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WFP Analysis: Building a safer city by putting people first (Nov5'25)
by Beth McKechnie 05 Nov '25

05 Nov '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Building a safer city by putting people first ERNA BUFFIE https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/analysis/2025/11/05/building-a-sa… IT’S a well-known fact that our city council throws a lot of money at the police in their efforts to keep us safe. But is more investment in policing and surveillance cameras really the only way to create a safer city, or is it just the easy, “I don’t have to think about it too hard” way to reassure the populace that something is being done to protect them? I think it’s the latter, and so do a lot of social and urban-planning experts. And as it turns out, more money for the police hasn’t made Winnipeggers feel a whole lot safer. In fact, only 12 per cent of us feel safe walking in the downtown city centre at night, and eight out of 10 of us feel that our city is less safe now than it was just three years ago. So how, exactly, do we fix that? Well, tackling the social ills that contribute to criminal behaviour — things like addiction, homelessness, lack of education and training and a largely retributive justice system — should all be top priorities. But after doing a bit of reading, what I also discovered is this — it’s not just the way we run our cities, but the way we build and sometimes neglect them, that can make them unsafe. So, for example, we have hundreds of boarded up vacant buildings and more than 300 vacant lots in Winnipeg. Twenty-three of those vacant buildings can be found on some nine streets in the downtown neighbourhood of Spence. And guess what? The property and violent crime rate there is a whopping 47 per cent above the national average. So, is there a correlation between that high crime rate and all those neglected vacant buildings? You bet there is. In fact, when the city of Pittsburgh tracked the impact of foreclosures, officials discovered that within just 12 months, crime rates suddenly jumped by as much as 20 per cent in areas where foreclosed buildings were left vacant. But unattended and boarded-up buildings aren’t the only problem. Researchers have also found that if you don’t create urban spaces that are lively and welcoming for pedestrians and cyclists, you wind up with largely deserted, unsafe streets. So, for example, if your downtown features six to eight traffic lanes — think Portage Avenue — with narrow sidewalks, it’s not perceived as a safe or welcoming place to hang out. In essence, it’s a space for lots of cars, not lots of people. A place for opportunistic crime, not safety. That’s why some cities are focused on reducing road space, repairing and widening sidewalks and creating car-free zones to lure people back into city centres that were once seen as dangerous. And a growing body of evidence suggests that those actions don’t just help to reduce crime. They can also reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions by as much as 40 per cent. Not to mention the additional bonus of reducing carbon emissions. More surprising still, some city planners maintain that avoiding urban sprawl can also have a big impact on safety. That’s because an ever-expanding city often means an ever-expanding debt to service outlying suburbs, which results in little or no money to invest in the inner city educational and recreational programs that deter crime by keeping kids off the street and giving them a leg up. Even more unexpected, it turns out that the more green space you have, the safer your neighbourhood. Indeed, a study of 301 major cities in the U.S. revealed that communities with more green space experienced less crime than those with little or none. And amazingly, it’s resident-led greening efforts — whether tree planting, park maintenance or reclaiming vacant lots for community use — that seem to make the biggest difference. In fact, Chicago proved that with a simple but innovative plan when it announced that local residents could buy the vacant city-owned residential lots in their neighbourhoods for a dollar and turn them into side yards or pocket parks. Within two years, crime rates fell in those areas. Similarly, in Flint, Mich., in areas where community members were engaged in greening vacant lots, violent crimes dropped by a staggering 40 per cent. So, why is that? Why is crime reduced when residents take back their green spaces or reclaim vacant land? Well, the evidence suggests that communities that work together to create or maintain common spaces for communal use and enjoyment also build stronger social bonds and provide a kind of informal surveillance system that helps to reduce crime. So, what’s the moral of all these stories? No matter how you cut it, investing in what we have and putting the needs of people first, ahead of concrete and cars, makes cities more welcoming and ultimately a whole lot safer. Erna Buffie is a writer and environmental activist. Read more at www.ernabuffie.com

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WFP: Bicycles and icicles (Nov1'25)
by Beth McKechnie 02 Nov '25

