- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

NYC encourages AT for students, launches program to encourage walking to school
by Beth McKechnie 05 Nov '11

05 Nov '11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Release # 11-91 Wednesday, November 2, 2011 Seth Solomonow/Nicole Garcia (212) 839-4850 *NYC DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan and Mayor Koch Encourage Active Transportation for New York City Students, Launch Program to Encourage Walking to School New initiative allows schools to opt-in for program to develop lesson plans to further promote walking as a safe, healthy way to get around Officials read Koch’s book, “Eddie Shapes Up,” to Manhattan’s P.S. 64 students, underscoring the importance of encouraging walking, biking and taking transit * New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Mayor Edward I. Koch today hosted a special reading of *Eddie Shapes Up*, a children’s book written by the mayor, and launched Walk Ways, a new program that helps schools establish the importance of active transportation and gives them the resources to encourage walking among students. Schools can visit nyc.gov/dot to register, download lesson plans and connect with DOT safety educators for guidance and to develop tailored walk-to-school route plans. The Commissioner and Mayor joined fourth and fifth graders from P.S. 64 in Manhattan’s East Village for the event. “With unprecedented safety redesigns and educational initiatives in all five boroughs, our streets are shaping up for New Yorkers of all ages to walk and bike more,” said DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “By teaching students the benefits of active transportation, we’re helping them build healthy habits for life.” “The most marvelous sight in New York City is to see youngsters, adolescents and adults cycling on the many bicycle paths we now have which separate bikers from vehicular traffic,” said Mayor Koch. “It is glorious to watch, and I wish I were young again to participate.” Co-written with Mayor Koch’s sister, Pat Koch Thaler, and with illustrations by Jonathan Hoefer, *Eddie Shapes Up* describes an overweight student’s path to getting healthy by eating better and exercising more, and how fun being active can be. DOT works with New York City schools to encourage safe, active transportation and educates students about the benefits of walking and biking to school. In addition to launching the citywide contest, “We’re Walking Here NYC,” last month, DOT Safety Education hosted a special Walk to School Day event with P.S. 197 in Manhattan as part of International Walk to School Day. Similarly, the agency organizes annual Bike to School Day activities. This June, it worked with the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene and Bike New York to conduct rides with students from P.S. 89 and I.S. 302 in Cypress Hills, Queens. In the last decade, pedestrian traffic fatalities have dropped more than 25% and DOT is working to combine education and engineering to achieve its aggressive goal of reducing all traffic fatalities by 50% by 2030, focusing on tailoring streets so they are safer for the most vulnerable pedestrians: students and seniors. As part of its Safe Routes to School campaign, the DOT makes safety upgrades that can include improved signage and marking, among other additions, to make motorists more aware of the high volumes of student pedestrians, as well as make the streets easier for youths to cross safely. The agency also launched efforts to triple the number of 20 mph speed zones around schools from 25 to 75, among other initiatives. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dot <http://www.nyc.gov/dot>. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pr2011/pr11_91.shtml

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EcoMobility Gaining Ground, Step by Step
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '11

