- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

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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Just One Trip
by Mel Marginet 22 Sep '21

22 Sep '21

Greetings all, Green Action Centre's GoManitoba tool is launching Just One Trip this fall. If you can help spread the word in your workplaces and on social media, that'd be great. Details in the media release below. September 22, 2021 (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - Manitobans are invited to take the Just One Trip pledge in October to convert one trip per week to a more sustainable mode. Participants choose the way they’ll travel and how often, and then track their trip using GoManitoba. For participating, they receive hints, tips, encouragement, and are entered to win prizes! October is a time when we form habits, including how we get around, as we get back into fall routines. Due to the pandemic, Manitobans have experienced disruption to their regular routines, so now is the perfect time to try something new! Who/Where: All Manitobans What: Take the Just One Trip <https://greenactioncentre.ca/justonetrip/> pledge When: Take the pledge today. The challenge takes place throughout October (or GoTober!) Why: Transportation is the number one source of GHG emissions in Manitoba. Driving alone is expensive (according to Stats Canada, the average Canadian spends $8,000 to $12,000 a year to commute via personal vehicle, almost 20% of consumption <https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/181212/dq181212a-eng.htm>). Workplaces with sustainable transportation programs <https://greenactioncentre.ca/wco-resources/> see a reduction in absenteeism and gain better health outcomes for employees. GoManitoba GoManitoba is a free commuting tool for all Manitobans. The tool matches users together to find carpool partners, transit, biking and walking routes, and mentors for those taking the bus or cycling for the first time. - 30 - For media inquiries about GoTober and the Just One Trip pilot program: Mel Marginet, Sustainable Transportation Team Green Action Centre 204-297-0949 or mel(a)greenactioncentre.ca *Mel Marginet* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre <http://www.greenactioncentre.ca/> <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave | (204) 925-3777 x112 | Find us here <http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> **Note: I work two days a week at Green Action Centre and it may take a few * *days to respond to you. * *We are located on Treaty 1 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation. The water we drink comes from Shoal Lake First Nation. * 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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