02 Nov '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. BICYCLES AND ICICLES It’s never too brisk to bike — once you get in gear with winter https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/books/2025/11… PATTY WIENS Excerpt from That’ll Never Work Here: Challenging the Myths Around Biking in a Winter City, by Patty Wiens (Great Plains Press). A book launch will be held Nov. 8 at McNally Booksellers. It is the second book in The City Project, which examines ways to create a happier, healthier and more sustainable Winnipeg. WHEN someone asks me “How did you become a cycling advocate?” I usually say, “I rode my bike in winter one day and now I’m here.” Bicycle stories usually have a gap in the middle. There’s a well-known joke that says that the beginning of your life is all about bikes, then there’s a bunch of BS with cars in the middle, then you get older and get back to bikes. That’s true for me. After all the car BS, my kids grown up and out of the house, I moved to a more walkable neighbourhood and decided to get a bicycle so I could ride to work. I still had my car, of course. After all, you can’t live a car-free life in Winnipeg, with its harsh winters, poor transit system and urban sprawl. Car debt is a given, for which I budgeted accordingly: 1. Rent 2. Car (payment, insurance, gas, parking) 3. Food 4. Everything else But the bike, a Norco commuter named Nora, kept calling me. I found reasons to choose her over the car. I started discovering bike lanes I didn’t know existed and calmed streets that connected some of the protected infrastructure. In the spring of 2022, I moved in with my partner, Ian, and my 10-minute commute turned into 40 minutes on a good day, and sometimes 55 minutes on a day with a strong prairie headwind. I was proud of my long commute. I wasn’t fast and I didn’t ride on rainy days, but my co-workers still thought of me as radical for braving Winnipeg’s “dangerous streets.” On days that I chose to bus or drive to work, the real reason I rode my bike became evident: I hated paying $12 a day for parking and the bus ride took longer than the bike ride. When the fall of 2022 came, I started preparing myself for putting Nora away, dreading being at the mercy of slow, unreliable transit or paying $280 a month for parking. Once in a while, a co-worker would ask if I was one of those “winter cyclists,” to which I would reply, “I’m not that crazy — I’m Brazilian!” My previous winter commuting routine had been to wear ski pants, a parka and winter boots to walk to my pre-heated car. If I had to take the bus, I bundled up even more and considered wearing ski goggles just to wait at the bus stop. Winter cycling sounded like an absolutely insane idea. An idea for someone else, not for an almost 50-year-old Brazilian woman. But I am also a person whose intensity is clear at first sight. My bike was becoming part of my identity, and I think Ian knew that when he suggested I just keep going as long as I could. “Don’t put the bike away just because the calendar says it’s time to do so. You never know.” Having just returned from a trip to Amsterdam to visit my brother in the summer, new raincoat in hand and a renewed passion to do everything by bike, I agreed and kept going. I could hear my Dutch sister-in-law saying, “There’s no bad weather, just bad clothing.” Yeah OK, but you don’t know Winnipeg winters, I thought to myself. I began to research on YouTube, watching every video I could find on winter cycling in Canada. There wasn’t much — there were no women in that space, and nobody my age. I saw a lot of Lycra guys in the U.K., calling rainy weather “winter,” and I saw some videos of people riding in the snow. But when it came to talking about “how to” winter cycle, the closest thing I found to my demographic was this man called Tom Babin out of Calgary, who had a YouTube channel called Shifter. I watched all his winter videos, studied his methods, and thought that it might just be possible for me to do it too. When the first snowfall came, I got all dressed and rode my bike to the neighbourhood mall to see if I could make it. I had no special tires, too many clothes and a touch of stubbornness. It was fine. In fact, it was fun. The next day, I decided to try going all the way to work. My 40-minute commute turned into an hour, and I got there all sweaty, but happy. I walked around the office with my high-viz, makeshift winter cycling gear and helmet, ready to brag to everyone that I was one of those crazy people, one of those winter cyclists. But there was no one in the office yet — they were all stuck in traffic, which is always the worst after the first snowfall. If I had to pick a day, I would say that this was the day that changed everything for me. Ian was eager to hear all about it. He waited excitedly for me to text him when I got to work and was waiting by the door when I came home. I kept researching how to stay warm on my long commute and Ian pointed me to a Discord server started by a Winnipeg cyclist named Andrew. The server was dedicated to anyone using the bike for transportation or recreation — what I like to call the bike community in Winnipeg. The (mostly) guys on there were quick to help, offering tips, tricks and asking if I wanted to borrow their bikes. My commute was long, and I was struggling with the balance of staying warm (but not too warm), battling the wind and dealing with the lack of snow clearing on the path that had been my bike highway and safe haven in the warmer months. Was I the only one going through this? I wondered who else in the world had the same questions, challenges and issues. So, I took to X (Twitter, at the time) and I asked my handful of followers the following questions: Do you ride your bike in winter? How long is your commute? Where do you live? What are your biggest hurdles? What are your favourite accessories? My feed blew up and I gained thousands of followers overnight. These winter cycling people were passionate, fanatical and bent on getting more people on bikes in winter. AS my algorithm started to fill up with bike things, I started to notice that we also shared one more thing in common: a feeling that we didn’t matter to decision-makers. Our safety and our concerns were not seen to be as important as those of drivers. I saw mostly men in this space, and they were experiencing something that women experience just by existing: neglect, rage and a feeling of not being welcome in a space. I wondered if switching to an e-bike would make a difference in dealing with the Prairie winds and cold, so I began researching this new topic and found that again, there were even fewer content creators in that space. There were no women talking about riding an e-bike in winter. So, Ian and I got e-bikes and decided we would document my journey as I learned to ride my e-bike in winter. Real winter, not that rainy U.K. stuff. I decided that was going to be the purpose of my YouTube channel: to show people how an e-bike made winter cycling easier and more accessible and hopefully encourage more women to do it. As I shared my videos on social media, I slowly gained a local celebrity status. I can’t tell you why that happened, but I think that being a Brazilian woman in her 50s trying and succeeding at winter cycling and being super vocal about it had something to do with it. I wasn’t ashamed to look ridiculous on my social media, and I had a knack for saying what people were thinking. I didn’t care about likes and follows, I just wanted more bike lanes, safe streets and a city that allowed women to feel on bikes the way men feel in big trucks: powerful and invincible. Or at least safe.

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WFP: City streets see fewer collisions, injuries: report (Nov1'25)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '25

01 Nov '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. City streets see fewer collisions, injuries: report https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/11/01/city-streets-see-… Fatal and serious injury collisions on Winnipeg roads have significantly decreased in recent years. Data from the city shows the average number of fatalities and major injuries was 121 in 2023, below the city’s baseline of 176 for its road safety action plan. The long-term strategy aims to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions by 20 per cent by the end of 2027. The baseline metrics are based on a five-year annual average between 2015 and 2019. “Data from 2022 and 2023 illustrates that this reduction has not only already been met but has been exceeded,” the report said. The report notes less road travel owing to the COVID-19 pandemic can be partially attributed to the decrease and the numbers are not exclusively due to road safety investments. Traffic kilometers travelled increased in 2023 compared to that during the pandemic, but the numbers are still approximately 10 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels. The number of fatal and major road collisions in 2018 was 218 and 174 in 2019. In 2021 there was a nine-year low of 115 fatal and major injuries. Data for 2024 was not published in the report. The mode of transportation during the injuries and fatalities in 2023 was primarily passenger vehicles, followed by pedestrian, motorcycle, bicycle and various other forms. The city announced the strategy in 2022 with the goal of preventing injury and death on roadways by mapping out infrastructure, enforcement and education. Between 2012 and 2018, 98 people were killed and 1,113 people suffered serious injuries because of crashes on city roads. The city identified five key areas to improve safety: signalized intersections, pedestrians, cyclists, speed and road safety culture. Those areas resulted in 67 actions, of which 65 per cent are in progress, the report states. At the time of the plan’s announcement, the city said it would spend $30 million over the next six years for the action plan. In March the city implemented “leading pedestrian intervals” which allow pedestrians a five-second head start at crosswalks before drivers are given the green light to travel in the same direction. Other actions underway include working with the Winnipeg police on speed enforcement, piloting traffic calming curbs at 15 locations, hosting road safety events and workshops for the public and a new transportation data system to identify intersections with the greatest safety risk. Last August, the city announced the new system would collect traffic counts and collision data. At the time, Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the addition will provide better data to help the city identify where it needs to make changes and investments to improve the system. The city said the system would aim to make better use of vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian counts, which are gathered through radar, intersection video cameras, pneumatic road tubes (tubes laid across the road to gather data) and other devices. nicole.buffie(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Surge pricing part of city’s new parking plan (Nov1'25)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '25

01 Nov '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Surge pricing part of city’s new parking plan https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/10/31/councillors-to-vo… THE City of Winnipeg has unveiled a five-year parking strategy that includes more spaces and “surge pricing” during busy times and special events. If the plan is adopted, the $270,000 strategy would pilot electric vehicle-charging stations downtown, develop an app for all parking needs and update accessibility signs for drivers with disabilities. The strategy aims to manage the parking stock amid increased curb use. “With the federal government providing funding for housing and transit, the city is densifying and we need our parking policies to better reflect that,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, who is chairwoman of the public works committee, which will vote on it Nov. 6. It requires final approval from council. The strategy falls in line with the city’s recently implemented transit master plan, as well as CentrePlan 2050, which is in the works for the development of downtown parks, streets and buildings over three decades. Rideshare pick-ups, taxis, food deliveries, carsharing and loading all compete for curb space; the limited areas need to be managed to “meet community needs while also advancing broader goals like sustainability and city-building,” the report states. More paid and time-limited parking could be added in different areas. Surge pricing — charging more during periods of high demand — could help manage the city’s limited parking space in high-traffic areas, Lukes said. Baseline parking prices wouldn’t necessarily change. “If there’s a big event downtown and everyone wants parking, maybe the rates are higher so we keep parking available in areas where people would otherwise be parked for hours,” Lukes said. Demand for paid parking has steadily recovered since the pandemic. Drivers paid for 2.5 million hours of parking in 2023, a 25 per cent jump from one year earlier but still below the 2019 high of 2.8 million, the report states. In 2024, purchases climbed again to 2.6 million hours, only five per cent below pre-pandemic levels. Last year, the city managed approximately 3,850 street spaces plus nearly 1,250 stalls in one city-owned downtown parkade and seven lots. The strategy could empower the Winnipeg Parking Authority to ticket rule-breakers in private parking lots. The document also suggests the city establish several designated rideshare loading zones, such as in front of the downtown arena and Burton Cummings Theatre on Smith Street. Vehicle-for-hire trips have grown rapidly, to more than 10 million in 2024 from 6.7 million rides in 2022, the report said. Lukes said it’s time to fall in line with other major cities that have implemented similar strategies. “We need to have a better, unified system,” she said. “Our city is growing and the demand on street parking is greater and greater.” The Downtown Winnipeg BIZ and other local improvement zones participated in sessions about the strategy and say its focus is ensuring the proposed changes support accessibility and vibrancy downtown. “It’s important that any new measures don’t create additional barriers for how people get to and move through downtown, and that they don’t negatively impact our local businesses, their staff and the community they serve,” Downtown BIZ chief operating officer Rhiannon Hayes said in an email. nicole.buffie(a)frepress.mb.ca<mailto:nicole.buffie@frepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Transit proposes to expand evening service and hire 27 drivers to address complaints (Nov1'25)
by Beth McKechnie 01 Nov '25

