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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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