Community divided over Wellington Crescent enhanced bike lanes
Changes to cycling and pedestrian access along the Wellington Crescent open street could be on the way after complaints from residents to city hall.
But not all of the community members want to see the hours reduced.
Owen Preston lives on Wellington Crescent, and he and his family have been taking full advantage of the enhanced summer cycling route.
“The kids, we take them for bike rides almost every day. It really just helps get them out instead of being cooped up inside every day. It’s brought a real sense of safety to the neighbourhoods too,” said Preston.
The City of Winnipeg picked 13 routes, including Wellington Crescent, for its open streets program to help people stay active during COVID-19.
From April to November, the routes restrict vehicle travel to one block, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Sunday, in effort to provide more room for cyclists.
“The restrictions of having to only drive one block is not an issue at all for us.”
But not all the residents in the Wellington Crescent area feel the same.
City Councillor for River Heights and Fort Garry, John Orlikow put forward a motion to change times and dates that people could access the enhanced bike routes, after hearing complaints from residents that 14-hour daily restrictions were creating traffic concerns.
Wellington Crescent resident, Marco Essig said the city surveyed residents in the area last year to see if they were in favour of reduced traffic along Wellington.
“More than 80 per cent of the residents on the street were actually in favour of having the street closed,” said Essig. “Of course you always have a minority, but the people that voiced their concerns, some of them are not even residents on this street.”
On June 16, a city hall committee voted six to one in favour of reducing bike route hours along Wellington Crescent in September as opposed to November.
Councillor Scott Gillingham was one of the votes in favour, he said the motion was a compromise intended to please all parties.
“Councillor Orlikow is really aware of his community, what the needs are in his community, and I think he’s done a really good job of trying to come up with a middle ground here and I’m happy to support that.”
The proposed changes to the enhanced bike route along Wellington will go to city council for a final vote Thursday, June 24.
A petition to keep daily traffic out of Wellington is circulating, and residents are planning to speak in favour of the bike routes at the upcoming meeting.
Preston said he would like to see the enhanced bike routes continue even after the pandemic.
“The benefits we’ve seen so far with the increased sense of safety and community has been amazing,” said Preston.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.