Bike grid could boost business: Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce

It’s time for Winnipeg to embrace a more bike-friendly future, according to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

President Loren Remillard doesn’t mince words when discussing the potential of a fast-tracked bike grid, as Coun. Janice Lukes will try to move one forward at the city’s next infrastructure committee meeting, Tuesday.

“We’re very supportive of all measures to promote active transportation (AT) in our city” Remillard said. “A downtown bike grid is part of that conversation, one I think Winnipeg should embrace.”

Although the chamber hasn’t surveyed its members on the specific plan Lukes has put forward, Remillard said there is near-unanimous “recognition of value in AT and a desire to see Winnipeg move forward as quickly as possible.”

He explained the business community feels increasing transportation options through offerings like bus rapid transit (BRT) and AT make Winnipeg a more attractive destination and aids in talent retention.

“From an employer standpoint… employers out there are trying to compete for the best and brightest, and particularly among the millennial generation they’re actively pursuing (transportation) options,” Remillard said. “If you have AT infrastructure they can actively engage in it makes attracting that talent easier.”

Bike Winnipeg has vocally supported Lukes’ plan for similar reasons, with executive director Mark Cohoe saying the current AT offerings of Winnipeg’s present and near-future are a “bit scattered” and lack the “connectivity people want.”

Remillard also thinks a downtown grid would be a boon for business by increasing pedestrian traffic.

“In many other cities where their downtowns have an energy and a vibrancy, that’s not from traffic flow of cars, that’s feet on the street, people engaging on sidewalks, physical personal presence,” he explained. “Bikes really in this case allow for that in a much more robust way by getting people out of their cars.

“Instead of driving by many of these shops, again that bike allows you to interact with offerings in the downtown in a more immediate and physical way—it definitely adds to that sense of vibrancy.”

Remillard and the chamber will not speak in favour of the bike grid at the Nov. 29 committee meeting, but he said he hopes Lukes’ plan gets support because it would send “a message about what our city is like and where it is going in the future.”

“’We are a modern city, we offer our citizens a multitude of options, not just a vehicle option.’”