- AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

Bicycle parking guide for Cdn municipalities and employers
by Beth McKechnie 20 Oct '10

20 Oct '10

In case you haven't seen it, Transport Canada's "Bicycle end-of-trip facilities guide for Canadian municipalities and employers" (April 2010) is available at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/programs/betf.pdf -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Bike parking: Bike racks are located in front of MEC Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors Bike racks are located in front of the building Find your bus route with Winnipeg Transit's online trip planner Navigo<http://www.winnipegtransit.com/en/navigo>

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FW: News Release: Manitoba Helps Launch First-in-Canada, Year-Round Commuter Challenge
by Mike Tutthill 15 Oct '10

15 Oct '10

-----Original Message----- From: News Media Services [mailto:nmservices@leg.gov.mb.ca] Sent: Friday, October 15, 2010 12:19 PM To: mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca Subject: News Release: Manitoba Helps Launch First-in-Canada, Year-Round Commuter Challenge Manitoba News Release ............................................................ October 15, 2010 MANITOBA HELPS LAUNCH FIRST-IN-CANADA, YEAR-ROUND COMMUTER CHALLENGE - - - Program Encourages Climate-friendly Transportation Every Day: Blaikie Manitobans demonstrated an outstanding commitment to environmentally friendly transportation, finishing at the top of this year's national Commuter Challenge, and now the program is being expanded to operate year-round in the province, Conservation Minister Bill Blaikie announced today. "Congratulations to all who participated in Commuter Challenge 2010," said Blaikie. "More than 8,000 Manitobans showed they can make a big difference by using active and sustainable transportation, resulting in cleaner air, healthier citizens and communities, and moving us another step toward reducing our collective carbon footprint." Manitobans logged more than 700,000 green kilometres earlier this year during the national Commuter Challenge. This action reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by about 200 tonnes, the equivalent of burning more than 60,000 litres of motor vehicle fuel. In addition, more than 9,000 students from 62 schools across Manitoba participated in the event. To encourage Manitobans to continue choosing active and climate-friendly transportation, the province is providing the Green Action Centre (formerly Resource Conservation Manitoba) with support to operate the Commuter Challenge year-round. The new program will provide participants with ongoing feedback on the benefits of climate-friendly commuting choices through the Green Action Centre's made-in-Manitoba, online tracking tool located at www.greenactioncentre.ca. A $100,000 contribution from the Manitoba Climate Change Action Fund, a component of the Sustainable Development Innovations Fund, will support a number of sustainable transportation programs including the year-round Commuter Challenge. "We invite all Manitobans to take part in the new Manitoba Year-round Commuter Challenge," said Randall McQuaker, executive director of the Green Action Centre. "We are pleased to partner with the province to expand the week-long national challenge to a year-round initiative here at home, a first in Canada." The year-round commuter challenge will encourage Manitobans to leave their vehicles at home and walk, cycle, take public transit, carpool or share rides instead of driving to work alone. - 30 - ==== UNSUBSCRIBE Instructions ==== You received this e-mail as a result of your voluntary subscription to the Government of Manitoba News Release List. You are currently subscribed to "Manitoba News" as: mtutthill(a)healthincommon.ca. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.gov.mb.ca/cgi-bin/press/release.pl click "here" and follow the directions or send a blank email to: mailto:leave-60500-68011.8ccad65256e5ab831f9181cccd08ab11@mailmanager.leg.go v.mb.ca

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Active Transportation - Canada: October 7, 2010
by Beth McKechnie 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Haynes <activetransportation(a)rogers.com> Date: Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 7:57 PM Subject: Active Transportation - Canada: October 7, 2010 Twenty-five (25) new items have been posted on the Active Transportation-Canada Website today. A complete list of titles may be found in the "Blog Archive" box, located on the right margin of the Website. There are new studies, videos and Active Transportation news items from communities across Canada. Active Transportation Canada URL: http://activetransportation-canada.blogspot.com A "Search" function is available on the site. You will find this at the bottom of the page. With more than 900 items posted on Active Transportation - Canada, there are links available to dozens of studies and hundreds of news items from communities across Canada and the world. If anyone has a problem reading this message, please let me know. I welcome suggestions for posts, so if you have news items featuring your community, please share them with the more than 500 subscribers to Active Transportation-Canada. Thank you. Michael Haynes Director TransActive Solutions 613.424.2803 -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors Bike racks are located in front of MEC

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Grist: There's safety in numbers for cyclists
by Beth McKechnie 12 Oct '10

12 Oct '10

[Of course, reduced crash rates with increased numbers of cyclists would hold true here, too. You can find this article online at: http://www.grist.org/article/2010-10-11-theres-safety-in-numbers-for-cyclis…, Beth] How we roll There’s safety in numbers for cyclistsby Elly Blue In U.S. cities, there are a lot more people out bicycling than just a few years ago. You might reasonably think that the bicycle crash rate would skyrocket as more people, from wobbly new riders to the outright safety-averse, take to the streets on two wheels. It's a fine, common-sense assumption -- that happens to be wrong. Research has been steadily showing, actually, that the more people are out there riding bicycles, the safer bicycling becomes. As ridership goes up, crash rates stay flat. It's happening in Portland (see page 11 of this report<http://bikeportland.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/bikecount2009reportfinal…>[PDF]). It's happening in New York City<http://www.streetsblog.org/2009/06/05/safety-in-numbers-its-happening-in-ny…> . Much of the ridership increase is due to cities' investments in bicycle-specific infrastructure. But the efficacy of that infrastructure for safety is often questioned. And there's one theory -- based on a growing body of data -- that suggests that a few painted lines on the road, bike racks, and traffic lights form only part of the safety equation. And maybe a smaller part than we tend to assume. The phenomenon, dubbed "safety in numbers," was first identified in 2003, in an academic paper <http://www.cycle-helmets.com/safety_in_numbers2.pdf> by public health researcher Peter Jacobsen [PDF]. After being asked by officials in Pasadena, Calif., if their city "was a dangerous place to bicycle," Jacobsen began looking at crash data from various communities where bicycle ridership had fluctuated over time. What he found surprised him: The number of crashes involving bikes correlated with the number of riders in a community. As ridership fluctuated, so did the crash rate. More riders, fewer crashes; fewer riders, more crashes. This happened too abruptly, Jacobsen decided, to be caused by slow-moving factors like infrastructure development and cultural change. Bicycling becomes safer *when* the number of riders increases, he concluded, at least in part *because* the number of riders increases. The inverse happens, as well. One data set Jacobsen looked at covered 49 years of biking history in the United Kingdom. Those numbers showed that cycling became safer during the oil crisis of the 1970s, caused by the OPEC oil embargo. Once the crisis ended, both ridership and safety dropped. This all must sound terribly wonky. Actually, it's been revolutionary. The idea of Safety in Numbers has slowly built up steam in traffic safety circles since Jacobsen introduced it. Supporting data<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903112034.htm>continues to quietly (and sometimes dramatically<http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=46B9E06D-FC8E-9007…>) roll in from around the world, influencing mainly traffic engineers and planners who are trying to figure out how to improve bicycle safety. Bicycle safety is often seen in a sort of vacuum. Helmets tend to dominate the conversation, with visibility -- lights and bright clothing -- taking a close second. More sophisticated conversations get deep into infrastructure: Which is better, sharrows, bike lanes, or separated cycle tracks? We discuss educating cyclists in defensive riding techniques and the rules of the road. These are all good and important efforts. The problem is what's missing. Here's the core of Jacobsen's analysis, from the 2003 "Safety in Numbers" report: Whose behavior changes, the motorist's or that of the people walking and bicycling? It seems unlikely that people walking or bicycling obey traffic laws more or defer to motorists more in societies or time periods with greater walking and bicycling. Indeed it seems less likely. ... Adaptation in motorist behavior seems more plausible. So why might this be the case? When there is a serious bicycle crash, it almost always involves someone driving a car. There are any number of ways drivers become involved in these crashes, primarily involving speed, turning, and the myriad distractions that are common behind the wheel. But when there are a lot of bicyclists on the road, according to this theory, drivers take notice. They become more attentive, slow down, pass more cautiously, double-check their blind spots, expect the unexpected. They sense that the road has become a more complicated place, and adjust their behavior accordingly. As a result, the road becomes safer, presumably for everyone. Safety in numbers is an important idea that has shifted the way planners and engineers think about bicycle safety. But it won't be the final word. We will doubtless see this idea bandied back and forth for some time, especially as academic interest in bicycling and walking increases. As data improves we'll likely see a more complex relationship emerge among ridership, safety, infrastructure, laws, and culture. Whatever the variables, as Jacobsen told me in a requisitely wonky email, "The bigger SIN story is that those cities /countries that have encouraged bicycling have been rewarded with more trips by bike, and not just a non-linear increase in injuries, but a decrease in injuries." That's huge. Safety in numbers will prove over time, I suspect, to be the first major theory based on objective data that can break down the double standard we all pedal under. Jacobsen's research calls into question the foundation of a system in which the convenience of driving is exalted above the basic safety and mobility of people walking and bicycling.

