June 2025 - AT-Network - University of Manitoba Mailing Lists

WFP analysis: A new chapter for Portage and Main (Jun30'25)
by Beth McKechnie 30 Jun '25

30 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. A new chapter for Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/06/30/a-new-chapter… REMEMBER that time the entire city of Winnipeg voted on whether people should be allowed to cross the street? That was wild. The whole country looked on in curious amusement as a modern city tied itself into knots over what appeared to be an incredibly mundane issue. As a member of the Vote Open campaign, I can remember spending my evenings going door-to-door, or manning booths and handing out pamphlets at festivals and farmers’ markets. We organized a concert, started a website and argued tirelessly on social media. We had all the data and all the engineering studies. We could rebut any point. In the end, as we know, Portage and Main was a mythical beast too powerful to slay and the vote was a resounding NO. A few years later, we found out that it would be cheaper to take down the barricades than to repair the underground, so one day, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced in a reassuring tone, “It’s just an intersection,” and that was that. On Friday, almost 17,000 days after the last person legally did it, we walked across the street. We shouldn’t expect that rainbows will cascade down from the heavens and all that ails downtown will be instantly swept away. But in time, people on the sidewalks will bring life back to the centre of our city. More people work within 100 metres of Portage and Main than live in Steinbach, the province’s third largest city. Enticing even a fraction of these people back to the sidewalks might be the incentive needed to begin filling the many empty storefronts nearby, developing the 50-year-old gravel parking lot on Main Street and bringing life to the plazas and public spaces. An open Portage and Main will reconnect the different neighbourhoods of downtown so they can build on each other’s successes. It will re-establish the intersection’s traditional role as the centre of an urban pinwheel, a place of connection but also, in its own right, a place to be. Before long, people crossing the street will be the new normal and we will wonder what all the fuss was about. It’s then that we might challenge ourselves to dream bigger. Mayor Gillingham is right — it is just an intersection. But it’s also an opportunity. The windy corner, the gateway to the West, Canada’s coldest and most famous intersection has been celebrated in song and story. It began as a First Nations meeting place, later becoming a Métis trading route, then the birthplace of a frontier city and the economic centre of modern metropolis. It is a place we come to celebrate, a place we come to mourn and to protest. Portage and Main is a special place filled with lore and history, not just in Winnipeg but across the country. As you enter the 'Cities of the Twentieth Century’ exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa, you are greeted with a giant mural of Portage and Main from a century ago. The image represents the very best of what a city can be, the intersection, the beating heart of a city filled with optimism and energy. Imagine if Portage and Main became a place where this spirit and history were woven together and celebrated through art, sculpture, lighting, landscape, interpretive design and storytelling. A place where we can come to learn about ourselves and to have others learn about us. Telling the story of Portage and Main through placemaking is to tell the story of Canada. The ultimate opportunity for Portage and Main is to be a remarkable place that tells a remarkable story. To achieve this, we might at some point reconsider the physical form of the intersection itself, giving more space to people and less to cars. New York City presents a strong precedent for this, closing Broadway through Times Square in 2009 and creating pedestrian plazas that have transformed it into one of the great public spaces in the world. Considering that it took Winnipeg half a century to accept people crossing the street, removing car space would certainly not be an easy sell, but our experience during the last nine months of construction has demonstrated that it can be done. When construction started on removing the barricades last year, two full lanes of traffic were closed on each side of Portage Avenue and Main Street. This effectively cut vehicle capacity in half. The result was a real-world experiment in traffic engineering. For a few weeks after the closures, maybe a month, traffic slowed during rush hour and it would take a couple minutes longer to drive through the intersection. As people got used to the changes, however, traffic found its way. Congestion decreased and for several months the intersection operated normally despite having far less space devoted to cars. Many cities across North America have used a strategy called “road diets” to permanently reduce the number of lanes on wide streets and create more pedestrian space. When road diets are implemented, drivers will frequently find alternative routes, travel at different times or even use different modes of transportation, often resulting in traffic eventually finding equilibrium. Road diets are always controversial, but the experience during construction at Portage and Main demonstrated that it is possible without significant impact to traffic congestion — knowledge that we shouldn’t forget as we contemplate the future of the intersection. Removing the barricades isn’t the end of the Portage and Main story. It’s the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new one. What we write in that chapter is now up to all of us. The opportunity for Canada’s most famous intersection is to be a place worthy of its fame — Hollywood and Vine, Shibuya Crossing, Times Square and Portage and Main. Why not? Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.

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WFP: Route-and-branch transit overhaul maps city’s devolution (Jun29'25)
by Beth McKechnie 29 Jun '25

29 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ROUTE-AND-BRANCH TRANSIT OVERHAUL MAPS CITY’S DEVOLUTION By: Rebecca Chambers<https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/biographies/rebecca-chambers> https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2025/06/27/route-and-branch-transit… 10 Wolseley. 11 Portage. 12 William. 14 Ellice. 15 Mountain. 16 Osborne. 17 MacGregor. 18 Corydon. 19 Notre Dame. 20 Academy… Until this week, I hadn’t realized I could recite just about the full set of Winnipeg Transit routes and numbers by memory. Alas, this newly discovered party trick is destined to go unused as we bury these routes with the streetcar tracks they were originally designed to follow, the veins through a city that are remnants of a time when a much more closely-packed citizenry all needed the same things, and all of which were available in the heart of the city. I have mixed feelings about this evolution. Obviously, changes are needed to transit. Declining ridership and rising safety issues are clear indicators it’s not fulfilling its role of getting us where we need to go. But the days of jumping on the bus for all of our needs are behind us. Even if we wanted to go shopping downtown, we largely couldn’t, as there’s nowhere left to shop. A short walk down Portage or Graham will yield empty shop front after empty shop front. The mammoth department stores of two generations ago are gone, and many of the destinations that would have drawn us are now parking lots haunted by the ghosts of Winnipeggers past and the cars of Winnipeg present. I’m worried our transit overhaul reflects our devolution, instead of our evolution, as a city. It seems to be a reflection and acceptance of our problematic sprawl. With nothing to bump into on the outside margins of our town, we have nothing stopping us from expanding ever outward, trenching new sewer lines and paving new roads while the older ones rot and crumble, building new houses while addresses in older neighbourhoods are left as burnt skeletons or piles of rubble for months on end. Transit has been slow to extend service into newer areas, and inhabitants have been slow to adopt transit as a way to get around. While in some ways this redesign feels like an admission of defeat, a commitment to a future of further sprawl, it does give hope that somewhere in Winnipeg, someone involved in planning is acknowledging we cannot go on just waiting for our boomtown days to come back while more and more of our citizenry are making homes along river banks. In a rare example of cross-sector coordination, there are a few examples of this novel forward-thinking mindset. The city is looking at adding housing along the new “spine” routes, even incorporating residential units into transit infrastructure. The lofty plans for Graham Avenue — a pedestrian mall and shopping district — promise to bring people downtown to socialize, shop and dine. The new routes promise quicker commutes, better coverage and short waits for transfers — all good reasons to pull someone onto the bus who hasn’t considered it in some time. All in all, it’s a noble effort to make a rare and radical change to Winnipeg’s public services in an effort to actually serve the needs of the citizenry. But it’s not going to work. These noble “pull” reasons to take the bus will fail if there aren’t balanced and co-ordinated “push” incentives to get people out of their cars. We cannot simply emphasize the perks of taking the bus without also making driving more unattractive, and we are a woefully car-committed city. The fact we’re still entertaining the thought of widening Kenaston Boulevard is clear communication from the city itself that we don’t believe in public transit to move people. No, we must make way for more cars instead. It’s cars that move people in Winnipeg. And it’s cars that occupy the ever-expanding network of surface parking lots in our downtown: cheap, plentiful spaces have made driving to work easy and comfortable. Why would anyone take the bus where there is very little advantage? Transit is not just failing because the product itself isn’t working well. It’s failing because our city has planned for it to fail. There is no outcome for transit, in the current design of this city, that will strengthen its utility and usage, because we haven’t considered factors beyond the service itself. It’s clear the reliability and safety of transit must be improved, and some of that will be addressed by the changes that go into effect tomorrow, but until the infrastructure surrounding car use makes it preferable, I can’t imagine I’ll be memorizing many new route numbers. rebecca.chambers(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:rebecca.chambers@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Massive murals won’t just brighten Graham Avenue, they will make it safer (Jun28'25)
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jun '25

28 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Massive murals won’t just brighten Graham Avenue, they will make it safer TAKIN’ IT TO THE STREET https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/2025/06/27/takin-it-to-the-… MURALS, not buses, will soon be running up and down Graham Avenue. Winnipeg is one of only 10 cities in North America — and just two in Canada, the other being Ottawa — selected for the US$100,000 Asphalt Art Initiative launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The project turns the formerly transit-heavy corridor into a whimsical urban canvas. Beginning Monday, local artists will cover the asphalt with large-scale, street-level murals. The public art initiative is part of the broader Reimagining Graham Avenue, which is seeing the four-block zone from Carlton to Garry Street transformed into a pedestrian-first corridor. “It’s not often where that scale of a (mural) project can happen this fast,” says project lead Stéphane Dorge, an organizer with CoolStreetsWPG, which specializes in transforming community spaces through art. “This is kind of like an arts festival, where we’re going to be up to 10 artists on site, plus helpers and volunteers bringing to life about 18,000 square feet of murals to animate the Graham Avenue space, so it’s a bit overwhelming.” Muralists include Marc Kuegle, Alex Plante, Kal Barteski, Kale Sheppard, Laura Lee Harasym, Mike Zastre, James Culleton, Architects at Play and lead artist Takashi Iwasaki. Like a cinematically colour-graded street scene, the project will have a rich, overarching palette, but each of the artists was given near carte blanche to create, with an emphasis on play and interactivity. Dorge describes Architects at Play’s 13,000-square-foot piece as a “playable mural where you can bring your own pocket dice or use a dice app on your phone to play.” “I can’t wait to unveil it.” Reimagining Graham Avenue dovetails with the city’s new spine-and-feeder transit model launching Sunday. Known as Primary Transit Network (PTN), the new system is a historic transformation that will shift transit’s focal points away from the downtown core towards other major corridors in the city, prioritizing bus frequency and greater neighbourhood-to-neighbourhood access across Winnipeg. But rather than diminish downtown’s place in the city’s civic culture, projects such as the PTN and Reimagining Graham Avenue — which coincide with the intersection of Portage Avenue and Main Street opening to pedestrian traffic — aim to transform the heart of the city into a more walkable social hub. Look up from the asphalt tableaus, and rather than buses you’ll soon see a public plaza, including street plants, picnic tables, furniture, benches, pingpong tables and access ramps. Car traffic will be allowed along other stretches of Graham, where protected bike lanes are also being added. “When these changes are in place, Graham will be more colourful, more dynamic, more pedestrian-friendly. One more reason for people to visit, explore and enjoy our downtown,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. The application to Bloomberg Philanthropies, a charitable organization in New York, for the Asphalt Art Initiative was submitted by Public Works and the Planning, Property and Development departments at the City of Winnipeg. “It was just a really well-thought-out, really inspired application,” says Nicholas Mosquera, one of the program leads at Bloomberg Philanthropies for the Asphalt Art Initiative. “It reminded us a lot of work that we’d been doing (in New York City’s Times Square). We saw a lot of similarities in the Winnipeg project and we’re happy to be a part of that effort.” Studies consistently show that pedestrian-friendly design makes neighbourhoods feel more connected. For example, research from a University of British Columbia review found walkable neighbourhoods build civic trust and spark friendlier interactions, while a U.K. study showed that quieter, low-traffic streets made people more neighbourly and less lonely. That same study also found that low-traffic, pedestrian-centric neighbourhoods can create public health gains up to 100 times greater than the costs of those plans. And while public arts and beautification projects are sometimes criticized as a superficial fix to the social problems undergirding urban distress, a growing body of literature shows the social benefits run deeper than fleeting eye candy. The Asphalt Art Safety Study, conducted by Sam Schwartz Consulting in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, analyzed 17 asphalt art sites across the United States. Among the outcomes reassuring them of their good work, they found that crashes involving pedestrians or cyclists were halved, while crashes resulting in injuries decreased by 37 per cent, along with a 27 per cent increase in drivers yielding to pedestrians with the right-of-way. “They’re really striking results. We’re really proud of that — (it’s) some of the first research, certainly to our knowledge, to look at multiple arts-driven street-design projects,” says Mosquera. A number of independent studies, mostly focusing on green projects, illuminate the effects of community beautification on improving mental health and community connectivity. “It’s incredible when we can see that the street is actually going to turn into a large piece of art,” said Kate Fenske, Downtown Winnipeg BIZ’s chief executive officer, of Reimagining Graham Avenue. “I hope this isn’t the full catalyst, though,” says Dorge. “We still need development of the surface lots and Graham. We need more housing downtown. But I hope this draws attention to that need and, hopefully, spurs prioritization from developers to focus on rebuilding that area and making it more vibrant.” conrad.sweatman(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:conrad.sweatman@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP Editorial: Big changes for your bus trips (Jun28'25)
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jun '25

28 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. EDITORIAL Big changes for your bus trips https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2025/06/28/big-changes… WELL, fasten your seatbelts! Except you can’t. There aren’t seatbelts on Winnipeg Transit buses, but you know what we mean. Tomorrow starts the biggest set of changes at Winnipeg Transit in years: in reality, the first full-scale revamp of transit routes and services that any transit user is likely to be able to remember. The old route map has been torn up: there are hardly any surviving legacy routes, and it’s a new era for Winnipeg bus travel. The process has been unrolling slowly for several years, with transit officials designing a new feeder system, seeking input on proposed route changes, followed by a final route plan and a redrafted Navigo app, transit signs for new routes being installed, and temporary signs listing the routes that will be vanishing tomorrow. The idea changes the entire structure of the system, moving to a main “spine” Primary Transit Network and feeder system that promises sufficiently frequent buses that riders won’t need to schedule their trips and connections that thread out into different parts of the community from those “spine” routes. It’s a lot different from the system that’s in place now, but the goal is a familiar one — to get you from here to there as quickly and easily as possible. There will be problems. There will be hiccups. There will be angry passengers and frustrations. You can’t massively overhaul a system that had just under 67 million riders in 2024 and not have issues arise. Heck, the system will be brand new for bus drivers, too, and there are something like 1,100 of them who will have to get up to speed all at once. (A quick note here: bus drivers didn’t devise this new system, and if you’re angry about the changes, you’ve got no right to take it out on them, even if they are the first and only face of Winnipeg Transit you see in the flesh.) But keep this in mind: most of the changes to Winnipeg’s bus system in recent years have been incremental, building on a foundation that hasn’t changed greatly while the needs of a changing demographic certainly have. The system, where it worked well, worked well in spite of itself, not because of carefully managed and planned change. This is different. So, now to the “what’s next?” part. No one sets out to deliberately make things worse: there will be winners and losers, commutes that take more time for some riders and, hopefully, more routes that take less. But the whole process has been undertaken in an attempt to improve transit for the largest number of riders possible. Winnipeg Transit is making quite a few claims about the benefits of the new system. “You’ll benefit from a route network that’s more … Frequent: Buses arrive more often on frequent routes. Direct: Major routes are straighter, fewer take slow and winding paths. Connected: Service expands into new areas, and bus stops move to improve connections. Simplified: Routes are easier to figure out.” At least, that’s what the website says, That does all remain to be seen. But the changes are the result of a careful process, one that has tried to deliver the most benefits possible for the most people. Do that hardest of things: if you’re inconvenienced or confused at the beginning, try to give the new system the benefit of the doubt as kinks are worked out and you get used to how it can work for you. And be patient: at least at this point, Winnipeg Transit intends to keep this iteration of its bus routes and schedules in place for a full year before making significant changes. Enjoy the ride.

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WFP: Bring on the buses (Jun28'25)
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jun '25

28 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. New transit system promises faster, more reliable service. It’s now up to Winnipeggers to decide if they like the new ride Bring on the buses https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/27/bring-on-the-buses FORGET Hamlet, today’s great existential dilemma might be, “Do I wait for the next bus or start walking?” At least according to behavioural economists, who use the wait-walk dilemma to explore trade-offs between waiting for better opportunities or taking immediate action amid uncertainty. Winnipeg Transit gives the dilemma, in its literal form, an especially cruel edge. Winter lasts for months. Buses in many areas are infrequent. Routes can be as winding and indirect as the streets themselves. Miss a transfer and — walk or wait — you could be stuck in Mars-level cold for the next 45 minutes. With choices like these, it’s little wonder that more than 90 per cent of Winnipeggers say “not to be” when it comes to commuting via bus, preferring to drive, bike or walk. Bjorn Radstrom, manager of Transit Service Development at the City of Winnipeg, is the lead behind a new experiment he hopes will nudge ambivalent commuters in the right direction: stand tall and wait for Winnipeg’s public chariot. “I’m an absolute transit nerd… (and) this is a once-in-a-lifetime project,” he says of the Primary Transit Network, the city’s new system of bus “spine” lines, which debuts Sunday. It was designed and planned in collaboration with Stantec, a global design and consulting firm. “Not many cities have done a wholesale overhaul of their entire network like this. It’s probably the biggest ever in Canada or in the United States and it’s one of the biggest ever in the world.” ●●● The new transit network’s backbone is a series of high-frequency “spine” routes, with buses every 10-15 minutes, along major corridors — including St Mary’s, Grant, Portage, Donald, Osborne, Provencher, Pembina and Abinojii Mikanah. Commuters squinting at the display on approaching buses on these lines will spot an “F” or “FX” prefix, standing for frequent and frequent express. “(For a lot of routes), you won’t have to even consult a schedule. You can just walk out because the bus is going to be coming,” Radstrom says. The F lines join the network’s BLUE Line, Winnipeg’s first rapid transit service (arriving every four to 10 minutes during peak hours) connecting the downtown to the University of Manitoba and St. Norbert through the bus-only Southwest Transitway corridor. There’s also the new D (direct), R (regular) and E (Express) lines, which differ somewhat in terms of bus-stop spacing and service speed but like F and FX run along thoroughfares. As well as reducing wait times, the new network allows Winnipeg Transit to wring a de facto “grid” out of the city’s sometimes jumbled topology, a shape generally considered a marker of transit efficiency. All this means scrapping the buses’ oddly cherished naming system, where most were labeled with a number that often stuck for decades. Numbers like the “68”, “20” and “11” that for many evoke years of commuting and colourful, sometimes surreal, encounters with fellow riders. It also means tossing the city’s complex branching patterns — express-only and peak-only services and certain downtown corridors, like Graham Avenue’s transit mall. Those many overlapping routes and their multiple variants are now considered redundant. To ensure commuters don’t have to walk too far before hopping on a main line, the new system has three categories of feeder routes — connector routes (two-digit numbers), community routes (three-digit numbers) and on-request service. These offer lower-frequency buses connecting neighbourhoods to the spine network; little streams flowing into a big river. All the same, it’s easy to find commuters on Reddit and social media eulogizing the loss of a familiar, trusty line or venting about now having to walk longer or transfer more often. “I really value complaints, and I want people to complain if it’s not working for them. My only request is be specific and be constructive,” Radstrom says. “(But) with a change of this magnitude … there’s no way around it. Things are going to get more challenging for some people.” It’s also notable the new system requires more transfers on many routes — changes that may make some Winnipeggers bristle. That’s natural when they associate transferring with standing in the cold and checking their phones for a connecting bus that never seems to come. The redesigned network aims to address that with more reliable, regular service. You may have to catch an extra transfer, but the buses should come more quickly. Radstrom — fond of quoting transit pundit and consultant Jarrett Walker’s motto, “Freedom is frequency” — estimates transit will significantly improve for about 60 per cent of current riders and remain functionally the same for 20 to 30 per cent. On the other hand, he predicts things will become more difficult for the remaining 10 to 20 per cent. For the city, it’s a make-or-break moment. With years of stagnant ridership and revenue shortfalls, the status quo would no longer do. “For those that may be concerned about the changes, I can appreciate that, but I think the general principle I would ask everyone to please remember is that we would not be making these changes to make things worse,” Mayor Scott Gillingham says. “(It’s) the biggest modernization of Winnipeg transit service in 60 years.” ●●● City modernization initiatives almost always have trade-offs and discontentment and it’s no different with public transit. Among transit wonks, one of the hotter debates is whether cities are better off with the hub-and-spoke model Winnipeg is ditching or the spine-and-feeder approach behind the new system. The hub-and-spoke system is a radial one. It gets its name from its wheel-like shape: a central hub — typically downtown — with spokes stretching outward. Downtown has been the heart of Winnipeg’s transit system since 1891, when electric streetcars began running along River Avenue, radiating in and out from the city’s core. The story of Winnipeg’s modern transit system begins about a half century ago. In 1955, the city scrapped its streetcars — marked by a symbolic “funeral” with hundreds gathering at Portage and Main to watch a ceremonial streetcar parade and to flatten coins on the rails one last time. Over the next 15 years, Winnipeg’s transit switched gears, as rubber-tired trolleys — still powered by overhead wires — gradually gave way to diesel buses. In 1963, the city launched the Winnipeg Area Transportation Study. It reflected the post-war modernist ethos — promoting radial expressways, geared towards drivers in their big Meteors, Impalas and Fairlanes. It also recommended that the system be radial and downtown-centric. After all, the country was enjoying its postwar boom. The suburbs were young and multiplying, the middle-class now had cars and commercial life was centred around Portage and Main. A gloom had yet to envelope the downtown. There was still hope it might serve as a civic hub for residents of new suburbs like St. Vital and Tuxedo, with a slew of downtown cultural attractions like the Centennial Concert Hall (built 1967) and Manitoba Theatre Centre (1970) all soon on the way. In the 1970s, the city went all-in with diesel, rolling out Winnipeg’s classic buses, like the 66, the 75 and the 11 — funnelling riders to and from the downtown. “The (old) network doesn’t work because it’s built for the city of the 1950s, maybe 1960s, when everybody’s commuting into downtown in the morning, out of downtown in the afternoon,” Radstrom says. “But it didn’t serve people for all the other trips they want to do, for work, first of all, but also just for daily life — if they want to go shopping, visit their friends, all that kind of stuff.” It’s rare to see a city’s transit switch suddenly from a hub-and-spoke to a spine-and-feeder model. In this shift, Winnipeg joins cities like Madison, Wis. — which launched a new grid-like transit system in 2023 — and Dublin, Ireland, where similar changes began to take root in 2021. Winnipeg’s shift, while reflecting an ongoing downtown malaise, also evokes broader debates about how cities should grow. Urbanists tend to champion gridlike systems for transit and streets, viewing them as a more rational and efficient way to guide people and vehicles. This makes spine-and-feeder inherently attractive. However, large-scale efforts to reform transit with watchwords like “rationality” and “efficiency” are often criticized as too top-down. Conservatives and grassroots progressives alike share these concerns, wary of centralized overhauls that disrupt daily routines with new abstract frameworks — especially if they’re rolled out without public input. Others argue this view underestimates our ability to plan effective transit and that even large-scale systems like spine-and-feeder models can promote a different kind of decentralization. These models push back on the downtown-centrism of planning and reflect that over time cities tend to see jobs, schools and shopping services dispersed across neighbourhoods. They can do this by enabling transit users to travel across town rather than always through the core. When done well, spine-and-feeder systems promote transit frequency and directness — and, as many argue, help knit a city’s diverse neighbourhoods more closely together. ●●● While major city projects still evoke a technocratic image, today’s planners are expected to engage in deeper, more inclusive public consultation than in the past. “The new routes are built on extensive consultation with transit users and a deep analysis of anonymous data from cellphones, really looking at where people are coming from and going to,” Gillingham says. “What this is ultimately about is the people of Winnipeg and customer service to Winnipeg,” The mayor is referring to public consultation going back to 2018, unfolding over three phases through late 2020. It included surveys, open houses, pop-up events, workshops and virtual sessions. Starting in 2019, the city partnered with Stantec on public consultancy and released several summaries highlighting residents’ calls for more frequent service, better cross-town connections, and shorter walks to stops. These reports also detailed how public feedback shaped the new system’s planning. “If we heard from people that the current network mostly works, but it needs a few tweaks and changes and things like that, we would be willing to go in that direction,” Radstrom says. “But if we heard from everybody that, no, it absolutely doesn’t meet the needs of people today and where they want to travel, how they want to travel — we were going to do something completely different.” The city also used anonymous cellphone location data to map travel patterns — showing, among other things, that many trips bypassed downtown. Radstrom says this gave planners added confidence to push ahead with a bold redesign. Winnipeg Transit also says they plan to gather data for the next year, including by collecting feedback from users through 311, before making any significant changes to the new system. And gathering this data, to continue improving the system, means getting more butts on bus seats. “I would encourage all Winnipeggers this summer to get on a transit bus if you haven’t been on one for years — and just enjoy the new transit experience,” Gillingham says. ●●● Though some worry about the scope of change, others worry they’re not dramatic enough. “To get people to use transit, generally transit service has to be comparable to car use,” says Orly Linovski, associate professor at the department of city planning at the University of Manitoba. “Transit nerds (take buses) because we love transit, but even with me, if it’s going to take an hour and 20 minutes instead of seven or 15 minutes — that’s a big ask.” Linovski points out Winnipeg’s relatively low traffic congestion makes driving easy and convenient for most vehicle owners, giving little incentive to switch to public transit. At the same time, it’s not surprising political leaders hesitate to explore policies discouraging car use — and unleash a commuter rage fiercer than a Winnipeg deep freeze. The more popular option for commuters is to make busing more inherently appealing through upgrades and smart reforms. It remains to be seen how commuters will respond to the new network in the long term and the extent to which it will shorten average trip lengths, though Radstrom predicts significant improvements for more than half of riders. And there are other significant upgrades on the horizon for Winnipeg Transit, thanks to significant capital investments coming from all levels of government. This includes a rapid transit corridor design for downtown, rolling out 90 zero-emission buses, installing accessible bus stop platforms and implementing “intelligent transportation systems,” which are supposed to make transit smarter and faster through GPS, sensors, wireless networks and real-time data analytics. For Linovski a key factor is still missing. “The evidence is pretty clear that the way to increase ridership is to increase service vehicle hours and increase them substantially,” she says, noting the total number of hours buses are in service remains unchanged with the new system. Substantially boosting service hours, however, would increase costs for fuel, maintenance, drivers, administration and other expenses, further straining Winnipeg Transit’s operational budget, which is already subsidized at record numbers by the city. Despite those constraints on the new system, few people are arguing the old one was working well enough as it was. With only one in 10 Winnipeggers choosing bus as their primary mode of commuting — and public consultations showing a strong demand for reforms — this isn’t surprising. As Linovski emphasizes, the impact of the upgrades on ridership, users’ experiences and transit’s overall efficiency deserves close study, with challenges inevitable. For Winnipeggers, it may initially feel like the new system walks before it runs. But after decades of unreliable and underused transit, the city couldn’t wait any longer. conrad.sweatman(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:conrad.sweatman@freepress.mb.ca> Tales in transit We want to hear about your experiences with the new Winnipeg transit network. Share your thoughts via the online link: wfp.to/myride<http://wfp.to/myride>. Winnipeg’s transit system is changing. Here’s a survival guide: wfp.to/transittips<http://wfp.to/transittips>.

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WFP: Pedestrians step out onto Portage and Main for first time in decades (Jun28'25)
by Beth McKechnie 28 Jun '25

28 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pedestrians step out onto Portage and Main for first time in decades ‘Felt great, but also unremarkable’ https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/27/felt-great-but-al… WINNIPEG’S landmark intersection, Portage Avenue and Main Street, officially opened to pedestrian traffic for the first time in more than four decades Friday morning. No longer will pedestrians be forced to walk for blocks or duck down into the underground concourse to cross the street. Concrete barriers installed at the intersection in 1979 have been a source of contention between pedestrians and motorists. “Today, we’re bringing an end to 46 years of debating whether or not people should be allowed to cross the street,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said, moments before opening the roadway to foot traffic. “Now, reopening this intersection isn’t a silver bullet. It’s not the answer for all of Winnipeg’s downtown challenges, but it’s important for the progress that we are making, step by step, block by block, to build a downtown for everyone.” A large crowd crammed onto the northeast corner, eager to hear the mayor’s remarks and witness what he described as another “historic moment” for the spot. Traffic roared past and people jostled for space, waved signs and cheered before they rushed forward to test the newly painted crosswalks and signals. Gillingham said the reopening would bolster safety and accessibility downtown and is part of the effort to strengthen the inner city. Critics have argued the concrete barriers prevent collisions and traffic delays. Advocates said forcing people underground created unnecessary challenges for pedestrians and people with limited mobility. The debate was settled in 2023, after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to replace the leaky membrane protecting the underground business concourse. City council voted to reopen crossings last year and construction began in December. The work included removing the barriers; installing new traffic signals, streetlights, sidewalks and curbs; and introducing new transit stops. Signal timings have been adjusted, some traffic lanes have been changed and pedestrians can cross in all directions. Superintendent Chris Ritz, who oversaw the project on behalf of construction company M.D. Steele, said the effort was completed on time, within the $21-million budget and with minimal impact to traffic over the past eight months. Construction crews encountered some challenges, including a badly deteriorated foundation beneath the northwest corner and a pair of “unknown vaults” in the southeast and southwest corners that required significant structural repairs. “Despite these surprises, we knew that the June 27 date was important and we needed to get this met,” Ritz. City officials wanted the project completed by that date, so the reopening could coincide with the overhaul of the Winnipeg Transit system, set to take effect Sunday, Gillingham said. While the ribbon-cutting was not official until around 11 a.m., supporters of the move gathered hours earlier to watch as construction crews cleaned up debris from newly finished sidewalks amid the morning rush hour. “This intersection being closed has been such a chasm or an abyss in the middle of the city. Really, it just takes away from people being able to move,” said Emma Durand-Wood, a proponent of the Vote Open movement, which has long advocated for removing the barriers. Durand-Wood had her two children and bicycle in tow as she mingled with Vote Open supporters and other bystanders. They cheered on pedestrians who crossed the intersection before the official opening, stepping past temporary orange barricades and seizing the opportunity to cross between traffic signals. “I already crossed last night,” Durand-Wood said, smiling. “It felt great, but also, like, completely unremarkable.” Gillingham said the barriers were erected as part of a 40-year deal to shutter the intersection to foot traffic and drive pedestrians to the businesses in the underground concourse. “We were blocking life and economic activity from this intersection for 46 years and it’s preposterous when you think about that. All for the sake of a bad deal,” said Adam Dooley, the spokesperson for the Vote Open campaign. “This is a victory for the Winnipeggers in the 1970s who were against this. It’s a victory for the businesses in the area that wanted it open, for the residents and for people with accessibility issues.” A woman named Isabel, who declined to give her last name, said she worked near the intersection when she was a teenager — before it closed to pedestrian traffic. “I loved it. There was so much activity here and it was energy and people were on the streets. To me, once (the barriers) came, that was the beginning of the end. I’m so glad that I got to see this come back.” tyler.searle(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca>

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CBC: City report proposes protected bike lane, lower speed limit pilot on Wellington Crescent (Jun26'25)
by Beth McKechnie 27 Jun '25

27 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Changes to area where cyclist was killed last June would take effect in spring if approved by Winnipeg council https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-bike-lane-speed-limit-well…

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WFP Editorial: It’s been a long time coming — Portage and Main (Jun26'25)
by Beth McKechnie 26 Jun '25

