 364 pedestrians a year and 53 cyclists. From 2014 through 2018 – the most recent national numbers – cars killed 318 pedestrians annually, and 45 cyclists.The data from Toronto show encouraging trends – and gathering data is a signal of the importance of achieving a goal, rather than just tallying fatalities long after the fact, or treating pedestrians and cyclist deaths as just a fact of life. In 2020, road deaths in Toronto plunged – in part because of the pandemic and lighter traffic. This year’s figures are even lower. As of mid-May, there have been just five pedestrian traffic fatalities and zero cyclists. Serious injuries are also down sharply.Slowing cars – and saving lives – takes more than lower speed limits. The design of streets is important, such as narrower driving lanes, wider sidewalks, pop-out curbs at corners for pedestrians and cycling lanes. Other strategies include automated speed cameras, investment in transit and limiting cars in some areas, such as school zones in the morning and afternoon.This is not utopian fantasy. Vision Zero became reality in two Scandinavian capital cities in 2019, with Oslo and Helsinki recording zero pedestrian deaths. Back in the 1990s, Helsinki was suffering about 25 pedestrians deaths a year.A century ago, road safety was about making sure people knew their place, and stayed out of the way of cars – the real owners of the road. That paradigm is finally being reworked. The pace of change is measured in the dwindling number of lives lost.

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Fwd: Please join us June 24 at 7:30pm for the virtual launch of WriteToMove, a WITH ART anthology
by Anders Swanson 11 Jun '21

11 Jun '21

Welcome to join! ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: <tamara.rae(a)winnipegarts.ca> Date: Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 1:33 PM Subject: Please join us June 24 at 7:30pm for the virtual launch of WriteToMove, a WITH ART anthology To: leigh anne parry <leighanneparry(a)gmail.com>, Anders Swanson < andersswanson(a)gmail.com> Please join us online on Thursday, June 24 at 7:30pm for the free virtual launch of *WriteToMove* <http://winnipegarts.ca/wac/artwork/write-to-move>. The anthology, edited by Sharon Chisvin, explores the broad topic of mobility rights and was created with the Winnipeg Trails Association through the Winnipeg Arts Council’s WITH ART community public art program. *“I am grateful to all of the anthology contributors who entrusted me with their writing. I have never climbed a mountain or cycled across Europe. Nor have I ever been followed by store security because of the way I look, or had to flee my homeland and seek refuge elsewhere because of who I am. But I have had the honour of learning about those experiences, imagining those experiences, and being moved and inspired by those experiences in the process of editing WriteToMove*.” – Sharon Chisvin, Editor *“What resulted from the WriteToMove call for submissions is an array of stories that transcend any single interpretation of movement. Movement—geographical, physical, emotional, mental—is a necessary and beautiful part of our everyday lives. Everyone's an expert in their own movement. Everyone has an opinion about transportation. But not everyone experiences the built environment through the same lens.” *– Anders Swanson, Winnipeg Trails The event is free to all and features readings by contributing writers Alex Merrill, Moneca Sinclaire, Yvonne Kyle, Byron Rempel-Burkholder, Brendan McKay, Bob Armstrong, Jim Ross, Binh Pham, Berhe Gebrihet and more. Please register to attend here: *https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writetomove-a-with-art-anthology-virtual-launch-tickets-158175008709* <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/writetomove-a-with-art-anthology-virtual-launch…> tamara rae biebrich Senior Project Manager, Public Art *Winnipeg Arts Council <http://winnipegarts.ca/>* 103 - 110 Princess Street Winnipeg MB R3B 1K7 Treaty 1 Territory tamara.rae(a)winnipegarts.ca 204.943.7668 winnipegarts.ca <info(a)winnipegarts.ca> <https://www.instagram.com/wac_public_art/> <http://winnipegarts.ca/wac/pubart-gal/>

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WFP; City looks at four streets to test slower 30 km/h speed limit (Jun5'21)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Jun '21

06 Jun '21

City looks at four streets to test slower 30 km/h speed limit https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-looks-at-four-streets-to-test-… A year-long pilot project to reduce the speed limit on four residential streets posed by the City of Winnipeg last year may soon take off. Winnipeg public service will recommend council move forward with the plan to slow traffic on the select streets to 30 km/h (from 50 km/h), and begin a study looking at how other cities are approaching relaxing travel on similar roads, during the standing policy committee meeting June 10. The original proposal, in July 2020, suggested five streets to use as trial spots, but removed one (Roch Street, from Poplar to Leighton avenues) after public feedback. The four planned for the trial run are: Eugenie Street (St. Mary’s Road to Youville Street), Warsaw Avenue (Thurso Street to Pembina Highway), Machray Avenue (Fife to Main streets), and Powers Street (Dufferin to Partridge avenues). The list proposed last year was similar, with the only difference being the switch from Flora Avenue to Powers Street, a decision the report said was made after consultation with the ward. They are considered four of Winnipeg’s 11 “greenway routes” — or a street that receives various treatments to make it safer for cyclists and pedestrians, including additional signage and pavement markings. “It’s looking at an opportunity to further define what our greenways look like in Winnipeg, which are pretty ill defined right now,” public works chairman Coun. Matt Allard said Friday. “So if it works well, it could be that 30 km/hr becomes part of what a greenway is in Winnipeg, further adding incentive to using the streets for cyclists as opposed to all the other streets in Winnipeg.” The original council direction was to look into having a street with a reduced speed in each ward. “This is part of that, I don’t know that it’s necessarily the end of the story, but certainly it accomplishes that objective in four wards,” Allard said. The standing policy committee is also asking the city reduce the amount of signage necessary to designate a lower speed zone. Currently, the requirement is signs be up on every street corner, which Allard said most Winnipeggers in residential areas don’t want and would cost millions of dollars. Rather, the report suggests signage be put up at the edge of a neighbourhood or city if the speed limit is reduced. Allard said there isn’t a decided date of implementation, but the date would have to be decided by the end of July. The conversation has divided Winnipeggers. Allard said public engagement on the idea has been high. A survey sent out by the city on the pilot project received 567 responses and, after its proposal last year, a petition against lowering the limit to 30 km/ hr received more than 6,000 signatures. “If you ask the question straight up it’s very polarizing, because people are envisioning all sorts of scenarios that would probably not happen,” Allard said. Machray Avenue resident Debrae Campbell said the conversation has been divisive even in her own home. While her husband is critical of the plan, Campbell said she’s seen people drag racing down her residential street and wants stricter rules. “This road here is crazy, especially in the evening, you’ll see families in the park and the cars will go whipping by with no regard for anything,” she said while walking her dog Friday. She hoped there would be more enforcement to dissuade people from driving unsafely, if the city does change the speed limit. “What’s it going to take? One kid smacked and then you’ll realize you need to slow down?” malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_

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WFP: Adaptive cycling rolling with bike boom (Jun6'21)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Jun '21

06 Jun '21

Adaptive cycling rolling with bike boom https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/adaptive-cycling-rolling-with-bike-… HER first ride on an electric tricycle made Jocelyne Pambrun feel like a kid again. “Talk about freedom!” the Winnipegger said. “It’s kind of a feeling like you’re floating, and what I mean by that is, because of the pain I have in my lower leg and the difficulty of walking, it’s like all of a sudden I realize I’m going somewhere and enjoying it without having to look at the sidewalk or slowing down or having pain.” After dealing with balance issues stemming from multiple sclerosis and foot pain from a car accident, Pambrun hesitated for years at the thought of riding a bike again. It’s now been a year since her first trike ride — it’s made her more independent, no longer reliant on Transit Plus, and healthier. She said she’s no longer letting mobility challenges hold her back from being more active. “The hardest part is, you don’t know what you’ve been missing till you have it, and you think, ‘why did I wait so long?’” she said. “It’s a new adventure for me at my age, because now all of a sudden, I can join in with my grandkids and go biking.” Pambrun is among the Winnipeggers with accessibility challenges who are rediscovering their city through cycling. Bicycle sales exploded in spring 2020 as Manitobans looked for ways to get outside during the pandemic, and adaptive cycling hasn’t been left out of the trend. Seeing a growing need to make cycling easier for people with disabilities, sports-focused groups are now branching out to offer more public recreational equipment like hand cycles, and plans for regular adaptive cycling group meets are in the works as soon as Manitoba’s public-health orders allow. A brick-and-mortar store specializing in adaptive cycling equipment is soon set to open in Wolseley, and a virtual event for Winnipeggers interested in accessible cycling is happening later this week. More than 60 people, about half of whom have disabilities, have signed up to take part in the June 10 event through Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba, a relatively new non-profit organization that received a Safe At Home provincial grant. “It was the community that clearly said, this is what we want. This was people with disabilities that want to know more, like what trails are accessible in Winnipeg,” said Kirby Cote, vice-president of Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba. Cote is visually impaired and has been a road cyclist for about eight years. “Persons with disabilities are still fairly inactive folks, and that is for a variety of reasons and the pandemic is just a new one. So for me, it’s just about creating community and... increasing opportunities to be physically active and opportunities to try new things.” It’s been more important lately for Wheelchair Sport Manitoba to shift its focus to everyday activities after team sports were shut down because of the pandemic, said Sam Unrau, the association’s executive director. “We’ve decided to branch out into the recreation leisure space by recently purchasing three hand bikes as well as purchasing some trainers that work with hand cycles to allow people to (stationary) cycle at home in the winter.” That equipment will soon be available for loan, along with wheelchair skis for gliding over snow. Business partners Brian Szklarczuk and Suzanne Druwe have found a market catering to getting people with mobility challenges on wheels. Since 2019, they have operated an online store with van service, and they’re working on opening their first retail Prairie Velo store on Wolseley Avenue in a few weeks. “We’ve seen a resurgence, and I think it’s more of an awakening, that there are ways to get everybody out and move,” Szklarczuk said. Retired neurologist Mallory Fast is one of Prairie Velo’s able-bodied customers trying to stay active in retirement. Unbeknownst to him during his 34-year career, some of his patients were using adaptive bicycles, and even though he’d often recommend physiotherapy, he never gave much thought to helping patients participate in recreational activities. “I’m embarrassed to say it never crossed my mind,” Fast said. That’s all changed since he started using his scooter and mountain bike. “I think it’s just opened my eyes a little bit to the idea that helping people with disease and disability is more than just treating the disease, it’s helping them adapt to life.” katie.may(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay

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WFP Weeklies: Commuter challenge adapts to COVID-19 (May 31'21)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Jun '21

01 Jun '21

Commuter challenge adapts to COVID-19Annual weeklong active transportation initiative mixes things up for participants https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/headliner/Commuter-challe… Like almost everything else, this year’s commuter challenge looks a little different, owing to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Organized each year during the first week of June, the Green Action Centre’s commuter challenge aims to "encourage Manitobans to get outside and active by enjoying active and sustainable modes of travel" including cycling, walking, skateboarding and more. Considering that children across the city are learning remotely, and many people are either working from home or restricting their travel to essential trips only as Manitobans battle a deadly third wave of the pandemic, the Green Action Centre wanted to shift the focus of the challenge this year. In prior years, stations were set up at various points across central Winnipeg, with giveaways, free coffee and donuts, and other fun perks for those who commuted actively to the office. This year, a bingo sheet for the challenge was created online for participants to work their way through over the course of the week. "This year, we are really just focusing on people getting out and having fun, with zoom fatigue and the current status of health restrictions we just want to encourage people to get outside for some fresh air and get active for their mental and physical health along with seeing the positive impact even small changes can make for the environment," said Kris Kuzbub, sustainable transportation co-ordinator for the Green Action Centre. "Every sustainable trip taken helps to cut air pollution, reduce traffic congestion, and lower harmful greenhouse gas emissions." Squares on this year’s bingo card include suggestions like "visit your favourite park"; visit your local ice cream shop"; "search for local murals"; and "walk/bike your commute", among others. "This year, the Challenge is recognizing all trips so the sheet is being used as prompts for people to get a better idea of the fun," Kuzbub said. Participants are encouraged to fill out their cards and submit them online for chances to win prizes. While the challenge runs May 30 to June 5, organizers are always hopeful that active transportation will become more of a year round activity for participants. Visit greenactioncentre.ca/commuterchallenge for more info.

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The Lance: Fermor tunnel an active transport thoroughfare (May 31'21)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Jun '21

01 Jun '21

Fermor tunnel an active transport thoroughfare https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/lance/correspondent/Fermo… The new active transportation tunnel under Fermor Avenue is transforming the character of Niakwa Road and the movements of North St. Vital residents. Since opening in 2019, the much-celebrated tunnel beneath Fermor at the foot of Des Meurons Street has had a big impact on its surroundings. The intersection of its pathway with the existing east-west Niakwa Trail has created a meeting place of sorts, where plenty of smiles, waves and hellos are exchanged between walkers and cyclists crossing in one of four directions, and it is becoming busier every week amid the exploding popularity of cycling amid our third COVID-19 provincial lockdown. Perhaps nowhere has the impact been more obvious than on Niakwa Road. The semi-paved road, once a sleepy access street for a dozen or so large-lot homes and the Niakwa Country Club, has become a buzzing corridor for young and old alike on foot and bicycle, as an alternative route to the similarly growing usership of the trail on the north side of Fermor. Historically, the street was popular as an access point for seniors from the apartments on the St. Vital side of the Seine River, across the "watermelon bridge" (as my stepson calls it), harkening back to last years "Cool Streets" bridge painting project. The tunnel has opened the street up to new users in the Glenwood area by sparing them a major detour, and linked it with Egerton Road, a popular ‘Open Street’. With this rise in use however, comes challenges that bring their own opportunities. Niakwa Road has no sidewalk and can feature variable levels of car traffic depending on the time of day, particularly the coming and going of those using the golf course. When I ride my bike to my children’s daycare (with their grandparents in Island Lakes), there is a noticeable difference in traffic volume from morning to afternoon. While these interactions are mostly amicable, it is worth paying attention to as the street's usage patterns continue to evolve. One opportunity to accommodate this increased number of users,would perhaps be a bench, table, or rest point in a park-like setting along the length, perhaps located in the open space where Niakwa meets Royal Salinger Road in Niakwa. Such an amenity could take advantage of the routes popularity for some community place-making, and provide St. Vital seniors on their way to and from their shopping in Southdale a place to rest their legs. *Ryan Palmquist is a Glenwood resident and executive assistant to St. Boniface city councillor Matt Allard.*

