Active Transportation

[bcwessel]

Active Transporation

http://www.ohhn.ca/images/active-transportation-heade.gif

A place to discuss active transportation initiatives within Waterloo and beyond

[bcwessel]

WRDSB adopts Active Transportation Charter
Bill Bean | The Record | 25 May 2011 | LINK (http://therecord.blogs.com/take_the_lane/2011/05/school-board-adopts-active-transportation-charter.html)


Good news from the Waterloo Region District School Board: it has adopted an Active Transportation Charter (http://www.wrdsb.ca/planning/active-and-safe-routes-school/active-transportation-charter).

Roughly, this means the school board favours programs and policies that encourage transportation methods that lead to better student health, through direct application of active transportation and through the secondary benefits of reduced dependence on fossil-fuel transport (cleaner air, less traffic congestion).

Translate that as: the school board would like to see more kids walk, run, cycle, inline skate, skateboard and wheelchair to school, while seeing fewer adults driving them. . .

What it does mean is that school planners and administrators (aka principals) will score school board brownie points if they think about Active Transportation when they are considering school developments and activities. Put some thought into the placement of bike racks. Lobby to get the sidewalks leading to the school plowed before the roads are. Encourage kids to use their feet, rather than sit on their seat.

[bcwessel]

This a sharp little video which beautifully illustrates the need for real active transportation solutions like: dedicated cycling infrastructure, prioritized signalling and bike boxes, and pedestrian scramble crossings. Until then, just try to be careful (and predictable) at intersections:


http://vimeo.com/24572222

[bubak]

This a sharp little video which beautifully illustrates the need for real active transportation solutions like: dedicated cycling infrastructure, prioritized signalling and bike boxes, and pedestrian scramble crossings. Until then, just try to be careful (and predictable) at intersections:


http://vimeo.com/24572222

If intersections are where most of the danger is, why is it that all bike lanes in Waterloo Region mysteriously disappear just before every intersection, only to reappear immediately after the intersection?

[bcwessel]

If intersections are where most of the danger is, why is it that all bike lanes in Waterloo Region mysteriously disappear just before every intersection, only to reappear immediately after the intersection?

I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that our councils are far more willing to say they support cycling as an important piece of our transportation system than they are to actually support it by spending the time, effort and money to implement a serious and functional system. I suppose a little extra paint and a few extra seconds at an intersection is just too much to ask for.

[mpd618]

I have a feeling it has something to do with the fact that our councils are far more willing to say they support cycling as an important piece of our transportation system than they are to actually support it by spending the time, effort and money to implement a serious and functional system. I suppose a little extra paint and a few extra seconds at an intersection is just too much to ask for.

There are now clear policies in place regarding design of road corridors, and guidelines about bike lanes, etc. However there is not really any policy about intersections, which oversight I hope is remedied in the upcoming Active Transportation Master Plan for the region.

[zanate]

If intersections are where most of the danger is, why is it that all bike lanes in Waterloo Region mysteriously disappear just before every intersection, only to reappear immediately after the intersection?

The theory is, right-hand-turns require the vehicle (be it car or bike) to be on the right hand side before making the turn. Maintaining the bike lane right to the intersection would require a car to right-hook across the bike lane when turning, instead of shifting right and then turning. It also suggests to the cyclist that they should take the lane at an intersection, at least when the light is red.

I won't pretend it works, though. Many cars won't negotiate a spot in the shared space to make their right turns-- they'll make a wide right turn anyway-- and many cyclists will sidle up the side even when they see the blinking signals of turning cars that now have to worry about them.

There are different systems being tried for handling intersections with cyclists, but this region doesn't make use of them yet. In the meantime, if you're a cyclist, you can do a lot for your own personal safety by not always blowing past stopped cars on the right. Treat those situations with extreme caution and realize that sometimes, it's in your best interest to be in the lane, 6 cars back, rather than squeezing up the shoulder and catch a right-hand turn by surprise.

[Brando_T]

I second the "not blowing by stopped cars on the right". I did that as a much younger rider, ended up riding into the side of a car making a right turn. Still riding that bike today, 19 years later.