01 Nov '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Later hours, more jobs to cost $7M Transit proposes to expand evening service and hire 27 drivers to address complaints https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/10/31/transit-proposes-… WINNIPEG Transit plans to spend millions of dollars each year and add 33.5 new staff positions to ensure buses on some of its fixed routes can run later into the night. A new proposal calls for council to approve $3 million in 2026 (when many of the changes will start in April) and $4.4 million throughout 2027 to extend service on 11 bus routes. The funding will also pay to extend a separate extension to nighttime service for on-request routes. “This gives a lot of really good late night service to areas that never had late night service under the old network or under the first instance of this new network,” said Bjorn Radstrom, Winnipeg Transit’s manager of service development. Radstrom said the routes were selected for added hours based on gaps identified in transit’s new primary route network, which was implemented on June 29. The city also considered proximity to large workplaces with night shifts, ridership data and public feedback. Radstrom said further changes could be needed as circumstances change, such as the construction of new neighbourhoods or addition of large companies that rely on night shifts. Transit’s new hires would include 27.5 new bus operator positions, plus six more positions to cover operating, plant, equipment and administrative supports. While Transit has sometimes struggled to hire enough bus drivers, that’s not expected to be an obstacle to this plan. “We’re doing better with our hiring than we ever have… We’re continuing to hire about six operators a week,” said Radstrom. In 2025, Transit hired 234 operators, while 120 left their positions, he said. “We haven’t had a single service cancellation due to a shortage of operators since the launch of the new network,” he added. On Thursday, council’s public works committee will vote on a request to refer the plan to the city’s 2026 budget process. The committee’s chairwoman said she will support the proposal. “People need to get to work. Transportation and movement is the backbone of our economy,” said Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West). Lukes said the changes match key complaints received by the city after the new network was implemented, with some residents noting they could no longer rely on the bus to get home from work or school. “We’re making these changes, we’re taking feedback,” she said. Mayor Scott Gillingham said he supports adding more night-time bus service, although he’s still reviewing the details of the plan. “If that’s what it takes to ensure that transit’s available late at night for transit users, then that’s an investment that I’m certainly willing to look at,” said Gillingham. If approved, the fixed route changes would kick in on April 12, 2026. The following routes would offer a last trip that starts after midnight: D10 Panet – Adsum; D14 Salter – Stafford; D16 Academy – Notre Dame; D17 Talbot – Selkirk; 28 Arlington – Stafford; 38 Mountain – Munroe; 43 Watt – Logan; 70 Roblin; 74 Kenaston – Keewatin; 224 Sherwin – Valour; 680 River Heights – Cambridge (on weekdays only). Currently, the last bus for fixed two-digit “connector” routes makes its final pickup around 10 p.m., while the last bus on three-digit “community” routes do so at 7 p.m. City council has already approved a separate plan to extend hours later into the night for 10 on-request bus routes, starting Dec. 14, with funding until April. The latest plan would extend its funding permanently as well. On-request service will end just before 2 a.m. from Monday to Saturday and around 12:45 a.m. on Sunday and holidays on those routes, instead of around 10 p.m. On-request service allows riders to request a pickup from their location to a stop on the primary bus network by using the Winnipeg Transit website, app or by calling 311. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: City pushing forward with Route 90 projects (Oct31'25)
by Beth McKechnie 31 Oct '25

31 Oct '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. City pushing forward with Route 90 projects Critics argue more Kenaston lanes won’t cure congestion, while costs also a concern https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/10/30/council-votes-to-… A MASSIVE project is moving forward to expand Kenaston Boulevard and replace key infrastructure around it, despite some concerns it won’t have a lasting impact on the area’s traffic-snarling congestion. On Thursday, city council voted 11-2 in favour taking the first steps to begin the plan next year, with construction to begin as soon as 2028. The proposal would earmark $5 million to start property acquisitions and set early planning to begin in 2027, pending approval in the city’s 2026 budget. “The Route 90 projects, plural, are all about the potential of Winnipeg. It’s all about… unlocking our future potential as a city,” said Mayor Scott Gillingham, deeming the boulevard a critical trade route. The mega project would widen Kenaston-Route 90 to offer three lanes in each direction between Taylor and Ness avenues. It would also replace the St. James bridges, separate aging pipes to reduce combined sewer overflows and add active-transportation pathways on both sides of Kenaston. It’s expected to cost $614 million, plus $143 million in interest, if the city funds it entirely through debt. In her first city council meeting after winning last Saturday’s Elmwood-East Kildonan ward byelection, Coun. Emma Durand-Wood joined Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) in opposing the project. “It’s just a very unaffordable project that takes away resources from other priorities that we have in the city,” said Durand-Wood. She said the city should instead focus its limited funds on expanding public transit and active transportation. “There’s ways that we can (improve transportation) without just adding more car lanes,” she said. Couns. Sherri Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry), Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) and Cindy Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre) were absent from the meeting and the vote. City council’s chairwoman of public works said widening the street is essential for promptly delivering goods throughout the city. “Transportation is the backbone of our economy, so we need to move people and we need to move goods. And the Route 90 (expansion) is doing all of that,” said Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West). The decision comes after members of the Transportation and Land Use Coalition urged councillors to reject the project. During Thursday’s council meeting, coalition member Tim Fennell argued the city simply can’t afford the Kenaston overhaul and shouldn’t “saddle” future generations with paying off the tab. “It’s a lot of money we’re talking about here… We’re planning to pay for it over 30 years,” said Fennell. Fennell also questioned why a third party cost benefit analysis was not fully released to the public. To date, only the executive summary has been published. That Deloitte review predicts the project would produce about $10 million more in benefits more than it will cost throughout its life cycle. Coalition member Brian Pincott said adding traffic lanes will attract more vehicles to the route, quickly eliminating any improved traffic flow. “Kenaston is horrible to drive on. They’re… thinking if we add another lane we’ll improve traffic flow, we’ll reduce congestion. Any transportation planner knows that induced demand chews up your extra capacity right away,” said Pincott, who acknowledged the need for bridge, sewer and road-resurfacing components of the project. Gillingham said a traffic increase in the area is not a risk but a guarantee, noting the Naawi-Oodena redevelopment of the former Kapyong Barracks is expected to add up to 3,100 more residential units in the area. “This is not an induced demand, this is an inevitable demand,” he said. The mayor said the road widening would be needed to create the capacity required to expand transit in the area. “The only way that we could expand transit is to expand that road. The potential growth of transit in that area would be completely tied to (that),” he said. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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WFP: Trustees want say in school zone redesign (Oct31'25)
by Beth McKechnie 31 Oct '25

