IN our desperate battle to slow the spread of the coronavirus, almost four billion people, half the world’s population, are living under stay-at- home orders. In a rare united effort, governments, industry and citizens alike are working together to combat a common global enemy. The scale and speed of societal change left in its wake would have been unthinkable only a few weeks ago.

As we move through and out of this fight, the power of this new social cohesion presents us with an opportunity to boldly rebuild a country that is more economically resilient, environmentally sustainable, socially just and physically healthier. Cities will be at the front lines of this opportunity, and rethinking the way we move around them will be fundamental to these goals.

We have suddenly learned the importance of physical distancing, and with more people out walking, we are also learning how little pedestrian space there actually is in our cities.

Across the world, streets are being closed to cars, as cities scramble to create temporary public space for people to access sunlight and fresh air while maintaining safe distances from each other.

As the increased need for easily accessible space to walk and ride a bike becomes more permanent, so will these solutions.

With everyone at home, increased pedestrian and cycling space is important for exercise and public health, but as time goes on, it will become increasingly vital for connectivity, to access employment, education and recreation. The coronavirus pandemic will likely have long-term impacts on transit use, and we must find a way to replace that mobility.

In Winnipeg, people take a combined 170,000 trips every day on the bus. The social, environmental and economic impact of losing any part of that could be devastating. Creating infrastructure that allows people to safely walk and bike to access their daily needs can be a big part of the response.

Winnipeg is well prepared to quickly implement a bold new mobility plan. The city’s 20-year Pedestrian and Cycling Strategy provides a visionary blueprint which, if implemented, would respond to many of our immediate needs, and make Winnipeg an active-transportation leader in North America as we move forward.

The design includes 80 kilometres of protected bike lanes crossing every neighbourhood in the city, including a 13-lane downtown grid, as well as hundreds of kilometres of new sidewalks, sidewalk widening and renewal, and off-street pathways.

The plan also includes several active transportation bridges. With typical construction costs being 80 to 90 per cent less than a vehicle bridge, they could affordably introduce a new network of connectivity between Winnipeg’s divided neighbourhoods.

Strategically located bridges could provide easy walking and cycling access to greenspace between communities — for example, connecting St. Vital Park to Pembina Highway, or Kildonan Park to Henderson Highway.

With well-located pedestrian bridges, shops on Wolseley’s Westminster Avenue could be a nine-minute walk from the shops on Academy Road; the Osborne strip could be a seven-minute walk from Norwood Flats, or a 10-minute walk to the restaurants on Sherbrook Street.