From Metro News Winnipeg.
“Wondering what a woonerf is, besides a weird word?
It’s a street, “designed for pedestrians first,” which focuses on “calming the street down through design.”
That’s how Winnipeg transportation facilities planning engineer Scott Suderman defined it while standing on the first such roadway in the city, John Hirsch Place, Thursday morning.
The woonerf—which, properly speaking, is Dutch for ‘living street’—is Winnipeg’s first true shared-space laneway.”
Low-cost. Movable materials. What’s not to like here?
From CBC Manitoba:
“A decision on whether to study an adjustable downtown cycling grid was hung up in a pair of deadlocked votes at Winnipeg city council’s public works committee meeting Tuesday, where unofficial party politics led to legislative gridlock.
For the third time since November, South Winnipeg-St. Norbert Coun. Janice Lukes tried to convince the public works committee to approve plans for a grid of downtown bike lanes made up of low-cost, movable materials such as temporary curbs.”
We’ve got an exciting week ahead …
On Friday June 23rd, we’re hosting a Pit Stop on Bike to Work Day. From 6 – 9AM, roll on down Assinboine Avenue on your way to work, say hi, and you might be one of four lucky folks to receive a 1 Year Casual Membership!
On Saturday June 24th, we’re participating in Art City’s GoGoGo Parade!
Schedule:
1:00 pm Meet behind Art City (Broadway & Young) to get ready. We will need lots of help carrying floats and donning costumes!
2:00 pm Parade starts!
3:00 pm Refreshments, Wanda Koop Painting Raffle Draw and Entertainment!
From Art City: “The Art City Parade is Art City’s flagship event of the year. Each parade explores a different theme that is fun and educational. It is a chance for participants to take the creativity they hone in Art City programs to the streets, blasting positivity into the neighbourhood and to all who come to watch.
This year we are partnering with urban planners, engineers, the Peg City Car Co-Op, cycling advocates, and all the artists we can harness! Please join us for this fantastic event!”
From TheStar.com – “How pedestrians and cyclists are changing the face of Toronto”
“At their best, streets are both a destination and the way to get there. They don’t just make cities possible, they define them, give them form and create their character. They are a city’s circulatory system, its largest arteries and its smallest capillaries.”
Bike to Work Week is NEXT week in Winnipeg, and we’re looking forward to celebrating Peg City Car Co-op’s 6th birthday by hosting a Pit Stop on Friday, June 23rd from 6-9AM on Assiniboine Avenue. Look for us by the bronze statue of Louis Riel, across from the large fountain on the Legislative grounds. Check out the official Pit Stop map to see which spots you can cruise by on your way to work!
We’ve doubled our fleet and our membership is growing faster than ever. While carsharing is convenient and simple to use, sharing is also a responsibility. To make sure your sharing experiences runs as smoothly as possible, we’ve made a top 10 list of carsharing etiquette:
Always return the vehicle to its home parking spot
Each car has a permanent spot which it must return to when not in use. Once finished with a booking, members are required to return the vehicle to this spot so that it is ready for the next driver.
Fill up the gas tank
The price of fuel is included in the fees we charge for using the vehicles. We do our best to keep the vehicles filled up, but when a member uses a vehicle and the gas tank falls below a ¼ tank full, they are expected to stop and fill it up, either using gas cards provided or by paying for the gas and receiving a credit on their next invoice.
Don’t be late
We recommend that our members always book more time than they think they’ll need when using the vehicle. You can never know when traffic or other events can unexpectedly hold you up. While this rarely happens, there is a financial penalty for making another member wait.
If you are late, call
This is an easy solution to avoid being charged for another members ride. If a member is going to be late by 5 minutes, it is courteous to call Peg City Car Co-op to let us know, and we can let the waiting member know you are on your way.
Keep it clean
Members are expected to remove all belongings and/or trash they may have left in the vehicles. The vehicles are brought to the carwash on a regular basis, but it makes our job easier when the cars are left as tidy as possible between trips.
