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Dozens of Winnipeggers attended the meeting to speak in favour of lowering speed limits and establishing a permanent bicycle lane on Wellington Crescent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elected officials are undermining the will of the community. Why are we fighting so hard for this?\u201d asked Robyn Dyck, a director of Bike Winnipeg, a local cycling advocacy group. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating and tiring and disheartening. Speed reduction should be treated as an urgent, citywide safety intervention, not something that can wait until after the 2026 city election.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bike Winnipeg supports reducing the speed limit \u2014 but has long advocated for a 30 km\/h default on residential streets. The group also supports a permanent bike lane on Wellington Crescent, which was the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident that led to the death of cyclist Rob Jenner on June 6, 2024, but insists that a temporary lane should be in place until a permanent lane can be completed.<\/p>\n
David Patman, manager of transportation planning for the City of Winnipeg, spoke about the consultation process for potential bike lanes along Wellington. He said that, in general, the public supports a permanent bike lane and that implementing a temporary plan will give the public service more time to come up with a design for a permanent lane that would address any issues unforeseen in the design phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can move things around with the temporary and fine-tune it,\u201d Patman said. \u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be afraid of these ideas. We shouldn\u2019t just say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019ll never work in Winnipeg.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
A pair of northeast city councillors spoke against the recommendations. Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) spoke against lowering the default speed limit and \u201cthe radical bike lobby.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s be clear, this change will not make our city safer,\u201d Browaty said. \u201cPilots in other communities have shown drivers don\u2019t magically slow down just because a sign changes. Without real enforcement or physical traffic calming measures, people ignore the new limit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) spoke in support of a new three-way stop at Pandora Avenue East and Ravenhurst Street, as well as improving Dugald Road pedestrian infrastructure, but against the new permanent bike lane on Wellington Crescent.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith so many demands to fix our existing crumbling infrastructure, and with key sections missing in our existing bike path network, why is council once again going to cave into the noisy bike lobby interest group when such dollars need to be saved or spent elsewhere first?\u201d Wyatt read from a press release that he released earlier that morning.<\/p>\n
Many delegates who spoke expressed a sense of urgency that policies should be implemented quickly to better protect pedestrians and cyclists .<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t File photo<\/p>\n On March 4, the standing policy committee on public works approved a motion to accelerate the plan for permanent bike lanes to be built on Wellington Crescent in 2027. Initially, the city had planned to spend $5.5 million to do so in 2029.<\/p>\n Ian Walker, a teacher and school trustee in the Louis Riel School Division, refuted Browaty\u2019s argument that lower speed limits would not result in greater safety, citing numerous examples across Europe and North America where lower speed limits have resulted in safer streets.<\/p>\n \u201cI can assure you I am not radical,\u201d Walker said. \u201cI am a parent and a Grade 1-2 teacher \u2026 I am a pedestrian, I ride a bicycle, I ride transit, and I drive a car, too. Everyone can get along on our road network.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo often in our city, all discussion of active transportation and road safety is viewed through a driver vs. cyclist dichotomy,\u201d Matthew Carvel, an area resident, said in support of a permanent bike lane on Wellington. \u201cWe need to move past this. Safe, active transportation is not simply a lifestyle choice. It is a public health measure, a climate action strategy, and a way to make our communities more vibrant.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI would love for more people to experience the joy of cycling and walking safely,\u201d said Ann Loewen, a physician who spoke in favour of improvements to Wellington Crescent. \u201cIn my profession, I would like to encourage more people to cycle or walk, which I do, but I have to modify the condition about cycling, to only do it if you can be safe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSafety delayed is safety denied,\u201d said Dyck, of Bike Winnipeg. \u201cThey had due diligence, they had consultations. The public service pushed hard. We appreciate their work. They tried to bring some logic to the chaos. This is about public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n Patman explained that asking the province to change the Highway Traffic Act is just the first of many steps required to make speed-limit changes. If the province approves the request, another vote of first the public works committee and then the full city council would be required to actually change the default limits.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Sheldon Birnie Sheldon Birnie is a reporter\/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time.
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Community Journalist\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\nEmail him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca
\nCall him at 204-697-7112<\/p>\n