26 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. EDITORIAL It’s been a long time coming — Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2025/06/26/its-been-a-… IT’S been a while. Forty-six years, to be precise, since the last time a pedestrian (legally) traversed the corner of Portage and Main at street level. That will change on Friday — to the great relief of many, and undoubtedly to the consternation of no small number, as well — when the city’s most iconic intersection is reopened to foot traffic for the first time since 1979. How long has it been? Well, consider this: when the opening of the below-ground concourse (formally known at the Portage and Main Circus) forced pedestrians off the street in February 1979, the Happy Days spinoff sitcom Laverne and Shirley was the top-rated show on U.S. television, the low-budget street-gang thriller The Warriors was the No. 1 box-office movie and Rod Stewart’s Do Ya Think I’m Sexy sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Yes, it’s been that long. Ironically, the decision to bar pedestrian traffic from the intersection — after more than a half-decade of city council debate and deliberation — was defended at the time as a move to revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown by streamlining vehicle traffic through one of its busiest interchanges. The prevailing mindset favoured cars over people, presumably in reaction to Winnipeg’s continuing outward spread. The city’s primary business and shopping stretch, from Main Street west along Portage Avenue, had begun to lose its lustre; suburban sprawl was drawing residential population to the fringes and the creation of major shopping malls in St. Vital and Transcona redefined the retail experience for most Winnipeggers. Downtown was struggling. Mega-project ideas for restoring its vitality were plentiful, including the addition of office towers at Portage and Main, creation of the aforementioned subterranean shopping concourse and construction of the massive Portage Place mall, but most — as visitors to the current version of downtown can readily attest — have proved fruitless. The idea of reopening Portage and Main has been part of the public conversation for at least a couple of decades; in 2014, then-mayoral candidate Brian Bowman pledged to re-introduce foot traffic if elected, but once in office he opted to abide by the result of a 2018 plebiscite on the issue, in which two-thirds of voters (most of whom were from the city’s far-flung suburbs and likely seldom visited the intersection) rejected the notion of reopening. Those who thought the issue was laid to rest received a rude awakening when a subsequent city report revealed it would cost $73 million to repair the leaky membrane underpinning the intersection, and that the work would disrupt above-ground traffic for up to five years. A massive rethinking of Portage and Main became a practical necessity rather than just a political- points opportunity. Afforded the latitude to reconsider the question, current Mayor Scott Gillingham wisely chose to take things in another direction. With a complete overhaul of public transit routing about to launch, and a major reimagining of Graham Avenue poised to reset the attitude of a major downtown component, the reopening of Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic now feels like the right move at the right (albeit long overdue) time. Over the past several months, the familiar and decidedly unwelcoming brutalist barriers have been removed from the corners at Portage and Main. More traditional curbsides have been established, crosswalks have been painted and the necessary electronic signals have been installed. And on Friday, a rather bold political step will result in the illumination of a “Walk” signal welcoming the return of actual steps — by people, who have once again, finally, been granted access to the city’s most famous intersection. Portage and Main. It’s about time.

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WFP: Mayor excited for ‘colourful, more dynamic, more pedestrian-friendly’ Graham Avenue (Jun24'25)
by Beth McKechnie 24 Jun '25

24 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Downtown pilot project will add furniture, art, picnic tables, ping pong tables Mayor excited for ‘colourful, more dynamic, more pedestrian-friendly’ Graham Avenue https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/23/mayor-excited-for… OVER the next three weeks, the city aims to breathe new life into a four block stretch of Graham Avenue, with a bright new look, ping pong tables, street furniture and art. As the Free Press reported last week, a pilot project will see Graham reserved for cyclists and pedestrians between Carlton and Garry streets, once a new primary transit network removes buses from the area on June 29. On Monday, the city laid out its vision for the pilot, which is expected to continue at least until the end of summer. “The buses will move off of Graham Avenue and in just three weeks … after that, we will completely transform this stretch of Graham,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham. The city says roughly $750,000 has been committed to revamp Graham within and beyond the project so far, including funding from the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, some in-kind donations and $250,000 set aside by city council. The initial pilot project additions will include street furniture, plants, picnic tables, ping pong tables, benches, art installations and access ramps. The city also secured a Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art grant to fund the painting of street murals. “When these changes are in place, Graham will be more colourful, more dynamic, more pedestrian-friendly. One more reason for people to visit, explore and enjoy our downtown,” said Gillingham. The mayor said the pedestrian-centred idea is worth testing. “Too often we can be a little afraid to give ourselves permission to fail. We have permission to fail here. This is a bit of almost a blank canvas, and we’re going to try some things, and if they don’t work, we’ll move on to the next thing. But I think a lot of what initially is being proposed is really exciting,” he said. Hazel Borys, the city’s planning, property and development director, said the pilot project will help draw visitors to the area, moving toward a vision of filling it with “people and patios, economic activity, and life.” Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ, said another change slated for Graham in the near future will add new lighting from Lights Unlimited. “(This will be) adding vibrancy and … increasing public safety. These lights are going to shift colours and patterns throughout the year. From our signature downtown biz colours to fullon Whiteout mode when the Jets go to the playoffs … It’s incredible when we can see that the street is actually going to turn into a large piece of art,” said Fenske. The new project should help revitalize Winnipeg’s downtown, said Rochelle Squires, chief executive officer of CentreVenture Development Corporation. “Today’s announcement is yet another milestone. Winnipeg’s first signature pedestrian street. What we’re starting on Graham Avenue will mark a turning point in how we envision, use and experience our downtown. “Bold ideas like this have to start somewhere,” said Squires. Karin Kliewer, a senior downtown planner with the city, said planning on how the street is used after the summer will start as soon as the pilot project changes are in place. On Friday, businesses gave a mixed reaction to reserving part of Graham to pedestrians and cyclists only, with some fearing they will lose customers when buses are rerouted. Fenske said the Downtown BIZ will monitor how the changes affect businesses, while BIZ ambassadors will touch base with visitors to Graham to help determine where they are coming from. “We want to learn from that so we can develop that (long-term) plan for the street going forward,” she said. The city also plans to add new protected bike lanes on Graham in areas where vehicles will still be allowed. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Column: Righting Portage and Main wrong first step on way to a better downtown (Jun23'25)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jun '25

23 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Righting Portage and Main wrong first step on way to a better downtown OPINION https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/22/righting-portage-… WINNIPEG is poised for one of the most important do-overs in its long and storied history. If all goes to schedule, Portage Avenue and Main Street will — finally, thankfully — be open to pedestrians this week. The intensive work to remove the brutalist concrete barriers is, rather remarkably, approaching completion. After having debated it for so long, Winnipeggers can now stop talking about if it’s going to happen and start asking themselves what it means. That is an incredibly different question to answer, given there is still likely a deep divide between those who think this is a good idea and those who consider it to be a colossal waste of money. Regardless of which camp you’re in, let’s consider what it could mean. The closure of the intersection to pedestrians was an enormous error. However, it was an error that was very much in lockstep with urban-design thinking in the late 1970s, when the barriers were erected. At that time, cities all over North America bent over backwards to make it easier for cars to move in, about and back out of downtown areas. The Portage and Main barriers, along with the Winnipeg Square underground mall, were considered best practices for helping vehicular traffic and giving pedestrians a safe and warm place to go. Today, we can see rather easily that this kind of approach to downtown design was deeply flawed. Making it easier for cars and trucks to move around is not conducive to a livable neighbourhood. Nor are measures that take people off the streets, even in a city such as Winnipeg, where harsh weather makes going outside a somewhat challenging concept. Cities of all sizes are undertaking do-overs for this kind of design thinking. Boston, San Francisco and Milwaukee have completed projects to remove downtown freeways built as monuments to the automobile. Even Halifax recently replaced its infamous Cogswell Interchange — a multi-level highway that bisected the downtown — with a more traditional street grid design that sought to restore pedestrian traffic and improve active-transportation links. That makes the decision to remove the Portage and Main barriers, which was undertaken rather courageously by Mayor Scott Gillingham and council last year, very much in keeping with current thinking. However, before anyone questions whether this contemporary mindset is, like its predecessors, doomed to be abandoned within a few more decades, consider that we’re quickly moving to a model of downtown pedestrian and vehicular traffic that has proven to be both successful and enduring in other countries. When you don’t spend money on building bigger, longer, wider roads, you have a lot of additional money to spend on other things, including walkability, active and public transportation and promoting densification of residential development. These are the building blocks of sustainable, livable downtowns. In fact, if we should hope for any single consequence from the reopening of our famous intersection, it should be that it’s just the start of more courageous decisions to make downtown more welcoming for foot traffic. The city is already inching closer to this idea in other areas of downtown. Graham Avenue, for example, will undergo an initial conversion, losing its designation as a dedicated bus route and allowing car traffic, albeit with a much lower speed limit. Longer term, Gillingham has talked about the possibility of turning it into a pedestrian mall and cycling route. The same conversation needs to unfold on the future of the west Exchange District. Bannatyne and McDermot avenues, along with Albert and Arthur streets, are ripe for a pedestrian mall. As it stands now, parts of all of those routes are closed periodically during the summer to accommodate music and theatre festivals. Those closures provide valuable insight into how a permanent pedestrian mall would impact that area. Just about everyone who lives or works in the Exchange knows that in the first few days after the barriers are put up for a festival, traffic is a hot mess as drivers get trapped on the area’s network of one-way streets. After the initial shock and awe, however, they choose different routes to avoid the most-affected streets and intersections. It’s proof that like rainwater, traffic that is stopped from going in one direction will eventually leak out and find another way to get where it wants to go. Our aversion to permanent pedestrian malls is one of the mindsets that prevents Canadian cities from taking downtown revitalization to the next level. In the United Kingdom, for example, it is rarer to find a town or city that has not closed its core to vehicles. Sometimes, vehicular traffic is allowed in these areas during business hours but is blocked during the evening and on weekends. Combine pedestrian malls with robust and accessible transit hubs — as is almost always the case in the U.K. — and you’ve got a tried and true way of pulling people into the core. On its own, reopening one intersection isn’t going to transform the downtown, but as an incentive for local government to continue pressing for similar innovations, it could be transformative. dan.lett(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Pedestrian-only corridor to replace bus-only zone in pilot project (Jun21'25)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jun '25

21 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pedestrian-only corridor to replace bus-only zone in pilot project ‘New life’ for Graham Avenue https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2025/06/20/graham-avenue-stretch-to… THE city will turn a four-block stretch of Graham Avenue into a living lab when Winnipeg Transit’s network overhaul pulls buses off the downtown street. It will be cyclists and pedestrians only between Carlton and Garry streets in an indefinite pilot project scheduled to begin after June 29. “In July 2025, buses will be removed from four blocks, creating a rare opportunity to transform the street into a safer, pedestrian-first space. “With a focus on recreation, public gathering areas and cultural programming, Graham Avenue can become a dynamic hub of activity in the heart of downtown,” a city document states. Without changes, the area risks becoming a neglected corridor with minimal foot traffic once buses leave, it warns. “This is our moment to bring new life to Graham Avenue and downtown as a whole. By testing ideas and shaping long-term designs, we can lay the foundation for a permanent transformation into a thriving public plaza and park,” the document notes. The plans include adding street art, street paint, lighting, street furniture and planters, a competition to add an art installation and public seating to create a “once-in-a-generation” vision. Council’s public works chairwoman said she expects the changes will be “fantastic” for the area. “Because the buses come off, it will be bike and pedestrian…. It’s going to be a great little pilot project for downtown,” said Coun. Janice Lukes. “We’ve got more people moving downtown. Downtown needs neighbourhoods, downtown has (existing) neighbourhoods and… we want to put some green vegetation in, paint benches and just create a really interesting pedestrian space.” Lukes (Waverley West) said she did not know when the pilot will end but believes the decision on whether to make the change permanent will depend largely on public feedback. “Depending on how it plays out… maybe it will expand,” she said. Earlier this month, council’s public works committee approved additional changes to Graham Avenue, which still await a final city council vote. Those changes would reduce the avenue’s speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton streets and remove its full-time truck route designation. “We’re creating a more livable street,” said Lukes. Council previously approved $250,000 to revamp Graham Avenue, part of which can be used to cover the pilot project costs. There was a mixed response to the plan among Graham Avenue business owners Friday. John Dang, owner of Hue Shoe Repair, said he hasn’t seen as much foot traffic in the area since the pandemic and is concerned losing the bus-only section of the street could further reduce visits from Winnipeg Transit passengers. “Not a lot of people live in downtown…. So, we have to make everything convenient. Transportation is the first priority,” said Dang. And among people who do live in the area already, many reside in apartments and don’t have cars, relying heavily on buses, he said. Daniel Equbazgi, owner of Dan’s Cafe and Lounge, said his shop benefits from people at bus stops who visit while they wait for their next ride. “They come for coffee or whatever until their bus is coming. We were getting good business…. If they change (this), we’re losing business. I am not happy with that change,” said Equbazgi. By contrast, Eric Saniuk, owner of Blazing Chicken Shack, said he’s excited about the pilot and said he’d like to put some tables outside his restaurant. He hasn’t seriously considered it until now because of the noise from constant bus traffic. Saniuk said he hopes the pilot leads to more events that will drive more foot traffic. The general manager of Rudy’s Eat & Drink at Carlton and Graham also welcomed the change. “You see a lot of other major cities across the world that have those pedestrian and cycling streets designated to them in the core and heart of their cities and I think this could be a really great positive change for downtown,” said Mackenzie Robb. “As a business with a 150-person patio that faces right onto that beautiful street, I think the more foot traffic, the better for us.” Calls to “reimagine” Graham Avenue were first introduced as part of CentrePlan 2050, the city’s vision to guide the development of downtown, which aims to attract more residents and visitors to the area. City council approved that plan last year. CentrePlan noted the street could incorporate a “shared zone” with more room for pedestrians, cyclists and patios in the future. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Nearly five decades after forcing people underground, crosswalk traffic is about to return to Portage and Main (Jun21'25)
by Beth McKechnie 21 Jun '25

