- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Global: Selkirk aims to link entire city through active transportation pathways (Nov7'21)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Nov '21

07 Nov '21

https://globalnews.ca/news/8356815/selkirk-active-transportation-pathways/ The City of Selkirk, Man., is unveiling an ambitious plan to link the entire city via active transportation pathways. Mayor Larry Johannson says the ultimate goal is to eventually have every resident within two sidewalk blocks of one of the pathways. “What this does in our community is it takes a lot of the stress off the streets, so the streets last longer, it’s better for the environment, absolutely, and a key one is it’s better for people for their health,” says Johannson. The project will take until at least 2025, but the Active Transportation (AT) Strategy, which city council just approved, will help design and manage the infrastructure well into the future. n addition to the health and cost benefits, Johannson says the city wants to do its part to become more environmentally friendly. “We don’t want to talk the talk, we want to walk the walk. So we’re a small community, but you know what? We’re going to do our share, and active transportation pathways are a huge part of it,” Johannson says. Selkirk already has 2.5 kilometers of active transportation pathways that take the form of bike lanes, multi-use pathways and recreational pathways, along with 56 km of sidewalk. The city plans to add about 3.6 km of new AT pathways beginning next year. In a press release, CAO Duane Nicol says the pathways will end up paying for themselves and then some. “Study after study shows that active transportation saves significant dollars primarily in health care and transportation. It also allows people to save on household expenses related to vehicle ownership,” Nicol said. “Moreover, it increases the physical and socio-economic accessibility of our community.” In addition to linking each area of the city with the other, Johannson says the project will feature an AT pathway parallel to Main Street, so people can walk, jog or bike the entire width of the city.

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Data-Driven Analytics Are at the Heart of Vision Zero Goals
by Beth McKechnie 05 Nov '21

05 Nov '21

Preliminary data compiled by the National Safety Council show that 42,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2020, an increase of 24% over the previous year. Pedestrian fatality rates, meanwhile, jumped 21% — the highest increase since 1975 – despite the fact that vehicle miles traveled dropped 13% due to the pandemic. To counter this untenable state of affairs, an increasing number of communities nationwide are turning to a Vision Zero strategy, one that aims to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. While many of the tactics that comprise Vision Zero are well known – from decreasing the legal speed limit to installing traffic calming measures (speed bumps, roundabouts, etc.) to improving roadway lighting and pedestrian crossings – the technological advances and data-driven analytics at the heart of those tactics’ effectiveness are often overlooked. Full story here: https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/entry/data-driven-analytics-are-at-the-h…

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Top 100 Cycling Cities: New Data Points the Way on Bike Infrastructure Investment
by Beth McKechnie 04 Nov '21

04 Nov '21

[NOTE: Looks like an interesting webinar but be aware that it is a sponsored event.] Register for this live panel with StreetLight as we go deep on the latest U.S. bike trends and provide easy-to-use location-data tools. <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Top 100 Cycling Cities: New Data Points the Way on Bike Infrastructure Investment <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Thursday, November 18, 2021 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific) <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Sponsored Register Today <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Beth, With reports of bicycles selling out in many cities early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the transportation community rejoiced about gains in bike ridership in 2020, and we crossed our collective fingers that a new bicycling habit was forming. Now 18 months into the pandemic, analysts used StreetLight InSight® to measure these trends and compile the first report of its kind that analyzes America’s top 100 cycling cities. *So how has the COVID bicycling boom fared in 2021?* <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Join this live panel, "Top 100 Cycling Cities: New Data Points the Way on Bike Infrastructure Investment," <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> to hear from Kristin Musulin, report co-author and former editor of Smart Cities Dive, together with Martin Morzynski, co-author and SVP of Marketing at StreetLight, and Thomas Grogan, lead analyst behind the data, as they go deep on latest U.S. bike trends, zero in on “the why” behind key cities gaining and losing ridership, and provide easy-to-use location-data tools to help you analyze your own locality for bike activity on all streets, not just the few with physical counters. This event will help you <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> discover how new data is helping cities move quickly to identify highest-risk intersections for crashes, pinpoint major origins and destinations for cyclists, and prioritize new bike infrastructure where it’s needed most – based on data, as opposed to pre-pandemic hypotheses. *Meet the Panelists* <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…>*Kristin Musulin* is an independent media consultant, leveraging nearly a decade of journalism and media management experience to guide mobility and tech companies in press and government relations. Prior to media consulting, Musulin gained recognition in the govtech space as the founding editor of Smart Cities Dive, a business publication covering the innovations and policies that drive smarter, safer and more resilient cities. Her work included in-depth reporting on micromobility, public transit, climate policy, labor and policing. <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…>*Martin Morzynski* is the SVP of Marketing at StreetLight Data. Morzynski is a frequent guest on public radio, news programs and podcasts and regular contributor to analyses by the New York Times, Bloomberg and other media seeking to measure and understand the changing world of transportation. He can be found on Twitter as @MartinOnTraffic, sharing data-based perspectives on mobility and climate. Previous to joining StreetLight to lead the company’s product and marketing organizations, Morzynski was the CMO at HouseCanary, the pioneer of Big Data analytics for real estate. <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> *Thomas Grogan* brings a wealth of transportation analysis and research experience to the StreetLight team. He is a Solution Engineer focused on marketing, partnerships and other strategic initiatives, helping customers get the most out of StreetLight’s analytics. He has presented at national conferences on transportation and geospatial data, and his work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, and many other publications. Grogan has a MA in Applied Economics, and a BA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins University. <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> This is a sponsored webinar. By registering, you are agreeing to share your contact information with StreetLight Data. Register Today <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> Follow Next City <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…> To update your newsletter preferences, or sign up for our topical newsletters, go here <https://nextcity.mailchimpsites.com/manage/preferences?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3…> . *Copyright © 2021 Next City, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email because you opted in. *Our mailing address is:* Next City P.O. Box 22449 Philadelphia, PA 19110 Add us to your address book <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/vcard?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e767&id=f…> Update subscription preferences <https://nextcity.mailchimpsites.com/manage/preferences?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3…> or Unsubscribe from all Next City emails <https://nextcity.us4.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=fc79ee972b82dc5fc3643e76…>

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Improving Active Transportation Infrastructure in Four North American Cities during COVID: Lessons for Equitable Engagement and Implementation
by Beth McKechnie 04 Nov '21