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Global: 40 is the new 50: lower speed limit for Calgary’s residential roads now in effect (May31'21)
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '21

31 May '21

The speed limit for residential roads in Calgary dropped to 40 km/h on Monday, with the hope it will make the streets safer and reduce accidents. https://globalnews.ca/news/7890897/calgary-residental-roads-speed-limit-red…

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WFP Analysis: Alberta cities excel in urban change (May31'21)
by Beth McKechnie 31 May '21

31 May '21

Alberta cities excel in urban change https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/alberta-cities-excel-in-… FOR many years, the fast-growing cities of Calgary and Edmonton have been the stereotype for sprawling, car-dominant urban planning, but recently they have begun to shed that image and are in many ways becoming North American leaders in progressive urban design and city building policy. Other cities might take note. Private vehicles have shaped our cities more than anything else over the last century, but the environmental, economic, urban quality and social equity impacts of cars has progressive cities looking to diversify mobility options. Calgary and Edmonton both made the investment in light rail transit more than 40 years ago, when they had less than two-thirds of Winnipeg’s current population. Today, broad public support is fuelling transit investment and expansion in both cities. Backed with significant federal funding available to all cities, current construction of the Valley Line in Edmonton will more than double the city’s 24-kilometre- long LRT system by 2026, and Calgary will soon begin construction on the 20-kilometer-long Green Line, adding to its current 60 kilometres of rail transit. In Calgary, 45 per cent of people who work downtown commute by train. The network is used by more than 300,000 people per day, making it one of the busiest LRT systems in North America, second only to Guadalajara, Mexico. Calgary has also demonstrated leadership in active transportation development. In 2014, the city installed a complete, temporary downtown grid of protected bike lanes, all at once. The network has since been made permanent and the results have been significant, with more than 18,000 cyclists entering or leaving downtown daily, an increase of more than 300 per cent over 20 years. The City of Edmonton is not only working to diversify mobility, they have also committed to building safer streets for all road users, to calm traffic, reduce collisions, promote walking and cycling, and create more liveable, and healthier neighbourhoods. The city has implemented a Vision Zero policy with the goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities by the year 2032. Funded by revenues from red light cameras and automated traffic enforcement, the city has been building traffic-calming elements into street design that intuitively slow drivers through changes in the physical environment. This includes narrowing streets and lanes, adding speed bumps and raised crosswalks, building protected bike lanes, and extending curbs at intersections to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians. The city is going even further, announcing that speed limits on all residential and high-pedestrian main streets will be reduced to 40 km/h. These initiatives have found success. Over the last five-year period (pre-pandemic), Edmonton reduced vehicle collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists by nearly 30 per cent, overall collision fatalities decreased by 56 per cent and serious injuries declined by 30 per cent. The number of trips taken by bicycle has also doubled in the last ten years across the city. Urban mobility is one way Calgary and Edmonton are moving into the future, reconsidering land-use policy is another. Calgary will hit the ground running as we move out of the pandemic, recently releasing a visionary, ten year, one billion dollar downtown plan. The urban transformation road map will ensure economic and cultural prosperity for the city centre long into the future. A $200-million initial investment will be used to fund affordable housing and office tower conversions, greenspace development, arts and culture, and public realm improvements, focused on creating a liveable downtown neighbourhood that redefines the business district into a vibrant, 24-7 centre of the city. Edmonton’s land use policy has been the gold standard for promoting neighbourhood densification, renewal, and infill development in mature neighbourhoods. The city’s successful Infill Roadmap began in 2014 with dedicated political buy-in from city council, which moved forward a comprehensive network of guidelines that shape development, monitor construction sites, encourage good design and promote clear dialogue between all stakeholders. Its success has seen a public fear of change evolve into a greater understanding of the economic, environmental, and social benefits of higher-density growth and acceptance that neighbourhood character and demographics can evolve without detriment to quality of life. Last year, 30 per cent of all new development in Edmonton occurred as infill in mature neighbourhoods, more than twice Winnipeg’s current levels. Edmonton has not stopped with this success, recently becoming the first city in Canada to eliminate minimum parking requirements for new developments that stifle investment and lead to overbuilt parking in new construction. The city is also working on a new zoning system that will re-think the city’s entire land-use policy to prioritize economic and environmental sustainability, social and housing equity, neighbourhood mobility and walkability. Implementing progressive urban change in Alberta’s cities should not be dismissed as a function of wealth. It is not a matter of money; it is about priorities and political will. Continuing the ideas of the past and moving forward with apprehension will be a greater cost to other cities. Calgary and Edmonton still struggle with urban sprawl, as most Canadian cities do, but bold leadership is executing a progressive vision that will push those cities into a prosperous future. Rethinking the urban mobility and land-use ideas of the past is not radical, it is just what progressive cities do. *Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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Upcoming Free Webinar on Pedestrian Safety on Arterial Streets
by Beth McKechnie 27 May '21

