‘Open streets’ experiment draws positive reviews

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/open-streets-experiment-draws-positi...

WINNIPEGGERS appear to have welcomed “open streets” offering more room for active transportation, though the routes aren’t slated to become permanent fixtures just yet.

Nearly a dozen open streets were tested this year, where vehicle traffic was limited to just one block from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. The routes were created to provide extra space for pedestrians and cyclists to stay active while also keeping at least two metres apart during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A new city report notes 65 per cent of 5,436 people surveyed about the routes rated their experience as “very positive,” while another 14 per cent rated it as “positive.”

However, the document also warns more work is required to determine where to place the routes going forward. That includes additional monitoring once post-pandemic traffic volumes resume.

“Generally, the response to the open streets pilot was positive and suggests further pilot programs be implemented along with further technical analysis prior to recommending a permanent program,” the report notes.

Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said he was pleased with the overall positive assessment.

“Those streets have been very popular and there’s strong demand,” he said Wednesday.

The report follows a lobby from council’s public works chairman, Coun. Matt Allard, to permanently add seasonal active transportation routes on 15 streets, which would run seven days a week between the May long and Thanksgiving weekends. The St. Boniface councillor said those routes should include 10 sections of “open streets” the city tested out this year, plus sections of five new ones.

Instead, the public service suggests specific route recommendations be made in a separate report in February.

Cohoe said allowing for a little more time to plan and additional pilot projects should help determine the best and safest possible routes.

In an email, Allard’s office said he expects to support the plan: “The consultation demonstrated widespread public support and provides a process for how to continue and improve this great program.”

Mayor Brian Bowman said he’s still reviewing the report but also sees a need to explore more permanent active transportation links, whether or not the pandemic ends by next spring.

“I’m absolutely open to active transportation changes that could be made that are more permanent,” said Bowman.

The city report does note not everyone who actually lives on an open street welcomes the concept, with approval ratings within that group varying widely.

About 97 per cent of Egerton Avenue residents rated their experience with the routes as “very positive” or “positive,” while 52 per cent of Vialoux Drive residents rated their experience as either “negative” or “very negative.”

Overall, about 18 per cent of residents with homes along the routes reported a “negative” or “very negative” experience.

While there was some conflict between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists along the routes, the public service is aware of just one minor collision, the report notes.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga