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WFP: 2025 - a summer of interesting urban changes
by Beth McKechnie 29 Sep '25

29 Sep '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. 2025: a summer of interesting urban changes https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/09/29/2025-a-summer… THE summer of 2025 was quietly a pretty good season for urbanism in Winnipeg. Over the last few months, the city has been busy implementing several new progressive city-building initiatives to enhance livability in our communities. A few of these programs made headlines, and others flew under the radar. Some had immediate impact, some set building blocks for future impacts, and others remain a work in progress. If you’ve been walking downtown recently, you might have noticed that the timing of traffic signals has been changed to become what is known as leading pedestrian interval lights. The signals now let pedestrians leave several seconds early, giving them a head start and allowing them to establish a presence in the intersection before drivers start moving. This simple change increases the likelihood that turning drivers will yield to pedestrians and allows slower-moving people an increased margin of safety. When this idea was implemented in New York City, it reduced fatal pedestrian collisions by 65 per cent. Those who have been walking downtown might have also noticed that they can now cross the street at the city’s famous Portage and Main intersection. The day the barricades came down, it immediately became just a normal place. The backs of buildings became the fronts, and people started coming back to a place they hadn’t been in decades. Standing there today, it’s difficult to even remember what the barricades looked like. In time, the improved connectivity will hopefully leverage new development happening at the corner and become a catalyst to improve a struggling Portage Avenue. None of the hyperbole and doomsday scenarios that paralyzed us for 50 years have come to fruition. That’s a lesson we might learn for future public decision-making. A block away from the newly opened intersection is Graham Avenue, a street that had its role as a bus corridor removed with a citywide transit route overhaul. Instead of simply giving the street back to cars, as would likely have happened in the past, the city made the bold and forward-thinking move of claiming it for public space. Saving it from cars, however, is only a first step, and we must work together as a community over the next several years to ensure it becomes a successful public place. As an active spine across downtown, it could create a renewed sense of place in the city centre and be a significant development catalyst in the future. Changes also happened outside of downtown this summer. The most high-profile being that transit route overhaul, a move that has faced well-documented challenges. It would have been easy to simply continue doing what we have always done, but it takes courage to boldly try something new in an effort to improve. The logic behind the changes has found success in other cities, but problems have unquestionably been exposed. Hopefully with greater investment and considered response to rider experience and feedback, solutions can be found that will allow the new system to meet the promise of its design. To make our neighbourhood streets safer, the city has begun implementing an innovative system of traffic calming installations at 16 locations across the city. Temporary curbs are being used to quickly and inexpensively alter street layouts and configurations to slow traffic. These yellow, concrete curbs work by narrowing parts of the road to encourage lower driving speeds, tighten corners to slow turns, and reduce crossing distances for pedestrians and cyclists. The temporary installations are allowing designers to study how the changes work before more expensive permanent road configurations are implemented. You might have seen little trees popping up along streets in your neighbourhood and in parks across the city all summer long. In its never-ending battle against the invasive beetles decimating our urban forest, the city traditionally plants between 1,200 and 2,000 replacement trees per year. Thanks to funding from the federal government’s 2 Billion Trees program and the adoption of the city’s Urban Forest Strategy, almost 7,000 new trees were planted in 2025. These increased tree planting numbers have made a noticeable impact on our streets and in our neighbourhoods and in time will help restore Winnipeg’s iconic tree canopy that has seen increasing losses over the last several years. Physical changes to our city over the summer were augmented by a controversial change to planning policy that will promote a gradual but impactful evolution of our neighbourhoods. The changes effectively eliminate single-family zoning, allowing at least a duplex, and in many cases a three or fourplex, to be built on almost any residential lot in the city. This will promote higher densities to capitalize on existing infrastructure and services, while supporting local shops and amenities like libraries, parks, community centres, and public transit. Greater housing diversity will provide access to good neighbourhoods for a broader range of people who can’t afford or might not want a single-family house, whether it’s a rental apartment for a young person, a downsizing option for a senior aging in their community, or a new family home in a townhouse. The summer of 2025 put in place several urbanist building blocks that will work together to create a more livable city in the future. We are of course far from finished. Issues to be worked on include better connected cycling networks in the city’s mature neighbourhoods, rapid transit investment, possibly including light rail, and much more aggressive action by all levels of government to find solutions to homelessness, and public safety. If we keep making positive steps forward, however, we can build the prosperous and progressive city that we all want for our children and grandchildren. Brent Bellamy is creative director at Number Ten Architectural Group.

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CBC & WFP: New active transportation path unveiled in northwest Winnipeg (Sept24'25)
by Beth McKechnie 25 Sep '25

25 Sep '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. CBC: Cyclist says path is a 'critical piece of infrastructure' that offers safe crossing under railway https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-keewatin-bike-path-1.76423… WFP: EXTENDED MULTI-USE PATH OFFICIALLY OPENS THE last leg of the Keewatin multi-use path officially opened in northwest Winnipeg on Wednesday. The 4.5-kilometre path now runs from Gallagher Avenue West at its southern end to the intersection of Water Ridge Path and Dr. Jose Rizal Way, north of Jefferson Avenue. The final 1.8 km of the path, between Gallagher Avenue West and Burrows Avenue, was completed earlier this year at a cost of $4 million. The project included a pedestrian half-signal at Keewatin Street and Tyndall Avenue. Another such signal will be installed at Keewatin and Manitoba Avenue later this year. New lighting along the multi-use path and 250 metres of pathway between Billy Mosienko Arena and the trails into Shaughnessy Park School were also part of the final phase of work.

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WFP Analysis: Funding Transit a necessity (Sep24'25)
by Beth McKechnie 24 Sep '25

24 Sep '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Funding Transit a necessity MEL MARGINET https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/09/24/funding-trans… WHILE the new Winnipeg Transit network launched in June 2025 has achieved many of its objectives, it’s important to assess what is and isn’t working in order to see Winnipeg Transit reach its full potential. Overall, the system change gives transit a chance to increase ridership while ensuring Winnipeggers have frequent, reliable access to destinations across the city. This redesign isn’t a final product, but a new frame to give city council many options to improve service across the city, should they choose to turn up the dial. Previously, our “spaghetti route” system had numerous congestion points — such as Graham Avenue — where buses stacked up. Adding more buses to a system like this is meaningless as buses inevitably get stuck behind each other. The spaghetti routes also created confusion, especially to those new to the city or trying to reach an area they don’t know well. Telling someone to “hop on the 16” but not that 16, lest they end up in a completely different neighbourhood, didn’t inspire confidence. The new system has given 75 per cent of Winnipeggers access to a primary transit stop (up from 40 per cent previously). Some of us have lost our old stops, and that can be hard to get used to. We can work with our councillors and transit on which stops should be restored, but we do need to remember that more stops add more time. When Transit asked during public engagement (Phase 1) “would you prefer a longer walk to a stop with more frequent service, or a shorter walk to a stop with less frequent service,” of the thousands of Winnipeggers who participated (75 per cent of them heavy transit users), 83 per cent said they preferred a longer walk to more frequent service. What the current system has not delivered on is level of service. Too many routes end too early, feeder routes are not frequent enough (the transfer times add too much time to the overall trip), and the frequent routes are too in-demand, meaning packed buses and pass-ups. New stops mean we need new shelters, and packed buses mean we need to up our cleaning game. The good news is that level of service frustrations can be easily fixed. The bad news is that it requires an increase to the operating budget to do it. This is where the system is struggling. When city council approved the network redesign, one thing was made abundantly clear to Winnipeg Transit: they did not have any increased operating funding to work with. This is where we’re at today. As someone who regularly rides the bus, I’ve had the pleasure of taking this new system to a number of new places at various points in the day. For the most part, it’s worked well for me and I’m grateful for that. But I can see where we can make improvements. I’ve been squished onto a Blue four minutes after an equally full Blue has passed by. I’ve been waiting for the F8 at a stop on Donald watching the bus creep behind single occupancy vehicles (requiring multiple light cycles to go a few blocks — madness!). And I’ve heard from several friends who are frustrated with the feeder routes in their neighbourhoods being too infrequent, adding too much time to their trips. All of these frustrations are fixable, but they require resources. It doesn’t matter what a city says it wants to be, a city’s vision is shown in what it chooses to budget for. No new operating funding for transit while continuing to budget hundreds of millions of dollars to expand Kenaston (to save, at best, 12 seconds of travel time in one area of the city) and road budgets with ongoing “record levels” of investment, makes it clear to transit riders: your comfort and convenience is not as important as those who drive. Transit is crucial for our cities as they continue to grow. It costs cities seven to nine times more per trip to move a person in a personal vehicle versus on a bus. To not invest in transit is wildly irresponsible. Winnipeg city council, the province of Manitoba, and our “nation building” federal government all need to come to the table to support public transit in our cities. Our system redesign has laid the foundation, we now need the resources to build on that foundation and deliver the transit system we need and deserve. Mel Marginet is part of the sustainable transportation team at Green Action Centre and she’s the publisher at Great Plains Press, which publishes The City Project.