I did the 100 km Tour de Grand on Sunday, and had some interesting observations
- in terms of road quality, there was definite difference between the first 60 kms to the west of Cambridge, on Regional roads, and the last 40 kms to the east of Cambridge on Puslinch roads. Puslinch roads had narrow to no shoulders, for instance.
- The road was not on closed roads, so the riders had to navigate turns at intersections. One of the last turns was a left turn from Can Amera to Franklin, across several lanes to get to the left turn lane. This might have been a new experience for some of the riders.

[BuildingScout]

on Regional roads, and the last 40 kms to the east of Cambridge on Puslinch roads. Puslinch roads had narrow to no shoulders, for instance.


This makes a lot of sense, it is not like we have room to spare in this country to waste on a nice side shoulder. Also, if we happen to have one is best not to pave it, least it prove useful for cyclists.

[zanate]

This makes a lot of sense, it is not like we have room to spare in this country to waste on a nice side shoulder. Also, if we happen to have one is best not to pave it, least it prove useful for cyclists.

Let's give a little benefit of the doubt. I biked the 50km which overlapped parts of the 100, and my observation was that the difference was (mainly) which roads had been reconstructed recently.

Oh, and that left from CanAmera to Franklin wasn't too bad, especially since most people doing the 50, 100 or 160 (which all went through there) would have some experience... the 25km would be a different story. I was next to another cyclist when the light changed, and I did the typical wide swinging left turn, while he "cut" the left which prevented any cars from turning inside him. A little unfriendly to the drivers, considering how massive that intersection was.

[bubak]

The theory is, right-hand-turns require the vehicle (be it car or bike) to be on the right hand side before making the turn. Maintaining the bike lane right to the intersection would require a car to right-hook across the bike lane when turning, instead of shifting right and then turning. It also suggests to the cyclist that they should take the lane at an intersection, at least when the light is red.


In many places, bike lanes continue through the intersection in a bright, solid colour (green, blue, red) precisely to remind motorists that they are crossing a lane of traffic.

[Brando_T]

L
Oh, and that left from CanAmera to Franklin wasn't too bad, especially since most people doing the 50, 100 or 160 (which all went through there) would have some experience... the 25km would be a different story. I was next to another cyclist when the light changed, and I did the typical wide swinging left turn, while he "cut" the left which prevented any cars from turning inside him. A little unfriendly to the drivers, considering how massive that intersection was.

Certainly it was a left turn I would avoid if I was planning a cycling route for myself, anyway.

[bcwessel]

Sidewalks deserve more debate
Jeff Outhit | The Record | 17 June 2011 | Link (http://www.therecord.com/opinion/columns/article/549753--sidewalks-deserve-more-debate)

Let’s assume local councils have limited funds to help you get around, and so need to make choices about transportation spending.

I suggest they spend on roads first, transit second, sidewalks third. Way down on the list would be cycling, based on evidence about how people actually get around.
Planners looked at the afternoon rush, the busiest travel period of the day, and here’s what they found, according to the latest regional transportation plan.
In 2006, for every cyclist, there were four students on school buses, six passengers on Grand River Transit, 10 pedestrians and 124 people in automobiles.
Basically, we drive everywhere. A few of us do not. Almost nobody rides a bicycle, at least not when people are travelling the most.
So why do politicians talk so much about cycling? It’s not because it has real potential as a transportation solution. It’s because it’s an easy way for politicians to burnish green credentials and persuade voters they are forward-looking.
It's not all bad. He goes on to make the case for more and better sidewalks. The problem being, that the only way he sees this happening is by not spending money on biketrails. Even when this guy means well he gets it wrong[1]. How can a seemingly intelligent person spend this much time thinking, reading, and writing about a subject and still fundamentally not understand a thing about it? People will never ever use a bicycle as a valuable means of transportation, except for all those places where they do. (By the way, it's only a coincidence that those places happen to be the ones that invest heavily in cycling infrastructure)[2].

1. He probably doesn't actually mean well.
2. By heavily, I mean places like Portland which have diverted a whopping 1% of their transportation infrastructure budget to cycling (which has encouraged people to make 15% of total trips by bicycle, up from 1% when they began developing their plan in the 80s and 90s).

