City plans improvements to walking, cycling paths

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This article was published 02/05/2015 (4097 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CITY officials are attempting to encourage Winnipeggers to get active with an extensive document that maps out a $330-million, 20-year plan to increase cycling and walking in the city.

“The City needs a road map to prioritize active transportation infrastructure, programs and policy to support a growing and dynamic city,” Kevin Nixon, the city’s active transportation co-ordinator, said in a news release.

The city’s 356-page Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies guideline outlines the city’s short- and long-term goals for walking and cycling in Winnipeg, and provides the framework for its 20-year plan.

Public works chair Coun. Janice Lukes is happy the city finally has a plan.

“It is a plan; it is not a random approach. We are identifying key connections, we have brought extensive data to make extremely informed decisions on how we invest our funding, and we don’t have a ton of funding, so we have to be extremely strategic on how we invest it,” the St. Norbert councillor said, noting the latest report is a comparable document to the city’s Master Transportation Plan, which guides road investments.

“This brings us up to speed with cities around North America and Europe.”

It outlines several barriers the city needs to address in order to support this plan, including increased sidewalk snow removal and better connectivity for bicycle paths.

The cost to implement the Pedestrian and Cycling Strategy is pegged at about $334 million over the next 20 years, a cost Lukes notes is about 10 per cent of what the city plans to spend on roads.

It will also require approximately $3.7 million annually to support infrastructure improvements needed in tandem with the strategy.

The strategy calls for improving the convenience of cycling by providing parking for bikes to encourage cyclists to bike to work.

The plan also cites the need to improve maintenance of the city’s sidewalks and bicycle networks.

In this year’s capital budget, $250,000 was set aside for new regional sidewalks, as well as $150,000 for new non-regional sidewalks, $1 million for recreational walkways and bike paths, plus $1 million for bicycle corridors.

For 2015, the public service has outlined a series of proposed new sidewalks, bike paths and multi-use active-transportation paths, such as a $1.29-million bike path for Chancellor Matheson Pathway to connect Investors Group Field and Pembina Highway.

The report outlining the strategies will be first considered by public works committee on May 5, before heading to council for approval.

 kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca