Pedestrians, cyclists win small victory By: Joe Paraskevas Winnipeg Free Press Dec. 3, 2008 B4

People who walk or cycle around Winnipeg won a small but significant victory in a city hall committee room Tuesday. They lined up to demand the city's $476-million 2009 capital budget be amended to provide more funding for bike paths, bike commuting lanes on roads, better sidewalks and even a new pedestrian bridge across the Red River between the University of Manitoba and south St. Vital.

And they succeeded -- though more hurdles remain before city councillors vote on the budget Dec. 16.

After hearing delegations for the better part of four hours, members of the Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works committee voted to re-allocate $4.7 million in the budget to cover projects associated with cycling, walking and in-line skating -- so-called active transportation.

City hall should not squander the steps it has taken to improve its network of pathways and bikeways in the last two years, community activists said.

"The city's got really good momentum. It's showing vision," said Janice Lukes, trails coordinator for the Winnipeg Trails Association.

"When you come up with these numbers," Lukes added, referring to the budget released last week, "it's not showing vision."

The budget targeted $1.75 million for bike paths and other active transportation works -- as opposed to $95 million for road and bridge construction.

Committee members agreed to add $4.25 million for active transportation projects, leaving it to administrators to decide how such funds should be distributed.

To cover the added spending, St. Boniface Coun. Dan Vandal said the city could tap its $300-million reserve funds or $3 million set aside in the budget for what Vandal said was unallocated spending.

The committee also agreed to shift $250,000 from $1.9 million earmarked for land acquisition to pay for a study into building a pedestrian bridge across the Red River from the University of Manitoba into south St. Vital.

That project had the backing of St. Norbert Coun. Justin Swandel, the city's Finance committee chairman and budget architect.

Swandel appealed in person to the committee.

A deal struck with the Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corp. had freed some of the money the city had meant to use to acquire land for the expansion of Waverley Street in south Winnipeg, Swandel said.

The public works committee also agreed to spend an additional $200,000 on sidewalk repairs. The budget had allocated $250,000 in 2009 to new sidewalks on major streets.

The Executive Policy Committee, which reviews the capital budget next week, could still overturn today's decision. joe.paraskevas@freepress.mb.ca