27 May '21

*Webinar Announcement* Upcoming Webinar on Pedestrian Safety on Arterial Streets *Tuesday, June 15, 2021* 1:00-2:30 pm Eastern Time Register Here <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> Communities across the country face challenges in improving safety for pedestrians on arterial streets, which account for the majority of pedestrian deaths in the US each year compared to other street types. At the same time, there are numerous policy and design solutions available to improve safety and comfort on arterials for vulnerable road users. During this webinar, panelists will share the latest research on the safety, equity, and health challenges presented by arterials and what can be done to rebalance these streets for all road users. Panelists include Dan Goodman (Toole Design), Thomas Hillman (Toole Design), and Dr. Carey McAndrews (University of Wisconsin). ------------------------------ PBIC offers free, public webinars approximately every month. To register for upcoming webinars and to access archived presentations, please visit www.pedbikeinfo.org/webinars <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> . Follow the PBIC on Twitter <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and Facebook <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and join the discussion [image: https://twitter.com/pedbikeinfo?lang=en] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: https://www.facebook.com/pedbikeinfo] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/index.cfm] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> ------------------------------ Since its inception in 1999, PBIC's mission has been to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ------------------------------ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center 730 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 300 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Add us to your address book <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/vcard?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e453ab5d&…> Phone: 1.888.823.3977 Fax: 919.962.8710 www.pedbikeinfo.org <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> View this email in your browser <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…>

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Upcoming Webinar on Improving Traffic Signals for Bicycling and Walking
by Beth McKechnie 20 May '21

20 May '21

*Webinar Announcement* Upcoming Webinar on Improving Traffic Signals for Bicycling and Walking *Wednesday, June 9, 2021* 2:00-3:30 pm Eastern Time Register Here <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> This webinar will focus on how transportation professionals and practitioners can use traffic signals to make intersections safer and more comfortable for nonmotorized road users. Panelists, including Peter Koonce, PE, of Portland, Oregon, and Peter Furth, of Northeastern University, will describe strategies for improving intersections through signal timing, cycle lengths, speed management, protected phasing, and more. Participants will learn about the latest advances and trends in managing traffic signals to prioritize bicycling and walking. This is the first webinar in a two-part session, co-hosted by the Institute of Transportation Engineers, to explore multimodal traffic signal improvements. ------------------------------ PBIC offers free, public webinars approximately every month. To register for upcoming webinars and to access archived presentations, please visit www.pedbikeinfo.org/webinars <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> . Follow the PBIC on Twitter <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and Facebook <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> and join the discussion [image: https://twitter.com/pedbikeinfo?lang=en] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: https://www.facebook.com/pedbikeinfo] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> [image: http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/index.cfm] <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> ------------------------------ Since its inception in 1999, PBIC's mission has been to improve the quality of life in communities through the increase of safe walking and bicycling as a viable means of transportation and physical activity. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center is maintained by the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. ------------------------------ Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center 730 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Suite 300 Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Add us to your address book <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/vcard?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e453ab5d&…> Phone: 1.888.823.3977 Fax: 919.962.8710 www.pedbikeinfo.org <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…> View this email in your browser <https://pedbikeinfo.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7ae385fc8506278c2e45…>

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WFP: ‘The toll on our roads’: report delves into deaths (May19'21)
by Beth McKechnie 19 May '21

