Bike to Work Day

Mark your calendars, set your alarm and bike to work on Monday, June 5 for Bike to Work Day, coordinated by Bike Week Winnipeg.

Stop by two UM pit stops, hosted by the Office of Sustainability, Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management and UMSU, for a chance to win prizes and grab some snacks. The pit stops are a great way to connect with other bike commuters and celebrate active modes of transportation.

What: UM Bike to Work Day pit stops
When: Monday, June 5, 6:30 – 9 AM
Where: Southwest Rapid Transit Path, Markham Rd @ University Crescent; and North Campus Lands, Sifton Rd @ Sidney Smith St

Commuter Challenge

Practice healthier commutes while getting outdoors, saving money and reducing time spent in traffic — register for the Commuter Challenge, June 4-10, coordinated by the Green Action Centre.

Participants are encouraged to choose sustainable modes of transportation, such as carpooling, biking, walking, taking public transit or working from home. Track your kilometres on the Commuter Challenge website under “UM – student” or “UM – staff/faculty” for a chance to win prizes.

What: Commuter Challenge
When: June 4 – 10
Where: Register online

Don’t miss your chance to help create a more sustainable future and participate in these exciting initiatives!

Fill out the Campus Commute Survey between January 16-31, 2023 for a chance to win a $500 grocery store gift certificate or one of ten $50 food vouchers for Degrees, Campo or Starbucks.

Results of the Campus Commute Survey inform strategic planning around transportation related infrastructure, education and peer-based programs in support of climate action, sustainability and wellness goals.

This year’s Campus Commute Survey includes questions to better understand our greenhouse gas emissions from commuting and air travel and inform future strategies for the UM Climate Action Plan.

The UM Climate Action Plan is a framework to help us halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and become carbon neutral by 2050. In 2019, 29% of our total emissions were generated from transportation related to commuting, business and research travel, and fleet vehicles.

Take the 2023 Campus Commute Survey now.

You can also complete the Campus Commute Survey in-person at an upcoming survey lounge:

• Brodie Atrium, Thursday, January 19, 10AM – 1PM
• UMSU University Centre, Wednesday, January 25, 10AM – 1PM 

This survey is administered by the Green Action Centre, and all responses are completely confidential. Only aggregated results are reported back to the University.
The survey is organized biennially by the Office of Sustainability. Previous surveys took place in 2020, 2018 and 2016 (inaugural).

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the Office of Sustainability at sustainability[at]umanitoba.ca. 

The Sustainable and Equitable Transportation Research Panel event will be an opportunity to hear renowned researchers from the University of Manitoba address the accessibility and impacts of transportation in our community. The panel discussion will be held on Microsoft Teams on April 12 from 12 to 1 p.m.

Topics will range from developing accessible transportation systems, to the effects of public transit and active transportation on the environment, to how public transportation decisions can impact the lives of Indigenous women and Two-Spirit Plus people. Panelists will consider how we got to where we are today and what transportation may look like in the future for our community.

Panelists include:

• Dr. Orly Linovski, associate professor, department of city planning
• Dr. Paul Larson, professor, department of supply chain management
• Dr. Adele Perry, director, Centre for Human Rights Research, Distinguished Professor, women’s and gender studies, history
• Dr. Jocelyn Thorpe, director, Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture; associate professor, women’s and gender studies, history
• Sushreeta Mishra, PhD candidate, department of civil engineering

Participants will have the opportunity to direct their transportation questions to our panel of knowledgeable experts in the field.

We invite you to participate in this insightful and educational panel discussion on transportation on April 12. To register, please complete this registration form.

Sustainable transportation systems make a positive contribution to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the communities they serve. Receiving feedback on and finding out more about the UM community’s transportation patterns provide insight into how we can continue creating safer, more accessible and reliable transportation options.

A total of 3,701 respondents completed the January 2020 survey. Of those, 61 per cent were students (undergraduate and graduate), 30 per cent staff and 10 per cent faculty members.

Sustainable transportation options, such as transit and carpooling, continue to be heavily used by students. Fort Garry student respondents reported a much higher use of transit (39 per cent), compared to Bannatyne campus students at 18 per cent.

When it comes to carbon emissions, the average number of kilograms of CO2 per person has declined, compared to the previous two survey results, from 839 in 2016 to 763 in 2020.

The survey identified commuters’ preferred methods of transportation, which may not reflect their current transportation method. For all Fort Garry respondents, transit is the preferred mode of transportation (49 per cent), with significantly more interest in carpooling (28 per cent) than existing use (11 per cent). Interest in cycling (24 per cent) is almost five times higher than current use, with interest in walking/running close to triple.

Preference for transit (34 per cent) and carpooling (29 per cent) was also high among Bannatyne respondents. Cycling is particularly appealing, at nearly four times its current use. Unlike Fort Garry respondents, there are more campus members driving alone (55 per cent) than would prefer to do so (38 per cent), representing an opportunity to switch to a more sustainable mode of commuting.

Respondents were also asked for feedback on potential improvements to UM’s current transportation systems as well as what influences their commute choices. The top five, ranked, include:

1. increased frequency and space on buses
2. more direct transit routes to and from campus
3. improved walking and cycling infrastructure
4. more flexibility in parking permits
5. additional secure bike parking

Many respondents were familiar with existing resources and programs like the Student Transit U-Pass and secure bike lock-up services; however, many services remain underutilized, like:

• GoManitoba (online carpool matching site)
• staff bike fleet on Fort Garry campus
• moped / motorized scooter parking areas
• flexible scheduling for staff (position-dependent)
• accessible van (Student Accessibility Services)

Data and feedback from the 2020 survey responses continue to inform recommendations to better support UM students, staff and faculty. Feedback from previous years has been able to introduce and catalyze a new flexible parking pass option for students during the 2019-2020 year. Recommendations from this year’s survey include the following:

• a subscription for staff and faculty to Winnipeg Transit’s EcoPass program
• continuation of expanding secure bike parking
• sharing of transit-related survey results with Winnipeg Transit to demonstrate the high levels of interest and increase reliability

Based on survey feedback, the Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Campus Planning Office and Physical Plant, continue to update the action items outlined in our campuses’ Sustainable Transportation Strategy. This could lead to benefits for the entire UM community like fewer greenhouse gas emissions, improved mental and physical health, better air quality, less traffic congestion and cost savings. 

Visit the Office of Sustainability website to learn more about other transportation or sustainability goals and for more details about the Campus Commute Survey.

The stop that was temporarily in front of Asper on Freedman Crescent will be moved back to Dafoe between Tier and Isbister. 

Visit the website for shuttle bus info: https://umanitoba.ca/about-um/our-campuses/getting-here#getting-around-on-campus

For this reason, academics, policy makers, the taxi industry and the nonprofit sector are taking part in a round-table discussion focused on the shifting transportation policies in Winnipeg. The event takes place on Thursday, Dec. 14 and will see panelists share their expertise and opinions, and consider the future of transportation in Winnipeg.

The project, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), explores new ride-hailing technologies and services and the affect they will have on other systems of transportation like the taxi industry. The project is also interested in exploring what ride-hailing companies mean for the culture of work. 

Dr. Sheri Gibbings of Wilfrid Laurier University holds the SSHRC Insight Grant, together with Dr. Joshua Barker from the University of Toronto, titled Ubering the City: Understanding Transportation and Ride-Hailing Applications. Examining ride-hailing services in Winnipeg is part of this project, as such the event on Dec. 14 is a product of a partnership between Gibbings and the U of M Institute for the Humanities. 

Panelists include:

• Joe Kornelsen – public transit advocate
• David Camfield – Department of Labour Studies / Sociology
• Lea Baturin – former member, Winnipeg Taxicab Board
• Adolf Ng – Director, University of Manitoba Transport Institute
• Scott McFadyen – Spokesperson, Winnipeg Community Taxi Coalition
• Paul Moist – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
• Christine Brouzes – Ikwe, Safe Rides, Women Helping Women
• Sheri Gibbings – Wilfrid Laurier University

The discussion will be broadly framed a series of questions and all participants are encouraged to consider them ahead of time. They can be found here.

Event details:

What: Ubering the city: Understanding the changes to transportation in Winnipeg
When: Thursday, December 14
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Where: 409 Tier Building, Fort Garry Campus

Through to August 19, transit riders must go to University Crescent between Freedman Crescent and Dafoe Road to ride the bus.

Students and staff requiring special transportation considerations can arrange an accessible van for travel on Fort Garry campus. Please contact Student Accessibility Services Exam Centre at 204-474-6213 or sasexams@umanitoba.ca to make arrangements.

UPDATE: Maclean changes to a one-way for Canada Summer Games
Maclean Crescent will be changed to a one way as per below to accommodate the Canada Summer Games. The organization is bringing in directional signage to put up on Maclean later today (July 26).

To see a larger version of the map, click here (PDF).

For other need-to-know info about the Canada Summer Games, see:

Need to Know: Canada Summer Games

Getting to and around Canada Summer Games

To accommodate the revised academic calendar, University of Manitoba Winter Service schedules will remain in effect until April 21 on the following routes:

• 36 Northwest Super Express
• 75 Crosstown East
• 78 Crosstown West
• 161 University Super Express

According to Transit’s news release, some trips to/from the University of Manitoba may not be visible on transit’s website or other TransitTools.

For route and schedule information visit winnipegtransit.com or contact 311.

Dr. Baker’s research interests lie at the intersection of community development and transportation planning, focusing specifically on social and spatial equity. He has examined how public transportation planning policies and activities relate to neighbourhood change and especially how they impact the most disadvantaged populations. Dr. Baker received a PhD in Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where his research focused on Transit Oriented Developments within St. Louis, Missouri, USA.