04 Nov '21

*Full story*: https://urbanland.uli.org/planning-design/improving-active-transportation-i… ** * * * ** *Takeaways for More Equitable Engagement and Implementation of Interventions* Planners from these four cities were interviewed about the approaches taken to quickly create infrastructure that better supported the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and local businesses during the height of the pandemic. In most cases, traditional community engagement methods were bypassed in an effort to act quickly on project implementation; this created issues with equity of the interventions for communities that are traditionally underserved. Overall, the interviewees acknowledged the importance of community engagement but felt they did their best in the time-constrained situation they were in with pressure to act fast; takeaways and reflections from these initial projects and programs illuminate how critical it is to center social equity into decision-making for projects that prioritize active transportation. - *Bypassing traditional community engagement drew criticism and prompted more equitable strategies. *None of the four cities did a standard community engagement process due to the desire to act quickly. However, some used existing plans; others relied on elected officials’ views as proxies for community engagement. This led to criticisms about how this affected historically underserved populations, particularly Black and indigenous communities and those populated by and people of color (BIPOC). In Chapel Hill, no specific community engagement was conducted for the Franklin Street space reallocation since town staff felt as though a previous, similar engagement process for a permanent restriping of the road, the community petition, town council’s approval, and continuously checking in with business owners was sufficient. There were criticisms of the transformation in a local paper about a lack of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility due to some businesses using the sidewalk; however, town staff felt that they had considered these limitations and had to balance accessibility and local restaurant survival. In D.C., the restaurants that were part of a BID or Main Street program, generally located in more affluent areas of the city, were at an advantage in this program. In addition, there was also a need for these restaurants’ surrounding physical environment to fit certain constraints, such as wider sidewalks. Anacostia, a historically Black neighborhood, has streets that were not redeveloped like the rest of the city’s streets due to a long history of disinvestment by the D.C. government <https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2019/07/09/how-a-washington-d-c-p…>, which made streateries more challenging to implement there. The city is now focused on strategies <https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/streateries-alcohol-expans…> to expand the opportunities for streateries in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River. The city of Halifax did not conduct additional community engagement for the Slow Streets program, feeling that the prior engagement efforts were sufficient, and the temporary nature of the program would allow the city to adapt based on public reactions. However, members of the staff did know that they needed to speak with marginalized communities before implementing Slow Streets in their neighborhood. This conversation led to the implementation in one African-Nova Scotian neighborhood, where there was an existing relationship with the city and virtual engagement was successful. Conversely, this did not work in a different African-Nova Scotian neighborhood that lacked this existing relationship and efforts to build trust virtually failed. Later, the city collected feedback from the public and local organizations for a second rollout and adapted the program to better meet the needs of residents. An interim report from the program recommended making equitable distribution a main focus of future interventions, particularly areas that rely on nonvehicular modes of travel most. Now, the city is focusing on establishing relationships with Nova Scotian communities of color and is planning a Slow Streets program focused specifically on communities that rely on transit, biking, and walking. In Oakland, the initial Slow Streets program faced intense pushback. After hearing the swift, negative reaction from residents, particularly from Black residents of East Oakland, the city engaged with community leaders and organizations to discuss their views. One interviewee reflected on how the residents were emotional and clearly felt hurt and betrayed over a lack of inclusion in the process, even though staff felt as though the engagement that they had conducted on the Bike Plan was sufficient. The interviewees felt as though the start of these talks was venting but eventually moved into a problem-solving space. They determined that the East Oakland community was made up of many essential workers, and that the idea of Slow Streets for exercise and recreation did not resonate. The community was more interested in traffic calming than recreation. This led to the creation of Slow Streets: Essential Places to particularly serve the largely BIPOC East Oakland community. Most cities tried to course-correct during implementation in response to concerns, including Oakland engaging with East Oakland to create Essential Places and bringing in a community artist. In addition, Chapel Hill staff realized the “quick win” town-owned streets that were eligible for temporary multiuse paths were in affluent, majority-white neighborhoods, which did not allow the state-owned roads with higher Black populations to benefit from the program. This prompted town staff to look for more creative, community-driven solutions in lower-resourced neighborhoods. - *Setting a precedent for quick action.* The interviewees thought that this experience showed the speed at which active transportation and infrastructure programs can be implemented, with some reductions in regulatory barriers. These interventions will provide a precedent for change. This is particularly true for more risk-averse stakeholders, such as traffic engineers and municipal attorneys. Faster implementation after more authentic community engagement, in which the public is able to react to something tangible on the street, could revolutionize the relationship between communities and local government and push active transportation forward to build healthier communities. Pilot testing, where people can experience the changes and suggest adjustments, may garner more authentic feedback and build trust with communities if the interventions are actually implemented in a reasonable time period. However, multiple cities found that temporary materials still need to be robust. Lightweight materials that are easily moved or damaged by the public often cause more negative reactions from the public, since they can quickly turn from infrastructure to trash, and thus reinforce perceptions of neglect and disinvestment by the city. - *Strategic communication is key.* The projects in these four cities show that the methods by which planners receive feedback and communicate the goals of transportation projects must be well thought out. Community engagement is one way to inform and prepare the community for projects, but that was missed in most of these cases. This led to confusion among residents about the goals of programs. For example, East Oakland residents found the stay-at-home order in conflict with the message of Slow Streets. Most cities mentioned that to get the word out for these programs, they posted information on their websites, the mayors publicly announced the programs, and press releases were published. This is not enough to reach the general public. Interrogating and questioning who is providing feedback and how to measure success of the projects is also important. Solely relying on voluntary online surveys and community meetings is not reaching the people necessary to make decisions. Oakland found creative ways, such as short text surveys advertising where infrastructure is located and social media content, to evaluate programs. To understand who is giving feedback and how representative the feedback is, it is also important to track demographic data such as race, income level, ability, and neighborhood. Washington, D.C., realized that its main method of communicating to restaurants about the Streateries program, through BIDs and Main Street organizations, was leaving out restaurants that were not in the wealthier neighborhoods with these organizations. Moving forward, program staff is committed to reaching out to businesses more equitably. The lessons learned from the pandemic will undoubtedly change how active transportation planning is conducted in the future. It is clear that many municipalities are interested in faster, cheaper ways to adapt their streets to encourage active transportation and are reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic for lessons to do that. Transportation planning firms are developing expertise in the subject, so municipalities should think about partnering with experts on these adaptations to find a good fit for their own streets. In addition, local governments—particularly transportation planning departments—should collaborate with economic development professionals and local business owners to see how streets can be adapted to fit multiple goals. The question that lingers over this experience is how to implement an active transportation program quickly and equitably, avoiding a traditional, stale community-engagement process while at the same time not using a top-down approach. These case studies suggest that acting quickly in a way that facilitates *in situ* community engagement and adaptation could be one solution. This may be a “wicked problem,” but learning from cities’ responses to COVID-19 gives us a good place to start interrogating that problem.

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WFP: Impact of ‘slow down’ campaign debated (Nov3'21)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '21

03 Nov '21

Impact of ‘slow down’ campaign debated https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/impact-of-slow-down-campaign-debate… THEY’VE added a pop of sunshine yellow, blue outlines of small children and a clear safety message to hundreds of Winnipeg yards over the past few years. It’s clear there has been some demand for the signs warning drivers to “Please slow down” in blue capital letters. On social media, some folks described the signage as a non-offensive, “friendly reminder” to drive safely. Yet others appear divided on how effective the Winnipeg Committee for Safety campaign is. An advocate pushing for the City of Winnipeg to lower its residential speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h said she’s not convinced the signs produce their desired effect. “I think they give people the sense of control... but if the city knows speeding is a problem, how is this actually addressing the problem? This could give the illusion of improving safety,” Emma Durand-Wood, a volunteer with Safe Speeds Winnipeg, said Tuesday. Instead of sharing a reminder to slow down, she said the city should reduce the speed limit to change driver behaviour. “I think people who are really brazenly speeding aren’t looking at signs on the side of the road.” The Winnipeg Committee for Safety launched the sign campaign in 2018 to encourage drivers to reduce speeds, in hopes it would prevent traffic collisions and injuries. Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who helped lead the initial campaign, said the signs quickly became popular, so up to 100 more were provided for each city councillor to give out in 2020. Gilroy said the display may not alter the habits of persistent scofflaws but do remind folks who became distracted while driving to check their speed. “It is a (visual) reminder... there’s kids around here, slow down,” she said. The Daniel McIntyre councillor said she hopes the city will permanently reduce the residential speed limit to 30 km/h, something a pilot project is now testing on four local street sections. “In an urban environment, we want to have safe communities where people feel that they can… walk around their community, cycle within their community without having a fear of being hit by a car,” she said. A public service report says the city can’t evaluate the actual impact of the signs on vehicle speed, since the signs were handed out to any resident who asked, with no parameters or rules set to study them in a set area. The city did seek feedback from those who signed up to get the signs in 2020, for which 535 different households provided an address. About 138 responded to questions about the program, with 94 per cent saying they supported it and 94 per cent also agreeing the signs should continue to be available to Winnipeggers. However, just 45 per cent believed drivers slowed down after viewing the signs, while 39 per cent felt they didn’t. The rest answered the response was “neutral” or they weren’t sure about it. Winnipegger Ray Hignell said he opposes both the sign campaign and calls to lower the speed limit. “I find (the signs) offensive. What I get is the law is the law and the law is 50 (km/h). It’s not up to somebody else to appoint themselves… to tell me or anyone else that they should be driving slower,” said Hignell. He fears a reduced speed limit could create congestion without resulting in notable safety improvements. “It will slow some (drivers) down and they’ll spend more time wasting their time in traffic and it won’t solve anything,” said Hignell. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyannne_pursaga