31 Oct '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Trustees want say in school zone redesign Move to make 30 kilometres per hour the residential default speed also on the table https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/10/31/trustees-want-say… TRUSTEES are calling on Winnipeg City Council to redesign 30 km/h school zones to better protect everyone who lives, learns and works in their wards — and they want a say in an infrastructure makeover. For Ryan Palmquist, an active cyclist, dad and first-term trustee, road safety is both a passion and frequent source of frustration. His son’s trek to École Varennes serves as a daily reminder of why he remains committed to the cause. “My oldest son crosses a crosswalk — every single day, twice a day, to go to school — where a kid died,” the father of three said. On Feb. 13, 2018, an eight-year-old boy was struck by a motorist when he was crossing Ste. Anne’s Road at Varennes Avenue. Grade 3 student Surafiel Musse Tesfamariam’s death resulted in significant upgrades at the intersection. No charges were laid. The tragedy and others like it are what motivated Palmquist to mount a 2022 campaign for Ward 3 trustee in the Louis Riel School Division. In the lead up to the last municipal election, he went door-to-door to promise voters he’d lobby for safer streets and learn-to-swim programs. Palmquist, who was previously an executive assistant for Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface), a well-known supporter of active transportation, made good on both promises this fall. The Louis Riel School Division board unanimously approved his motion to ask metro boards to join forces to demand more inter-governmental collaboration so they are regularly consulted on “matters of traffic safety in and around schools.” The Manitoba School Boards Association is gathering trustees in Region 5 — seven boards inside the Perimeter — on Saturday to short list their priorities for 2025-26. If Palmquist’s motion is deemed a priority, it will be brought to the association’s 2026 annual general meeting of 38 boards. Also this weekend, attendees will vote on whether they should appeal to all trustees in Manitoba to petition higher levels of government to establish 30 km/h as the default speed limit on all residential streets. City hall’s special liaison for school boards has heard from multiple board chairs with concerns about school speed zones since Labour Day. Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas) has asked trustees if they are in favour of 24-7, year-round reduced school speed zones — a proposal she received from the Winnipeg School Division last month. “School properties and nearby amenities are active well beyond those restricted hours,” Santos wrote in an Oct. 9 letter to board chairs. “Children, families and seniors regularly use these spaces — whether it’s teens attending after-school programming offered by the city or the school division, families visiting playgrounds during summer holidays, or seniors walking or cycling around school areas for recreation and exercise.” Santos is set to meet with board chairs to discuss the subject next week. The Free Press’ ongoing investigative series on school zone safety has revealed the 30 km/h limit in place to protect students has not reduced traffic violations. There are approximately 150 school zones in Winnipeg with reduced speed limits in place between Sept. 1 to June 30. They are typically in effect from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays over that 10 month period, regardless of whether classes are in session. Last year, there were nearly 32,000 photo radar violations between the top 10 revenue-generating stretches, according to enforcement data obtained via freedom of information requests. A University of Winnipeg research team’s historical database shows many of the 2024-25 hot spots — including behind River Elm School (Talbot Avenue) and beside Greenway School (St. Matthews Avenue) — are chronic problem areas. There have been more speed camera flashes on Talbot between Watt Street and Gateway Road than anywhere else since it became a designated 30 km/h area. There were upwards of 5,000 tickets generated in the area last year. There has been little political will to make signage or other infrastructure related improvements to reduce violations that raise tens of millions of dollars for the city annually. The majority of 30 km/h school zones in Manitoba aren’t enforced around the clock, but some — like those in Portage la Prairie — are, said Alan Campbell, president of the Manitoba School Boards Association. Campbell said every school grapples with congestion during drop off and pick up, but he declined to weigh in on whether reduced speed limits are effective when it comes to changing motorists’ behaviours. “Ninety-nine per cent of schools in Winnipeg don’t have adequate drop-off zones,” said the longtime trustee who is a transportation director for a city school division. Many aging neighbourhoods, which were built to prioritize walkability, are not equipped for the current level of bus and personal vehicle activity, Campbell noted. As far as Palmquist is concerned, members of the Manitoba School Boards Association are among the most critical road safety stakeholders, but their input is often overlooked. He cited trustees’ concerns about the predatory nature of photo radar as one example. “Predatory speed traps could easily be redesigned or re-engineered to eliminate speeding,” Palmquist said. “I support what (Santos) wants to do in principle, but it is inextricably linked to this other problem that we have to fix before we can move forward.” Both Palmquist and Ian Walker, a trustee and member of Safe Speeds Winnipeg, has called on the public works committee to study ticket hot spots and make adjustments to deter violations. Board chair Sandy Nemeth said she’s optimistic other boards will endorse the Louis Riel motion because every school community is affected by traffic violations. Near-misses and collisions take a toll on individuals and school communities at large, Nemeth said. There have already been at least three incidents involving students at Louis Riel division schools since classes began in September. maggie.macintosh(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Seven kids struck by vehicles in one month (Oct24'25)
by Beth McKechnie 24 Oct '25