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ecoMOBILITY Webinar: Implementing Social Marketing
by Beth McKechnie 08 Oct '10

08 Oct '10

** Hello everyone: In case you are interested, the following FREE webinar on "Changing Transportation Behaviours: A Social Marketing Guide" takes place this coming Wednesday, October 13 from Noon-1pm CST. I'm hoping it will be of particular interest to Manitoba folks, as I will be presenting on the WinSmart Community-Based Travel Marketing pilot project that we ran in the Riverview/Lord Roberts/River Heights neighbourhoods from 2007-2009. That project resulted in increased numbers of trips made by cycling, walking and carpooling, and reduced numbers of trips made by driving alone for participating households. Hope you can join us (from the comfort of your own computer) next week. Details follow below -- please share with anyone else you think might be interested. cheers, Beth * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Transport Canada's ecoMOBILITY Program is pleased to invite you to a free bilingual webinar entitled "Implementing Social Marketing" to be held on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, from 1-2pm EST. This webinar will present "Changing Transportation Behaviours: A Social Marketing Planning Guide", a new guide designed to help TDM planners and other transportation practitioners implement effective social marketing campaigns. Please note that the presentation will not focus on the theory behind community-based social marketing (CBSM) but will rather address the practical application of CBSM. Following the presentation on the new guide, Beth McKechnie, Workplace TDM Coordinator from Resource Conservation Manitoba, will present the results from the social marketing aspects of Winnipeg's WinSmart Showcase, one of the projects funded by Transport Canada's Urban Transportation Showcase Program (UTSP). This project included a social marketing pilot, which was remarkably successful in bringing about modal shifts despite Winnipeg's harsh winter weather and entrenched car culture. Follow this link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tce to sign up for the webinar. Please feel free to forward this invitation to your colleagues. Best regards, The ecoMOBILITY team http://www.tc.gc.ca/ecomobility *************** Le programme écoMOBILITÉ de Transports Canada a le plaisir de vous inviter à un Webinaire (séminaire en ligne) gratuit et bilingue, intitulé «Mise en œuvre de marketing social» qui se tiendra le mercredi 13 Octobre 2010 de 13 à 14 h HNE. Ce webinaire présentera «Modification des habitudes de transport: guide de planification de marketing social», un nouveau guide conçu pour aider les planificateurs de la GDT et autres intervenants du milieu des transports à mettre en œuvre des campagnes efficaces de marketing social. Veuillez noter que la présentation ne sera pas axée sur la théorie du marketing social communautaire (MSC) mais plutôt sur l'application pratique du MSC. Suite à la présentation sur ce nouveau guide, Beth McKechnie, coordonnatrice de la GDT en milieu de travail chez «Resource Conservation Manitoba», présentera les résultats des aspects du marketing social de «WinSmart: la ville de Winnipeg», l'un des projets financés par le Programme de Démonstration en Transport Urbain (PDTU) de Transports Canada. Ce projet a inclu un projet pilote de marketing social, qui a été un succès remarquable dans la réalisation de transferts modaux, malgré les hivers peu cléments de Winnipeg et la culture bien établie d'usage des voitures. Suivez ce lien http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tcf pour vous inscrire au webinaire. N'hésitez pas à transmettre cette invitation à vos collègues. Salutations, L'équipe écoMOBILITÉ http://www.tc.gc.ca/ecomobilite -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors Bike racks are located in front of the building