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Montréal’s bike infrastructure hardly takes up any space from cars on city roads
by Beth McKechnie 23 Sep '25

23 Sep '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Interesting article on road space allocation: https://theconversation.com/montreals-bike-infrastructure-hardly-takes-up-a…

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CBC: Ontario court strikes down Ford government's plan to remove Toronto bike lanes (Jul30'25)
by Beth McKechnie 03 Aug '25

03 Aug '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. A spokesperson for Ontario's transportation minister said the government will appeal https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-ford-bike-lane-toronto-court…

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WFP: Transit scrambles to mitigate GPS confusion (Jul25'25)
by Beth McKechnie 25 Jul '25

25 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Transit scrambles to mitigate GPS confusion Update expected to be completed by 2028 https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/07/24/transit-scrambles… A GPS failure that led Winnipeg Transit to post incorrect arrival times for buses earlier this month is still wreaking havoc with some schedules. Two weeks ago, Transit posted an online notice to riders that a “widespread” issue led incorrect times to appear on Navigo, bus schedule boards and Transit’s website starting on July 7. On Thursday, Transit said about 18 to 24 per cent of bus location reports were incorrect at the peak of the problem, which has since fallen to 13 to 15 per cent. The regular “baseline” level for errors is three to four per cent. “We don’t have a firm timeline of when a more permanent fix will be in place, except to say it is expected in the coming weeks,” spokeswoman Megan Benedictson wrote in an emailed statement. When the Free Press first reported on the issue on July 11, Transit stressed the technical concern was not related to the launch of its new primary network, which took place June 29. The service noted a GPS repair was on the way from its supplier. Transit’s initial public alert about the problem suggested some posted arrival times varied greatly from actual ones. “On these buses, on-board systems that display and announce the next stop won’t work. Our real-time schedule information gives incorrect times. Buses that may only be a few minutes late can appear hours late online. We are unable to track the location of some buses accurately,” the notice stated. Transit recently posted an update that a short-term fix is helping reduce the frequency of the issue, while the service awaits a more permanent solution. “A fix deployed across our fleet has led to an improvement in our GPS performance. This has improved the accuracy of our schedules online,” it notes. Winnipeg Transit spokesman Brandon Logan said the GPS issue isn’t route specific, since buses travel to different locations each day, meaning the problem can affect all routes. “In cases where invalid GPS data is detected, we use previous GPS reports or post the scheduled time in place of real-time data. We encourage riders, if they’re able, to arrive (a few minutes) early at their bus stop when riding with us,” wrote Logan, in an email. Winnipeg Transit previously told the Free Press the GPS errors affect units that are about 20 years old and were already slated for replacement. Transit expects the broader replacement program for buses with dated GPS will be completed by 2028. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council’s public works committee, said she has received complaints that bus transfer times are not accurate but it’s tough to tell how many are caused by the GPS problem. “I have had calls talking about the need to get better timing at the connections. Now that could be (for) many reasons, maybe there’s construction on that road, maybe the GPS isn’t working… but this is an area that I know transit is really focusing on,” said Lukes (Waverley West). “The framework, the backbone of the network, is the ability to connect, to transfer, so it makes it difficult when we’re not getting accurate times. It’s a totally independent issue (from the network), it’s just terrible timing.” Transit’s new primary network uses a spine-and-feeder concept, where direct spines along major corridors are supported by a network of feeder routes, meaning many rides that begin outside of a main route now require transfers. Kyle Owens, president of Functional Transit Winnipeg, said the technical woes could affect many riders. “If Winnipeg Transit is telling us that this is affecting 13 to 15 per cent of bus (location reports)… because (the new system) involves so many more transfers, that affects far more than just 13 to 15 per cent of riders,” said Owens. While he called the portion of inaccurate arrival times “significant,” the public transportation advocate said the new network’s frequency should help limit the amount of disruption the problem causes on main routes. “With more buses adding more frequency, we would see less of an impact in the future with other disruptions. It’s a way to ensure that the system remains reliable, even during disruptions,” said Owens. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP Analysis: Next spring too late for bike lane (Jul23'25)
by Beth McKechnie 23 Jul '25

23 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Next spring too late for bike lane ARO VAN DYCK https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/07/23/next-spring-t… ON July 17, I spoke before Winnipeg City Council, urging them to ditch the latest delay to the installation of a bike lane where Rob Jenner was struck and killed last year on Wellington Crescent. I was joined at the podium by Wendy Van Loon (Rob’s wife), and in the galleries by over 120 members of our cycling community, who came out wearing red for Rob to send a powerful message to city council: we are united in solidarity and we will not be ignored. According to the plan that was before city council, the public service would be required to engage in consultations until February of 2026 before installing the bike lane next spring. This delay is unacceptable, and that’s not just something that I can say for myself. The last two weeks at bike racks, intersections and cycling events, I have spoken with over 400 cyclists about the delays this bike lane has faced since April, and can say that I have never seen our community so moved to shock, anger and distrust in the system. Our community wants Winnipeg to be decisive and strategically agile in the pursuit of Vision Zero — a road safety initiative summed up by the idea that no loss of life is acceptable. Our community wants City Hall to set a new precedent in which fatal crashes trigger immediate road design interventions. In all these conversations, something became crystal clear. Whether City Hall intends it or not, delaying again sends a message to Winnipeg’s cyclists: We’ll protect you when it’s convenient for us. The report from the public works department on this bike lane (available on the city’s website) is revealing. It notes 13 reported collisions with pedestrians and cyclists occurred on this part of Wellington between 2012-2022 (averaging one every 280 days, which is a shorter period than the proposed delay). It also states that “Traffic modelling predicts the pilot would result in minimal traffic impacts.” With this context, I want to share one more quote: “It is important to note this four-phased approach is atypical of a traditional pilot. A pilot would typically see infrastructure put into place prior to any feedback collection. The proposed infrastructure could be implemented in 2025; the public service would then modify the plan to more closely resemble a typical pilot and collect feedback from both road users and fronting residents after they have an opportunity to experience the change.” Given the acknowledgment of Wellington’s dangerous design, the expectation of minimal impacts on traffic and the fact that this delay for consultation is inconsistent with typical city practices, our community came together to demand that city council ditch the delay. In response to the call from our community, Coun. Sherri Rollins advanced a motion to do just that, which received only two votes (her own and Coun. Cindy Gilroy’s) and was defeated. Wellington Crescent, where green “bike route signs” stand in sharp contrast to Rob Jenner’s white ghost bike, will remain as dangerous as the day he died until next spring. We have been watching the decisions made at City Hall. These delays have us angry at our political leadership, embarrassed at the state of our infrastructure and afraid our next bike ride could be our last. We are pessimistic about Winnipeg’s ability to meet big challenges when we see city council getting tangled in “atypical” red tape over one bike lane. We are tired of being villainized as disrespectful in our advocacy by politicians who confuse requests to be listened to for personal attacks. When our councillors can’t stay off their phones or even stay in the room during meetings that are designated as the place and time for citizens to weigh in on civic matters, they don’t have a leg to stand on calling us disrespectful. Honestly, I did not go to City Hall expecting they would ditch the delay. Public works chair Janice Lukes stated at last week’s executive policy committee meeting that the lane would not be built this year. Yet I had hoped that with a hundred observers, our community would be heard. Halfway through my delegation, Lukes left the room. Perhaps after our next election, we will have councillors who can sit through a meeting. Aro van Dyck is an advocate for safer streets.

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WFP: City installing traffic-calming curbs in ongoing battle with speeders (Jul22'25)
by Beth McKechnie 22 Jul '25

22 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. City installing traffic-calming curbs in ongoing battle with speeders https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/07/21/city-to-install-t… BLAME speeders for the installation of concrete traffic-calming curbs on several city residential streets. Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the civic public works committee, said the first of them will be in place this week on Chancellor Drive north of Lake Island Crescent. “There are two elementary schools and a community centre, You would think with two 30 km/h zones, people would already slow down,” Lukes said Monday. “But no they don’t. It’s crazy.” The yellow concrete curbs shaped like thick surf boards are 2.4 metres long and weigh more than 900 kilograms. They will be marked by signage and placed in another 12 locations throughout the city before the end of August. “These are a lot cheaper than rebuilding the street. We are putting them in locations where we have studied them. This is changing the built environment in the best way,” Lukes said. “People just need to slow down — but it seems they can’t, so we have to change the darn road structure so they are forced to slow down. This is a pilot project to understand how effective these curbs will be and to observe how they stand up in the winter. “If it stops even one collision, that’s great.” If the curbs do what they are intended to do, the city will make them permanent in future street-renewal work, she said. Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement that “every neighbourhood in our city deserves safer streets.” “That’s why we created a new road safety unit, to find practical, cost-effective ways to reduce risk and protect all road users. These traffic-calming curbs are a smart solution that will make a difference right away.” The curbs are already used in other jurisdictions across North America to increase safety. They “minimize conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles,” a news release from the city said. A list of the 10 sites where the curbs will be installed, is available on the city’s website. Both Templeton Avenue and Cambridge Street have four locations apiece, while the other eight streets have single placements. The city is working with Art City to install asphalt art at select locations to increase visibility further and beautify the neighbourhood. kevin.rollason(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca> [https://us5-bcdn.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.25012021/ajax-re…] A graphic shows the planned placement of traffic-calming measures on Chancellor Drive.