03 Nov '11

EcoMobility Gaining Ground, Step by Step By Stephen Leahy * http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105672 [image: Bike sharing system in Changwon, South Korea. / Credit:City of Changwon] Bike sharing system in Changwon, South Korea. Credit:City of Changwon <http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=105672> * *CHANGWON, South Korea, Nov 1, 2011 (Tierramérica) - Berlin is a big capital city of a country famed for making excellent automobiles, but it can no longer afford roads and is now moving people by transit, bike and especially through walking.Berlin is not alone. Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Bogotá, New York City and other major cities simply cannot afford the cost, the pollution, the noise and the congestion of more cars. They are embracing a new concept called EcoMobility - mobility without private cars. "EcoMobility is not only walking, cycling and public transportation. It is about these three systems clicking together: connectivity is the key," Gil Peñalosa, former director of parks and recreation in Bogotá, Colombia, told those attending the EcoMobility Changwon 2011<http://ecomobility2011.iclei.org/>congress. The congress on Mobility for the Future of Sustainable Cities was organised by the South Korean city of Changwon and ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability <http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=about>, an association of local government members from more than 1,220 cities in 70 countries. "The famous Times Square in New York City is now a permanent pedestrian mall. Who would have believed that could happen just three years ago?" Peñalosa commented to Tierramérica. "Five years ago who would have thought Paris would have over 22,000 bikes as part of a tremendously successful bike sharing system?" added Peñalosa, who is now the executive director of 8-80 Cities<http://www.8-80cities.org/>, an NGO based in Toronto that promotes walking, cycling, parks and urban trails to improve the public life of cities. "We need to build cities around people and not around cars," he stressed. EcoMobility is defined as moving people and goods in urban areas using combinations of walking, cycling (including electric bikes) and wheeling (roller blades), public transport, and light electric vehicles. The concept is being widely embraced by cities looking for affordable and effective forms of sustainable transport. "Cities should focus more on moving people rather than moving vehicles," said Stephen Yarwood, mayor of Adelaide, Australia. The fact is, cars are not very good at moving people. A standard 3.5-meter-wide city street has a maximum capacity of 2,000 people in cars per hour. The same road can carry 14,000 cyclists or 19,000 pedestrians each hour. Light rail in the same space can move 22,000 people, and a double lane of bus rapid transit will move 43,000 people, said Manfred Breithaupt, director of the GIZ Sustainable Urban Transport Project<http://www.sutp.org/>, a German NGO. The transportation sector is one of biggest contributors of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, responsible for 25 to 30 percent of the emissions causing climate change. Cars and scooters are by far the biggest sources of carbon dioxide on a per-kilometre, per-person basis, said Breithaupt. Cycling or walking produces no greenhouse gases at all. Moving people out of cars is an enormous challenge. One major reason is the endless multi-billion-dollar advertising by automobile companies telling people that buying a car is the ticket to success, freedom, status and other nonsense, said Peñalosa. "Car companies attack transit with their commercials. Someone told me that in their country, one advertisement suggests people using subways have some kind of 'subway stink'," he said. In North America the cost of owning and operating a private automobile amounts to 8,000 to 12,000 dollars a year, according to automobile clubs. That can be 25 to 50 percent of the average family's after-tax income, illustrating the success of automobile advertising. "How else could we be spending 20 times more than we need to get around?" wondered Peñalosa. This is changing in Germany. "More than 80 percent of young people don't think they need private cars," said Bernhard Ensink, secretary general of the European Cyclists’ Federation, an NGO based in Brussels. Car ownership in Germany and other European countries is slowly declining, he said, because there are cheaper and easier ways to get around. Mobility is also a moral issue, Ensink said. "Who gets the negative impacts of car ownership? It is never the car owner, it is always the public and particularly the poor, especially those living in car-dependent cities." Among those impacts are accidents where cars kill and injure thousands of pedestrians and cyclists every day. In fact, car accidents are the primary cause of death for young people aged 15 to 29 years worldwide. But shifting to an EcoMobility focus is difficult, said Yeom Tae-Young, mayor of the city of Suwon outside of Seoul, Korea. "Citizens must know about EcoMobility and the government's commitment must be clear," he told the congress participants. Suwon, an ancient city with just over a million inhabitants, is competing with Changwon to become South Korea's greenest and lowest-carbon city. Not all people will agree, and there will be inconveniences, but the public will still support the changes if they understand it is for the greater good. "We cannot close our eyes to the challenge of climate change," he concluded. -- *Beth McKechnie* | 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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Bike trails, house prices and property taxes
by Beth McKechnie 03 Nov '11

03 Nov '11

[Thanks to Ian Hall for sending this along...] ** Interesting short news item: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/10/how-much-bike-trail-worth/… "...according to research coming out of the University of Cincinnati<http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=14300>, proximity to trails in urban areas increases property values, which in turn boosts the amount of property taxes filling government coffers. The research, by planning professor Rainer vom Hofe and economics professor Olivier Parent, looked at houses along a 12-mile stretch of the Little Miami Scenic Trail <http://trailsfromrails.com/miami_scenic_trail.htm>, a former rail line that cuts across the northeastern portion of Cincinnati. The pair found that home buyers were willing to pay a premium of $9,000 to be within 1,000 feet of access to the trail." -- *Beth McKechnie* | 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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Reminder: Transportation Master Plan Open House - Wed, Nov 2nd
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

