Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society

Are you as excited about our new BikeWorks North shop as we are? If you’d like to keep informed on all the exciting goings on, check out http://bikeworksnorth.tumblr.com/, for information on the progress of renovations, how you can help and upcoming events!

It has been a dream working with the EBC crew for the past two years.  So many inspiring people, creative projects, dedicated volunteers, spontaneous bike rides, and meaningful connections to other organizations and people making the city more accessible and fun. 

As EBC prepares for it’s exciting expansion this spring, it’s time to find someone who can take the lead!

The Executive Director is a full-time position and is responsible for developing, implementing, and overseeing the projects, staff, and day-to-day operations of EBC, while working with the Board of Directors to create and pursue the organizational vision.  The full job posting has complete details.

Apply by February 28, 2012! 

Big BikeWorks news, how Edmonton is moving beyond the automobile, bike photos, and more!

Read the full newsletter

EBC is very pleased to announce that long-time plans for a second BikeWorks community bike shop are now becoming a reality.

An excellent space at 9305-111 Avenue has been acquired and work is set to start in February in preparation for the April grand opening. The second shop, BikeWorks North, will bring the valuable services offered by EBC north of the river.  We’ll also be operating The Spoke program from this location. 

Robert Drinkwater, a longtime EBC volunteer, has written an article on the new space and you can check it out at Gig City. 

We’ll need lots of help from volunteers and the community to get the space ready and to keep it running. If you’re able to lend a hand, we’re holding a meeting on Thursday, February 9th to plan and organize renovation and setup efforts.  We also need donations of equipment, tools and supplies.  Please email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you have any questions.

In solidarity with Wikipedia, reddit, Google and many other websites, the EBC website was blacked out on January 18, 2012 from approximately 6:00am through 6:00pm MST (1300-0100 UTC). EBC otherwise operated normally during that time.

The action was in protest of two proposed bills, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA), which are working their way through Congress in the United States. They are aimed at shutting down websites facilitating Copyright and Trademark infringement, yet fall outside US jurisdiction. The bills are controversial because it is believed that they will erode the DNS system, which resolves human-readable domain names into IP addresses. Read why Canadians should be concerned about these bills.

Learn more at:
http://sopablackout.org
http://sopastrike.com

BikeWorks now has a basic repair stand complete with a pump and essential tools that will be located outside of our gate and available 24 hours a day! So if you’re a little low on air and the shop is closed, you can still swing by and pump your ride.

Our last public hours for 2011 will be on Thursday December 22 from 6pm-9pm.  This is also the last Bike Art & Knit Night of the year.

Our volunteer-only Bike Building will resume on Tuesday January 3 at 6pm-9pm. The shop will open for public hours on Wednesday January 4 at 2pm-5pm.

Enjoy the snow-free cycling!

When I sent out an urgent call to action two weeks ago, EBC members and supporters responded with élan: I received two dozen letters to council in as many hours, even though I’d neglected to ask people to send me copies. I know that many more letters were sent; councillors were discussing among themselves the number of e-mails they were receiving regarding Active Transportation (AT), and, in several interviews, councillors mentioned the volume of AT correspondence that they’d received.

Thank you. Your ardent response paid off: this Monday, Council ammended the budget to include $20 million for Active Transportation over the next three years. We started at $0 just two weeks ago.

We can also expect an additional $2 to $3 million worth of AT infrastructure to be built each year through Neighbourhood Renewal projects, including handicap ramps, missing sidewalks and bike lanes.