24 Oct '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Rash of ‘close calls’ prompts MPI to urge patience Seven kids struck by vehicles in one month https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/10/23/distracted-impati… MANITOBA children have been hit by vehicles 36 times this year. Seven of the incidents were in September, as kids made their way back to school after the summer break. Manitoba Public Insurance’s latest analysis of road incidents also reveals there have been dozens of collisions involving school buses in 2025. The numbers represent “close calls, injuries and lives forever changed,” said Maria Campos, vice-president and chief customer and product officer at the public insurer. “They show why extra vigilance around school buses and in school zones is so critical.” MPI unveiled a new awareness campaign Thursday calling on all road users to practise patience, especially throughout the 2025-26 school year. Rows of yellow buses belonging to the River East Transcona School Division served as the backdrop for the event. Martin Monette, the division’s transportation director, oversees a team of more than 100 people who get thousands of students to and from class every school day. Combined, his front-line staff rack up more than a million kilometres every year. They travel about 5,500 kilometres each school day. Monette’s drivers have reported that other drivers’ impatience and distractions are getting worse every year. And they’ve come to a collective conclusion that Winnipeg Transit’s recent system overhaul is contributing to the problem by backing up traffic “more than anything.” Asked about what motorists could do to make school bus drivers’ jobs and, as a result, their young passengers safer, Monette had a quick answer. “Stop at a stop sign,” he said. “It’s that simple.” It is illegal to pass a bus with flashing red lights — an indicator that it is either loading or unloading students. The rule applies to oncoming traffic, as well as vehicles behind a bus. The law demands that drivers stop at least five metres from a school bus if its overhead lights and stop-sign arm are activated. Rule breakers face a $672 fine and two demerit points on their licence. Campos noted that oncoming traffic is not exempt because children may be crossing in front of the bus. Speeding or distracted driving can have tragic consequences, she said midway through Manitoba’s annual school-bus safety week. “Treat every school zone like your own family is there,” she said. Sandra Hofer, now a trainer in RETSD, began her 25-year career as a school bus driver in 1999. Hofer, wearing high-visibility gear, participated in an interview from the driver’s seat of a bus equipped with a new extended stop sign to replace the one knocked off by a driver when the vehicle was stopped during a run on Henderson Highway last week. “These are your best friends as a driver,” Hofer said, pointing to the six mirrors in front of her. Hofer did not gesture to the seventh, the largest of the bunch: a rectangular panel used for supervising children. But student behaviour issues are not the top concern for drivers in her division; the problems are caused by commuters who share the road. “Everybody’s just in a rush to get where they’re going,” Hofer said. “They’re very distracted. People have 100 things going on at any time. “Everybody just needs to slow down.” Bus drivers don’t like holding up traffic, but getting students — especially the chatty ones who don’t yet understand traffic-delay annoyances — safely on and off is more complex and time-intensive than most people waiting realize. Over the last four years, since traffic began returning to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, school buses have been involved in 451 collisions in which MPI has recorded 105 injuries, 79 of which have occurred this year. While noting bus drivers play a key role in protecting Manitoba students, River East-Transcona secretary-treasurer Elise Downey said parents and other community members do as well. “Staying mindful and aware” around buses, as well as maintaining safe speeds near schools is an easy starting point, she said. Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas), who is the city’s designated liaison for metro school boards, recently reached out to trustees to organize a standard in-school year meeting. Downey said she anticipates schoolzone safety will be a hot topic, as it often is. Following a Free Press investigation into the city’s top ticket-generating school zones in 2024-2025, Mayor Scott Gillingham said he would consider supporting safety-related upgrades near schools if there is data to prove there are areas with chronic problems. None of the 10 most ticketed 30 km/h school zones in Winnipeg were located in the River East-Transcona division’s area last year, according to photo-radar enforcement data obtained via freedom of information. École Voix des Prairies (851 Panet Rd.), a francophone school within the English board’s borders, was No. 5 on the list. There were 3,429 traffic violations issued at that site between Sept. 1, 2024 and June 30. The West End’s St. Matthews Ave. made the top 10 list twice, with a combined 5,664 speed-camera flashes going off outside Greenway School (390 Burnell St.) last year. Eastbound traffic behind River Elm School (500 Riverton Ave.), which backs onto Talbot Avenue, was the top spot, generating 5,833 speeding tickets. maggie.macintosh(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: $2.1M for pathway for Winkler, Morden (Oct9'25)
by Beth McKechnie 09 Oct '25

09 Oct '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. $2.1M FOR PATHWAY FOR WINKLER, MORDEN OTTAWA is contributing $2.1 million to a new 10-kilometre pathway connecting Winkler and Morden. The pathway will also provide improved access to Boundary Trails Health Centre, the federal government said in a news release Wednesday. The cities of Winkler and Morden and the Rural Municipality of Stanley are contributing $2.25 million, split three ways. Almost $1.8 million was raised through local efforts. The federal money is from the active transportation fund.

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WFP Analysis: NDP neglects public transport on path to net zero (Oct8'25)
by Beth McKechnie 08 Oct '25

08 Oct '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. NDP neglects public transport on path to net zero OPINION https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2025/10/07/ndp-neglects-public-tran… THE NDP government’s new Path to Net Zero plan has the right buzzwords — sustainability, electrification, resilience — and plenty of good ideas in broad strokes. But for a government that has made so much noise about climate leadership, this long-awaited plan lands with more of a thud than a spark. It’s not that the plan, released Monday, is bad. It outlines the right goals: cutting emissions, transitioning to cleaner transportation, promoting renewable energy and positioning Manitoba to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. All of that makes sense. What’s glaringly absent is detail — the kind of concrete, measurable, costed-out actions that turn a vision into reality. The biggest disappointment, though, is what the plan leaves out: a meaningful strategy with specific funding commitments to grow public transit. Transportation is Manitoba’s second- largest source of greenhouse-gas emissions after agriculture. If the province is serious about reaching net zero, changing how people move around has to be a central part of that strategy. And that means building a far more robust public transit system — particularly in Winnipeg. Yet the NDP’s climate plan doesn’t include a single concrete funding commitment or clear target for improving public transit. It says the province will “work with municipalities to expand public and regional transit systems,” but offers no specifics. No new money, no timelines and no measurable goals for ridership or emissions reductions. That’s not a plan; that’s a talking point. Winnipeg’s transit system is underfunded and overstretched. Buses are too infrequent and unreliable to be a realistic alternative for most commuters. Outside the capital, public transit options are virtually non-existent. This isn’t just a transportation problem; it’s an emissions problem. If people can’t rely on transit, they’ll keep driving. If they keep driving, emissions won’t go down. The government could have used this plan as an opportunity to make a big, bold investment in public transit — something that would actually shift how Manitobans live and move. Instead, we got another glossy government report filled with broad goals but no road map for how to achieve them. The plan does make one big transportation promise: to expand Manitoba’s electric vehicle charging network. More charging stations are certainly needed. Manitoba has lagged behind most provinces in this area, and a stronger network will help make EV ownership more practical. But EVs alone won’t solve Manitoba’s transportation problem — not by a long shot. Electric vehicles are great for cutting tailpipe emissions, but they still take up the same amount of road space, require the same expensive infrastructure and contribute to the same congestion and maintenance costs as gas-powered cars. They don’t make transportation more affordable or accessible for low-income families. And they don’t reduce the overall number of vehicles on the road. If Manitoba’s goal is truly to reach net zero, then building more EV chargers while leaving public transit to wither, is like trying to fix a leaky roof by buying better buckets. It doesn’t address the underlying problem. A more sustainable transportation system means fewer cars — not just cleaner ones. It means giving people realistic alternatives to driving. Expanding public transit isn’t just good for the environment. It’s also smart economics. Fewer vehicles on the road mean less wear and tear on infrastructure — and that saves taxpayers money. Winnipeg spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year patching potholes, rebuilding streets and maintaining bridges. That’s partly because the city’s transportation system is overwhelmingly car-dependent. The more people drive, the faster roads deteriorate and the more main thoroughfares need to be expanded (at a cost often in the billions of dollars, such as the planned Kenaston Boulevard expansion). Investing in transit would ease that burden, freeing up resources for other priorities while extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure. The Kinew government deserves credit for at least producing a plan. After years of neglect under the previous Progressive Conservative government, Manitoba’s climate policy needed an overhaul. The problem is that Manitoba’s Path to Net Zero doesn’t break enough new ground. It’s cautious where it should be bold. Other provinces have made major, multibillion-dollar commitments to expand public transit as part of their climate plans. Manitoba, by contrast, is still talking about “working with municipalities.” That kind of small thinking won’t get the job done. Winnipeg’s population is growing, and its transit system has been substandard for years. Without significant provincial support, the city won’t be able to modernize routes, add frequency or expand rapid-transit corridors — all of which are essential if transit is going to become a true alternative to driving. And without better transit, there’s no realistic path to meeting the province’s emissions targets. The good news is that the government still has time to get this right. But that will require shifting focus from political slogans about “a green Manitoba” to the unglamorous work of funding and implementing real solutions. Premier Wab Kinew often talks about building for the next generation. That’s exactly what a serious investment in public transit would do. Until this government is willing to put real money behind that vision, Manitoba’s Path to Net Zero will remain just that — a path, not a plan. tom.brodbeck(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca>

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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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WFP: Art is afoot - new pedestrian corridor’s colourful transformation full of life, movement
by Beth McKechnie 12 Jul '25

12 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. ART IS AFOOT From parcheesi to paintings, new pedestrian corridor’s colourful transformation full of life, movement https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/2025/07/12/art-is-afoot THEY’RE almost ready to be traversed, touched and skipped on: four blocks of street paintings from Carlton to Garry Street on Graham, including two playable murals. The murals are part of Reimagining Graham Avenue, which sees the former transit corridor transformed into a pedestrian-first corridor. “There’s going to be a giant parcheesi game right in front of the police services,” says Karin Kliewer, a senior planner at the City of Winnipeg. “And I don’t even know how to play parcheesi, but I’m definitely gonna learn!” Local artists began paving the streets with strokes on Canada Day and have been painting at a brisk clip — they’re expected to be wrapped up this weekend. Muralists include Marc Kuegle, Alex Plante, Kal Barteski, Kale Sheppard, Laura Lee Harasym, Mike Zastre, James Culleton, Architects at Play and artistic lead Takashi Iwasaki. The mark of Iwasaki’s unmistakable style — something like an extra whimsical Kandinsky or Miró for the video-game age — can be found on murals from Winnipeg to Churchill and beyond. He oversees the murals’ artistic direction and collaborates with both the city and project lead Stéphane Dorge, an organizer with CoolStreetsWPG, on the murals’ logistics and execution. “I like people to think of rhythm as they walk by. Once they look at the image, it’s not very stagnant,” says Iwasaki. The artist is also intrigued by people’s reactions on social media to the emerging murals, saying some older Facebook users have left skeptical comments, while younger Instagram users are applauding the new works and changes on Graham Avenue. “It’s a sort of casual survey of what kind of people exist around me… On Facebook, I think people say it’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” says Iwasaki. “But it’s interesting: it’s all funded by Bloomberg, the U.S. philanthropy organization, so nothing of our tax money has been spent on the paint.” Winnipeg is one of only 10 cities in North America selected for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ US$100,000 Asphalt Art Initiative, after the Public Works and the Planning, Property and Development departments at the City of Winnipeg submitted an application. This funding is one reason why Reimagining Graham Avenue is as colourful as it is. “It’s not often where that scale of a (mural) project can happen this fast,” Dorge says. “I hope this isn’t the full catalyst, though. But I hope this… spurs prioritization from developers to focus on rebuilding (the) area and making it more vibrant.” It’s been an eventful couple of weeks for Winnipeg’s downtown. Reimagining Graham Avenue coincides with the opening of Portage and Main to pedestrians, as well as Winnipeg’s newly implemented transit model — all of which, while serving distinct goals, aim to transform the downtown into a more walkable social hub. Many significant planning initiatives in Manitoba’s history have been met with polarized reactions at first, even if some — like Duff’s Ditch in the 1960s, the Downtown Skywalk System in 1970s-80s, and The Forks redevelopment in the 1980s-90s — are now all but taken for granted as key pieces of infrastructure. Iwasaki says he hasn’t experienced any of this negativity at the street level. “People are curious. They always ask, ‘What is this? Why is this happening?’ Or it’s just a nice comment of, ‘Oh, that looks nice,’” he says. “No one yells at us, especially with the (reflective) vest. We look like city workers. They have some sort of respect when you wear the safety jacket.” “I think we are very critical as Winnipeggers, but this is a first step in creating the downtown that we deserve, which has a lot of beauty and a lot of places for people to go and gather,” Kliewer says. “I hope that people walk down this. I hope that people walk down Portage and Main,” she adds. “I hope people walk through The Exchange… and say, ‘Yes, this makes sense. Yes, I want to be here. I want to walk here, bike here. I want to make art here and enjoy it.’” conrad.sweatman(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:conrad.sweatman@freepress.mb.ca>

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WFP: Vancouver cuts speed limit on local streets (Jul10'25)
by Beth McKechnie 10 Jul '25

10 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. VANCOUVER CUTS SPEED LIMIT ON LOCAL STREETS https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/uncategorized/2025/07/09/vancouver-counci… Vancouver's city council has voted unanimously to reduce the speed limit on local streets to 30 kilometres per hour, down from the provincially mandated 50 kilometres per hour. The city says in a release that the vote “sets the stage” for the phased introduction of the new limit on residential streets without a centre line. It says new signage will be installed in 25 “neighbourhood slow zones” over the next three years, with other neighbourhoods being added later subject to budget allocations. The city says lowering the speed limit on local residential streets can reduce pedestrian fatality rates in a crash from 80 per cent to 15 per cent, as well as reducing stopping distances almost by half, thus lowering the number of collisions. The city also says lower speed limits can reduce noise and air pollution. B.C. currently sets a blanket speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour on residential streets in Vancouver unless otherwise posted, while the city says Vancouver “has a long-standing practice to lower speed limits” to 30 kilometres an hour on local street greenways, and playground and school zones. — The Canadian Press

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WFP: Wellington Crescent bike lane won’t roll till next year: city (Jul4'25)
by Beth McKechnie 04 Jul '25

04 Jul '25

Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. Wellington Crescent bike lane won’t roll till next year: city https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/07/03/wellington-cresce… A BIKE lane pilot project planned for Wellington Crescent remains on track to roll out next year, despite dozens of pleas to deliver it in 2025. On Thursday, council’s public works committee approved a plan to 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. About 40 cycling advocates urged committee members to get those changes in place this summer, as originally planned, instead of next year. While councillors did call for the next staff report on the matter to arrive by February 2026, the changes will still be tested that year, pending a final city council vote. “When implemented… (these changes) will address the concerns,” said Coun. Janice Lukes, the committee’s chairwoman. A city staff report states the delay to add the bike lanes will allow consultation with property owners and others before changes take effect. Lukes (Waverley West) said the delegates made a lot of valid points, noting she supported reducing the area’s speed to 30 km/h late last year before council voted against that change. “I support (the cyclists). I hear them… I have to talk to my other colleagues to get (the majority of city council members) to move it through,” she said. 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. Most of those delegates also called for a 30 km/h speed limit on the route, instead of the proposed 40 km/h. Samantha Beiko, who commutes from Charleswood to downtown by bike, said implementing the pilot project and a 30 km/h speed limit would prevent crashes and injuries. “This (pilot) has been talked about for well over a year, that they have the materials in stock to do it now, to put in a temporary solution… This can be implemented right away,” said Beiko. City council is expected to cast the final vote on the matter on July 17. The report on interim solutions to make Wellington Crescent safer for cyclists and pedestrians was originally expected in April before being delayed until this month’s agenda. joyanne.pursaga(a)freepress.mb.ca<mailto:joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca> X: @joyanne_pursaga

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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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