19 May '21

‘The toll on our roads’: report delves into deaths https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/the-toll-on-our-roads-574448132.html THE flash of the fire truck’s lights ahead signalled for a slowdown while cruising St. Mary’s Road with the windows down. It was late March, but an unseasonably warm afternoon. School had just let out. Teens and preteens from four schools flooded the area sidewalks. Drivers rubbernecked as they passed the accident, only to catch a glimpse of a blond boy, probably no older than 13 or 14, lying on the pavement, next to his bicycle, in a marked crosswalk near the median. The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service later reported the adolescent cyclist didn’t sustain any major injuries but was taken to hospital as a precaution. The boy is one of hundreds of Manitoba cyclists and pedestrians who will be injured or killed by drivers over the course of the year. Most such incidents won’t make it into the news cycle. On average, between 2012 and 2019, 260 pedestrians and cyclists were injured or killed annually in vehicle accidents in Manitoba. The average number of deaths in that time period is 15 per year. While exact data for Winnipeg is difficult to distil from the statistics provided by Manitoba Public Insurance, most of those accidents occurred in urban settings. Winnipeg is Manitoba’s biggest urban centre. One-hundred-and-twenty Manitobans died while walking or cycling between 2012 and 2019. “Our approach to ground transportation has been to make it as safe as possible for cars and for drivers, and everybody else is a secondary consideration,” said Brian Pincott, executive director of Vélo Canada Bikes. “We are seeing the toll on our roads, and our streets, and our neighbourhoods that that approach is bringing us — particularly as more and more people are now looking to use other means than just driving everywhere.” In 2019, MPI data show walking as the second-leading activity for a vehicle-involved fatality (23 per cent). Head-on collisions between two vehicles was No. 1. The problem may be getting worse. In 2018 and 2019, the number of pedestrians involved in car accidents increased substantially from the averages seen previously. Between 2012 and 2017, the average number of pedestrians involved in accidents was 150 per year. In 2018, it was 227; in 2019, it was 205. The MPI analysis found that fatal collisions are most likely to occur on weekdays between noon and 6 p.m.; they are most likely to involve teenagers 15 to 19 years old. The 2019 statistics show a pedestrian was most likely to be involved in a collision when walking in a marked crosswalk at an intersection, where they have the right of way. In other words, when they followed the rules of the road. Meantime, convincing Winnipeggers to leave their cars at home and walk and cycle is a critical part of the city’s climate plan to reduce emissions. “I think it speaks to the need to build more protected infrastructure to meet our climate goals,” said Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface). “We’ve gone a long way from where things used to be, but we need to prioritize active transportation more than we currently do in order to get to those goals and to reduce injuries to our cyclists and pedestrians.” Winnipeg currently has the fewest kilometres of bike trails of any large Canadian city (307 km) — compared with 557 km in Toronto, 800 km in Ottawa, and 1,290 km in Calgary. However, Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) says he’d like to see more focus on the separation of cars from cyclists and pedestrians, with the prioritization of car-only infrastructure. For example, the construction of Chief Peguis Trail cleared a great deal of car traffic off residential roads. “Compared to other cities, a lot more of our traffic goes down arterials that are shared, which aren’t as well-split as you’d find in some cities,” Browaty said. He also advocated for better enforcement and public campaigns to address the dangers of distracted driving and distracted walking, too. Both Pincott and Allard disputed Browaty’s approach of continued investment in car infrastructure. “We’ve been focusing almost exclusively on car infrastructure for the last 100 years. I would say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result,” Pincott offered. “If you invest in road infrastructure, particularly if you invest in expanding road networks, then you induce demand for more cars and more congestion. And if you want to induce demand for active transportation, you need to build more active transportation infrastructure,” Allard said. sarah.lawrynuik(a)freepress.mb.ca

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Fwd: VCB's Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll
by Dave Elmore 17 May '21

17 May '21

I'm sure everyone has likely heard about this, but in case you have not signed up yet. Cheers Dave o _ ( \ _ (X)\ /(X) ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Vélo Canada Bikes <admin(a)membership.canadabikes.org> Date: Mon, May 17, 2021 at 3:18 PM Subject: VCB's Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll To: Dave Elmore <daveelmore12(a)gmail.com> <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> *Sondo Vélo/Pedal Poll* Dear Dave, It's two weeks until the start of the 1st Canada Wide Bike Count! Not only are we doing the 1st country wide count, we are also looking who is riding and where. The data we collect will be used to advocate for more cycling for everyone, everywhere! So far we have almost 500 volunteers signed up coast to coast to coast! Join us for this important initiative. Sign up today: Pedal Poll/Sondo Vélo <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Happy Riding! (is there any other way??) Brian Brian Pincott Executive Director Directeur Executif he/him Vélo Canada Bikes ed(a)canadabikes.org 403-701-6335 @bpincott @Canada_Bikes Become a VCB Member <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Member Log In <https://membership.canadabikes.org/EmailTracker/LinkTracker.ashx?linkAndRec…> Unsubscribe <https://membership.canadabikes.org/Sys/Unsubscribe?et=CGi9kJ%2bKnivL%2fdAOy…>

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WFP: Cyclists ready to hit Winnipeg’s ‘open’ roads (May13'21)
by Beth McKechnie 13 May '21