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FW: [EXTERNAL] Global Plan for Road Safety | Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière
by Wendy Chapman 28 Oct '21

28 Oct '21

________________________________ From: Parachute Vision Zero Network [info(a)parachute.ca] Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2021 9:01 AM To: Wendy Chapman Subject: [EXTERNAL] Global Plan for Road Safety | Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière [https://r20.rs6.net/on.jsp?ca=ca301b90-7958-46ea-ad53-425d85f56664&a=110361…] La version française du bulletin suit la version anglaise [https://files.constantcontact.com/81471b4f001/e5df60b4-3f8b-4c09-a6fd-fb555…] <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> Global Plan for Road Safety [https://files.constantcontact.com/81471b4f001/0f427c69-56f5-495f-b599-54acd…] The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, an initiative of the World Health Organization, launches today! Together, Parachute and the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP) strongly support this Global Plan for Road Safety and we are committed to working with key stakeholders across Canada to use this global plan to guide and measure our ongoing work to make Canadian roads safer. Join this important initiative by spreading awareness of the new global plan and showing your commitment to use this plan to guide road safety action. Below are materials and sample social media posts to promote the launch of the Global Plan for Road Safety that you are free to customize. To help track the support in Canada in globally, please tag @parachutecanada, @CARSPInfo, and @RoadSafetyNGOs and use the hashtags #CommitToAct and #StreetsForLife as well as our #ParachuteVZ hashtag. The following materials are available to support your posts * Global Plan<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> for the Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2021-2030. The plan is available in English, French, and Spanish, Arabic and Russian. * Infographic<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…>: A one-page summary of the plan available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. * Social media tiles<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> (scroll down the webpage): Infographics of key focus areas of the global plan have been created to show your support for different components of the plan. * Social media buttons<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> and frames<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…>: Social media buttons and frames have been created for you to use to show your support. Sample social media posts The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety is launching October 28, 2021, with the target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030. Check out the plan today! <Link> _______ strongly supports the new Global Plan for Road Safety and we are committed to use this plan to guide and measure our ongoing work to make Canadian roads safer. Learn more at <Link> The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety calls for action on: multimodal transport & land-use planning; safe road infrastructure; safe road use; safe vehicles and post-crash response. Learn more at <Link> The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety describes what’s needed to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030. We call on governments & partners to implement an integrated Safe System Approach - <Link> The Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety reflects the 2020 Stockholm Declaration’s promotion of policies to promote walking, cycling & public transit as healthy & environmentally sound modes of transport. <Link> Achieving safe roads and preventing injury takes a multi-sector approach. _________ is committed to supporting theGlobal Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety. Learn more at <Link> We hope these resources help you as you continue to work on Vision Zero and make your communities and roads safer. Watch for information on an upcoming webinar Parachute and CARSP will be hosting on the new Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety! We would like to thank our partner and sponsor Desjardins Insurance for supporting Parachute Vision Zero. Visit the website<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> STAY CONNECTED [Facebook] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> [Twitter] ‌ <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> [null] <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> [https://files.constantcontact.com/81471b4f001/c42be7fc-9787-4b3f-b8a1-7949e…] <https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière [https://files.constantcontact.com/81471b4f001/37915265-0d4f-4244-8468-42c2e…] Le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière, une initiative de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé, est lancé aujourd’hui ! Ensemble, Parachute et l’Association canadienne des professionnels de la sécurité routière (ACPSER) appuient fortement ce Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière et nous nous engageons à travailler avec les principaux intervenants de partout au Canada afin d’utiliser ce plan mondial pour orienter et mesurer notre travail continu visant à rendre les routes canadiennes plus sûres. Joignez-vous à cette importante initiative en faisant connaître le nouveau plan mondial et en montrant votre engagement à utiliser ce plan pour orienter les mesures de sécurité routière. Vous trouverez ci-dessous des documents et des exemples de messages dans les médias sociaux pour promouvoir le lancement du Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière, que vous pouvez personnaliser. Pour faciliter le suivi du soutien au Canada et dans le monde, veuillez utiliser @parachutecanada, @CARSPInfo et @RoadSafetyNGOs et utiliser les mots-clics #CommitToAct et #StreetsForLife ainsi que notre mot-clic #ParachuteVZ. Les documents suivants sont disponibles pour soutenir vos publications * Plan mondial<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière, 2021-2030. Le plan est disponible en anglais, français et espagnol, arabe et russe. * Infographie.<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> Un résumé d’une page du plan disponible en anglais, français, espagnol, arabe et russe. * Blocs pour les médias sociaux<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> (faites défiler la page web vers le bas). Des infographies des principaux domaines d’intervention du plan mondial ont été créées pour montrer votre soutien aux différentes composantes du plan. * Boutons et cadres pour les médias sociaux.<https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001w5-_hl_1QmXrHJxKloeBhA7CGLKx9FmsT99eRRRCPJx…> Des boutons et des cadres pour les médias sociaux ont été créés pour vous permettre de montrer votre soutien. Exemples de publications sur les médias sociaux Le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière commence le 28 octobre 2021, avec pour objectif de réduire de 50 % le nombre de personnes tuées et blessées sur les routes d’ici 2030. Consultez le plan dès aujourd’hui! <Lien> _______ soutient fermement le nouveau Plan mondial pour la sécurité routière et nous nous engageons à utiliser ce plan pour orienter et mesurer notre travail continu visant à rendre les routes canadiennes plus sûres. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site <Lien>. Le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière prône des mesures concernant : le transport multimodal et l’aménagement du territoire; les infrastructures routières sûres; l’utilisation sûre des routes; les véhicules sûrs et les interventions faisant suite aux collisions. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site <Lien>. Le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière décrit ce qui doit être fait pour réduire de 50 % le nombre de personnes tuées et blessées sur les routes d’ici 2030. Nous exhortons les gouvernements et les partenaires à mettre en œuvre une approche intégrée pour un système sûr. - <Lien> Le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière reflète la promotion, par la Déclaration de Stockholm de 2020, de politiques visant à promouvoir la marche, le vélo et l’utilisation des transports publics en tant que modes de transport intrinsèquement sains et respectueux de l’environnement. <Lien> La mise en œuvre de routes sûres et la prévention des blessures nécessitent une approche multisectorielle. _________ s’engage à soutenir le Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière. Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site <Lien>. Nous espérons que ces ressources vous aideront à poursuivre votre travail sur Vision Zéro et à améliorer la sécurité de vos communautés et de vos routes. Ne manquez pas les renseignements sur un prochain webinaire que Parachute organisera sur le nouveau Plan mondial pour la Décennie d’action pour la sécurité routière! Nous tenons à remercier notre partenaire et commanditaire Desjardins Assurance de son soutien à Vision Zéro de Parachute. 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Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, copying or dissemination is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately, return the original (if applicable) and delete the email. Avis : Le présent courriel (y compris toute pièce jointe) est destiné à la personne ou aux personnes à qui il est adressé, et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels, privés ou protégés par un privilège juridique. Toute utilisation, divulgation, distribution, copie ou diffusion non autorisée est strictement défendue. Si vous avez reçu le présent courriel par erreur, veuillez en informer immédiatement l’expéditeur, retourner l’original (le cas échéant) et supprimer ce courriel.

