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City on right track to expand downtown cycling

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2024/07/18/city-on-right-track-to-ex...

BUILD it and they will come. That’s the mantra behind the expansion of protected bike lanes in downtown Winnipeg. For the most part, it appears to be working.

A new proposed plan by the City of Winnipeg to expand the network further will not only keep that momentum going, it could change the face of the core area.

Downtown’s first protected bike lane along Assiniboine Avenue is a good example of how demand for protected bike lanes grows over time. According to Bike Winnipeg, bike traffic increased by more than 200 per cent within four years after the protected lane was built in 2010.

Today, scores of cyclists use the route to get to work, school, or other destinations. That’s partly because the bike lane network has been extended north into the heart of downtown. It allows cyclists to reach a multitude of places in the core area — including the Exchange District — on safe, reliable routes separated from motor vehicle traffic.

That’s the key to convincing more people to get out of their cars and onto bikes. Surveys have shown that people are far more willing to commute by bike if there are protected lanes for them to use.

The city unveiled proposed plans this week to add more protected bike lanes downtown. Options include protected routes on St. Mary Avenue and York Avenue, which are key east-west corridors that would make downtown cycling even more accommodating.

Protected bike routes on Notre Dame Avenue, Cumberland Avenue, and William Stephenson Way — which would vastly improve bike access into downtown — are also on the table.

Not surprisingly, the plan has its detractors. In order to make room for the protected lanes, downtown would lose 148 parking stalls. In a car-centric city such as Winnipeg, that’s going to ruffle some feathers. Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) said the loss of those parking stalls could hurt small retail businesses and restaurants that rely on short customer visits. Perhaps, but only in the short term.

The whole point of this exercise is to convince more people to walk, bike or take transit downtown and to leave their vehicles at home. To do that, the city needs to improve transit and significantly expand the network of protected bike routes.

You can’t tell people to take a bus downtown when buses run as infrequently as they do in Winnipeg (if they show up at all). Similarly, most people won’t bike downtown if they have to compete with cars on busy roads. Painted bike lanes on streets are nice, but they don’t cut it. They don’t give cyclists the protection and comfort level they need.

Downtown retail businesses and restaurants won’t suffer with fewer parking spots if more people frequent those establishments by bike. In fact, greater bike access could lead to an increase in business over time. It’s often easier to bike downtown than it is to drive and find parking, especially during busy periods. The more downtown becomes known as a bike-friendly zone, the more people will think of that as a viable option.

These are the kinds of things the city needs to do to alleviate motor vehicle traffic. The fewer vehicles on the road, the less money the city has to spend on street maintenance.

More active transportation also means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which is the most important objective if the city is serious about fighting climate change. The reliance on single occupancy motor vehicles in Winnipeg is ridiculously high. The only way to change that is to give people more active transportation options.

This is about creating a different vision for downtown, one teeming with bikes, pedestrians and people moving around on transit. When that happens, cars will be crowded out, especially when it comes to parking. That’s the whole point.

This kind of change doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow process. But each step, including adding more protected bike routes, is an important one.

If you want to see how the demand for protected bike lanes builds over time, spend a half hour anywhere along the Assiniboine Avenue bike route during morning rush hour. What you’ll see is a steady stream of bikes, e-bikes and scooters. It’s what the rest of downtown should look like. And it will, in due course, as long as the city keeps moving in the right direction.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.camailto:tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca