Council extends cycling, walking routes till Sept. 7
AS Winnipeg city council extended temporary active transportation routes until September, one councillor successfully lobbied for his ward’s route to be removed.
Coun. Kevin Klein (Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood) called to close the route along Assiniboine Avenue, from Bedson Street to Westwood Drive, arguing some cyclists and pedestrians disregard “the basic rules of the road.”
“We’ve had several close calls with bikes and pedestrians… It makes for a potential danger spot when someone is riding a bike or is walking,” he said Friday.
Klein said the busy stretch of Assiniboine Avenue isn’t a good fit for such use, largely since it’s a bus route. Residents have complained of cyclists and pedestrians taking up the entire road and not allowing cars to pass, he said.
The AT routes limit vehicular traffic to one block from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, to allow more room for cyclists and pedestrians.
Klein’s motion to close the Assiniboine link, which council approved, also called for city staff to consult with him to find an alternative route in his ward.
The councillor said he decided to call for the elimination of the route, after 84 residents signed such a petition, including 67 Assiniboine Avenue residents.
At the same meeting, council voted unanimously to extend eight other AT routes: sections of Lyndale Drive, Scotia Street, Wellington Crescent, Wolseley Avenue, Churchill Drive, Egerton Road, Kildonan Drive and Kilkenny Drive. The extension will keep them open until Sept. 7, instead of July 6.
Meanwhile, another councillor successfully called to have a route added in his ward.
Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) requested an AT route be placed on Rover Avenue, between Hallet and Stephens streets. The area is part of the North Winnipeg Parkway, which Eadie’s motion states is slated for medicine plant-filled boxes to help calm traffic in the area, as part of a reconciliation effort.
The motion describes the area as well-suited to the change, with “no cross-traffic, low traffic volumes and low traffic speeds.”
The routes were first promoted as an option for socially distanced exercise during the pandemic.
— Joyanne Pursaga