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World Health Organization - Decade for road Safety
by Kristine Hayward 28 Oct '21

28 Oct '21

Hi folks. The WHO launch the Global Plan for the decade of Action for Road Safety today. https://www.who.int/teams/social-determinants-of-health/safety-and-mobility… Kristine Hayward (she/her) Physical Activity Promotion Coordinator Population Public Health Winnipeg Regional Health Authority 2nd floor - 490 Hargrave Street (currently working from home) Winnipeg, MB R3A 0X7 Telephone 204 232-7546 Fax 204 940-2690 Email khayward(a)wrha.mb.ca Bike racks are available in front of the building at the corner of Hargrave and McDermot. Plan your Winnipeg Transit trip: http://winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo Metered street parking and pay lots in the area – please note designated loading zones and spots requiring a disability permit. Follow Winnipeg in motion on Twitter - @wpginmotion<https://twitter.com/search?q=wpginmotion&src=typd> Check out our videos on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/user/Winnipeginmotion Scent Free Facility - visitors are asked to refrain from wearing perfumes/colognes/heavy-scented lotions/oils We are located on Treaty 1 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation. The water we drink comes from Shoal Lake First Nation. Disclaimer : This email (including any attachments or enclosed documents) is intended for the addressee(s) only and may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, copying or dissemination is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please notify the sender immediately, return the original (if applicable) and delete the email. Avis : Le présent courriel (y compris toute pièce jointe) est destiné à la personne ou aux personnes à qui il est adressé, et peut contenir des renseignements confidentiels, privés ou protégés par un privilège juridique. Toute utilisation, divulgation, distribution, copie ou diffusion non autorisée est strictement défendue. Si vous avez reçu le présent courriel par erreur, veuillez en informer immédiatement l’expéditeur, retourner l’original (le cas échéant) et supprimer ce courriel.

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WFP The Herald: New Louise Bridge (Oct27'21)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Oct '21

27 Oct '21

New Louise Bridge – so far, so good https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/herald/correspondent/New-… The new Louise Bridge replacement timeline has become clearer — and it’s good news for northeast Winnipeg residents. Last month, city planners made public their recommendation to build the new Louise Bridge beside the current bridge, which is exactly what Elmwood residents were hoping for. Although the new bridge will be placed just west of the old bridge and not east, as originally planned, it’s a relief to know traffic disruption will be avoided because the old bridge can stay open during construction. Northeast Winnipeg residents should be confident the planning stages are proceeding in an orderly way. City council will have final recommendations in the spring of 2022 — just a few months away. Notices were mailed out to affected property owners in mid-October, signalling the start of the final piece of the community consultation and the expropriation process. The six-lane design, including dedicated bus lanes in each direction, will require some expropriation of property. The time has come for the incoming new Premier to commit her government’s share of the funding for the replacement bridge. It’s good to know Elmwood residents will be able to use the old bridge for the two years the new bridge is under construction. Avoiding closure has always been a crucial aspect of the whole project. At the end of the day, we have to get the job done before the 110-year-old bridge is shut down for safety reasons. Northeast Winnipeggers have been patient but are keenly aware the clock is ticking. We need to keep the pressure on all three levels of government. You can help by visiting www.yourelmwood.com and participating in the survey on the new Louise Bridge replacement. *If you have any questions about other provincial programs, feel free to contact me at 204-415-1122 or email me at jim.maloway(a)yourmanitoba.ca <jim.maloway(a)yourmanitoba.ca>*

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Why Canadians Can't Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Oct '21

27 Oct '21

Can't recall if this video was circulated previously but it's timely as we head into winter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uhx-26GfCBU cheers, Beth

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CBC: Supreme Court says people can sue cities over snow removal activities that cause injury
by Beth McKechnie 22 Oct '21

22 Oct '21

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/top-court-snow-removal-liability-1.6219354

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Pittsburgh introduces Mobility as a Service (MaaS) with Move PGH
by Beth McKechnie 21 Oct '21

21 Oct '21

Exciting case study on the first MaaS initiative in North America. Here are the basics: 1. *Pittsburgh launched Move PGH, a program where customers can access a variety of mobility services through the Transit app and at Mobility Hubs across the city.* 2. *Move PGH offers e-scooters, bikeshare, carshare, public transit, carpooling services, and mopeds.* 3. *Alongside Move PGH, Pittsburgh is piloting a Guaranteed Basic Mobility program, where 50 low-income Pittsburghers can access all participating modes of transportation in Move PGH at no cost.* 4. *Move PGH is the first mobility as a service (MaaS) project of its kind in the United States. This initiative seeks to make different forms of shared mobility more appealing than individual car ownership.* Read more: https://learn.sharedusemobilitycenter.org/casestudy/shifting-the-mobility-p…

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WFP: Plenty to like about storing people’s bikes (Oct18'21)
by Beth McKechnie 18 Oct '21

18 Oct '21

Velotecha to employ youths being helped by Macdonald Youth Services Plenty to like about storing people’s bikes https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/plenty-to-like-about-storing-people… AS colder weather looms, a new bike storage facility is opening — one that doubles as an employment program for youth in care. Through Velotecha, up to 150 bikes will be stored, repaired and maintained during the winter. Winnipeggers can choose from packages offering varying levels of maintenance, to be performed by teenagers and young adults through Macdonald Youth Services. “We really put... (the) pedal to the metal this summer,” Nicole Barry, the non-profit’s chief financial officer, said of starting the project. The WRENCH, a charity that builds and repairs bikes, has been training eight people on bike mechanics since August for the venture. A new cohort will join soon. Cyclists can choose a basic package, which includes storage and tire inflation, for $55.99. Prices increase for those who want more in-depth fixes, like part replacements, realignments and brake adjustments. Organizers will collect bikes curbside beginning Monday. Pick up will continue into November, if space is still available, Barry said. “We want people to use their bikes if the weather’s nice, but we also have a limited capacity,” she said. Velotecha staff will deliver owners their rides in April. The bikes’ seasonal home remains private for safety reasons, Barry said. “The beauty of a bike storage program is that it solves a lot of problems,” said Kate Sjoberg, executive director of The WRENCH. More people have turned to cycling as a pandemic-era hobby, to combat climate change and for health reasons, Sjoberg said. But, many Winnipeggers end their two-wheel adventures when the temperature drops. Velotecha will assist people who don’t have room to store their bikes, Sjoberg said. And, it will allay the tune-up backlogs cyclists face in the spring. “It’s really hard to find a shop that will fix your bike in the springtime,” Sjoberg said. “(Also), training kids to be bike mechanics in the spring, when there’s a rush happening, is not a great way to learn.” The youths who Velotecha will employ have participated in Macdonald Youth Services’s life skills programs and were chosen by staff. “They’ve been really consistent and really awesome to be around,” Sjoberg said. “We have a lot of confidence in their ability to do great work.” Many kids using Macdonald Youth Services don’t get the same access to jobs others do, according to Barry. “Most of us have gotten help or were even handed our first job,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to provide them... We’re kind of giving them a shot at real, meaningful work.” Macdonald Youth Services plans to expand Velotecha next year: it wants a bike lab where Winnipeggers can buy refurbished bikes or get their own repaired. The hub will likely be at 175 Mayfair Ave., the non-profit’s location, and will potentially employ this winter’s mechanics- in-training. Then, Macdonald Youth Services can invite a new group to work at the storage site next fall. Velotecha’s current staff could also work for The WRENCH post-storage season. “There is a need for bike mechanics in the city,” Sjoberg said. “We’re interested in this particular cohort, if anyone is interested in working with The WRENCH following it, and they’re the right candidate.” Canada is “not hitting the mark” to support youth transitioning from care, in terms of ensuring they have liveable incomes and communities where they’re safe, Sjoberg said. “We know that many other organizations and people in the city are interested in creating that safety and those communities of support for kids,” Sjoberg said. “This is a small contribution to that.” More information about the program can be found at velotecha.com. gabrielle.piche(a)winnipegfreepress.com

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WFP: Velo Renovations - pedal to the home-reno mettle (Oct16'21)
by Beth McKechnie 16 Oct '21