The draft text of the amendments are below. In addition to sidewalks, bike racks, and bike racks on buses, you can also look forward to:

Shared-Use Paths:

• 28 Ave (50 St to 91 St)
• 34 Ave (91 St to 99 St)
• 151 Ave (121 St to 127 St)
• 50 St (90 Ave to 92 Ave)
• NE LRT Corridor (117 Ave / 78 St to 129 Ave / 66 St)
• Argyll Park (Top of Bank)

On-Street Bike Routes:

• 83 Ave (97 St to 112 St)
• 95 Ave (142 St to 189 St)
• 100 Ave (102 St to 121 St)
• 101 Ave (50 St to 84 St)
• 102 Ave (111 St to 121 St)
• 121 Ave (Victoria Trail to 77 St)
• 127 Ave (72 St to 127 St)
• 50 St (98 Ave to 109A Ave)
• 79 St (76 Ave to 106 Ave)
• 106 St (34 Ave to 51 Ave)
• 189 St (87 Ave to 95 Ave)
• Saddleback Road (completion of loop)

My term as president of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society ended on November 30, and the new board of directors has already begun its work, growing our organization’s voice and improving the services we provide to the community. The new board has a full plate: with a second northside shop on the horizon, renewed focus on education and programs for youth, and a push to further develop our already-strong volunteer base, EBC needs your support to continue its work.

If you haven’t renewed your membership in the past year, or you’re not yet a member, please consider joining and supporting us. You can sign-up or renew online, by mail, or in-person. For an organization of our size, your $15 or $20 a year is a significant contribution!

(If you’re not sure if you have an active membership, just e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll check for you.)

Thanks for your support through the years. See you on the new bike lanes!

Regards,
Chris Chan

Capital Budget Amendments (draft):

MOTION:
That Capital Project Profile 12-66-1430 Active Transportation, in the amount of [$20] million, be added to the 2012-14 Capital Budget with funding from:

a. $7.333 million from funds made available due to change in funding for Walterdale Bridge
Vote: 11/1/1
Against: Tony Caterina
Passed

b. add $4 million in Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) from MSI freed up from 11-66-1412 (NW Police Campus) [leaves $4,373]
Vote: 9/3/1
Absent: Linda Sloan
Against: Jane Batty, Stephen Mandel, Tony Caterina
Passed

c. add $2.8 million Pay As You Go (PAYG) freed up from 11-66-1412 (NW Police Campus)
Vote: 9/3/1
Absent: Linda Sloan
Against: Jane Batty, Stephen Mandel, Tony Caterina
Passed

d. add $6 million PAYG from 2011 one-time from unused assessment growth and ed property tax room
Vote: 9/1/2
Absent: Linda Sloan
Against: Jane Batty, Tony Caterina
Passed

Amendments passed December 5, 2011, 5:30pm

News about budget advocacy, winter rides, inside the minds of BikeWorks patrons, and a cookbook!

December 2011 Newsletter

Read past issues of the newsletter at edmontonbikes.ca/newsletter.

In City Council on Friday, Councillor Don Iveson motioned to fund the Active Transportation project in the Capital Budget!  Councillor Ben Henderson seconded the motion.  It has not been voted on by Council (therefore not approved or disapproved) but it is a huge step forward in *possibly* getting some funding for bike infrastructure for the next 3 years.

They moved that:

That Capital Project Profile 12-66-1430 Active Transportation, in the amount of $22 million, be added to the 2012-14 Capital Budget with funding from: a. $7.333 million from funds made available due to change in funding for Walterdale Bridge, and b. $14,667 million from Green Trip funding.
- Capital Budget Amendments (draft)

Now, $22 million is better than the previously proposed $0 (see p.504), but EBC is still intent on getting Council to fund the full $30 million.  Bicycle infrastructure is sorely lacking in Edmonton, which encourages inexperienced cyclists to (illegally) ride on the sidewalks or simply not bike at all.

Council will vote on all the budget amendments and pass the final budget on December 9. 

WRITE, CALL, E-MAIL, TWEET or VISIT your Councillor and Mayor Mandel to say you want the Active Transportation project fully funded!

I attended the public hearing today on the proposed Capital Budget for 2012-2014.  This budget plays a major role in what we will see implemented in the next 3 years. 

Council will be discussing the budget until December 9, 2011 so please add your voice in support of funding for bicycle infrastructure.

