Try temporary infrastructure in protected bike lane project: Cycling advocate

WINNIPEG – A long-term protected bike lane project in the downtown area is the perfect place to try out temporary barriers, according to a Winnipeg cycling advocate.

The West Alexander to East Exchange corridor would connect Waterfront Drive and Sherbrook Street with protected bike lanes for cyclists.

However, the city’s plans for the project indicate its scale will require it to be completed over several construction seasons and no work will start this year.

Since it appears the lanes won’t be ready for a few years, the city should install temporary barriers starting next year, according to Mark Cohoe with Bike Winnipeg.

“Give it some time, test it out, monitor, evaluate and adjust it to match what’s actually happening out on the streets,” said Cohoe.

He would like to see more protected bike lane projects moving along at a faster pace, especially in the downtown area.

“When you kind of do one street here, another street there, you don’t really get that effect of a network of interconnections where you’re able to really open up an area like the downtown,” said Cohoe.

City councillor Janice Lukes would also like to see more protected bike lanes in the downtown area.

“It’s safety. It’s about safety,” she said.

“Let’s readjust our priorities and focus on the downtown where the people are,” said Lukes, who has a motion coming before a City Hall committee this month asking to accelerate the development of protected bike lane network downtown.

Mayor Brian Bowman has boosted the budget for active transportation and said he would like to do more but is handcuffed by the city’s infrastructure deficit.

“We’re playing catch-up on road repairs we’re playing catch-up on active transportation investments as well as public transportation,” he said.

Next week pop-up protected bike lanes will appear for a few hours on Bannatyne Avenue as part of the consultation process for the West Alexander to East Exchange corridor.