City plans to get active at last

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Winnipeg's 2009 active-transportation plan, which comes before city council's public works committee this morning, calls for the city to spend $405,000 on the North Winnipeg Parkway, a recreational bike and walking path on the west side of the Red River.

The North End route will improve one of the worst Winnipeg sections of the Trans-Canada Trail and "will also serve to solve a dangerous situation" that finds "children running out in front of the Redwood Bridge," according to a report authored by active-transportation co-ordinator Kevin Nixon.

Along with the North Winnipeg Parkway, the city's active-transportation plan calls for three other major recreational paths to be built this summer: the western portion of the Bishop Grandin Greenway, the Silver Avenue Trail in St. James and the Donald Street Parkway, which will run parallel to the first phase of the southwest Winnipeg bus corridor.

The $3.3-million trail-building kitty will also be used to create new Exchange District bike lanes, a bike-commuter route on Eugenie Street in St. Boniface, $250,000 worth of new regional sidewalks and $170,000 worth of bicycle-parking facilities.

The plan also calls for the city to spend $685,000 to research future active-transportation corridors and promote the infrastructure the city is building, a commitment that has taken the city's chief trail-building advocate by surprise.

"They're actually spending money on promotion and research!" said Janice Lukes, executive director of the Winnipeg Trails Association, who was also pleased to see the city siphon off $200,000 worth of parks money to fund the Silver Avenue Trail and use $400,000 in existing federal and provincial funds to build the North Winnipeg Parkway.

"Super allocation of funding, super creativity in funding," said Lukes, who's usually critical of the city. "It's very interesting and very good."

Despite her praise, Lukes said she remains concerned the city does not have a long-term trail-building plan and has trouble completing the commuter and recreational trail projects it plans to build.

In 2008, roughly one third of the city's active-transportation projects were not completed or were delayed until this year, mainly because the work was not tendered until August or September.

The incomplete projects will be finished this year, along with all the new projects in the 2009 plan, said city spokesman Ken Allen.

He noted this year's active-transportation plan will be approved two months earlier and will also be vetted in front of trail groups.

"Now that these processes are in place, the work is expected to proceed more quickly," he said in a statement.

The 2009 trail plan still requires city council approval.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

$3.3 million finally flows for pedestrian and bike trails

Active-transportation projects planned for Winnipeg in 2009:

New pathways and corridors

Bishop Grandin Greenway West (Pembina Highway to Waverley Street): $650,000, with a combined $400,000 coming from the province and Ottawa

North Winnipeg Parkway (connects Kildonan Park to Waterfront Drive): $405,000, with $200,000 from a federal/provincial municipal infrastructure program

Silver Avenue Trail (Hamilton Avenue to St. Matthews Avenue): $370,000, with $200,000 coming from parks and playgrounds

Donald Street Pathway (Parallel to new southwest rapid-transit corridor): $325,000.

McDermot and Bannatyne Avenue bike lanes: $115,000

Eugenie Bikeway: $80,000

Other projects

New sidewalks (St. Vital Bridge, Levis Street, Hargrave Street and Carlton Street): $250,000

Red River Crossing feasibility study (options for connecting St. Vital to the University of Manitoba): $250,000

Spot improvements (various locations): $200,000

Signage strategy: $200,000

Bike parking (various locations): $170,000

Pembina Highway study: $95,000

Promotion (commuter challenge, Bike To Work Day, new cycling map): $85,000

Research projects (GPS cycle route study, design guidelines, others): $55,000

Trailhead signage: $50,000

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 10, 2009 B1