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Reminder: Mayoral Candidates Forum on Downtown (Thurs Oct 7 5:30)
by Beth McKechnie 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

Hello everyone: Friendly reminder about tomorrow's mayoral candidates forum on downtown – an excellent opportunity to discuss the positives of (and need for) pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure in Winnipeg. cheers, Beth <http://login.greatbignews.com/agents/linkTrack.cfm?mid=060508015E&eid=50554…> RSVP on Facebook!<http://login.greatbignews.com/agents/linkTrack.cfm?mid=060508015E&eid=50554…>

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Job Postings: Mechanical Director and Programming Director for the Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub (The WRENCH)
by Stephanie Fulford 30 Sep '10

30 Sep '10

Hello All, Please find attached 2 job postings for The WRENCH. The WRENCH is a newly established non-profit organization that has developed out of a partnership between individuals, community groups, and the City of Winnipeg. We envision a city where people of all ages, genders, ethnicities and economic backgrounds are empowered to build, maintain, and use bicycles. Our mission is to make bicycles and cycling accessible to the public by providing programming, education and resources for community members and organizations while supporting new and existing community bike shops. Application Deadline: Thursday, October 7th, 2010 -- *Stephanie Fulford* Green Action Centre 204.925.3774 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a non-profit organization. Please consider making a donation.

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Backpack with Turning Signals for Bikes
by Erik Dickson 30 Sep '10

30 Sep '10

Check out this interesting new backpack with LED lights to indicate left and right turns: http://66.196.80.202/babelfish/translate_url_content?.intl=fr&lp=fr_en&trurl =http%3a%2f%2fwww.fubiz.net%2f2010%2f09%2f29%2fseil-bag%2f#more-104802 Regards, Erik Dickson B.Sc. (Hons) Marr Consulting Services 8th Floor - 136 Market Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 0P4 Phone: (204) 927-3456 ext. 242 Fax: (204) 927-3443 Please consider our environment before printing this message.

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WFP: Causes of congestion (Sept.29'10)
by Beth McKechnie 29 Sep '10

29 Sep '10

Winnipeg Free Press Letters to the Editor: Have your say *Causes of congestion* Re: *Bragging rights gone* (Letters, Sept. 27). Tim Kwiatkowski's argument that diamond lanes and red-light cameras have caused increased commute times in Winnipeg is completely illogical. There are two real causes of this, in fact. One deals with drivers. There are more cars and trucks on the roadways than ever before (a high proportion of which are driver-only, i.e. without passengers), more impatient drivers who are cutting others off and getting into accidents, and drivers who are (still!) illegally operating a cellphone and adding to the accident rates. The other cause is city planning and outward migration. The uncontrolled and accelerating suburban sprawl (despite a low rate of population growth) without consideration for public transportation makes it next to impossible for people to take the bus, further clogging the roads with more cars and trucks. Kwiatkowski's argument is completely off-base. The reason driving times have increased is because of increased automobile traffic, not because of a few buses or cyclists. Stephen Berg Winnipeg * * * * * *Bragging rights gone* There was a time, not too long ago, when most Winnipeggers could brag about the pleasure of being able to get from any Point A to Point B in less than 20 minutes of driving. Those days are long since gone. Thanks to the advent of diamond lanes and red-light camera intersections, we now have much longer, smoggier and costly commutes to and from work. We can see the bottlenecked effect on our roadways daily. I could see putting up with the costly bumper-to-bumper traffic if the changes implemented were practical and cost-effective. But such is not the case. It doesn't make sense to force all road traffic into three-quarters of available traffic lanes during the busiest periods of the day, just to maintain a free lane for the occasional transit bus, bicycler or pedestrian on roller blades. I thought this is why we had restricted parking during rush hour. Furthermore, would it have been difficult to implement a yield to transit bus law to expedite the bus traffic? And we know that the red-light camera intersections are not influencing an over-all decline in traffic accidents. I feel that reasonable forethought was not given to these issues. I can say that the current administration has not secured my vote in the upcoming civic election. I know my pocketbook is hurting and our bragging rights are gone. Maybe it is time for change? TIM KWIATKOWSKI Winnipeg -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors Bike racks are located in front of MEC

