Bike lanes, not helmets: Winnipeg city staffer says we need more protected paths

Adult cyclists in Winnipeg won’t be forced to strap on a helmet anytime soon.

On Monday, the city’s protection, community services and parks committee voted 3-1 to accept a review on local cycling safety measures. 

Written by Stephanie Whitehouse, the city’s active transportation coordinator, the report lists the merit of helmet usage, bike lights and bells, but recommends no change to the current rules or enforcement approach.

Last summer, committee member Coun. Russ Wyatt requested a review on the requirement for all cyclists to wear helmets.

The best thing for reducing injury, according to Whitehouse's report, is “designing cycling routes separated from vehicles.”

She believes the city could do more to improve cycling safety by building more protected bike lanes and promoting education, rather than force adult cyclists to wear helmets.

“We are, again, focused on improvements to prevent incidents from happening in the first place,” said Whitehouse to reporters, underlining the need for protected bike lanes, design improvements to intersections and more education around road safety.

She explained that to look at the issue of making helmets mandatory, a more in-depth study would be needed.

Besides the Winnipeg Police Service and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, the city’s legal services department and members of the public would need to be consulted on the matter, said Whitehouse.

She added that councillors would also have to approve funnelling away funds from active transportation to pay for such a review.

Committee chairman Coun. Mike Pagtakhan agrees with Whitehouse’s stance that cycling should be made safer through better infrastructure, like dedicated bike routes.

He pointed to the work being done through the 20-year $334-million pedestrian and cycling strategy.

“What our challenge is is to create safe cycling routes within the city for citizens,” Pagtakhan said.

Wyatt said he felt Monday’s report was lacking and side-stepped his initial request.

To him, a bigger issue was the public works department’s decision to hire a consulting firm owned by Jeannette Montufar, whose marriage to transportation manager Luis Escobar and past tweets about Wyatt prompted a conflict of interest investigation by the city’s auditor at the same time the report was bring prepared.