Report any damage
Dents and dings happen. Every once in awhile, vandalism also occurs. Members are held financially responsible for any damage that is caused to the vehicle due to their error during their booking. To avoid being inappropriately charged, members are instructed to do a full walk around before every booking and record any damage found in the log book.
Unless it is an emergency, try to phone customer service during office hours
We love to hear from our members and we are on call 24 hours/day in case of emergencies. Stranded with a flat tire? The previous user hasn’t returned the car on time? Call us anytime of the day or night.
However, we only have 2 permanent, part-time staff members, so when it isn’t an emergency, we appreciate when members keep their calls to regular business hours or send us an email (we are also available through Facebook and Twitter). It will save us from frantically answering the phone when in the movie theatre, having dinner with our parents, or in the middle of taking a shower (but we still always will).
In the winter, turn off all electronics
Carsharing in Winnipeg is a unique experience because of our cold winters. This includes the occasional dead battery. They are easier to avoid when all electronics are shut off — all radios, fans, and lights.
Drive smoothly
When you are driving a Peg City Car Co-op car you are representing this great co-op and all of its members. Follow all traffic laws and be a safe and responsible driver.
Tell a friend about the co-op!
We can expand our fleet and maintain our competitive pricing only as long as our membership keeps growing! So tell a friend, and get a $25 driving credit for every member that signs up base on your recommendation.
We are pretty proud to say that 2013 marked our 3rd Bike to Work Day (BTWD) at the River and Osborne location! We officially launched on June 24, 2011 which also happened to be BTWD, so there is a pretty special history there for us. Two full years of carshare and over 150 members!
It is exciting every year to see the growing number of people who ride their bikes to work (even those just trying it out) and to have people stop in and say “hi!”, even if we are only one of 48(!) BTWD pit stops across the city.
A small recap of the morning:
We were up nice and early to catch as many cyclists as possible. That means setting up at about 6:15 am (yikes). However we were glad to see the rain had passed and the sun was coming up.
Then cyclists starting rolling in (pun intended). We had coffee for riders generously donated by Starbucks (River and Osborne location) and yummy doughnuts from Tim Horton’s.
We also offered cyclists 2013 Winnipeg Bicycle Maps and we were handing out $25 driving credits for any potential new members.
We got to meet and chat with a bunch of really cool people and some had really cool bikes, like this gentleman, who even let us ride his cargo bike!!! He was even kind enough to add one of our stickers to his bike.
All in all, it was a successful morning. We had about 30 cyclists visit over the course of 2.5 hours. We got to chat about cycling, walking, transit and carsharing. We even signed up a new member!
Until next year!
It appears as though the summer weather is just about here! That makes it the ideal time of the year to try out more active ways to get around the city. It is also the time of year to check out a series of different commuting-related events that promote both active transportation and transit! So dust off that bike and check them out. Best part, they are all FREE!
1. Winter Cycling for Everyone : Film and Panel Discussion – May 30th (6:30-8 pm)
Ok, ok, so with a delayed summer, who really wants to think about winter cycling? But did you know that Winnipeg has been selected as the next location for the Winter Cycling Congress in 2014? Come check out a short film and panel exploring winter cycling.
Panel discussion after film– featuring Paul Jordan, COO of the Forks, Councillor Justin Swandel, design whiz Andrea Tetrault (Winnipeg Cycle Chick) and speaker Timo Perälä. Moderated by Bartley Kives.
2. Commuter Challenge – June 2-8
Hey you, it’s June! It’s the perfect month to get outdoors and start commuting to work by bike, walk, or bus (or canoe, rollerblades, carpool, telecommute, etc.). Did you know that in addition to being good for your health, commuting by bike may also make you happier?
Register through the Green Action Centre website for a chance to win great prizes (including a prize valued at $100 from us!).
3. MEC Bikefest – June 15
Come join the fun and connect with your local cycling community. You can try out gear, test ride a new bike, browse exhibitors’ booths, score deals at the MEC Gearswap, or learn skills at a bike clinic. There’ll also be group rides, performers, entertainment, and kids’ activities.