[mpd618]

So... if no one cycles because the infrastructure sucks for cycling, that's an argument against investing in infrastructure for cycling?

[bubak]

Sidewalks need more attention
Jeff Outhit | The Record | 17 June 2011 | LINK

for every cyclist, there were ... 10 pedestrians and 124 people in automobiles


For every square foot of dedicated bike path, how many square feet of roads were there? Let me guess: way more than 124.

[IEFBR14]

It's not all bad. He goes on to make the case for more and better sidewalks. The problem being, that the only way he sees this happening is by not spending money on biketrails.As a pedestrian it seems to me that sidewalk infrastructure should be more important than cycle and road infrastructure <ducks> ;)

Infrastructure for both pedestrians and cyclists is grossly underfunded. It's awfully hard to convince people to reduce their driving when it's so hard to use the alternatives. The budgets devoted to this are pitiful, scandalous even, when you compare what gets spent routinely on roads.

BTW that also includes public transit. If you can't get to the bus/LRT/GO/VIA stop by foot/cycle then you're not likely to use that mode either.


How can a seemingly intelligent person spend this much time thinking, reading, and writing about a subject and still fundamentally not understand a thing about it?How can a seemingly intelligent person like his managing editor allow him to continue to pontificate on these issues when his bias (or ignorance) is so apparent? You can ask his wife these and related questions next week at CIGI's Media Panel: “Muzzled Media - The Global Challenge” (http://www.cigionline.org/events/media-panel-“muzzled-media-global-challenge”). With any luck DH will be there too ;)

[bcwessel]

In his Take the Lane (http://therecord.blogs.com/take_the_lane/2011/06/protected-bicycle-lanes-part-of-the-new-way-of-thinking.html) blog, Bill Bean discusses Copenhagen-style protected bike lanes, and takes a well-deserved shot at Jeff Outhit in the process: "[y]ou might direct this article to the attention of those who think that money spent on bicycle infrastructure is money wasted."

[bcwessel]

Cyclists Deserve Better
The Record - Opinions | 21 June 2011 | LINK (http://www.therecord.com/opinion/letters/article/550996--cyclists-deserve-better)


Re: Sidewalks deserve more debate — June 18
Columnist Jeff Outhit believes that cycling should be “way down on the list” with respect to municipal funding after quoting five-year-old figures. Of course, that was the era of municipally subsidized parking and facilities geared to drivers.
Today, parking in Kitchener is moving to a market-price model. Soon enough we’ll see $400 per month spaces which will move some people out of their cars and into buses, on to their feet, or riding their bikes. Bike commuters, however, require a different set of facilities at their destination: secure bike storage, showers and lockers. Along with improved on-road and trail infrastructure, these changes will set the stage for commuter cycling to be a viable three-or-four season endeavour.
Cities like Seattle have adopted changes in their municipal building code to require terminus facilities for cyclists in newer and redeveloped construction. It’s a model that Kitchener should look at.
As well, Outhit cites anecdotal evidence that cyclists don’t always use bike lanes. In Montreal, bike lanes are cleared before any other part of the roadway, especially in winter.
City of Kitchener bike lanes are cleared of debris by June and they’re a convenient snow dumping ground in the winter. Clean and safe roads for cyclists and drivers are imperative if we are looking for meaningful comparisons between various forms of transportation.
Finally, in terms of spending, the City of Kitchener isn’t allocating a huge amount of money to cycling. It’s only $200,000 per year funded out of parking enterprise. So it’s not even part of the property tax levy.
Peter Dedes
Kitchener

[bcwessel]

Pathways master plan envisions healthier city
Terry Pender | The Record | 24 June 2011 | LINK (http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/553353--pathways-master-plan-envisions-healthier-city)

420


A network of year-round pathways running north-south and east-west is being planned for Kitchener. .
This fall, the multi-use pathways master plan will go to city council for approval, and the draft is a big step toward making Kitchener more sustainable and healthy.
By calling for a year-round network of pathways linking all areas of the city, the new plan recognizes that cycling and walking are modes of transportation, not just recreation. . .

