<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Hi Laura, <br><br></div>Sorry that this is so late in getting to you, and thanks to you and the committee for taking this on as I've definitely neglected it.<br></div><div>Some of my thoughts on the subject are below:<br><br>I have definite concerns about safety and comfort levels should this plan move ahead. Important questions for me include:<br><ul><li>How will cab drivers react to a bike taking the lane (as recommended by MPI and others)?</li><li>How will increased traffic affect comfort levels for people biking in the lanes?</li><li>How will safety be affected by the addition of more vehicles merging in and out of the diamond lanes?</li></ul></div>See below for some submissions from others that I have been copied on:<br><div><br></div><div>Thanks again for the opportunity to provide input – here is a summary of Green Action Centre's position.</div><div><br></div><div><p style="font-size:12.8px;margin:0px"><font color="#000000">Why taxis should not be allowed on diamond lanes in Winnipeg:</font></p><ol style="font-size:12.8px"><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000"><b>The argument to include taxis on diamond lanes in Winnipeg appears to be based on the experience of HOV (carpool) lanes in other cities. However, diamond lanes in Winnipeg are different from a HOV lane – they are essentially dedicated bus lanes that also allow cyclists.</b> HOV lanes do not exist here, as they are best suited for large centres (>1 million people in the metropolitan area) and on corridors that lead to large employment centres (>100,000 workers) as a major transportation destination, and work better on highways than arterial corridors where the space is shared with buses and bikes (</font><a href="http://data.tc.gc.ca/archive/eng/programs/environment-utsp-hovlanescanada-886.htm" target="_blank">source</a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">). Winnipeg's diamond lanes are intended to make transit more attractive and competitive (give an advantage to) w</span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">hile also providing space for people on bikes on the curbside lane during peak travel times. In other jurisdictions in Canada, HOV lanes are considered more as carpool lanes. Accordingly, some other Canadian cities have allowed taxis on arterial HOV lanes because they meet their definition of high-occupancy vehicle, e.g. </span><a href="http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TP/Pages/Getting-Around-Calgary/Commuting/High-Occupancy-Vehicles-%28HOV%29.aspx" target="_blank">Calgary</a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> defines HOV as 2 or more occupants including the taxi driver while </span><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/311/knowledgebase/64/101000040264.html" target="_blank">Toronto</a><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> requires 3 or more occupants. </span></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000"><b>Adding taxis would reduce the effectiveness of diamond lanes by reducing transit speeds and reliability of trip times for passengers and would create an additional safety hazard for people on bikes in the diamond lane. </b>Dedicated bus curb lanes can roughly double transit speeds in typical urban congestion (<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/blw.pdf" target="_blank">source</a>, p4), which attracts more riders. Bus lanes have also been shown to provide safety benefits, with statistically significant reductions in collisions (<a href="http://www.vtpi.org/blw.pdf" target="_blank">source</a>, p6). Diamond lanes should continue to be used as a TDM measure in Winnipeg to promote and encourage the use of transit and cycling.</font></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000"><b>While taxis with 3 or more occupants (including the taxi driver) technically qualify as carpooling, this is outweighed by the potential negative impacts on transit and cycling.</b> We believe that a taxi trip consisting of the driver and one passenger is the equivalent of driving alone. </font></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000"><b>Furthermore, non-compliance is highly likely and and would be costly to monitor. </b>Enforcement would be more challenging as it would require assessing how many passengers are in the taxi. This could set up the scenario of taxi drivers using the lanes when they are alone or have one passenger only.</font></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000"><b>If inclusion of taxis on a diamond lane is based on the carpooling argument, it opens up the discussion that any vehicle with 2-3 or more passengers should be</b></font><b style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> able to use the lane (similar to a HOV lane).</b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"> This is clearly undesirable on an arterial diamond lane as it would result in the same congestion issues as adjacent lanes. It once again underscores the difference between an arterial diamond lane (bus/bike lane) vs. a HOV (carpool) lane.</span></li><li style="margin-left:15px"><font color="#000000">If anything, we need more bus/bike diamond lanes in Winnipeg to create a continuous network, as sections where the diamond lane continue to pose a challenge for buses and bikes, and reduce the effectiveness of existing diamond lanes.</font></li></ol></div><div class="gmail_extra">Beth<br><br><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">David: attached are feedback and comments I have compiled from a subset of the employees I canvassed at 360 Portage Avenue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">In summary, we support the points made by the Green Action Centre. A common theme is cyclist safety: diamond lanes are well utilized already so adding more users will affect efficiency and safety for current users; <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> are a mismatch with current users with <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxi</span> drivers being more likely to be in a rush; <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> are more likely to be a risk to cyclist safety than buses as bus drivers are more likely to take a professional attitude to safety which, as one cyclist observes, extends to bus drivers giving him a full lane when they overtake him and because electric/hybrid <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> are more likely to be relatively quiet and more of a risk to cyclists unaware of their presence. Another common theme is that it is illogical to give <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> an advantage over other multi-passenger vehicles and it is illogical to disadvantage efficient public transit and carbon-free commuters to the benefit of a special interest group that is less aligned with national goals to reduce greenhouse gases. We also agree with the Green Action Centre that diamond lane non-compliance will increase if additional users are permitted in diamond lanes. Both the increased difficulty of enforcement and, in my opinion, the tendency of drivers to disregard rules they consider illogical and unfair (such as letting <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> move in and out of diamond lanes as it suits them while someone in a similar vehicle who is late for work, late for a meeting or late for day care is not permitted to do so) will contribute to non-compliance if <span class="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-il">taxis</span> are permitted in diamond lanes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Regards,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">Dan Prowse</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)">360 Portage Ave</span></p>