Contact Mayor Mandel and your Councillor today!  Please copy EBC (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)) with your letter and any response you receive.

Here’s what I said to Council:

Good morning Council, members of the administration, and to my fellow citizens in the room and listening online,

It has been inspiring to read the policies and directives which have come from Council in the past few years and I knew that the budget would start to reflect the movement forward on the many important goals for our city. 

In 2009, the Bicycle Transportation Plan, the Active Transportation Policy, the directive to put 5% of the Transportation Capital Budget towards active transportation, and the Transportation Master Plan all marked a clear plan to shift Edmonton’s transportation mode away from single occupant vehicles to active, sustainable transportation.  In 2010, Council passed the Municipal Development Plan and in 2011 The Way We Live and The Way We Green were also passed.

As the Executive Director of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society, a not-for-profit which promotes and supports citizens in using their bicycles as a means of transportation, our members’ greatest concern with the proposed Capital Budget is the unfunded status of the Active Transportation project (#12-66-1430, p.504).  This project clearly supports the 6 documents I just listed, thus fulfilling the “multiple benefits” criterion (p.55) which the budget strives for, and it would have significant return on investment— bicycle transportation infrastructure is a fraction of the cost of motorized vehicle infrastructure.  This project would also add the desperately needed addition of 100 bike racks per year to the transit fleet, further enabling multi-modal, sustainable transportation.

I was pleased to see councilor Diotte, Iveson, Leibovici, and Sohi specifically ask questions of the administration about the Active Transportation project (p.13, p.23, p.28, and p.99 respectively).  The administration’s answer was that, although unfunded, active transportation would be implemented on a reduced scale through the Neighbourhood Renewal and Great Neighbourhoods programs.  Unfortunately, this would drag Council’s sustainable transportation vision down to a crawling pace.  I urge Council to continue the bold and necessary work to move Edmonton into the 21st century by supporting the full $30 million dollar funding of the Active Transportation project in the Capital Budget. 

In addition, the proposed Operating Budget has two service cuts which would further impede bicycle transportation.  The proposed 10% “Reduced Winter Maintenance on Trails and in Parks” (#22, p.19) will eliminate snow and ice maintenance on approximately 40 km of paved multi-use river valley trails.  Also the “Reduced street cleaning in summer months” (#24, p.19) will mean more debris on the side of the road where cyclists ride, decreasing safety and usability.

Compared to other Canadian cities such as Vancouver, Montreal, Winnepeg, Toronto and even Halifax, Edmonton is pathetically behind in on-street bicycle infrastructure.  Many young adults have left our city due to the appeal of the bicycle culture and access of other cities.

On behalf of the children, teenagers, adults and seniors of your respective wards who currently use bicycle transportation, and for the many thousands of residents who want safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation options, I urge Council to fully fund the Active Transportation project in the Capital Budget.

Thank you.

It is worth mentioning that the Active Transportation project is not focused on bicycle intrastructure, but also pedestrian infrastructure such as sidewalks, curb cuts and ramps, etc.  If the Active Transportation project is not fully funded, there is a risk that we would only see sidewalk funding.  The Sustainable Transportation department told EBC that with reduced funding for this project, their prioritization would be:

1. Responding to curb ramp requests
2. Creating accessible bus stops (sidewalk pads)
3. On-street bike lanes and sharrows

When a fellow citizen spoke to Council in favour of bicycle infrastructure, he was asked if he was in support of funding for sidewalks too.  He responded that his only priority was bicycle infrastructure.  I made the choice in my speech to more broadly support the Active Transportation project because I think Council is more easily able to pass a pre-written project than to send the administration back to the drawing board to write a new one.  I also think it is worth pushing for full funding of the entire Active Transportation portfolio rather than pit one good project against another. 

Let your voice be heard!  Call your Councillor before December 9!

What can you build over three years with 1.5 million dollars?

• 18 metres of the 23 Ave interchange
• 34 kilometres of shared use and on-street bike lanes

What can you build over three years with 0 dollars?

• Nothing.

Edmonton has already built 76 km of its 489 km bicycle transportation network, with minimal investment. Let Council know that the $0 proposed for active transportation in the 2012-2014 capital budget isn’t enough.

Remind City Hall of its commitments. Speak out for active transportation funding at the public hearing on Wednesday, November 23 at 9:30am at City Hall. It can be as simple and powerful as stating, “Active transportation is a priority for me, and it’s a priority in the City’s vision and strategy documents. Council needs to find a way to fund active transportation.” They’ll appreciate your brevity, and you’ll get your message across.

Can’t make the hearing? Send council a letter today letting them know that active transportation is important to you. It can simply be the two sentences above: Council just needs to hear from citizens that we care about active transportation.

http://edmonton.ca/city_government/city_organization/city-councillors.aspx

• Ward 1: Linda Sloan :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 2: Kim Krushell :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 3: Dave Loken :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 4: Ed Gibbons :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 5: Karen Leibovici :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 6: Jane Batty :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 7: Tony Caterina :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 8: Ben Henderson :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 9: Bryan Anderson :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 10: Don Iveson :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 11: Kerry Diotte :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Ward 12: Amarjeet Sohi :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
• Mayor :: Stephen Mandel :: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Quick Facts:

• 2009: Council approves the Bicycle Transportation Plan, laying out plans for a city-wide network of nearly 500km of bicycle routes.
• 2009: Council approves Active Transportation Policy C544, stating: The City of Edmonton strives to be pedestrian and bicycle-friendly by providing sidewalks, curb ramps, shared pathways, marked bicycle and shared-use lanes
• 2009: Council carries a motion directing Administration to prepare the 2012-2022 Capital Priorities Plan with a guideline of 5% of the Transportation Capital Budget toward Active Transportation.
• 2009: Council approves the Transportation Master Plan, stating: Public transportation and active transportation are the preferred choice for more people, making it possible to move more people more efficiently, reducing pressure on the roadways/need for increased investment, maximizing the effectiveness of financial investments and the efficiency of goods movement.
• 2010: Council approves the Municipal Development Plan (Bylaw 15100), stating: Ensure that streets, sidewalks and boulevards are designed to perform their diverse roles and to enable safe access for all users.
• 2011: Council approves The Way We Green approved by Council, stating: Resilient cities and neighbourhoods should prioritize active transportation as the preferred mode of travel and as a defining component of a healthy quality of life.
• 2011: Council is presented with the proposed 2012-2014 Capital Budget, with $0 recommended toward Active Transportation.

For the next 3 years, we’re currently facing the prospect of $0 for all active transportation projects in the 2012-2014 capital budget, including the implementation of the Bicycle Transportation Plan and the Sidewalk Strategy.

The Transportation Department has primary responsibility for achieving the 10-year goal “Shift Edmonton’s Transportation Mode” outlined in The Way Ahead. Safe and efficient roadway systems directly support the outcomes of encouraging greater use of active and public transportation, helping business move goods and services around the city, and increasing traffic safety for all users.

- City of Edmonton budget summary

Of the recommended $631 million budget for roads for 2012-14:

• $132.0 million is allocated to the replacement of the Walterdale Bridge
• $65.0 million for the completion of the 41 Avenue/Highway 2 Interchange
• $38.5 million for Bridge rehabilitation including 102 Avenue over Groat Road and 82 Avenue over the Argyll Road Connector
• $0 for active transportation, including 150km of sidewalks and 120km of on-street cycling network

The City is holding a non-statutory public hearing about the upcoming 2012 operating budget and 2012-2014 capital budget. The hearing is this Wednesday, November 23 at 9:30am, City Hall.  Please register to speak on behalf of funding active transportation in the upcoming 2012-2014 capital budget.