Winnipeg cyclists call for more connected network after recent collisions

As the City of Winnipeg prepares to expand downtown bike lanes as part of its plans to redevelop the core area, some cyclists say gaps in the network often leave them feeling unsafe and exposed to traffic. 

Last month, the city held public consultations on plans for new bike routes along St. Mary Avenue, York Avenue, Cumberland Avenue, Notre Dame Avenue and William Stephenson Way, as part of the CentrePlan 2050 blueprint to redevelop downtown.

Daniel Perry uses his bike as his main mode of transportation, and likes the city's latest plans for expanding the cycling network downtown.

"I think the selected streets and roads for new bike infrastructure are going to be really effective locations," Perry said

"The big caveat there is that they need to be safely connected to other sections of the network, and that's something that Winnipeg feels like it's lagging behind on a bit."

Perry says his feeling of safety is "fluid" as he moves around downtown.

"There will be sections of dedicated, protected infrastructure that feel very safe and then suddenly there will be like a car parked in it and you have to shoot out onto a lane with fast-moving traffic … In doing so, you're inconveniencing other people who then take out their anger and generally just have this feeling that I'm encroaching on a space that I am also entitled to."

City planners proposed one-way routes along both York Avenue and St. Mary Avenue. Feedback during public consultations indicated both drivers and cyclists felt that one-way bike lanes would be easier to cross and reduce conflicts between road users.

Cumberland Avenue and Notre Dame Avenue would both get two-way bike lanes on the north side. 

Melissa Moiny, another avid cyclist, also supports the proposed new bike lane locations, especially the one on Notre Dame.

"I hate biking down there. It's terrifying," she said.

However, she also wants to see more dedicated bike infrastructure along other major transportation routes, like Portage Avenue.

"Any major road that cars might need to use, cyclists might also need to use," Moiny said. 

Rash of crashes, fatalities 

The city's draft pedestrian and cycling strategy identifies Portage Avenue as a "multi-modal corridor," meaning it is meant to serve all road users. The Transportation Master Plan 2050 project calls for studies of all multi-modal corridors to develop future plans for all modes of transportation. 

Winnipeg has seen a number of high-profile collisions involving drivers and cyclists in recent weeks, including hit-and-run on Wellington Crescent that killed a 61-year-old man on June 6. Last week, a 67-year-old man died after he crashed into the back of a parked semi-truck on Kenaston Boulevard while riding a bicycle at a high rate of speed.

As well, a teen girl was taken to hospital after being struck by a vehicle in the area of Academy Road at Wellington Crescent. 

For Perry and Moiny, the incidents serve as a reminder of the dangers when bicycles and vehicles share the road.

Patty Wiens, a cycling advocate given the title bicycle mayor of Winnipeg by the Amsterdam-based social enterprise BYCS, says despite the recent collisions, the Winnipeg cycling community has helped her learn safe ways to get around the city.

She agrees that the city needs to close the gaps in the network and increase protected bike lanes if it wants to get more people out of their vehicles and on their bikes.

"We need to educate people in cars to be polite, to be patient," Wiens said.

"We need to educate them that we need to all share the road. When we say share the road, that means really respect cyclists."

The St. Mary and York bike lanes are slated to be completed in conjunction with road construction work scheduled between 2025 and 2027. No funding or timeline have been announced for the Notre Dame and Cumberland bike lanes.

William Stephenson Way and Waterfront Drive will also have sidewalks widened in order become multi-use pathways, but no funding or timeline has been announced for those projects either.