13 May '21

Cyclists ready to hit Winnipeg’s ‘open’ roads https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/cyclists-ready-to-hit-winnipegs-ope… WINNIPEGGERS who are eagerly waiting to cycle down “open streets” this year wish the city could have put its pedal to the metal. On Wednesday, the city announced the long-awaited timeline to set up the routes, which were popular last year. Cyclist Zach Fleisher welcomed the move, but questioned why city council and staff couldn’t have implemented the plan sooner. “Especially during COVID, at this stage of the lockdown, there’s not much else to do and it would have been really, really nice (to use these),” he said. “For the life of me, I just can’t figure out why this isn’t a priority.” City council recently approved a pilot project that will limit vehicle traffic to one block on sections of 17 streets so cyclists have more room. Now known as “enhanced summer bike routes,” these were slated to begin as early as May 3 and last until Nov. 5, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, except for a few routes restricted to weekends and holidays. That’s an extension from the 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily hours offered last year. While none of the routes had the proper barricades and signs in place to officially begin operating on Wednesday, a city official announced that will soon change. Jim Berezowsky, Winnipeg’s public works director, said eight of the routes — on Rover Avenue, Scotia Street, Lyndale Drive, Wolseley Avenue, Kildonan Drive, Wellington Avenue, Wellington Crescent, and Assiniboine Avenue — will open by Saturday. The rest will be installed between May 17 and May 21. Fleisher said the traffic-calmed routes offered a much-needed pandemic reprieve last year, which he looks forward to using again under the current lockdown. “People don’t have a lot going on right now. You can’t go anywhere. You can’t even go to a patio with friends or stay (with friends) in the backyard,” he said. “Having the opportunity to ride my bike on weekends with my kid… is one of the few things (I could do) right now.” Julie Penner was also frustrated by the wait, as her family found biking together on Wolseley Avenue to be a rare “highlight of the pandemic” last year. “We’re already in mid-May, it’s going to be 23 C today. It’s the first day of remote schooling, I have two little kids at home and (this is needed),” said Penner on Wednesday morning. She said she’s excited to learn a timeline to open the routes is in place, especially after pandemic restrictions cut off sports and other activities for her kids. “Time is of the essence. People need things to do outside safely,” she said. Berezowsky said the routes couldn’t open by May 3 because the city needed to create new signs and education material to reflect key changes from last year’s routes, which council finalized in a vote on April 29. “This is a fundamental shift or change in understanding and we’ve got to make sure we get it right or we’re going to create conflict,” he said. Unlike last year’s “open streets,” the cycling routes won’t allow pedestrians, since the city has since discovered that doing so violated the Highway Traffic Act. The act prohibits pedestrians from walking on roadways where a “reasonably passable” sidewalk is present. The 2021 routes will also operate for longer hours. “We’re providing that information, education and awareness to the community about what’s happening, how you can use it and what you can’t do,” said Berezowsky. The city’s education efforts will include hand-delivered information to homes near the routes. Coun. Matt Allard, chairman of the public works committee, said council approved the program as quickly as it could. “I think council got the job done in plenty of time. We provided very clear direction to the public service,” said Allard. Ready to roll THE following summer cycling routes will open by May 15: ● Lyndale Drive: Cromwell to Gauvin streets ● Scotia Street: Anderson (at St. Cross Street) to Armstrong avenues (weekends, holidays only) ● Wellington Crescent: Academy Road to Guelph Street ● Wolseley Avenue: Raglan Road to Maryland Street ● Kildonan Drive: Helmsdale Avenue to Irving Place ● Rover Avenue — Hallet to Stephens streets (weekends, holidays only) ● Assiniboine Avenue: Parkside Drive to Ferry Road (weekends, holidays only) ● Wellington Avenue: Maryland to Strathcona streets (weekends, holidays only) THE following routes will open between May 17 and May 21: ● Churchill Drive: Hay Street to Jubilee Avenue ● Egerton Road: Bank to Morier avenues ● Kilkenny Drive/Kings Drive: Burgess to Patricia avenues ● Alexander Avenue: Arlington to Princess streets ● Ravelston Avenue: Wayoata to Brewster streets ● Linwood Street: Portage to Silver avenues ● Harbison Avenue West: Henderson Highway to its eastern end ● Rose Lake Court, surrounding Rose Lake Green ● Youville Street: Eugenie Street to Haig Avenue (after reconstruction of Des Meurons Street)

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Corvallis (OR) building map of shortcuts for peds & cyclists
by Beth McKechnie 13 May '21

13 May '21

https://democratherald.com/news/local/corvallis-building-map-of-shortcuts/a… Corvallis transportation officials want you to give them a shortcut. Or at least that’s what we’re calling them. The city of Corvallis, which sometimes is a bit wordy, is calling them “active travel corridors.” The concept works like this: There are routes folks take on bicycle and on foot that are off-limits to motorists. A street dead-ends, but the sidewalk continues, or a path exists through a park. Advantage active travelers! Here are a couple of examples: • Both Northwest Eighth Street and Northwest Seventh Street dead-end just south of the Linn-Benton Community Benton Center. But paths and sidewalks will take you right to the campus (see map). • Northwest Tyler Avenue dead-ends tantalizingly short of Harrison Boulevard. But a path exists to transport a cyclist or walker to Harrison. • A bridge over Dixon Creek will get you from Northwest Arthur Avenue to Northwest Arthur Place … and eventually to Kings Boulevard. • Porter Park, meanwhile, provides a pleasant pathway for a cyclist or pedestrian motivating between Garfield and Grant. Corvallis is collecting the ATCs to put on an interactive map (see information box for the link). Some of the routes even feature transit connections. “It’s a brand new transportation network that has been here for decades,” said Josh Capps, the city’s active transportation program specialist. “Throughout the years, Corvallis has been quietly developing neighborhood shortcuts for people walking, rolling and biking. These cut-throughs connect people to other valuable locations such as another street, a park, or a school. They shorten the trip for people traversing by active modes and enrich the travel experience.” The idea, Capps said, came from a project supported by the International Federation of Pedestrians “that really didn’t catch on. We took the initial idea and tweaked it a bit.” Capps says only Olympia, Washington, has a program anywhere near what Corvallis is offering. The city went live with its interactive map May 1 and began sifting through recommendations from residents that arrived by the dozen. Participation by the public was an important piece, Capps said. “We found many of these connections, but we knew that we couldn't possibly discover all of them on our own,” he said. “So, we wanted the community to tell us where they were. This helps for local knowledge but also gives people buy-in knowing they helped define the map.” Capps said that the program has been “very well received. We really thought that this was a campaign that would resonate with the community. We all have areas we know, but we didn’t know the whole thing.” The promotion is scheduled to end at the end of the month, but Capps said “we may leave it up longer. We see this as a living document, since new developments continue adding ATCs and we plan to keep the map as a permanent fixture on the city website. “Although it is developed as a stand-alone digital map, we are hoping to provide the ability to overlay the ATC map onto the online bike network map at some point to show how the two networks overlap and link up. There is a chance we could also add signs below dead-end street signs, for example, letting people know that a street continues for people walking and biking. “Last, down the line, I could also see pocket-sized maps being produced. But, we wouldn’t create these until only after our network is well identified.” And if a short-cut looks too good to be true, it just might be that you are encroaching on private property. “We don’t want to point people toward private property," Capps said. "We either view in person or use Google Streetview to look up each ATC that comes in. We also use tax lot information to determine if it meets our qualifications. If we find an ATC that cuts through private property, we mark it on the map with a red negative symbol. “This way it lets people know that we have seen the location, but we do not recommend it because it hasn’t met our qualifications, which usually means it is on private property.” TO PARTICIPATE Just go to https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/publicworks/page/active-travel-corridors anjd follow the directions. The city is giving away bike bandanas to 10 lucky contestants. For more information email josh.capps(a)corvallisoregon.gov

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WFP: Children’s charity seeks funding assistance to provide specialized bikes (May7'21)
by Beth McKechnie 07 May '21

07 May '21

Children’s charity seeks funding assistance to provide specialized bikes https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/childrens-charity-seeks-assistance-… AS the second summer without in-person fundraising and recreation programs approaches, the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation wait list for specialized bikes built for children with disabilities has more than doubled. There are 25 children currently waiting for bikes; on most years, the number is around 10. Bikes can range from $1,500 to $6,500, are custom-built, and often include alterations for support and mobility. The bikes are worth every cent for the limitless opportunities they can provide a child with disabilities, said Adell Gauthier, fund development manager and event co-ordinator for the foundation. “A bike ride down the street, or even when bikes are used at school in gym class, they have incredible therapeutic benefits, physical benefits for children with disabilities,” she said. There’s an ever-present need for bike funding, as children grow and their needs change, but the COVID-19 pandemic has brought a new urgency. Fundraisers that would typically bring in thousands of dollars to the program have been cancelled, and programs the children would typically utilize in the summer have been shut down. “In the year that we are in, with the lack of physical fundraising events that we’ve been able to have, it’s been increasingly difficult to fund these items as quickly as we could like,” Gauthier said. For many of the families the foundation works with, picking up a standard bike at a big-box store isn’t a feasible option — specialized units take weeks to build, and as the weather gets warmer, the foundation’s hoping more will be funded in time for kids to get outside. “Part of our concern isn’t just about the funding, it’s about the time. We don’t want spring and summer to go by and for a child that’s been waiting for a bike to receive it when they can’t be outside using it,” Gauthier said. One family who knows the urgency all too well is Heather Lawless and her six-year-old son, Nolan, who uses a customized bike funded by a donor to the Children’s Rehabilitation Foundation. Lawless said it was “heartbreaking” to learn more children are going without what has been an invaluable resource for Nolan. “Whether you have the means or not to buy your kid a standard bike, there’s many ways that can happen for people of any means, but when it’s as specialized as this bike, that’s just not a thing,” she said. The bike Nolan uses is part of the therapy he receives, but its features aren’t just physical — Lawless said it has helped him connect with classmates, who will often join him on rides. “It fills a gap in mobility he just does not have without the aid of this type of equipment,” she said. malak.abas(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_

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