16 Oct '21

PEDAL TO THE HOME-RENO METTLE Environmentally committed Winnipeg company’s owner, associates aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they’re using fewer of them to get to job sites https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/greenpage/pedal-to-the… SEEING is believing. Velo Renovations is a home reno company with a twist: instead of loading tools and supplies into a van or half ton, employees rely on pedal power to get from one job site to another, 12 months of the year. The business’s website doesn’t disguise that fact, openly charting how many kilometres workers have collectively covered to date — a tick under 15,000 — along with the estimated amount of carbon emissions saved by doing so (2.73 tonnes and counting). Still, clients who enlist them to paint a living room or patch a wall continue to be surprised when they arrive on two wheels, especially during a torrential downpour or January cold snap. “To be honest, the fact we get around by bike is a big reason why many of our customers choose to go with us in the first place,” says Nathaniel De Avila, who founded Velo, French for bicycle, in October, 2020. “But there have certainly been days when it was 30 below or whatever, when we pulled up and the person answering the door went, ‘I know you guys bike to work, but I didn’t think you’d actually do it today.” De Avila, 33, laughingly describes Velo Renovations as a “mid-COVID pivot.” Around this time last year De Avila, a professional music producer who moved to Winnipeg from his native Iowa in 2016, found himself unable to work in his chosen field because of pandemic-related restrictions. He’d long been comfortable with a hammer in his hand; he toiled part-time for a reno company during high school and again while he was attaining a master of arts in music from the University of Iowa. To stay busy, he figured that might be an avenue worth pursuing. Why bikes? That’s easy, says the veteran winter cyclist, tracing his environmental consciousness to a book he read when he was in junior high titled More-With-Less by Doris Janzen Longacre and, more recently, to a documentary called Freightened, which details nightmarish statistics in regards to pollution attributable to the shipping industry. “Most of the world is doing things on bike, it’s just North America where it’s a bit of a novelty,” he says. “Are we going to save the planet by having the eight of us pedal to work? Of course not. But that doesn’t make it unimportant, either.” ON the day we met, De Avila and one of his associates, Maraleigh Short, were doing exterior repairs to a home in Fort Richmond, an hour-long trek from Velo’s home base in West Broadway. De Avila arrived on his personal 10-speed while Short took one of two official company “vehicles.” “Colin Bock from Freedom Concepts (a Winnipeg firm that designs and builds special needs bicycles and mobility devices) helped come up with this, based on an Xtracycle (an elongated, load-carrying bike developed in the U.S.),” De Avila explains, running his hand along the frame of a two-metre-long contraption that joins a full-size chromoly mountain bike to a chopped-up, 20-inch BMX model. “It has a rechargeable battery unit that slides out, but is designed to be pedal-assist. There’s a running board on the back for tools and such but lots of times we’ll attach an extension ladder on wheels, upon which we can load even more stuff.” (Not present is a custom-built tricycle-and-trailer unit, canary yellow in colour, that always draws stares — and occasionally requests for a business card — when motorists pull up alongside it at a red light.) Short, sporting sweats and sneakers speckled with white primer, says one of the factors that attracted her most to Velo, more a co-op than a company, is its people-first approach. Not only do workers set their own hours and pick and choose job assignments, they also determine their individual rate of pay and are afforded the opportunity to view the business’s finances as a whole. It’s a model De Avila came up with long before Velo was even a “thing,” based on conversations he had with a university professor well-versed in businesses that place people and planet ahead of profits. “It could be a gendered thing, or it could be my personality, but I probably wouldn’t have sought out working in construction or reno if I hadn’t found (Velo),” Short says, seated on an empty, overturned paint bucket. “Initially, I didn’t bring a lot of skills to the table, nor did I have a ton of confidence, but because there’s a strong teaching structure in place here, I’ve been able to learn so much from Nate and the other people I work with. Now I really feel part of a team.” Velo Renovations tackles the same projects as most so-called, conventional reno operations, namely, painting, drywalling, restructuring and tiling. At the same time, it’s not like you’ll spot them hauling a kitchen counter or panels of sheetrock behind them any time soon. Knowing their limitations, they obligingly work with in-place delivery systems when it comes to larger items, De Avila says. He adds it’s certainly not a condition of employment that employees must pedal to work, and a few of their subcontractors do not. That said, if any certified plumbers and/or electricians reading this aren’t averse to hopping on a bike, feel free give him a call, he says with a grin. Another manner in which Velo differs significantly from many of its counterparts is that it’s not uncommon for on-staff designers to talk potential customers out of jobs that would probably net the company a bigger payday if they feel there are better options available from an environmental standpoint. “‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ or ‘Is there a way to consume less?’ are questions we ask all the time,” De Avila says. “For example, somebody might want to make their home’s footprint larger by putting in an addition. To which we might suggest changing a couple existing walls, thus avoiding having this bigger space you’re now going to have to heat for the next 50 years, draining valuable resources. “When we’re doing consults with clients, we try to provide them with all kinds of alternatives, whether it be using reclaimed building materials from ReStore or plant-based or sustainable products. Lots of renovators will say after they fix your home it will be worth whatever amount of money more. But as soon as you spend that money, you’re indebting yourself to a structure more so than you already have with a mortgage, which forces you to work X number of hours to make X amount of money, all of which goes against our general philosophy.” Finally, with the bikes, in the last 12 months De Avila, who also owns a car, says he’s noticed a discernible difference in his demeanour on days when he’s biked to work versus those when, for whatever reason, he was forced to get behind the wheel. Whenever he’s snarled in traffic due to lane closures or a mishap, he finds himself getting short or angry more quickly than when he’s pedalling here and there. “That makes me wonder if the actual mode of transportation fundamentally changes the way I interact with others,” he says, adding another benefit of biking to work with co-workers is that it affords everybody the opportunity to discuss the day ahead, where they left off yesterday... the same type of things they probably would have spent the first 30 minutes deliberating had they gotten there separately by car. “So if I compare the two, I’d much rather get on a bike at the start of the day. Plus it’s pretty hard not to be awake and alert when you arrive for work, especially when it’s on the chilly side.” david.sanderson(a)freepress.mb.ca

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New bike repair social enterprise launching
by Beth McKechnie 15 Oct '21

15 Oct '21

*** please share with your networks *** Check out the new bike repair social enterprise in Winnipeg called Velotecha. It’s run in partnership between Macdonald Youth Services and the Wrench. They are launching a Winter Storage and Tune Up service – picking up bikes, fixing them and returning them in early spring. The repair and maintenance work will create paid first jobs for some youth under supervision of qualified bike mechanics. Plus it will get more cyclists on the road earlier in the season. Have a look at the website here: www.velotecha.com Here is a FB post that can be shared quickly: https://www.facebook.com/272671616114244/posts/4455579211156776/?d=n

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WFP Analysis: Car co-op a progressive success story (Oct12'21)
by Beth McKechnie 12 Oct '21

12 Oct '21

Car co-op a progressive success story https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/car-co-op-a-progressive-… YOUR car is likely your second largest household expense, and studies show that it’s probably parked 95 per cent of the time. The typical Canadian vehicle is driven for just over one hour per day on average, and according to the Canadian Automobile Association, the SUV that most people drive for that time costs an average of $33 per day to own, with all expenses included. Imagine if you could, sharing a car with your neighbours, and only paying for it when you are actually using it. No more loan payments, or trips to the mechanic, and as a bonus you would be doing something good for the environment. Ten years ago, this was the dream for a small group of people in Winnipeg who saw the growing car-sharing trend in larger cities across the world and wondered if it could work here. The group organized, found 40 people to pay $500 membership deposits and, in June 2011, Peg City Car Co-op was born. The idea started small, with three cars in Osborne Village; keys were stored in lockboxes and transactions recorded on paper. As Peg City celebrates its 10th anniversary, it has grown to more than 2,000 members with 60 vehicles parked across 11 central neighbourhoods, and has hopes of growing to 100 vehicles in 2023. Members can now conveniently make bookings online up to a year in advance, for as little as an hour at a time, and they are automatically billed for their time and distance. The people at Peg City have worked hard to grow their reach, and some of their success can be attributed to progressive change happening in our city. Even slow-growing, car-dominant Winnipeg is becoming more urban. Nearly 60 per cent of all new homes built today are apartments, and almost three-quarters are multi-family buildings, compared to only 15 per cent 20 years ago. Higher-density development is happening across the city, and more people are embracing an urban lifestyle with walking, biking and transit becoming preferred transportation options. In neighbourhoods such as Earl Grey, Osborne, Wolseley and the West End, between 40 and 50 per cent of people don’t use a car to commute to work. These are the types of neighbourhoods where car-sharing can be successful. A shared vehicle isn’t typically primary transportation, but when people are walking, biking and busing, the ability to sometimes drive can be an attractive added convenience. To be successful, a critical mass of members must live within a short walk of a shared vehicle location, which typically requires neighbourhoods to be higher density and more diverse. Dense neighbourhoods allow a grid of shared vehicles to be located within walking distance of each other to give people alternatives in higher demand times. For people living in neighbourhoods with effective access to car sharing, the personal advantages of membership are easy to understand. Vehicles are always newer, with no maintenance headaches, depreciation or parking costs. With a range of vehicle types, members can choose the appropriate model for their use — a pickup truck for moving furniture, a hatchback for a grocery run. Most significantly, car sharing provides a method of private transportation without the inefficient financial burden of owning a car. Peg City has found the average member spends about $1,200 per year on car sharing, about 10 times less than the cost of individual car ownership. This can create more equitable neighbourhoods, allowing lower-income households more affordable access to a private vehicle. Higher-income households might find car sharing effectively replaces the need for a second car. Car sharing also has several collective advantages for cities. The North American Shared-Use Vehicle Survey found that each car-share vehicle typically removes 13 privately owned vehicles from the road. This means Peg City’s 60 cars are removing almost 750 others from traffic, and from creating road wear and air pollution. Parking for 750 vehicles would require five acres of land — more than three football fields. Almost 20 per cent of Peg City’s vehicles have come from partnerships with developers, who are allowed by the City of Winnipeg to reduce the number of required parking stalls in a new development when car-sharing is included. This has been a successful initiative that helps infill development in mature neighbourhoods become more feasible. The success of Peg City Car Co-op demonstrates that when we build higher-density and more diverse communities, new lifestyle choices become available. Ten years ago, most people would have believed car sharing was a big-city idea that could never work in Winnipeg, but our city is changing. If we embrace this change, and welcome multifamily options into our neighbourhoods, promote street-focused local retail, support the construction of protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks, and invest in frequent, high-quality transit service, our children will be able to find the urban lifestyle so many relocate to other cities in search of. If we can accomplish that, organizations like Peg City Car Co-op will be celebrating many more milestone anniversaries in the future. *Brent Bellamy is senior design architect for Number Ten Architectural Group.*

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WFP: City snapshot shows spike in winter cycling numbers (Oct7'21)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Oct '21

07 Oct '21

City snapshot shows spike in winter cycling numbers https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-snapshot-shows-spike-in-winter… A growing number of Winnipeggers are cycling long after snow hits the ground, according to a recent city count. The total number of local cyclists who used some key active transportation routes during the winter nearly doubled during a March survey period, rising to a daily average of 236 in 2021, up from 119 in 2020, a report notes. “It shows there is a pretty sizable demand for people to actually be able to bike in winter… I think there’s a bigger barrier (with winter weather) in perception than necessarily in the reality,” said Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. City officials note last winter’s unusually mild weather made active transportation especially appealing. The report also credits the change to increased interest in cycling, especially as Winnipeggers engaged in more recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The counts were taken on 10 key routes over four days in early March in 2020 and 2021. The results offer a “snapshot” of general increased interest in cycling, Cohoe said. He believes the trend is clearly linked to improved snow clearing on the routes, since those selected were prioritized for more frequent snow clearing a few years ago. “It’s not really a surprise finding that when we plow our roadways and bike routes, people respond by actually biking,” he said. Coun. Matt Allard agreed. “(It needs to be) where snow clearing is at the level of service where somebody riding their bicycle to work knows that when they get out the door they’ll have a path cleared of snow so they’ll get to their destination on time,” said Allard, public works committee chairman. The cycling increase builds the case for greater investments in active transportation, he said. In addition to meeting a demand from Winnipeggers, it would also help reduce reliance on personal vehicles and combat climate change, he said. “As we build dedicated cycling facilities and provide proper snow clearing, people will use the facilities more and more on their daily commute and for other purposes.” joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

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Montréal Offers Lessons for All Cities That Want Safer, Better, More Livable Streets
by Beth McKechnie 06 Oct '21

06 Oct '21

Last month, Clarence Eckerson journeyed to Montréal to see how much progress it has made in reining in the car culture, creating more livable communities, encouraging cycling, making roadways safer and, most important, bringing back freedom to inhabitants long oppressed by car drivers. Of course, Montréal has fewer open streets than New York City does, but the open streets in the Paris of North America are much better. Montréal’s 13 open streets are much longer and operate almost entirely car-free — car-free, meaning no parking, either! — 24 hours a day, all summer long. “It’s about making the city accessible for everyone,” Montréal’s mayor Valérie Plante told me. “There has to be more room for cyclists and pedestrians, and arts and parklets.” On Montréal’s open streets, you don’t just see people walking or biking as you see in New York, but also art installations, benches, bioswales, swings (with cupholders!), play areas for kids and bollards to keep out the cars. “It just brings so much joy and fun and, of course, safe spaces for our kids,” Plante added. And local business owners confirm that pedestrianized zones bring in more money for struggling merchants. Read the full article from Streetsblog here: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/09/16/see-it-montreal-offers-lessons-for-a… Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi5wmsK-3Zk

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WFP Metro: New bike lanes praised, questioned (Oct4'21)
by Beth McKechnie 05 Oct '21

05 Oct '21

New bike lanes praised, questioned https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/metro/New-bike-lanes-prai… The new, nearly-complete bike trail system running through West Broadway and Wolseley is garnering mixed reviews from cyclists. The trail begins where Memorial Boulevard meets Granite Way just north of the Osborne Bridge. From there, it winds through the two neighbourhoods up to the intersection of Walnut Street and Westminster Avenue. Though many were pleased the city is investing in bike infrastructure, some cyclists pointed out several points along the trail that can cause confusion or potentially dangerous situations with drivers and other riders. Some believe more signage and painted lines will only do so much to solve the bike path's flaws. One of the most contentious spots, according to cyclists who spoke with *The Metro*, is at Westminster Ave and Young Street in front of Balmoral Hall School. Here, the path splits from a bidirectional trail to two unidirectional routes. To negotiate a turn onto the one-way westbound lane from the two-way path, cyclists must take a sharp turn and cross the roadway at a three-way traffic stop. "It really breaks up the flow of your riding, because there is signage that says to turn right, but I guess they don’t have the directional signs on the ground yet," said cyclist Reynold Beniza. Beniza, 30, is a digital marketing manager who lives in the Exchange District and has followed this route to work for the last year, in summer and winter. While Beniza is happy the city is focusing on active transportation, he doesn’t believe this stretch of road needs bike lanes. "I would much rather see this sort of work done on, say, Portage Avenue or Main Street and getting more of these protective barriers on the really car-heavy roads," he said. "Or, even adding more active transportation routes from the North End." At press time, there were directional markers painted on the east and westbound bidirectional lanes, but not in the intersection itself. A draft of the finished design can be found in the city’s Wolseley to Downtown Walk Bike Project plan. Just to the northeast, another tight turn on the bidirectional path makes for some "pretty hairy situations," especially during morning and afternoon commutes, Beniza said. Mark Campbell lives in the heart of Wolseley and uses the bike paths almost every day. Campbell said he really likes the paths and has found them useful, but the 33-year-old software developer has a gripe with the west end of the trail. At this junction, cyclists are forced to merge with vehicle traffic. "The cars just speed up and there’s parking, so you’ll still fighting with cars, right." he said. "Turning across Westminster is extremely dangerous." Campbell is a fan of the bi-directional path because it allows him to bike alongside his partner and daughters. Michael Falk, a 42-year-old self-employed festival worker, lives in the West End. Falk uses the new bike paths three to four times per week. "I’m super-glad to have a bike path, but there’s little decisions here and there that feel like they’re weird budget decisions resulting in little peculiar moments," he said. While Falk knows there’s more signage on the way, he said the stretch where the path splits into two is "a bit clunky" regardless. The slow introduction of signs and painted lines has left Falk perplexed. "When they build a road, signs go up right away. You don’t just have six lanes of road going with no signs," he said. Looking beyond their neighbourhoods, Campbell and Falk are in step with Beniza’s sentiment that there needs to be more bike routes connecting downtown with the North End. Campbell and Falk also noted that there’s room for the city to improve on existing bike paths by closing the gaps. Both pointed to the fractured bike lane on Sherbrook Street just north and south of Portage Avenue.