All the fun takes place at the Forks.
4. Downtown Biz Living Room: Downtown Cycling Presentation and Workshop – June 19th (10-11:30 am)
Join Bike to Work and the Downtown BIZ as they host a cycle-friendly workplace workshop to promote the cycling initiatives taking place downtown. Watch a video that recognizes Winnipeg workplaces who are championing cycling initiatives; and a “how to” video on how to make your workplace more cycle-friendly. Be entered to win a bike rack and other prizes!
5. Bike to Work Day – June 21st
Make sure you register in advance and then ride your bike to work on Friday, June 21st! You’ve already practiced during the Commuter Challenge, so how hard could it be? From 6:30-9 am stop at any number of pit stops placed a long cycling routes for refreshments and some quick bike fix-ups. Peg City Car Co-op will be hosting a pit stop at River and Osborne. After work head over to the Forks between 3:30-7 pm for a BBQ!
Join us at The University of Winnipeg at 7 pm the night before (June 20th) for the first annual Bike Shorts Film Night (sponsored by Peg City Car Co-op).
BONUS: Peg City Car Co-op Turns 2! – June 24th
It was two years ago that Peg City Car Co-op was launched on Bike to Work Day! We started with 36 members and 3 cars! Today we have 8 cars and almost 150 members! En lieu of party, we encourage you to maintain your healthy active transportation habits built over the past month and bike, walk or bus to work.
WINNIPEG (May 21, 2013)—Peg City Car Co-op is doubling its fleet of fuel-efficient carshare vehicles located around central Winnipeg neighbourhoods. The city’s first and only carshare is expanding its service to include West Broadway, Corydon Village, The University of Winnipeg, and further into Downtown Winnipeg. This builds on existing locations at the Legislative grounds, Osborne Village, and South Osborne. Expanding into more neighbourhoods means carsharing will become a practical option for more Winnipeggers.
Approaching its second anniversary, Peg City Car Co-op has grown to 140 members and counting. Continued growth is anticipated with the fleet expansion to 8 vehicles, which already includes an electric Chevrolet Volt. The latest vehicle locations include: 125 Sherbrook Street (Resource Assistance for Youth), 708 Jessie Avenue (Bluestem Housing Co-op), Good Street (Buhler Centre – UWinnipeg) and at Garry Street and Broadway (next to Cambrian Credit Union).
The expansion is all thanks to $66,000 raised from individual Manitobans who purchased investment shares in the local car co-op. Through the Province’s Community Enterprise Tax Credit (CED) program, Manitoba investors received a 30% personal income tax credit. This successful campaign is part of Peg City’s goal to reach a fleet of 11 cars, serving 350 members, by the end of 2014.
“This is a big step for the car co-op. By doubling our fleet, we can expand the carshare network to serve more neighbourhoods and provide even better service for our existing members.” says Shoni Litinsky, President of Peg City Car Co-op’s board. “It’s a key part of our overall strategy to provide the “Sometimes Drive” option for Winnipeg residents who get around primarily by biking, walking and taking the bus but want occasional access to a car. It feels really great to have local individual investors show their support and help make carsharing possible in more Winnipeg neighbourhoods.”
Manitoba Consumer debt (which includes vehicle debts, but excludes mortgages) is up 8% according to credit monitor TransUnion. This means Manitobans are spending more than they make.
Owning and operating a car in Canada costs an average of $8,000 per year according to CAA. In order to own a car, a budget of around $700 is required every month to pay for loan payments, gas, insurance and maintenance expenses. Some households even have more than one car.
On average, carshare members pay 14% (less than $100) of that per month – and they don’t pay for the carshare when they don’t use it (unlike a car).
Choosing to live close to work or school, using alternate modes for regular transportation and being able to keep costs stable (as member Shauna argues in her Member Profile) are all ways to keep your debts low, Manitoba!