21 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pitter-patter, pedestrians, it’s time to get at ’er Nearly five decades after forcing people underground, crosswalk traffic is about to return to Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/arts/2025/06/… SINCE immigrating to Canada two weeks ago from Romania, Andrew Vlad and Vanessa Chira have been impressed by their newly adopted home of Winnipeg. But on Wednesday afternoon, the engaged tech workers stood at one corner of the city’s most famous intersection, attempting for the first time to solve the riddle of crossing Portage Avenue and Main Street. Vlad shook his head, overwhelmed in confusion: he could see from 201 Portage Ave. at the northwest corner his ultimate destination — the CIBC branch on the other side of the street — but for a building so close, it was still so far out of reach. The pair of new Winnipeggers were experiencing a rite of circuitous passage that will soon be eliminated for all downtown pedestrians. The following morning, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced pedestrians will be able to legally traverse Portage and Main in all directions at controlled, street-level crosswalks in a matter of days. For the first time in 46 years, a pedestrian won’t need to play chicken to cross at the juncture of this city’s most iconic roads. “June 27,” Gillingham told CBC during his monthly radio interview. “There will be a media event, but as I’ve said all along: Portage and Main, it’s important to Winnipeg’s history, it’s important to our future, but as I’ve said all along, at the end of the day, it’s just an intersection.” In a literal sense, the mayor is correct, but that simple intersection — below grade, on the sidewalk and in downtown boardrooms with an eagle-eyed view of the thrum below — has been the source of intense multi-generational debate, taking on an almost mythic stature at the heart of city life while defining the tenor of civic conversation. ●●● AS early as 1971, Jack Willis, the chairman of Metro Winnipeg, was advocating for the closure of the intersection to pedestrians, should the city begin construction on an underground walkway. Eight years before the intersection’s eventual closure, legendary Winnipeg Tribune columnist Val Werier was already sounding the alarm — or honking the horn — considering the idea of barring pedestrians as a harbinger of a car-centric city to come. “I have no quarrel with Mr. Willis’ proposal that an underground connection is required, for it is the busiest corner in Winnipeg and traffic will be more hectic with new buildings planned. In addition, pedestrians need some protection for the weather,” wrote Werier, who died in 2014 after 70 years covering the city for the Tribune and Free Press. “However, I would like to make a plea that instead of banning pedestrians, we ban the cars,” he continued. “Instead of designing a city based on the needs of the car, we should think of people. Unless some dramatic action is taken in these terms, Winnipeg will be like other large centres where the car determines the downtown character. “If anything is to be banned, it should be the cars,” he concluded. “After all, people are far more interesting.” The decision to shut down sidewalk traffic was preceded by a protracted debate, with the city council’s executive policy committee submitting a proposal for the total ban in September 1975, nearly four years before the underground circular concourse (officially called the Portage and Main Circus) opened in February 1979. While the change was considered a concession to the growing needs of vehicular traffic, it wasn’t met with unanimous support. Among the loudest — and boldest — detractors were the participants of the burgeoning disability rights movement, who argued the erection of concrete barriers and the funnelling of pedestrians into underground channels were violations of their rights to an accessible downtown. In the winter of 1979, wheelchair users and their allies breached the barricades to bring traffic to a standstill in protest. “Portage and Main is an iconic, symbolic place,” the late disability rights advocate Jim Derksen told this reporter in 2018, when the re-opening of the intersection was considered by plebiscite on the day of the civic election. “If we don’t take measures to update it according to our new values, in a sense we are recommitting the errors of the past,” added Derksen, a multiple barricade-skirting scofflaw. Former mayor Brian Bowman, who supported the idea of re-establishing pedestrian traffic at Portage and Main, vowed to honour the results of the plebiscite, which ultimately ended with a two-thirds majority opposing the reopening despite a vocal “Vote Open” movement. (Analysis showed the bulk of that majority were commuters who didn’t reside in the city’s core). However, a city report soon found that the cost of repairing the underground’s leaky membrane could cost $73 million and result in four to five years of traffic delays. Those anticipated costs were ultimately enough to tip Gillingham, who did not support opening the intersection in 2018 as a councillor, toward crossing the political aisle when it came to Portage and Main. It’s a decision that will not only help to improve the city’s image, but one which will encourage the development of a more accessible, welcoming downtown, says Melissa Graham, the executive director of the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities. “It changes who that space is for,” Graham says. “It won’t just be for people who use cars. It will be for everybody.” “This is good for pedestrians, it’s good for businesses and it’s good for the entire city,” says Kirby Cote, the executive director of Accessible Sport Connection Manitoba. “As a city we should be celebrating our ability to be welcomed,” adds Cote, who is vision impaired and cycles through the area daily. “We designed a downtown to move cars through it as fast as possible and that’s not the reality of how it’s used.” WINDOW cleaning supervisor Don MacKinnon has for 15 years enjoyed an unparalleled vantage point of the intersection. At the end of their shift, cleaners often give in to the temptation to snap photographs from their platform outside the highest floors of the Richardson Building, which anchors the intersection’s northeast corner at 1 Lombard Place. “I never thought in my lifetime they’d open it up again,” says the 53-year-old swing stage supervisor, who was too young to remember crossing at the time of the closure. A longtime Jets fan, MacKinnon says he eagerly anticipates a Stanley Cup celebration at Portage and Main next season. For some downtown workers, the reopening is something they’ve been looking forward to for years. On her lunch break at her usual spot outside the Fairmont Hotel, just a stone’s throw away from the intersection, Joanna Oznowicz reflected on how much better the downtown looked without the barricades. But she also thinks the reopening will make life safer for pedestrians, so long as drivers give them proper attention. “I see people walking in the middle of the street before and I think, you’re going to get killed,” says Oznowicz, 60. “So I hope there will be caution on both sides as we get used to it.” PARALEGAL Cheri Harasym is less optimistic. “Horrible idea,” she says. “Too busy. There’s a reason they’ve been closed for 46 years. The drivers are already looking for too many things, and that’s just more distractions. (Around the office) we think people will end up getting hit, that there will be too many accidents.” Harasym also expressed concern about the status of the underground circus, which she says downtown workers rely on for relief from the harsh winter weather when going from corner to corner. “The long-term future of the concourse has not yet been determined,” says Julie Dooley, the city’s acting manager of corporate communications. “We have hired a consultant to assess any requirements of potentially decommissioning it.” For businesses operating in and around the underground concourse, there’s been very little clarity as to when such a change might occur. “The unknown is tough,” says Donavan Robinson, a co-owner of Pop CoLab, a corporate creative workshop business that opened two years ago in Lombard Place. “I don’t know that anyone really has an answer.” Still, Robinson says crossing at street level will help businesses such as his because pedestrians will have an easier time accessing the Portage and Main nexus as a whole. “Right now people just get confused,” he adds. Outside the former Bank of Montreal building, now owned by the Manitoba Métis Federation, road crews were putting the finishing touches on the pedestrian island at the midway point of Main Street. Standing next to them, a young woman stared across to the southwest corner. Seeing no northbound traffic, she ran to the median and, a few moments later, arrived at the opposing corner. “I had to run my errands,” reasoned Elsie Isiche. It was thrilling to watch. Come next Friday, it’s an experience every pedestrian can legally enjoy for the first time since 1979. ben.waldman(a)winnipegfreepress.com<mailto:ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com>

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What's happening on Graham Avenue
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Dear Graham Avenue owners, tenants, and friends; You are receiving this email because you are located on or close to Graham Avenue, and/or you have been involved in conversations related to Graham’s future redevelopment and this summer’s pilot project. Please share widely with your staff, building residents, tenants, and anyone who might be curious about what is happening with Graham Avenue. We need your help to spread the word. Graham Avenue is transforming! Some big changes are happening on Graham this summer, and we want to ensure you have all the information you need. When Winnipeg’s new bus network launches on June 29, 2025<https://www.winnipeg.ca/services-programs/transportation-roads-parking/tran…>, buses will no longer run along most of Graham Avenue. The section between Vaughan and Carlton (which currently allows cars) will mostly remain the same. The stretch from Carlton to Garry—currently restricted to buses and bikes—will become a pedestrian-focused area. Between Garry and Main, transit will still operate, but with added features for bikes. This marks the beginning of a larger vision to turn Graham into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly corridor in the heart of Downtown Winnipeg. Whether you're walking, biking, or enjoying art and greenery—Graham Avenue is becoming a space for everyone. What is changing this summer? 1. Street use and traffic * June 22-27: Protected bike lanes and a bus lane will be installed between Garry and Main. * Westbound vehicle traffic will no longer be allowed from Main Street to Fort Street. * June 29: Buses will be removed from Graham between Vaughan and Garry. Only the two blocks between Garry and Main will continue to have bus traffic. * Shared lanes for cars and bikes (with parking and loading zones) will remain between Vaughan and Carlton—just like it is today. * The current bus lane on Vaughan will become a two-way bike lane. * Graham Avenue will be removed from the designated truck route, and the speed limit will be reduced to 30 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton. * Cycling will continue to be permitted the full length of Graham between Vaughan Street and Main Street 2. Pedestrians, art, and events The four-block stretch from Carlton to Garry will become a pedestrian-first zone, featuring: * Street murals supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative * New artistic lighting and places to sit * Art installations * Planters, picnic tables, and ping pong tables * Custom-built street furniture * Festival space for events like the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) Championship Weekend Expect more art and activities to pop up along the street throughout the summer! This pilot project is being delivered in partnership with several local organizations and guided by feedback from the community. We are testing ideas ahead of any permanent reconstruction, so your feedback is important and welcome. In the meantime, come explore Graham Avenue this summer and help spread the word! Learn more: winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham<http://winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham> Questions? Call 311 or submit a request at winnipeg.ca/311<http://winnipeg.ca/311> Thank you, Karin Kliewer Project Manager Reimagining Graham Avenue Learn more: winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham<http://winnipeg.ca/reimagininggraham> Questions? Call 311 or submit a request at winnipeg.ca/311<http://winnipeg.ca/311> [A map with red circles and black text AI-generated content may be incorrect.] Thank you, Karin Kliewer Project Manager Re-imagining Graham Avenue [Winnipeg 150 logo]<https://winnipeg.ca/150years> Karin Kliewer, RPP, MCIP (she/her) Senior Planner (Downtown) Urban Planning & Design Planning, Property & Development City of Winnipeg Connect with us: [Facebook]<https://www.facebook.com/cityofwinnipeg> [X (Twitter)] <https://twitter.com/cityofwinnipeg> [YouTube] <https://youtube.com/thecityofwinnipeg> [LinkedIn] <https://linkedin.com/company/city-of-winnipeg> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/thecityofwinnipeg/> Confidentiality Notice: The information contained in this message is intended solely for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any use, dissemination, distribution, copying or disclosure of this message and attachments, in whole or in part, by anyone other than the intended recipient is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the complete message and any attachments. Thank you. I respectfully acknowledge that my workplace is located within Treaty One Territory, on the original lands of the Anisinaabegswn, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Red River Métis.