<span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:"calibri","sans-serif";color:rgb(31,73,125)"><a href="tel:%28204%29%20360-3712" value="+12043603712" target="_blank">204-360-3712</a>; cell <a href="tel:%28204%29%20792-1288" value="+12047921288" target="_blank">204-792-1288</a>; home <a href="tel:%28204%29%20453-6060" value="+12044536060" target="_blank">204-453-6060</a><br><br></span><br>Cheers, \<br>Mark</div><br><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:42 PM, Laura Donatelli <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:omojean98@hotmail.com" target="_blank">omojean98@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div id="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-m_5821950570336729442gmail-m_-2112608012160345680m_1783664204392331186divtagdefaultwrapper" style="font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" dir="ltr">
<p>Hi Ian, Bill and Gord,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Here is the revised draft of the Diamond Lane position statement for your consideration and comments. You can send me comments electronically or share your thoughts at our meeting. You will note that the recently released (Dec. 20/16) Taxicab Review report
is recommending that the majority of taxicabs be allowed to use diamond lanes, so we need to get a statement finalized and approved by the BW board quickly in anticipation of this going before Council. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Ian, do you have a draft of the Bike Helmet statement for our review prior to our meeting?</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Reminder that we meet this <b>Thursday Jan. 5th at 1:00 p.m. </b>at my place (129 Grove Street). Hope all can make it.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Cheers, Laura<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
Policy mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca" target="_blank">Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/listinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipeg.ca" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/l<wbr>istinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipe<wbr>g.ca</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:42 PM, Laura Donatelli <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:omojean98@hotmail.com" target="_blank">omojean98@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div id="gmail-m_4663764413893222345gmail-m_5821950570336729442m_4672142002561226122divtagdefaultwrapper" style="font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" dir="ltr">
<p>Hi Ian, Bill and Gord,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Here is the revised draft of the Diamond Lane position statement for your consideration and comments. You can send me comments electronically or share your thoughts at our meeting. You will note that the recently released (Dec. 20/16) Taxicab Review report
is recommending that the majority of taxicabs be allowed to use diamond lanes, so we need to get a statement finalized and approved by the BW board quickly in anticipation of this going before Council. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Ian, do you have a draft of the Bike Helmet statement for our review prior to our meeting?</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Reminder that we meet this <b>Thursday Jan. 5th at 1:00 p.m. </b>at my place (129 Grove Street). Hope all can make it.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Cheers, Laura<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
Policy mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca" target="_blank">Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/listinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipeg.ca" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/l<wbr>istinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipe<wbr>g.ca</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:42 PM, Laura Donatelli <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:omojean98@hotmail.com" target="_blank">omojean98@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div id="gmail-m_4663764413893222345m_1868138414348498357divtagdefaultwrapper" style="font-size:12pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:calibri,arial,helvetica,sans-serif" dir="ltr">
<p>Hi Ian, Bill and Gord,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Here is the revised draft of the Diamond Lane position statement for your consideration and comments. You can send me comments electronically or share your thoughts at our meeting. You will note that the recently released (Dec. 20/16) Taxicab Review report
is recommending that the majority of taxicabs be allowed to use diamond lanes, so we need to get a statement finalized and approved by the BW board quickly in anticipation of this going before Council. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Ian, do you have a draft of the Bike Helmet statement for our review prior to our meeting?</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Reminder that we meet this <b>Thursday Jan. 5th at 1:00 p.m. </b>at my place (129 Grove Street). Hope all can make it.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Cheers, Laura<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
Policy mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca" target="_blank">Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/listinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipeg.ca" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/l<wbr>istinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipe<wbr>g.ca</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Jan 3, 2017 at 4:42 PM, Laura Donatelli <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:omojean98@hotmail.com" target="_blank">omojean98@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">
<div id="m_-4378329048858584422divtagdefaultwrapper" style="font-size:12pt;color:#000000;font-family:Calibri,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif" dir="ltr">
<p>Hi Ian, Bill and Gord,</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Happy New Year to all.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Here is the revised draft of the Diamond Lane position statement for your consideration and comments. You can send me comments electronically or share your thoughts at our meeting. You will note that the recently released (Dec. 20/16) Taxicab Review report
is recommending that the majority of taxicabs be allowed to use diamond lanes, so we need to get a statement finalized and approved by the BW board quickly in anticipation of this going before Council. </p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Ian, do you have a draft of the Bike Helmet statement for our review prior to our meeting?</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Reminder that we meet this <b>Thursday Jan. 5th at 1:00 p.m. </b>at my place (129 Grove Street). Hope all can make it.</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>Cheers, Laura<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
<br>______________________________<wbr>_________________<br>
Policy mailing list<br>
<a href="mailto:Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca">Policy@lists.bikewinnipeg.ca</a><br>
<a href="http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/listinfo.cgi/policy-bikewinnipeg.ca" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://lists.bikewinnipeg.ca/<wbr>listinfo.cgi/policy-<wbr>bikewinnipeg.ca</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br></div>