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Police tickets issued to cyclists
by Orly Linovski 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Hi all, Sharing some recent research on tickets issued to cyclists in Winnipeg: https://findingspress.org/article/28345-police-enforcement-of-cycling-offen… Best, Orly

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Globe editorial on bike lanes
by Charles Feaver 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

The Globes editorial today; note the last sentences: The shift in direction is decisive. The arguments over bike lanes are settled. Theyre becoming what they should have long been: an ordinary way of getting around our cities. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/editorials/article-is-the-war-agains t-bike-lanes-finally-over/ On Vancouvers downtown peninsula, crews are at work on the citys newest bike lanes. Both of them, on Richards and Smithe streets, will be physically separated from car traffic. Once theyre finished, Vancouver will have an extensive and connected network of protected bike lanes throughout and in and out of the citys core. Whats more, the latest projects are being built free of the controversies of yesteryear. It is the opposite of the late 2000s, when the city opened its first protected bike lane on the Burrard Bridge into downtown. Chaos feared, blared one headline. Doomed to failure, opined a columnist. All that proved incorrect: The Burrard Bridge bike lane, billed as the busiest in North America, saw <https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/how-we-collect-bike-volumes.asp x> 1.4 million rides in 2020, 40 per cent more than its first full year a decade earlier. Bike lanes, in Vancouver and across Canada, have grown from political flashpoints and ideological signifiers to standard-issue civic infrastructure. Theyre being built everywhere. Penticton, in the British Columbia Interior, this summer opened its Lake-to-Lake bike lane; it plans <https://www.pentictonwesternnews.com/news/penticton-looks-to-spend-over-15- million-on-bike-lanes-over-the-next-5-years/> to invest $15-million over the next five years. Sarnia, Ont., is <https://www.sarniathisweek.com/news/local-news/bike-lanes-extension-on-russ ell-street-planned-2> extending its bicycling network. In Halifax, about a third of a <https://www.halifax.ca/transportation/cycling-walking/expanding-network/reg ional-centre-bikeway-update> planned 57 kilometres of protected bike lanes is complete. It includes Hollis Street through the heart of the city. Montreal last November opened a long north-south route on Saint Denis Street as part of its <https://montreal.ca/articles/le-rev-un-reseau-express-velo-4666> Réseau express vélo network. Toronto, <https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/recreation/covid-19-activeto/covid-19- activeto-expanding-the-cycling-network/> spurred by the pandemic, has installed protected lanes across the city. One new <https://twitter.com/TO_Cycling/status/1441110656644640768> segment on Bloor Street East opened in late September. These lanes are billed as temporary, but it would be a short-sighted mistake to reverse course. The key element in each is the bike lanes are physically protected from traffic. In years past, cities would take the cheap route and paint some lines on the street. Without real separation from cars, they were underused. Many potential riders did not feel safe in between moving and parked vehicles. Data have long indicated protected bike lanes are essential to draw riders. A flurry of new research underlines that conclusion. A <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920921002145> study from Ryerson University in May, one that looked at the Toronto region, found that protected bike lanes were <https://www.ryerson.ca/city-building/news-research/2021/05/new-cycling-data -dashboard/?mc_cid=1b91686d73&mc_eid=24ee3949b9> more than two times as likely to attract riders than unprotected ones. A <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213624X21001097?dgc id=author> study in Boston showed that a protected bike lane increased bike-share traffic by 80 per cent. This is a sort of induced demand build it, and they will ride. Its no surprise. A protected bike lane is obviously safer than a faded line painted on the street. Whats fascinating is the findings from <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140518301488> research in 2019 that concluded such bike infrastructure can make a citys streets safer for all users drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The goal of protected bike lanes isnt to get every single person on a bike, or for cars to be forever abandoned. Bike lanes are neither a disaster nor a saviour. Theyre about options. A well-built network means a family can ride for fun on a weekend, and that workers can commute by bike when able. (The arrival of October is a reminder that weather in Canada will always be a challenge.) Vancouver recognizes this. The citys goal is to have 12 per cent of all trips walking, car and transit included be made by bike by 2040. The <https://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/annual-transportation-survey.as px> most recent figure was 8 per cent double the rate in 2013. A little change can make a big difference. Research suggests that if Canadians drove <https://www.fastcompany.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-mor e-walkable-streets> one day less a week, it could cut almost four megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year. Ditching the car once in a while isnt unrealistic. The advocacy group Vélo Canada Bikes points to Statistics Canada data that show almost 40 per cent of commuters in cities live within five kilometres of their workplace. Canada has made gains but Europe is home to the worlds <https://copenhagenizeindex.eu/> top bicycling cities starting with Copenhagen. It is sometimes said, Well, were not Europe. Forty years ago, European cities such as Amsterdam <https://twitter.com/BrentToderian/status/1436961474837024777> were clogged with cars. Not any more. Paris of late is going through <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/06/opinion/paris-bike.html> a total overhaul. The Rue du Rivoli, adjacent to the Louvre in the centre of the city, is now closed to private vehicles. Canadian cities can likewise change. The shift in direction is decisive. The arguments over bike lanes are settled. Theyre becoming what they should have long been: an ordinary way of getting around our cities. Charles Feaver Bike Winnipeg

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WFP: Councillor wants 2022 budget to increase funding for green transportation (Oct1'21)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Oct '21