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WFP: Marion Street upgrade proposal takes back seat (Jun20'25)
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. $133-M plan could take decades to complete Marion Street upgrade proposal takes back seat https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/19/marion-street-pro… A $133-MILLION proposal to upgrade Marion Street has been released, though a city councillor warns it may take decades to fund, while businesses fear it would eat up critical parking. For years, city council has debated how best to improve traffic flow on Marion, including the elimination of a major bottleneck for drivers at its intersection with Archibald Street. The new, unfunded plan aims to add protected bike lanes and multi-use paths, while also completing “major” traffic upgrades at Marion’s intersections with Archibald Street, Panet Road and Lagimodière Boulevard. “There’s great improvements on intersections (with some widening near crossings) … And I think it definitely improves the active transportation component. It makes it safer,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council’s public works committee. Lukes (Waverley West) noted the proposal has been scaled back in scope and price from previous ideas to revamp the key corridor and will no longer separate vehicle and rail traffic. “It’s not over or under the rail line, which still presents a problem,” she said. Trains crossing at the surface level near Marion and Archibald have long been a key source of commuter delay. The Marion upgrade is not among council’s top priorities, so any funding may be decades away and the vision could be adjusted along the way, said Lukes. “We have a plan (at this point). In 15 years, 20 years, when we get money for it, maybe we’ll be tweaking things,” she said. Lukes noted billions of dollars worth of infrastructure projects, including the Chief Peguis Trail extension, Kenaston Boulevard overhaul and major sewage treatment plant upgrades have all been ranked as more urgent priorities. The latest plan for Marion is facing opposition, mainly from nearby businesses, with about 50 written submissions posted on the city’s website. The Norwood Grove BIZ estimates the plan would eliminate 30 per cent of parking stalls in the area, which it stresses are critical to the survival of some companies. “Our area, compared to others, is more of a wellness hub … We have massage therapy, a medical clinic … (and having) a lot of seniors’ access and (parking for people with disabilities) is an integral part,” said Sheila Tan, executive director of the biz, in an interview. Tan believes most of her members oppose the proposed Marion upgrades and are also concerned about the location of bike lanes. “If these trucks are going to continue to pass by Marion and then we have those bike lanes, there’s going to be a huge impact on traffic … Customers would choose an alternative location to eat, to shop … It’s going to impact a potential long-term loss of revenue and possible permanent business closures,” said Tan. She stressed the opposition is about locating bike lanes along such a busy street, not adding them in general. The area’s councillor said concerns could be addressed through changes as the plan moves forward. “Many issues can be resolved through engineering design … Sometimes space is at a premium, and there needs to be compromises, but I’ll be talking with the BIZ and with the public service,” said Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface). Allard said he supports the overall plan and believes it offers a model the city could repeat. “If we accept that we shouldn’t be, essentially, demolishing large parts of communities in order to replace them with roads, then this is the way that you do it. You create a complete street that is attractive to all road users and, as you keep doing that throughout Winnipeg, more people will choose to take other modes (of transportation) than the single passenger automobile and that means more space for the people that do drive,” he said. The public works committee is set to debate the plan in July. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main (Jun20'25)
by Beth McKechnie 20 Jun '25

20 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/19/one-small-step-fo… PEDESTRIANS will legally cross Portage Avenue and Main Street before the end of next week. On Thursday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the reopening date is set for June 27. “After (more than) 45 years of debating whether it should be open or not, we’ve ended the debate. It’s opening and I’m getting very positive feedback from people in the downtown, that live in downtown, that work in downtown, that own businesses in downtown. I’m getting positive comments from people who live in the suburbs as well,” said Gillingham. At last check, the mayor said the project was within its current budget, up to $21.3 million from $13 million to cover its expedited schedule. The city had aimed to reopen the intersection to foot traffic by the June 29 unveiling of Winnipeg Transit’s new network. “It was very important, all along, that the pedestrian traffic be able to cross at Portage and Main and the construction related to the opening be completed before we make the change in our transit system,” said Gillingham. Pedestrian access was halted in 1979. Reopening it has been debated for decades, with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting against the idea in a non-binding 2018 plebiscite. Gillingham originally said he would follow the results of that vote but changed his mind after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to repair the membrane to renovate the underground concourse. He then supported closing the underground, an idea the city is now studying, and reopening the intersection to pedestrians. “My thinking has (changed). When I drive through the intersection now, these days, I can’t help but think how welcoming … the space looks to invite people into all of the buildings,” he said. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said she hopes the debate is over. “Many people have a passion for Portage and Main. It’s a very significant hub in our city.” Opponents of the change argued it wasn’t worth its cost and could create significant traffic delays, while supporters argue the change will help rejuvenate and better connect downtown. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Editorial: Last-minute cancellations bad look for council (Jun14'25)
by Beth McKechnie 14 Jun '25

14 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. EDITORIAL Last-minute cancellations bad look for council https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/2025/06/14/last-minute… YOU have to ask if Winnipeg city council actually wants to hear from its citizens, or whether they just want the appearance of listening. That question of appearance versus reality was brought even more sharply into focus when roughly 30 people waiting to speak to the city’s public works committee about bike safety were abruptly told to go home Thursday and come back in July. “I’d like to suspend the rules to not hear any delegations today on that item because we’re laying it over. We’re going to be hearing all the details on July 3,” the committee’s chairwoman, Coun. Janice Lukes, said at the beginning of the meeting. The reason? A staff report on safety measures for Wellington Crescent bicycle users, due since April, still isn’t finished. Getting people to go through the registration process to present to a council committee and have them show up to be heard, only to hold a vote and temporarily cancel public input, is both insulting and counterproductive. It may well be that members of the council’s public works committee are correct that a discussion of bike lane policy would be much more informed if everyone had a chance to review the at-the-moment incomplete report on the issue before registering their ideas and concerns. Certainly, more information is always better than less. But at the same time, the committee had to have known long before Thursday that the report wasn’t going to be ready — and since those who want to speak to committees of council have to register in advance and provide their personal information, those who were interested in talking about bicycle safety on Wellington Crescent could have been contacted and advised of the need for a delay. (Anyone registering to speak to a council committee has to say what agenda item they wish to speak to, and whether they are for or against the proposal.) Instead, the presenters were left to wait until the day of the meeting to be told, in person, that their presentations had been delayed. (Council committees are already not particular respectful of the value of presenters’ time. The rules for speaking at a meeting state “All meetings of council and its committees take place in the council building at 510 Main St. Delegations should be present at the start of the meeting and remain in the gallery until their name is called.”) But this is just part of council’s apparent interest in having public input in name only — or at least in handy bite-sized pieces, easily digested (and perhaps rapidly excreted as well). Council has already cut the amount of time it lets citizens present their concerns from 10 minutes to five, saying that public input was making meetings run too long. (The same strictures do not apply to committee members, clear evidence of “do as I say, not as I do.”) The message is that councillors are more concerned about the value of their own time than they are about the time of the people those same councillors are selected to serve. In a time of growing citizen and voter apathy, council members should be doing absolutely everything they can to welcome and foster citizen engagement. The aim should always be to bring more people into the civic tent, not to make it more difficult and less productive to be able to make your position known to your elected officials. And yes, that is more difficult and takes more dedicated time and planning — right down to notifying people in advance when things change. Because things can change. But letting your guests know in advance that their event is cancelled is really only common courtesy.

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CBC: Makeshift bike lane set up on Wellington Crescent on anniversary of Winnipeg cyclist's death (Jun11'25)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '25

13 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-wellington-crescent-diy-bi…

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WFP: Dozens of delegates who planned to voice concerns over active transportation safety turned away (Jun13'25)
by Beth McKechnie 13 Jun '25

