Winnipeggers bike for the future

Cycling series highlights climate emergency, lack of infrastructure

BY SYDNEY HILDEBRANDT

STAFF REPORTER

ELMWOOD

In light of the climate emergency and the need for improvements to local active transportation infrastructure, a group of Winnipeggers are cycling across the city this summer and fall.

The first Bike for the Future event, organized by Bike Winnipeg, took place Aug. 15 and began at Norquay Community Centre in North Point Douglas. A squad of cyclists spent the afternoon traversing North End streets.

“We’ve organized this ride to encourage the (City of Winnipeg) to invest more money in active transportation infrastructure, and to work on lowering speed limits to make riding in our residential neighbourhoods more comfortable for people of all ages and abilities,” organizer Ian Walker said.

“I’ve been an advocate with Bike Winnipeg for about a decade, and the city’s done some really good work over the years investing in separated infrastructure and creating these open streets and lowering speed limits.”

However, there’s still room for improvement, Walker said. In some areas the lack of infrastructure forces cyclists onto sidewalks — which could result in a fine — or into dangerous situations on the roads.

Winnipeg police issued 87 tickets to cyclists riding on the sidewalk in 2020 — more than double the 43 tickets issued in 2019, as reported last month by the Winnipeg Free Press. This year, police have handed out around 38 tickets, each $113.

Walker, a St. Boniface resident, said he himself has never been ticketed or hit by a car while cycling.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of the tickets that are being given out are in the north end of the city,” he said.

“It’s really unfair, because there aren’t any good alternatives for folks that are using the sidewalk. People naturally want to go to the sidewalk because being on a road with fast moving cars is uncomfortable. I’ve been riding a bike for decades and I still don’t like riding in traffic, especially with my kids. It’s bananas.”

Ashley Challinor and Will Prosper recently moved from Toronto to the Broadway-Assiniboine neighbourhood. Challinor is an “avid cyclist” while Prosper just adopted the mode of transportation after moving to Winnipeg.

“I felt a little bit more safe here than I did back home,” Prosper admitted.

“Winnipeg actually has a fair amount of pretty good cycling infrastructure,” Challinor said.

“Its problem is connection. So there’s little bits here and there, but there isn’t one big connected network. And that really makes it hard to commute on a bicycle, or to go run errands on a bicycle … Toronto’s a bit better about those direct connections, but it also has a lot of room for improvement, too.”

Winnipeg is currently working on a number of active transportation connectivity projects, including the North Winnipeg Parkway. The new corridor will connect The Forks to Chief Peguis Trail with a path along the Red River, through Point Douglas and segments of St. John’s and Seven Oaks. Phase 1 began last month. The final phase is scheduled for mid-2022.

Elmwood resident Emma Durand-Wood said active transportation infrastructure is an important component to climate justice, which is why she decided to participate in Bike for the Future.

“I think this summer has really kind of hit home that climate change is actually upon us. And I already am someone who bikes a lot for transportation, so it’s really made me think a lot about (how) we need to be acting right now … to make biking more safe and appealing and an attractive option, a real option.”

Follow Bike Winnipeg on social media for updates on the Bike for the Future ride series.