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WFP: Wellington bike lane pilot project greenlit (Jul19'25)
by Beth McKechnie 19 Jul '25

19 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. WELLINGTON BIKE LANE PILOT PROJECT GREENLIT CITY council has approved a plan to conduct a Wellington Crescent bike lane pilot project next year, despite intense lobbying from cyclists to take action much sooner. About 80 cyclists gathered in council chambers before the final vote took place Thursday, including two who spoke as delegates, asking council to implement the changes this year. The pilot project will test out one-way temporary separated bike lanes on Wellington and reduce part of the street to two lanes from four lanes. The plan would also cut the speed limit to 40 km/h from 50 km/h between Academy Road and Stradbrook Avenue. Supporters say the timing will allow for more consultation with property owners and others, before the changes take effect. Many cyclists have lobbied the city for changes on Wellington since cyclist Rob Jenner was killed by a speeding driver on the street on June 6, 2024. While the vehicle was travelling at 159 km/h, more than triple the current speed limit, many argued the design of the street makes it far too easy to speed through.

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WFP: School zones with most offenders targeted (Jul19'25)
by Beth McKechnie 19 Jul '25

19 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ‘Our goal should be to get to zero tickets,’ says co-founder of Safe Speeds School zones with most offenders targeted https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/07/18/city-eyes-changes… A new motion directs city staff to review school zones with the highest number of speeding tickets and explore design options to slow drivers down in those areas. The motion calls for staff to report back on potential infrastructure changes to address the issue, such as new signs, raised crosswalks, crosswalk lighting, speed bumps and curb extensions. “The idea is not to keep ticketing people. The idea is to fix the problem. The ticketing is kind of an indicator where there are probably some structural problems on the road… So, it’s a good (way) to (determine) where we’re going to focus on,” said Coun. John Orlikow, who seconded the city council motion Thursday. Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) said the 30 km/h speed limit around many schools is not enough to address speeding on its own, so these extra safety measures should be explored. “They’re deterrents for sure, the tickets… But if it’s still not working, if we’re still giving out too many tickets, then we have to look at the infrastructure (at those sites),” he said. An advocate calling for the 30 km/h speed limit to be implemented on all residential streets said changing infrastructure to slow down drivers is a good idea. “It is a great start to changing the way that we think about speed enforcement in the city. School zones are an awesome place to start but… we should be using data to tell us where speeding is a problem throughout the city,” said Emma Durand-Wood, a co-founder of Safe Speeds Winnipeg. For example, she said curb extensions, also known as bump-outs, provide better visibility for pedestrians and reduce their crossing distance, while raised crosswalks cue drivers to slow down. “Most people aren’t setting out to disobey the speed limit. The biggest factor …. that influences how fast people drive is the design of the street. So, we know that (changing) the design of the street is the most effective way to change how fast people drive.” Durand-Wood said the city should incorporate safety infrastructure into road renewal projects and devote photo radar ticket revenue to design changes that make it harder to speed. “Our goal really should be to get to zero speeding tickets because that would mean people are driving safely,” she said. Durand-Wood is also a registered candidate in the Elmwood- East Kildonan byelection, which is scheduled for Oct. 25. However, council’s public works chairwoman said she thinks photo enforcement data alone doesn’t provide enough information to determine where road safety infrastructure dollars should be spent. Coun. Janice Lukes said she fears basing that decision on heavily ticketed school zones would not necessarily pick the best locations overall. That’s partly because police can’t patrol hundreds of schools in Winnipeg every day, so it’s not easy to ensure the most ticketed ones actually see the most speeding, said Lukes (Waverley West). Other important safety factors should also be considered to prioritize infrastructure investments, such as traffic volumes and engineering feedback, she said. “I (probably) wouldn’t support (the motion) because we’re not getting accurate data to base (infrastructure) investments on. I’m not going to base investment on just police ticket data,” said Lukes. The councillor said she’s very supportive of changing infrastructure to slow down vehicles in school zones but any work must fit within the city’s budget. “In my opinion, every school should have curb bump-outs … but we don’t have enough resources to do that,” said Lukes. “People just need to smarten up and slow down,” she added. Coun. Cindy Gilroy (Daniel Mc-Intyre), who raised the motion, could not be reached for comment by deadline Friday. The motion will be considered by council’s public works committee in September. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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