13 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Dozens of delegates who planned to voice concerns over active transportation safety turned away Speakers furious after city delays hearing https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/12/speakers-furious-… DOZENS of delegates who signed up to speak on active transportation safety at City Hall Thursday were not heard, following a rare, last minute vote to cancel their time. About 30 people planned to weigh in on a delayed report on making bike travel safer on Wellington Crescent. Instead, their presentations were suddenly preempted by the public works committee decision. “I’d like to suspend the rules to not hear any delegations today on that item because we’re laying it over. We’re going to be hearing all the details on July 3,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, the committee’s chairwoman, at the start of the meeting. Lukes noted staff had asked for a one month extension to return with a safety plan for this year. The announcement was met with a few surprised laughs, at least one “boo” and some impolite language from people in the council chambers who were hoping to speak. Committee members asked security officers to step in after someone yelled out “bulls—t!” Couns. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert- Seine River) and Ross Eadie (Mynarski) joined Lukes to vote in favour of the change, while the committee’s third member, Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) was absent during the vote. Linda van de Laar, a nurse who planned to speak, yelled out that she had taken a day off to be there. Afterward, van de Laar said she isn’t able to return on July 3 because of work, and expressed concern the vote will set a precedent. “I wish that our city councillors would be doing this job because they want to represent residents. It seems like they don’t…. They just silenced (us) and it isn’t even the first time that they’ve silenced delegations,” she said. In March, council voted to reduce the time each public delegate can speak at hearings, committee meetings and council sessions to five minutes from 10, a move the city said would shorten meetings that sometimes start at 9:30 a.m. and drag on late into the night. Those who lost their chance to speak Thursday have been pushing for changes to Wellington Crescent since cyclist Rob Jenner was killed in a crash with a speeding driver in the area on June 6 last year. The group has called on council to reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h on Wellington from River Avenue to the western end of Academy Road, which was rejected last year. Council instead ordered a staff report on options to make the streets safer for cyclists this year, which was first expected in April but has been delayed since that time. Lukes said Thursday’s decision was not the first time a standing policy committee opted not to hear delegates, though she did not offer other examples. She said delaying feedback to the next meeting makes sense, since a new proposal to make cycling safer isn’t available yet. “I thought people would be wasting their time,” said Lukes (Waverley West). The councillor said she’s received 35 to 40 emails and phone calls on the topic over the last few days, which included some “non-repeatable” comments, so feedback is still being heard. “I’m disappointed in some of the things that have been said to me and to the committee members…. (The delegates are) disappointed that we don’t have a plan in place,” said Lukes. She expects city staff will ultimately recommend creating a protected bike lane and reducing the street’s speed limit but stressed more time is needed for consultations. Another councillor said she was left with questions after witnessing the vote. “I’m going to listen to the rationale because I honestly couldn’t hear for the yelling, but, generally, when people take time off and the standing policy committee is there to hear, you hear them. It’s really important when people take time out for democracy to understand that that costs them time, it costs them money,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry). In an email, city spokeswoman Julie Dooley said members of the public are welcome to speak to each report “when it actually appears on” a committee agenda. “As the report itself was not being presented today, the committee moved to not hear from registered delegates. This is not unprecedented,” Dooley wrote in an email. Committees that made similar decisions have typically done so verbally in the past, so staff can’t search for specific examples or provide the number of times the practice has previously taken place, the city later added. An active transportation advocate who regularly speaks at city hall said this is the first time she’s been unable to speak due to such a vote. “It seems very heavy-handed, and it seems a bit aggressive towards the community who has been patiently waiting for this report…. (You) take the day off work, or you get leave from work, you get child care. It is a big step to come down,” said Mel Marginet, a member of the Green Action Centre’s sustainable transportation team. Marginet said she’s concerned the decision could set a precedent. “It is important for our democracy that people are allowed to come out and voice their support or opposition to things before city council,” she said. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Analysis: Bike safety changes are overdue (Jun11'25)
by Beth McKechnie 11 Jun '25

11 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Bike safety changes are overdue LINDA VAN DE LAAR https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/06/11/bike-safety-c… JUNE 5 would have been Rob Jenner’s 62nd birthday. Instead of celebrating with him, we gathered where he died — on Wellington Crescent — to sing him “Happy Birthday” and remember a life taken too soon by road violence. This isn’t the way anyone should be commemorated. But for vulnerable road users in Winnipeg, it’s become heartbreakingly familiar. I didn’t know Rob personally. But as a fellow cyclist, I knew him. I’d pass him on Assiniboine Avenue. We’d exchange a greeting, a nod or a wave, the way cyclists are so closely connected, part of a community. For someone like me who cycles to work every day along one of Winnipeg’s major bike routes, Rob’s death is devastating. The city decided that green bike route signs would be enough to protect cyclists, but road signs don’t protect cyclists. Safe infrastructure and traffic calming measures do. As a nurse, advocating for safe infrastructure is my commitment to make this city healthier. I see the toll our car-dominated culture takes on people’s bodies and minds every day — rising rates of chronic illness related to our sedentary lifestyles. Cycling, walking and using public spaces are among the simplest, most powerful ways to build a healthier society. Like how I was connected to Rob without personally knowing him, sharing space through walking and cycling connects us. It makes us move, reduces emissions and builds safer, more vibrant communities. When our streets are hostile to vulnerable road users, we make our population sicker. Since Rob’s death, at least 12 pedestrians and another cyclist have been killed. Many others have been injured. Most of those stories don’t make the news. Like my partner, who lost his hearing because a driver did not stop at a signalized crosswalk. I believe our city leaders continue to fail us. I often feel like they treat parking spots as sacred and human life as expendable. In my opinion, they stall and postpone critical safety improvements like protected bike lanes and lower speed limits. It seems like they are afraid of the backlash from drivers instead of caring about my life and that of other vulnerable road users. I have had enough. I often hear Winnipeg was built for cars. Historically, pictures show that this is inaccurate. Winnipeg had beautiful streetcars, people walking and cycling. Decades of decisions made by councillors and mayors is what made Winnipeg into the car-dominated city it is today. But it is not too late to change this. Lives should matter more than speed. I can’t bring Rob back; it is too late for him. But I can honour his life by refusing to accept the status quo. I am demanding better from the people elected to represent me. I am asking all readers to demand better from their councillors too. Please call your councillors. Ask them why it’s taking so long to implement 30 km/h speed limits in residential neighbourhoods. Tell them to support protected bike lanes on Wellington Crescent. Insist they stop treating road deaths as inevitable, On June 12, two key motions that will make our streets safer might come before public works. I need everyone to show up, speak out and delegate. Together we can make our neighbourhoods places to connect again. These are our streets. And we owe it to Rob to fight like hell to reclaim them. Linda van de Laar is a registered nurse at St. Boniface General Hospital.

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City Update: Wolseley to Downtown Walk Bike Project
by Beth McKechnie 09 Jun '25

09 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. [City of Winnipeg | Ville de Winnipeg]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> Wolseley to Downtown Walk Bike Project Project updates Still more work to do... The Wolseley Avenue Neighbourhood Greenway has been in place for around six months. Motor vehicle speeds and volumes have gone down. But we’re still seeing more vehicles than desired in the eastern part of the project area. Additionally, motor vehicle speeds in all four locations shows that the 85th percentile speed is still more than five kilometers an hour faster than the posted speed limit of 30 km/h. You can see the motor vehicle speeds and volumes for several years on the traffic count map below which also highlights the traffic calming infrastructure that was constructed on Wolseley Avenue. Both numbers remain higher than we’d like for a neighbourhood greenway. This could affect whether cyclists feel safe and comfortable. We’re planning a few more features along Wolseley Avenue this summer, including: * More visible paint markings (like centre-lane sharrows) * Speed reader boards to remind drivers to slow down * New Neighbourhood Greenway signs Once these new features are in place, we’ll measure traffic speeds and volumes again to see if numbers come down. We plan to come back this winter with a full year of data. At that time, we’ll also want to hear your feedback on how the greenway is working. In the meantime, if you have anything urgent to share with the project team, please email us at wolseleytodowntown(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:wolseleytodowntown@winnipeg.ca>. Map: 2025 conditions<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> View the latest conditions of the neighbourhood greenway Board: Summer updates<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> Learn more about planned updates this summer Learn more about this project winnipeg.ca/wolseleytodowntown<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> Contact us Email: City-Engage(a)winnipeg.ca<mailto:City-Engage@winnipeg.ca> Phone: 204-986-4243 Connect with us: [Twitter]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…>[Facebook]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…>[YouTube]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…>[LinkedIn]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…>[Instagram]<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> Share on X<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…> | Share on Facebook<https://communications.winnipeg.ca/ext/click/go/71ebfa129fce40624b3653ffef6…>

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WFP: ‘Reimagined’ 25-year city transportation master plan sets price tag at $4.7B (Jun7'25)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Jun '25

07 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ‘Reimagined’ 25-year city transportation master plan sets price tag at $4.7B https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/06/reimagined-25-yea… A 25-YEAR transportation master plan designed to “reimagine” travel throughout Winnipeg would cost $4.7 billion to fully implement, though plenty of work remains to determine what will be funded when. Transportation 2050: Reimagining Mobility sets out the hefty cost estimate for all staffing, planning, design and capital costs needed to turn it into a reality. It’s unlikely the city would be able to cover the whole tab over the next 25 years, the head of council’s public works committee said. “We prioritize (projects) related to the money that we have … It’s good that they put a price tag on it just so people understand (the cost),” said Coun. Janice Lukes. Lukes (Waverley West) said some priorities will be covered by road and active transportation funding in current and future budgets, while partnerships with senior governments will help determine what else the city can afford. The staff report calls for funding to hire five new employees to implement the changes, which will be considered in the 2026 budget process. No other funding plan is recommended yet. Meanwhile, city staff are also proposing potential business studies to determine if the city should conduct pilot projects on designated truck lanes, popup active transportation infrastructure, secure bike parking, reduced parking on arterial roads and even autonomous buses. “Automated buses are ready for real-world testing and Winnipeg’s Southwest Transitway is an ideal testing location, as a fully separated right-of-way that experiences cold and winter conditions. Potentially, autonomous buses could be tested in this location outside of revenue service hours,” the staff report states. Lukes said she’s not convinced self-driving buses are in the city’s near future. “I don’t think we’re ready for it… we’ve got snow, we’ve got ice, we’ve got really varying road conditions,” she said. However, Mayor Scott Gillingham said he’s “very open” to exploring the idea. “Obviously, it has to be safe and all that analysis has to be done, but if it’s innovative and it can enhance the delivery of city services, then I’m all for it… I’m not about being innovative just for the sake of doing the latest thing. It’s got to enhance services for the people of Winnipeg,” said Gillingham. The mayor said the master plan aims to balance investments that support drivers as well as cyclists and pedestrians. “We do want to move people into more sustainable modes of transportation… by investing in our transit system to make it a better, more reliable, more frequent service, we believe that more people will choose transit,” he said. With a multibillion-dollar price tag, Gillingham noted the full master plan would take “a long, long time to fully implement.” Both the mayor and Lukes said the city should focus on improvements that support moving goods throughout and beyond the city to support economic growth. “We really need to look closely (at) investment in our trade routes. We talked about Kenaston/Route 90 and the upgrades that need to happen there, the Chief Peguis Trail extension, as well. Those are economic routes, those are trade routes (that are) really important to our community,” said Gillingham. Recent reports suggest extending Chief Peguis would cost $755 million, while revamping Kenaston Boulevard/ Route 90 would cost $586 million. “If we want to do new major upgrades like Kenaston, like Chief Peguis… we have to find external funding…. We’ll see what federal programs they come out with and how we can align those federal programs to our priorities,” said Lukes. In the report, city staff propose creating a funding strategy for a goods movement study and proposed truck route network by March 2026. Staff also suggest exploring future strategies on managing transportation demand, transit-oriented development and zero-emission vehicles. The strategy sets goals to ensure half of all trips are made using sustainable mobility options by 2050, active transportation is deemed a realistic option for everyday travel and people of all ages and abilities can safely move around. The plan also adds to Winnipeg’s decades-old debate over light rail transit, which the city has debated many times but never built. “The Transportation 2050 Plan directs the city to investigate when and where LRT might be needed in the future. High-capacity transit will be essential to increasing sustainable trips,” the report notes. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepresss.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepresss.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Moving trucks off Graham Avenue part of proposed revamp (Jun7'25)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Jun '25

