Political will, capital and public buy-in will be crucial for Winnipeg's Transportation 2050 plan

Winnipeg Sun

Author of the article: Cameron Eason

Published Jul 16, 2024  •  Last updated 2 days ago  •  3 minute read

 

Political will, capital crucial for Winnipeg's Transportation 2050 plan | Winnipeg Sun

 

On Monday, Councillor Janice Lukes, Winnipeg’s public works committee chair, presented Transportation 2050, quite literally a roadmap to how the city could reach its transportation goals within the next 26 years as Winnipeg approaches a population of one million.

 

Many residents would probably agree that what we have now isn’t working as well as it should, and as Winnipeg continues to grow, it needs the infrastructure to match.

 

According to the plan, Transportation 2050 outlines its goals by prioritizing and maintaining existing infrastructure instead of building new; investing in our existing roads; developing communities where people can access their needs in a short distance; and empowering people to travel in their preferred mode of transportation. But what could this look like?

 

As it stands today, our current roads are overused in many areas, less than seven per cent of Winnipeggers walk or cycle as a transport method, and public transit usage has declined by 14 per cent since the 1960s.

 

The city laid out an ambitious goal of reaching a “50 per cent mode shift by 2050.” Broken down, this would mean 21 per cent ridesharing, 15 percent using public transit, and the remaining 14 per cent cycling or walking.

 

The issues with Winnipeg Transit are well documented, so improvements here come as no surprise. Ensuring that it becomes safer, more reliable and more convenient will be key to increasing ridership. The strategy mentions the need for more rapid transit, and acknowledges that Winnipeg may need to analyze the need for Light Rail Transit in the future.

 

Interestingly, Transportation 2050 also focuses a lot on active and bicycle transport.

 

Talk of more bike lanes can seem to either make people rejoice or roll their eyes, but the solutions may not be as complicated as they seem.

 

If the city wants to encourage more people to use bicycles, they need to find solutions that don’t impact the businesses and commuters already using existing roadways. Walking and cycling are grouped together in much of this master plan, and hopefully that is a sign of things to come.

 

If you look around, many of Winnipeg’s sidewalks are surrounded by boulevards: wasted space typically covered by grass, brick, concrete or asphalt. Widening the sidewalks, or paving the boulevards beside them for bicycle usage (this already exists in certain parts of the city) could be an affordable and practical way to get more bike lanes built without bottlenecking traffic and parking.

 

Transportation 2050 also mentions changing zoning requirements for developments near key transit routes. Mayor Scott Gillingham pledged to get rid of parking minimum requirements for certain developments (a minimum parking spot per unit ratio) during the 2022 mayoral election, and this appears to be a move towards that. It would not only ensure that more developments are built with transit in mind, but it also lowers building costs, helping keep housing affordable.

 

Other key points in the document are fixing the infrastructure we have before building more, changing the way goods are transported through the city, and focusing on safety and accessibility of our existing infrastructure. It also acknowledges the need for more transport options for low-income Winnipeggers who don’t have access to private vehicles. If the city can deliver, these measures will surely be well-received.

 

In the news release, Lukes said “This plan won’t completely satisfy anyone, but absolutely has something for everyone.”

 

It’s a safe bet that she’s correct. The best way to encourage transportation mode shifts is to make different modes more convenient and accessible and attract people to make a switch on their own accord. If the city wants this to work, they need the public’s buy-in over the long-term.

 

With a large focus on improving existing roadways over building new ones, this hopefully means that it won’t impact those who commute in a car in the meantime. After all, with four out of five trips in Winnipeg being taken in a private vehicle, current trends won’t change overnight.

 

Transportation 2050 will be presented to the city council for consideration in the fall of this year.

 

Lukes encourages residents to learn more, with six pop-up events around the city between now and July 26. The entire document can be found on the City of Winnipeg’s website.

 

Ultimately, the city needs a master plan to pave the way for the future, and this is a step in that direction. But a master plan is, after all, just a plan. Transportation 2050 is a good start, but it will require political will — and, most importantly, capital — to turn plans into action.