01 Oct '21

Councillor wants 2022 budget to increase funding for green transportation Boost to cycling options peddled https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/boost-to-cycling-options-peddled-57… THE public works committee chairman is calling for a major increase to the City of Winnipeg’s active transportation spending. Coun. Matt Allard wants the 2022 budget process to consider such funding that equals 10 per cent of the annual road construction budget. The investment could build up cycling and pedestrian routes, which would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, he says. “Every year, we emit more and more carbon, and we need to find ways to reduce the amount of carbon that we’re putting into the atmosphere,” Allard said Thursday. “In order to make (Winnipeg’s) climate action plan deliver what it intends to, we need to add that meat on the bones to ensure we (complete the active transportation network).” At $1.7 million, dedicated spending for active transportation falls far below that amount in 2021, with a roads budget of $152 million. If Allard’s change is approved for 2022, it would increase the AT budget from a forecast $2.3 million to $16.2 million (based on a projected road budget of $162 million). The St. Boniface councillor said some AT spending occurs separately within specific road projects. But he said many road renewals don’t include it, including 2021 projects at Roblin Boulevard and Day Street. Allard also wants council to make active transportation investments eligible for revenue raised through annual tax hikes. Mayor Brian Bowman has promised to cap the property tax hike at 2.33 per cent again in 2022, with two per cent earmarked for roads and bridges and 0.33 per cent for rapid transit. Allard said increased AT funding would help the city ensure half of all local trips involve greener modes of transportation than single-passenger vehicles by 2030, one of its key climate change goals. “For every bicycle used in a commute, that’s one less car on the road,” said Allard. The proposed funding hike is welcome but meets the minimum investment needed for cycling and pedestrian routes, said Mel Marginet, a workplace commuter options co-ordinator at the Green Action Centre. “That will give us a fighting chance to move forward on the pedestrian and cycling strategies that the city already has,” said Marginet. In 2015, city council approved a 20year, $334-million cycling and pedestrian strategy but actual investments have delayed its implementation. With roughly 80 per cent of Winnipeggers choosing personal vehicles for their trips, much more investment is needed to make the green transportation options of walking, biking and bussing more convenient, said Marginet. “It’s really a shift in the paradigm… At this current time, cars go first (in budget priority).” Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said active transportation has been persistently underfunded in recent years, which leaves gaps in cycling routes. “(The current budget is) really just a fraction of what’s been needed... We see it in an unconnected network,” said Cohoe, adding the extra funding would spark a huge improvement. Coun. Janice Lukes, a former public works chairwoman, said she supports Allard’s proposals. However, she said he and other executive policy committee members should never have allowed the AT budget to drop to its current level. “We would have been much further ahead (on active transportation) at this time (if they hadn’t),” said Lukes. “It’s gone down millions.” In 2019, for example, the preliminary budget included $3 million for active transportation, down from a previously forecast $5.7 million. The current forecast predicts the funding will drop to $1.7 million in 2023, and $1.4 million per year from 2024 to 2026. Allard said provincial funding cuts played a role in the reduced investment in recent years. His motions will be considered by council’s public works committee Oct. 12. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

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Vox: America’s car crash epidemic – driving kills as many Americans each year as guns do. Experts say that’s preventable.
by Beth McKechnie 28 Sep '21

28 Sep '21

https://www.vox.com/22675358/us-car-deaths-year-traffic-covid-pandemic -- Beth McKechnie (she/her) *| *Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x102 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> *Green Action Centre is located on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininew, Anishininiwag, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of* *the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that our water is sourced from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation and that our hydro is sourced from numerous First Nations here in Manitoba**. * Green Action Centre is your green living hub Support our work by becoming a member <http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/become-a-member/>. Donate at CanadaHelps.org <http://canadahelps.org/> <http://www.gomanitoba.ca>

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One week left to complete Winnipeg Road Safety Plan survey
by Beth McKechnie 24 Sep '21

24 Sep '21

"The Road Safety Strategic Action Plan is driven by data and public feedback and will serve as a roadmap for implementing both short-term solutions and long-term investments over the next 3-5 years and beyond." https://engage.winnipeg.ca/roadsafetyplan

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WFP: Location list for pedestrian crossings (Sep23'21)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Sep '21

23 Sep '21

Word on the street THE following have been identified as locations where some form of crossing control is warranted. A pedestrian corridor has overhead flashing beacons, a pedestrian half signal involves erecting a traffic light and an RRFB is a rectangular rapid flashing beacon. ● Burrows Avenue at Lawrence Street (pedestrian corridor) ● Corydon Avenue at Edgeland Boulevard (pedestrian corridor) ● Dakota Street at Dakota Community Centre (pedestrian half signal) ● Des Meurons Street at Horace Street (RRFB) ● Devonshire Drive at Tommy Douglas Drive (RRFB) ● Gateway Road at Furniture Park (RRFB) ● Grant Avenue at Lilac Street (pedestrian half signal) ● Lakewood Boulevard at Meadowbrook Road (RRFB) ● Lindenwood Drive E near Lindenwood Drive W (RRFB) ● Lindenwood Drive W at Wallingford Crescent (pedestrian corridor) ● Logan Avenue at Winks Street (pedestrian half signal) ● Main Street at Church Avenue (south side) (pedestrian half signal) ● McGillivray Boulevard at Front Street (pedestrian half signal) ● Pembina Highway at Newdale Avenue (pedestrian half signal) ● Portage Avenue at Rita Street (pedestrian half signal) ● Regent Avenue West at Winona Street (pedestrian corridor) ● River Avenue at Scott Street (RRFB) ● River Avenue at Lewis Street (RRFB) ● Roblin Boulevard at Municipal Road (pedestrian half signal) ● Roblin Boulevard at the zoo entrance (pedestrian half signal) ● Rorie Street at McDermot Avenue (RRFB) ● St. Mary’s Road at Crystal Avenue (traffic signal) ● St. Mary’s Road at Hastings Boulevard (pedestrian half signal) ● St. Mary’s Road South at St. Vital Trail (pedestrian half signal) ● Stradbrook Avenue at Scott Street (RRFB) ● Wellington Crescent at Kingsway (RRFB) ● Wellington Crescent (southbound) between River and Stradbrook avenues (RRFB) ● Wellington Crescent northbound exit to Stradbrook Avenue (RRFB)

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WFP: City identifies 28 sites for crosswalks (Sep23'21)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Sep '21

23 Sep '21

City identifies 28 sites for crosswalks https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-identifies-28-sites-for-crossw… NEARLY $3 million for new crosswalks will be considered in the city’s 2022 budget process. Municipal traffic experts have identified 28 locations that meet the criteria for some form of pedestrian crossing control, with an early combined cost estimate of about $2.8 million, says a report by city bureaucrats. The report cautions a detailed design hasn’t been done at each location. The city currently adds an average of four crossings per year at the highest need locations, due to city staff and budget limits, the report notes. Council’s public works chairperson said the devices are key to improving road safety, since uncontrolled busy crossings could raise the risk of vehicle/pedestrian collisions. “There is a big shortfall in terms of the warranted but unfunded (crosswalks)… In practice, what tends to happen where you don’t have a crosswalk where it’s warranted, is you have a high level of people driving cars on that street and you have a high level of pedestrians crossing that street in uncontrolled circumstances,” said Coun. Matt Allard. The public works committee recently referred the potential cost for the warranted, but not yet funded, crosswalks to the 2022 budget process. Installing more of the devices could help Winnipeggers feel safe walking to more destinations, which could help entice them to choose foot travel more often, said Allard. “The lowest hanging fruit for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is (for) people to (shift modes of transportation). You need to build the facilities that make it easier to choose active transportation (such as) properly administered pedestrian corridors,” he said. The report concludes that crosswalks are warranted at points along Wellington Crescent, St. Mary’s Road, Lakewood Boulevard and Burrows Avenue, among many other locations. The list is based on pedestrian and vehicle volumes, along with each site’s proximity to other traffic controls and pedestrian crossings. Immediate construction may not make sense at some of the sites, however, which may be altered by upcoming bicycle networks or Winnipeg Transit stop changes, the report warns. Crosswalk additions could also be cheaper if they’re timed to coincide with adjacent road upgrades, it notes. Michel Durand-Wood, a volunteer with Safe Speeds Winnipeg, said he’s glad to see the city pay attention to pedestrian access but believes the effort can’t be limited to crosswalks. “I think crosswalks are better than nothing. But if we were addressing the actual issue, crosswalks would be less necessary... If traffic speeds are low enough, then we don’t need (these) expensive crosswalk structures in a lot of those places,” said Durand-Wood. Safe Speeds advocates for lower speed limits on residential streets and other routes where pedestrians and vehicles share the road. Durand-Wood said it would be “disingenuous” to suggest the city can’t afford to add the crosswalks, since it devoted $152 million to road renewal in 2021. “We can move some money around pretty easily, depending what our priorities are,” he said. The city report notes another 70 potential crossing locations are still being studied, though it’s too early to say if they warrant pedestrian crossing devices. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga

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