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WFP Editorial: Not so fast, Mr. Katz (Sept.29'10)
by Beth McKechnie 29 Sep '10

29 Sep '10

Winnipeg Free Press Editorial Not so fast, Mr. Katz Mayor Sam Katz, clearly hearing a backlash from neighbourhoods where streets are being torn up and redesigned for cyclists, tried distancing himself Monday from the city's "active transportation" plan -- an ambitious venture that this year saw 36 projects undertaken around Winnipeg. Not so fast, Mr. Mayor. Mr. Katz said he was never a part of and did not see the plans for the street redesigns. Further, he has concluded not nearly enough consultation happened before shovels went in the ground on the bike lanes, traffic circles and curb bump-outs. Mr. Katz's conclusions on consultation are inescapable -- inviting affected residents to come to a public information session does not substitute for good warning of the street alterations that happened as, or after, local projects went to community committees, where hearings and decisions on ward issues are made. As Mr. Katz concedes, some of the details discussed at initial information sessions varied substantially from the blueprints that rolled out in the neighbourhoods. And postcards or flyers announcing change, but sent to some residents in affected areas, do not constitute sufficient notice to communities. Councillors agree that the process was rushed to qualify the projects for the federal government's stimulus spending program, which ends in March. But Mr. Katz's explanation of how this one got past him is disingenuous -- he is the mayor, he advocated for this active transportation plan, and he voted for the $20 million (and the city's one-third share of it) as part of the capital budget. The plans are available on the city's website, right under his nose. Mr. Katz can sense a rising tide of anger -- and this is election time. On Monday, he said he would have a talk with the chief administrative officer (who has quit and has been replaced with an interim CAO) on halting active transportation projects not yet underway. Within hours, a plan for McDermot Avenue was cancelled. Assiniboine Avenue, which raised the ire of residents and business owners dismayed about the implementation of a one-way control for a block there, is essentially complete and cannot be changed, Mr. Katz said. The 11th-hour turnabout is an ominous message to send on active transportation. The mayor wishes to deflect blame to local councillors, who saw the details, and the administration, which executed the plans. But, as he admitted, the buck stops at his office. That the process saw redesigns pass with little notice to residents is a sign of poor communication. Residents rely on city council -- a body led by the mayor, a man who brags that he gets things done with an often fractious council by consensus -- for information about changing traffic patterns in their neighbourhoods. Mr. Katz cannot claim on one hand to be a master of consensus, a maestro of a disparate group of politicians, and on the other plead ignorance of what has been the city's largest active transportation project ever. And how can a mayor who has claimed credit for the building of more miles of bike trails than any other now back away from accounting for the biggest piece of active transportation rolled out to date? The unfortunate cock-up of what should have been vigorous, early community engagement in a movement to share streets with bicycles has instead pitted motorists and residents -- who lose traffic lanes and parking spaces -- against cyclists trying to find their way to work while staying fit. Mr. Katz has vowed that the next time such construction is contemplated the city will go "beyond above and beyond" what has been considered adequate in consultation. That's admirable. But Mr. Katz on Monday sounded very much like a mayor pulling the rug out from underneath an administration (effectively two civil servants in charge of the $20-million project) that was left to implement a plan written hastily in 36 parts, under the nose of an apparently distracted mayor. Mr. Katz needs to find why the plan's consultation and execution got muddled, and ensure active transportation does not again get bogged down in acrimony. -- Beth McKechnie Workplace Commuter Options Green Action Centre 204.925.3772 www.greenactioncentre.ca Green Action Centre is a registered charity. Please consider making a donation. *Coming to the EcoCentre?* (3rd floor, 303 Portage at Donald, MEC bldg) Enter via the elevator just inside MEC's front doors Bike racks are located in front of MEC

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