Multi-use pathways and trails are critical to making cities sustainable and improving the quality of life because they encourage people to leave their cars at home and either walk or cycle.
About two thirds of all vehicle trips are less than three kilometres. A healthy person can cycle that distance in less than 15 minutes.
A draft of the master plan picks up on this, stating: “Short distance motor vehicle trips are the least fuel-efficient and generate the most pollution per kilometre. These trips have the greatest potential of being replaced by walking or cycling trips.”
The draft plan says a trail system helps to reduce ozone depletion, greenhouse gases that cause climate change, ground level air pollution, photochemical smog, acid rain, water pollution and noise pollution. . .

The city now has 125 kilometres of trails and pathways. The current system has gaps though, and few if any signs to tell cyclists and pedestrians how to get from the end of one trail to the beginning of another.
The city also needs new policies that ensure developers build the pathways when they build new subdivisions, Sleeth said.

[KevinL]

Nice to see those linkages, but how much of this is usable for daily commuting (as opposed to casual recreation)? We still need a solid bike-lane plan that gets you to real destinations, not just a scenic tour around town.

[bcwessel]

My initial reaction to this pathways plan is concern that these off-street multi-use trails are being seen as a comprehensive active transit network, and a panacea to get more people cycling for transit, and that on-street cycleways will be neglected as a result of the singular focus that this plan implies. I'm all for these trails as a component of an overall network, but when I need to cycle for utility I want to go fast and I want to take the most direct route (no different than our auto-centric transit network). We don't consider Jubilee Dr. running through Victoria Park to be a major auto transit route. Why should we consider shared trails through parks to be a good solution for major cycling routes?

[bcwessel]

Nice to see those linkages, but how much of this is usable for daily commuting (as opposed to casual recreation)? We still need a solid bike-lane plan that gets you to real destinations, not just a scenic tour around town.

This pathways plan being a component of the larger Official Plan, you can voice any of your concerns to officialplan@kitchener.ca
The Official Plan is pretty massive (it'll take some time to work through the entire document), so it might address a broader commuter cycling plan. Definitely something to watch for.

Edit: From page 127 of the Official Plan:


Cycling


4. The City will develop a network of on-street and offstreet cycling lanes,
local bicycle priority streets, signed routes to key destinations, and multiuse trails.


5. The City will require new, multi-unit residential, commercial, industrial,
office and institutional developments to provide secure bicycle parking
and will encourage, where appropriate, shower/change facilities for
cycling commuters.


6. The City will, as appropriate, systematically coordinate, integrate, and
improve cycling conditions within the City’s transportation infrastructure,
services and programs.


Section 2.22: Integrated Transportation System, under which Cycling is listed is "incomplete. Additional policies will be included upon the completion of the Transportation Master Plan."

[bcwessel]

People will never stop driving. Unless gas prices rise. And they're given options.
Sunny Freeman | Canadian Press | 4 August 2011 | LINK (http://www.canadianbusiness.com/article/38081--car-bike-sharing-programs-gearing-up-as-canadian-gas-prices-spike)


The summer of 2008 — when oil and gas prices reached record highs — was a turning point [for Canadians' acceptance of alternative modes of mobility]. A similar rise in gas prices, which averaged 125.84 cents a litre Thursday in Canada, combined with shaky consumer confidence is again driving more consumers toward shared transport. . .

"We definitely tend to see, anecdotally, changes in uptake for car sharing and shared modes when we see gas prices rising, but I think another factor in addition to that is economic decline."
There are 17 car-sharing networks in several Canadian cities, largely dominated by the Boston-based car sharing pioneer Zipcar. Smaller local competitors also exist across the country, mainly co-ops aimed at urbanite commuters.
Plans differ in terms of how much is paid up front and the charge per hour, but generally include a flat annual fee ($65 for a standard Zipcar plan) plus an hourly rate ($8.75 for weekdays at Zipcar). Car sharers can make reservations online, through a mobile app, or over the phone and use their swipe card to gain access to the car. Insurance and gas are included in the fees.
Bike sharing programs are still more rare but are rapidly proliferating. In May, Toronto became the latest Canadian city to house Montreal-based Bixi's bike sharing network. There are seven programs in North America. . .

As consumer sharing programs become more mainstream, expansion should bring in more competition and lower prices, as well as more specialized services, says Michael Mulvey, a consumer trend specialist at the University of Ottawa.

[bcwessel]

Bolivia celebrates first annual "day of the pedestrian."
Stephen Messenger | TreeHugger | 5 September 2011 | LINK (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/09/bolivia-celebrates-first-annual-day-of-the-pedestrian.php?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+treehugger%2Fbusiness-politics+%28Business+%26+Politics%29)


It's been a good 4 million years since our earliest ancestors rose up on two feet and began walking bipedally, but it was just yesterday that its practitioners got a holiday of their very own. As a nod to the most eco-friendly form of transportation, the Bolivian government held the first annual "National Day of the Pedestrian" on Sunday, which not only encouraged residents to get out a walk around, it kind of forced them to -- by banning cars, trucks, and buses for just one day.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDHBtUXfIuo&amp;feature=player_embedded

[bcwessel]

Program puts kids on "train" to school
Jennifer Anderson | Portland Tribune | 15 September 2011 | LINK (http://portlandtribune.com/news/story_2nd.php?story_id=131603609806838900)


New numbers from the Portland Bureau of Transportation show that the city’s children get to elementary and K-8 school by bike and foot for at least 40 percent of their trips during the week among those participating in the Safe Route to Schools program. That’s up from 31 percent five years ago.

More precisely: the latest data – collected from parent surveys at 40 of the Safe Routes schools this past spring – show that 8 percent of Portland students get to school by bike, versus 1 percent nationally. It revealed that 32 percent get to school by walking, compared to 11 percent nationally.

In addition, 22 percent of the families surveyed reported walking or biking every day, 12 percent report never trying it and 18 percent said it wasn’t an option for their child.

The results aren’t surprising to the many parents, teachers and bike advocates who’ve watched the growing reach of the Portland Safe Routes to Schools program, now in 80 of the city’s 100 or so elementary and K-8 schools (including the Portland, Reynolds, Parkrose and David Douglas school districts). . .

“The biggest thing we didn’t realize going in is that it would foster community,” Paulsen says. “Parents and kids of different age children are getting to know each other. You feel more connected to your school. The more connected, the more likely to volunteer to the school. It’s slowly pulling people into the school, in a comfortable way.”

[bcwessel]

Consultations on new active transportation plan scheduled
Terry Pender | The Record | 30 October 2011 | LINK (http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/616966--consultations-on-new-active-transportation-plan-scheduled)


Information from a joint Region of Waterloo and University of Waterloo cycling-GPS study, along with census data, collision reports, survey results and lots of public input will be used to create the region’s first master plan for active transportation called Cycle Walk Waterloo Region.

“The plan is to make it easier for people to walk, cycle and roll in Waterloo Region,” John Hill, the region’s head of active transportation planning, said.

The first round of public consultations are scheduled and anyone who likes walking, cycling or rollerblading is urged to participate. If you have suggestions on how to better integrate walking and cycling with public transit, the region wants to hear from you too. . .

Cycle Walk Waterloo Region will contain nine action plans, including the development of a pedestrian network, identifying priority infill projects to link unconnected trails and paths, strategic signing, changing behaviours, a signature project and a monitoring program to measure progress. . .

Public meetings for active transportation master plan
*Tuesday Nov. 8, United Kingdom Club, 35 International Village Dr., Cambridge.
* Wednesday Nov. 9, First United Church, 16 William St., Waterloo.
* Thursday Nov. 17 St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 54 Queen St. North, Kitchener

[bubak]

Consultations on new active transportation plan scheduled
Terry Pender | The Record | 30 October 2011 | LINK (http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/616966--consultations-on-new-active-transportation-plan-scheduled)

The region's page about these meetings is here: http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/gettingAround/ATMP.asp
(http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/gettingAround/ATMP.asp)
It suggests that this is more formal than the LRT consultations: there's a presentation followed by discussion. I wonder if they require people to stay the full three hours.

[bcwessel]

Munich-based design firm Lunar has developed MO, an airmiles-style rewards programme which integrates biking, bikeshare, carshare and transit. Instead of being rewarded for buying a bunch of stuff, you're rewarded for choosing the most eco-friendly way to get around:


http://vimeo.com/lunareurope/httpwwwmo-bilitycom