Throwing more money at AT

The head of Winnipeg’s public works department says a $75,000 public relations campaign the city intends to launch about its active transportation routes is not a “damage control” effort in response to public outcry.

The city’s approach to bike routes, paths and other active transportation measures has been criticized by some citizens, businesses and civic election candidates in recent weeks, with complaints ranging from a perceived lack of public consultation to confusion over how to handle traffic circles.

Amid all this, the city recently issued a request for proposals for a communications company to run a campaign promoting the active transportation network and educating people about its uses and benefits. That call for bids closes Oct. 14.

Mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis criticized the campaign last Tuesday, calling it “just damage control, and nothing more,” adding the city “cannot outsource responsibility for these kinds of challenges.”

Brad Sacher, Winnipeg’s director of public works, denied that the campaign is being launched in response to public outcry.

“That’s absolutely not the case,” he said, noting the call for bids was supposed to go out earlier this year but was delayed by the departure of Ed Shiller, the city’s former communications director who left in April.

Sacher said the campaign, which he hopes will launch in the spring, is necessary to promote the routes to people who might not have considered using them and to educate people about proper procedure for using the network.

“We think this will give us an opportunity to reinforce the proper and safe use of these facilities, particularly those that haven’t been seen in Winnipeg before,” he said. “But it’s not just about education. It’s really to promote the benefits of these things.”

Sacher said the campaign will differ from a PR campaign called Hike It, Bike It, Like It that the city undertook earlier this year to promote the same active transportation network.

“That was an introduction to what we’re doing,” he said. “The idea there was to encourage people to go to the open houses and get engaged in the consultation process.”

Sacher said the new campaign, which has a $75,000 budget, must be done by a private firm because the city’s in-house communications team does not have the expertise or the time to take it on.

By PAUL TURENNE, Winnipeg Sun

grumpy old man wrote:Make changes to traffic patterns and flow should be identified in full page ads. Post stuff on forums, alert bloggers, write to special interest groups (all of them, for instance bike groups AND automotive & trucking groups), consult with ALL emergency groups (indeed get something signed off). Make sure that not only immediate residents are informed but others that maybe don't live in the area but travel in the area.

Deank wrote:that is a ridiculous proposition. Door to door on every issue would stagnate city hall to the point of inability to do anything

grumpy old man wrote:That said, a small team of city employees could easily consult with those immediately impacted. For instance, at the homes immediately touching the intersection where one of those redonkulous traffic circles was being considered...

Deank wrote:see but even the small number of homes makes little sense

take for instance. Assiniboine avenue.

MAJOR impact on entire city, not just the peeps that live in the area.

AGEsAces wrote:Why would the people on the 4 corners be affected more than someone living 1/2 way down the street?

AGEsAces wrote:

Deank wrote:see but even the small number of homes makes little sense

take for instance. Assiniboine avenue.

MAJOR impact on entire city, not just the peeps that live in the area.

See...for that one...not that major really.
I see where you're coming from...where hundreds of people are pissed cause they can't cut through a residential neighborhood and get around Broadway deadlock...

And the actual construction they are doing is pretty dumb with the messed up bike lane.

But, having worked down there and seen the idiots during the commuting hours whipping through the neighborhood...if I lived there, I would have voted for a change of some kind...preferably just something to reduce traffic...such as close off the end nearest the bridge, or put speed bumps in.

CitizenSourpuss wrote:How hard is it to have some bullshit "Public Consultation Meetings" in school gyms/at the rec centre? If anyone shows up to them besides the local community crankpot and a handful of pissed off elderly people, the municipality gets some sort of feedback i.e) this is going over like a lead balloon and the people can't say "Wow! They never consulted us or told us anything!!!"

On Friday, at the community club, we will be discussing how we will be changing Grosvenor avenue by placing obstacles in the middle of the intersections. Here is a scale picture of what this means.