07 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Moving trucks off Graham Avenue part of proposed revamp https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/06/moving-trucks-off… A NEW proposal would slow down traffic on parts of Graham Avenue and redirect trucks to other streets. A report calls for city council to reduce the speed limit on Graham to 30 km/h from 50 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton streets and remove the full time truck route designation. “Graham Avenue is going to become a very focal point for downtown. It’s going to become an area that will be activated … It’s going to become a much more people-oriented, populated, activity-oriented street and that’s been part of the downtown plan,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works. She noted Winnipeg Transit’s new primary network will move most transit service off Graham later this month, clearing the way for change. She expects a speed limit reduction would take a couple of months to implement. Lukes said the traditional reliance on the avenue as a key bus corridor, with some sections not even open to cars, means the changes shouldn’t create much commuter delay. The new rules should support a growing number of downtown residents, she said. “Downtown has to have neighbourhoods. It’s not just, go there, leave there. We’re putting a lot of housing in (that area),” said Lukes. Mayor Scott Gillingham said changes to Winnipeg Transit create an opportunity to transform the avenue. “It’s almost like Graham Avenue is a blank slate and it can be reimagined (to become) something really different and invigorating,” said Gillingham. The city’s key downtown vision, CentrePlan 2050, calls for an overhaul of Graham, suggesting it could become a cycling connection and open space. Gillingham said he’d like to see a pedestrian mall on the avenue and believes any driver delay from the changes would be limited. “When it’s such a short street, when you drive 30 km/h as opposed to 50, the difference on three or four blocks is seconds,” he said. Shifting buses elsewhere and reducing the speed limit could make the area easier to access, said one business owner. “Having cars added to Graham, I do think that’s probably a good idea and helpful for the local businesses. I think it was fairly chaotic having just buses ripping up and down Graham Avenue… As a general rule, I support speed reduction … I think having a calmer Graham Avenue is a good thing,” said Graham Bargen, co-owner of the Thom Bargen coffee shop at Kennedy Street and Graham Avenue. However, Bargen said he is concerned limiting truck traffic would create an obstacle for deliveries. “That will be an added challenge. We’re a coffee roaster and we receive pallets of coffee… we do need to be able to get product in and out,” he said. In a written statement, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ expressed support for the changes. “We believe these changes on Graham support the overall plan to improve safety, connectivity and vibrancy downtown. We’re looking forward to the transformation of this street into a pedestrian-friendly hub, where people can gather and connect,” wrote Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the BIZ. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Cyclists mark anniversary of fatal collision (Jun7'25)
by Beth McKechnie 07 Jun '25

07 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Cyclists mark anniversary of fatal collision Condemn city’s lack of action on safety improvements https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/06/cyclists-mark-ann… BRIGHT red balloons attached to the handlebars of a white “ghost bike” memorial Friday marked the one-year anniversary of a cycling enthusiast’s horrifying high-speed hit-and-run death on Wellington Crescent. Rob Jenner was on his way to work at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights when a 19-year-old man driving more than three times the 50 km/h speed limit hit the rear tire of Jenner’s bike throwing him several metres into the air at the intersection of Wellington and Cockburn Street. He was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead one day after his 61st birthday. Anna Weier showed up at the corner Friday with her nine-year-old daughter Libby to join more than 30 others celebrating what would’ve been Jenner’s 62nd birthday Thursday, and demand action from the city to make the street safer for cyclists, after a report on biking infrastructure improvements was delayed a second time. “Rob Jenner’s death was really scary. It makes me really worried riding, especially with my kid,” said Weier. “We feel like the city isn’t listening to us that we want safe biking infrastructure now.” Jenner’s death ignited protests from members of Winnipeg’s cycling community about inadequate infrastructure and policies to protect riders. Advocates called for the speed limit to be reduced to 30 km/h, and for the city to install protected bike lanes on Wellington Crescent. Council’s executive policy committee rejected a lowered speed limit, but voted in December for city staff to report on other bike-safety solutions on the street. The report, delayed until this month, has been pushed back again after city staff requested a one-month extension for additional consultation on removing street parking and another look at the speed limit, said public works chair Janice Lukes. “I want the public service to get it right. We don’t want something put in that is going to again need adjustments, or again need tweaks or changes,” Lukes (Waverley West) said Friday. “There’s a lot of infrastructure we’d like to have in, but we can’t put it in overnight. We have to let them do their work.” She said active-transportation projects, such as building protected bike lanes, rarely get done in under a year. The effort to address concerns on Wellington Crescent is moving as quickly as it can, she said, adding she understands the urgency for cyclists. The proposed protected bike lane features barriers attached to the road instead of new curb construction to separate vehicles and bikes. Lukes said if council approves after receiving the report next month, she expects the project could be completed by the fall or next spring. She said the McDermot Avenue bike lane that was built in 2018, and described as “very similar” to the plan for Wellington Crescent, took three years to finish. “It’s too late for Rob (Jenner),” said Robyn Dyck, who was at the memorial Friday. “We will now have a whole summer without protection for cyclists. It’s infuriating.” In October, Beckham Severight pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and leaving the scene of the accident. He was sentenced to three years in custody and banned from driving for five years. His then-roommate, Lyle Barker- Young, the lone passenger, who was leasing the vehicle, was charged with fleeing the scene and remains before the court. matthew.frank(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca> [https://winnipeg-can.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.25012021/aja…]

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WFP: Pedestrian scramble gets Exchange test (Jun3'25)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Jun '25

03 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Pedestrian scramble gets Exchange test ‘We want to create a more walkable, livable city’ https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/02/pedestrian-scramb… READY. Set. Scramble. An Exchange District intersection was the scene of Winnipeg’s first pedestrian scramble as a pilot project to test the concept began Monday. Traffic signals at the King Street and Bannatyne Avenue intersection stop motor vehicles in all directions once per cycle allowing pedestrians to cross in any direction, except diagonally. Aro Van Dyck made the trek to the street corner to see the signals in action and try it for herself. “An improvement like this, I’m excited to see it. I’m someone who cares a lot about pedestrian safety,” said Van Dyck, who works downtown. The 32-year-old said she was disappointed when the city scuttled plans to put a scramble crossing at River Avenue and Osborne Street last year. She hopes the pilot project, which was approved in March, proves popular and scrambles become more common on city streets. The scramble includes new no-right-turn and no-left-turn signs, cameras to record vehicle near-misses with pedestrians and loudspeakers that broadcast “walk sign is on at both crossings.” The scramble is expected to reduce crossing times and improve safety for pedestrians with no vehicles in the intersection, said city worker Danae Penner, who was attaching signs to explain how the crossing works. “If pedestrians want to go kitty corner to the other side of the street, they don’t have to wait for two signals. They can make it all the way around,” said the road safety outreach co-ordinator. Coun. Vivian Santos said she hopes the crossing will drive more foot traffic to the area. “We want to create a more walkable, livable city,” Santos said. “It’s about building a people-first city, especially in the Exchange District.” Crossing diagonally wasn’t included in the plans for the new scramble, she said, because extensive work was necessary to make sidewalks more accessible for those with wheelchairs. The scramble cost $1,000 to put in place, a March report from the public works committee noted. Santos said the pilot will be in place until winter 2026. David Pensato, executive director of Exchange District BIZ, is curious how the pilot project’s results will influence the city’s approach to pedestrian crosses. He said the chosen intersection has already been an informal scramble crossing when traffic dies down. “It doesn’t take an urban planner or traffic engineer to note that while the Exchange is among the most walkable areas in the city, there’s certainly some pinch points where it becomes more complicated,” said Pensato. “We’re always looking to better enhance the pedestrian experience.” Dennis Boyko, owner of Red River Book Shop, was surprised the city selected King and Bannatyne for the pilot. The Arthur Street entrepreneur said there are more dangerous crossings that need more robust infrastructure to protect pedestrians in the Exchange. To commemorate the new crossing, sandwich shop King and Bannatyne created a special scrambled egg wrap that will be given away at the corner at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. The city has launched a survey for residents to provide feedback on the scramble at wfp.to/scramble<http://wfp.to/scramble>. A report on the pilot’s results is expected in 2026. matthew.frank(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:matthew.frank@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: ‘Getting more butts on bikes’ (Jun2'25)
by Beth McKechnie 02 Jun '25

02 Jun '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ‘Getting more butts on bikes’ Charleswood resident shares his passion for cycling through his volunteer work https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/06/02/getting-more-butt… DAVE Elmore recalls the ribbing he got as a teenager when many of his friends were buying their first cars and he bought a bike instead: a blue 10-speed CCM Turismo. “Cycling’s always been important to me,” he says. “It’s always been something I’ve done.” Today, the 70-year-old Charleswood resident shares his passion for cycling through his volunteer work as chairperson of Bike Week Winnipeg. The annual event features programming meant to encourage and engage cyclists. This year’s edition takes place June 8-14. “It’s all about getting more butts on bikes,” Elmore says. An engineer by training, Elmore was working as a project manager for the federal government when he started commuting to work by bike in the early 1990s. He co-founded the cycling advocacy group Bike to the Future, now known as Bike Winnipeg, in 2007. The following year, he helped start Bike to Work Day, an annual one-day event for bicycle commuters. In 2014, the event was rebranded as Bike Week. With the rebrand came an expanded mandate to engage cyclists of all kinds — whether they ride for everyday transportation, recreation or some other reason. Rather than create change through advocacy, Elmore says, Bike Week attempts to create cultural change by engaging riders, trying to get more people involved in cycling and growing their understanding that bicycles can be a part of the city’s transportation culture. While Bike to Work Day is still one of the week’s flagship events (it takes place June 10), this year’s Bike Week will feature numerous activities for people of all ages and abilities, including group rides, workshops, games and a wrap-up party on the legislative grounds on June 14. Last year’s Bike Week drew more than 14,000 people to 160 events over seven days, according to a report prepared by Fête Jockey Events Inc., which helps organize and manage Bike Week. Elmore expects similar numbers this year. Bike Week “adds to the culture and visibility of cycling across the city,” says Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg. “(It’s) creating those opportunities to give people that experience of cycling so they can get out there and imagine it as part of their everyday life,” he says. “It’s everyday people who are looking for those cycling opportunities — not just some radical core of people. It’s everyday folks. It’s our neighbours, our aunts, our uncles and our siblings that want to get out riding.” Cohoe praises Elmore’s efforts, describing the retiree as “tireless (and) ageless.” “(He’s) someone who’s committed a huge amount of time to making the city better, to helping us all be a little bit more environmentally friendly and sustainable, and someone who’s always ready to take on the task, big or small,” Cohoe says. “You get a smiling face, you get a hello and a warm welcome from Dave every time.” In addition to chairing Bike Week, Elmore is a mechanic at the WRENCH community bike shop, he teaches cycling skills to middle school students and he leads spin classes twice a week at the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg. The grandfather of two rides to these volunteer commitments on one of his eight bikes — usually either his red Surly or chrome Sekine. “Ultimately I don’t look at any of them as work because I enjoy doing them, and I guess I’m seeing the benefits because I’m seeing more and more people on bikes,” Elmore says of his volunteer commitments. “The things that we’re doing as different organizations, whether it’s Bike Winnipeg or Bike Week, are making a difference in our city, and that keeps me going.” If you know a special volunteer, email aaron.epp(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca>. [https://winnipeg-can.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.25012021/aja…]

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