*Find out where our roads, buses, bike lanes and pathways are heading over the next 20 years!* Stop by the third and *final* Open House for the *Winnipeg Transportation Master Plan* <http://transportation.speakupwinnipeg.com/>. Date:* Wed, Nov. 2nd *Time:* 4:00-8:00 pm *Where:* Millennium Library* (Carol Shields Auditorium, 2nd floor) ** ** ** This is an open invitation to anyone interested, so please share widely. (Poster attached.) -- *Beth McKechnie* | 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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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Dana's Walk (Nov.2) - A Welcome to Winnipeg Event
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

please see invitation below... ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Margaret Boyechko <margaret(a)mrta.mb.ca> Date: Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:01 PM Subject: Dana's Walk - A Welcome to Winnipeg Event Please see the attached invitation to a MRTA/TCT special event to be held tomorrow in Winnipeg. Please join us and bring out as many of your friends and family members as possible to join in the fun and adventure. Forward the attachment, Tweet or Facebook the news. All are welcome.**** ** ** See you there J**** Margaret**** Administration Assistant/Bookkeeper**** Manitoba Recreational Trails Association**** 1007 Century Street**** Winnipeg, MB R3H 0W4**** 204-633-9879**** 204-945-1365 (fax)**** www.mrta.mb.ca**** *"In every walk with nature one receives ***** *far more than he seeks."* - John Muir**** ** **

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[At-network] Car, public transport commutes show links to ill health
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '11

01 Nov '11

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20111030/7712/commuting-ill-health-negativ… Car, Public Transport Commutes Show Links to Ill Health By Medical Daily Reporter Commuting by car or public transportation is associated with ill health compared to walking or cycling also known as active commuting, as sleep quality, exhaustion and every day stress were evaluated in a new study. Lund University researchers looked 21,000 people aged between 18 and 65, who worked more than 30 hours a week, commuted by car, train or bus and also active commuters who commuted by walking or cycling. The study was published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Public Health. Americans on average commuted 25.3 minutes to work. The percentage that drove to work alone averaged 76.6 percent. Only 4.9 percent take public transportation, 2.8 percent commuted by walking or bicycling according to the U.S Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 2010. "Generally car and public transport users suffered more everyday stress, poorer sleep quality, exhaustion and, on a seven point scale, felt that they struggled with their health compared to the active commuters,” said Erik Hanson, a Faculty of Medicine at Lund University. "Car drivers who commuted 30 – 60 minutes experienced worse health than those whose journey lasted more than one hour, he said” He said more research was needed to learn exactly how commuting is related to the ill health observed in order to readdress the balance between economic needs, health, and the costs of working days lost. Published by Medicaldaily.com

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New report (Florida) - passing distance btwn motorists and cyclists
by Beth McKechnie 29 Oct '11

29 Oct '11

*Operational and Safety Impacts of Restriping Inside Lanes of Urban Multilane Curbed Roadways to 11 Feet or Less to Create Wider Outside Curb Lanes for Bicyclists (September 2011, Florida Department of Transportation)* Thought folks might be interested in the general findings on the amount of passing clearance motorists provided cyclists when there was a wider outside lane (closest to curb) and a narrower inside lane(s). Note that the roads investigated were high speed and multi-lane, and data was collected during peak hours. The entire report can be downloaded here: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/research-center/Completed_Proj/Summary_RD/FDOT_B… * Background*: The operational analysis involved investigation of the influence of several site characteristics on the operational behavior of motorists when passing bicyclists on asymmetric curb-and-gutter roadways. The research team collected data on curb-and-gutter asymmetric four- to six-lane roadways with posted speeds ranging from 30 to 45 miles per hour. * Conclusion*: The results from descriptive statistics, 95% confidence intervals, and regression modeling, all point out that lateral separation between motor vehicles and bicyclists is highly influenced by the width of the outside through lane. * Lateral Clearance Findings * - The greatest lateral separation (averaging 5.5 ft) was obtained when bicyclists rode between three and four feet from the face of curb. - An increase in the width of the outside through lane resulted in greater lateral separation between motor vehicles and bicyclists. - As the volume of motor vehicles increased, lateral separation decreased. - Motorists provided less separation to bicyclists when other vehicles were present in the inside lane. - Motorists provided 0.5 ft additional lateral separation to female bicyclists and 0.35 ft additional separation to casually dressed compared to athletically dressed cyclists. *Lateral Shift Findings * - The amount of the motor vehicle body partially shifting into the inside lane was reduced with the increase in the width of the outside through lane. - Passenger cars were observed to have the lowest amount of lateral shift when passing a bicyclist. - Large trucks were observed to provide the greatest amount of lateral shift when passing, often slowing down and completely moving to the inside lane to allow sufficient lateral separation to bicyclists. - Less lateral shift was observed with increased vehicular traffic volume. - The tendency was for drivers to move left if they had the opportunity. *Motor Vehicle Lane Usage Findings * - Given acceptable gaps, there was a tendency of motorists to move from the outside through lane to the inside lane after recognizing that there was a bicyclist downstream. - In the absence of a bicyclist, more vehicles (56.2% for 4-lane segments, 30.6% for 6-lane segments)) were observed to use the outside through lane. - In the presence of a bicyclist, a considerable proportion of motor vehicles shifted to the inside lane before passing the bicyclist to avoid sharing the outside through lane with a bicyclist. - Only 40.2% of vehicles used the outside through lane when a bicyclist was present for 4-lane segments; 25.7% for 6-lane segments. *Motor vehicle Speed Finding * - On average, drivers reduced their speeds (from 34.13 to 32.76 mph) when passing bicyclists to ensure safe passing maneuver and accelerated (from 32.76 to 36.86) after passing bicyclists.

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Webinar Reminder: Wed, Nov. 2nd, Accessible Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way
by Jessie Klassen 27 Oct '11

27 Oct '11

Just a reminder of an upcoming webinar on November 2nd. Green Action Centre and Bike to the Future are hosting a local viewing of the APBP webinar, Accessible Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way, at the EcoCentre (3rd floor, 303 Portage Ave) followed by group discussion: - *Wed, Nov. 2nd, 2:00-3:30 pm – Accessible Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way* (Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals) Hope to see you there! ____________________________ Update on the Proposed Rule for Accessible Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way *November 2, 2011, 2:00-3:30 pm CST* Scott Windley, Accessibility Specialist with the U.S. Access Board, will deliver detailed information about the proposed rule regarding Accessible Pedestrian Facilities in the Public Right-of-Way, including pedestrian accessible routes, curb ramps and blended transitions, street crossings, on-street parking, and more. This is a 90-minute webinar. Scott Windley has been an Accessibility Specialist with the U.S. Access Board since March, 1997. He oversees staff work on the Board’s public rights-of-way rulemaking, and provides technical assistance and training on the ADA Guidelines and other standards. Mr. Windley previously worked for two years with The Center for Universal Design in Raleigh, NC, as a technical assistance specialist; before that, he worked as an Intern Architect for the Facilty Planning Department of the University of Idaho. Mr. Windley received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Idaho. ** *Jessie Klassen* | Workplace Commuter Options <http://greenactioncentre.ca/>Green Action Centre<http://www.greenactioncentre.ca>| Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> 3rd floor, 303 Portage Avenue* | *(204) 925-3772 Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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A Bus Pass with Every Condo (& bike stuff, too!)
by Beth McKechnie 26 Oct '11

26 Oct '11

A Bus Pass With Every Condo at Lansdowne Proposed *Josh Pringle* Thursday, October 20, 2011 Each residential unit at the redeveloped Lansdowne Park could come with a one-year transit pass for OC Transpo. The Transportation Demand Management Plan report by McCormick Rankin recommends the City require the developers to provide all purchasers of residential units with a transit pass to "create and establish a culture" of transit amongst the residents living at Lansdowne. The report notes the City of Toronto recently introduced a policy requiring all new condo developments with more than 20 units to include a one year TTC Metropass with the purchase of each unit. The Transportation Demand Management Plan outlines ideas to ensure the Lansdowne Park redevelopment achieves maximum benefits from a wider use of sustainable transportation modes, including public transportation and bicycling. The City is also encouraged to set up enhanced bicycle parking facilities, create preferential parking for registered carpools and build showers and locker room facilities for employees at a redeveloped Lansdowne Park who bicycle to work. http://www.cfra.com/?cat=1&nid=82258

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[At-network] Transportation Master Plan Open House - Nov 2nd, 4-8 pm, Millennium Library
by Beth McKechnie 20 Oct '11

20 Oct '11

*Find out where our roads, buses, bike lanes and pathways are heading over the next 20 years!* Stop by the third and *final* Open House for the *Winnipeg Transportation Master Plan* <http://transportation.speakupwinnipeg.com/>. Date:* Wed, Nov. 2nd *Time:* 4:00-8:00 pm *Where:* Millennium Library* (Carol Shields Auditorium, 2nd floor) ** ** *Please forward the attachments throughout your organizations and networks*. This is an open invitation to anyone interested, so please share widely. -- *Beth McKechnie* | 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) 925-3772 | Find us here<http://greenactioncentre.ca/content/ecocentre-directions-and-travel-options/> Green Action Centre is your non-profit hub for greener living. Support our work by becoming a member<http://greenactioncentre.ca/support/memberships/>

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