Changes to the Bus Routes 2025

Winnipeg is not doing anything by half measures in 2025. Today Portage and Main opens up to pedestrian traffic and on Sunday the entire Winnipeg Transit system changes. It is probably fortunate that school ends today and traffic will be cut over the summer during this time because it is likely we are to see adjustments to say the least.

Some bus routes that have been around for decades end on Sunday. Some in River Heights are mourning the loss of one of on Grosvenor and some in Charleswood are grieving some of theirs. There are few neighbourhoods without some big changes coming. The only one with no real changes is Bridgwater as they underwent the change in 2020. Many people will have to get use to transfers in other parts of the city as well as longer walks.

Winnipeg Transit will have guides out Monday but it will still come as a shock for some that the bus doesn't come down their street anymore. Or that the bus stop on their streets are far away. Literally a thousand bus stops have closed.  Some people moved to certain areas because of bus routes so to have one disappear must be depressing.

One major change is that Graham Avenue will no longer be a bus corridor. The goal is to change the street to pedestrian and bike path but how fast this occurs will be important. If on Monday, the buses just stop coming down that way and people leave, it could end up being degraded and a security threat. Worst case scenario is seeing businesses close if they don't get something in place right away. Or for arsons to take any empty buildings there as we have seen on Main Street.

There is a lot of building that will be coming on stream downtown in 2026 so how Winnipeg Transit works with this will be important. It shouldn't for forgotten how the industrial parks, residential areas and hospitals are served as well. Expect their to be some confusion and possibly complaints. And if security for those waiting at transfers isn't addressed, it could downright ugly.

Graham Avenue to Convert to Non-Bus Way

Consultations continue but one thing for sure will happen to Graham Avenue and that is in 2025 it will no longer be used for buses. The design for the streets seems to be designating into four zones. Some of the businesses hear the former Bay are alarmed that they lose their parking as well as loading zones. They should be. The design thus far is dominated by continuous bike path. Road traffic, just as it is now, is generally not for cars. However, parts of the road are reduced even more. There is nothing left on the south side for loading or parking. Nothing.

Bike paths might just sail past empty storefronts. It would be preferable to reduce speeds on Graham and really share the road but there seems to be a determination to not put in two way traffic along most streets in the downtown. Assiniboine Avenue is going through a similar thing. The street has not been normal for years due to lengthy construction and changes to its design.

The changes to Winnipeg Transit are still confusing and the consultations don't seem to have covered all the possible implications of changes. The Southwest Transit Corridor is still not fully realized. They sent it for a jog down Parker and then dragged their feet about housing along it for more than a decade.

Graham Avenue's businesses need some parking and loading to be successful. This doesn't mean there is no room for wider sidewalks or even a bike path but, while the plan includes a double bike path for the full extent of the street, the plan does not include a road for vehicles all the way through. There is still not enough information about bus routes are changing at this point as well to how they affect other streets.

Pre-Pandemic Graham Avenue would have buses lined up so long that it was possible to walk atop of them for a few blocks as they were that packed together. With so government workers still at home, it is uncertain if the dynamic will change. Still, there is a growing number of apartments being built and will continue to go up in the next years. It is unknown if the people moving in are living and working downtown or what their commuting needs are going forward. These are things that will reveal themselves as a neighbourhood develops.

The history of pedestrian corridors is now always a good one. Sparks Street in Ottawa is very quiet on weekends. Attempts to liven it up have not worked. Government offices line both sides of it so pre-pandemic it was busy in the week. But with so many working from home, it has been a problem. This has to be considered in regards to Graham Avenue. It can't have dead zones or areas that are blocked off for concerts or festivals that make me people have to detour even if they are on bikes. I've seen Sparks on weekends and that is not what we want downtown to look like.

A great deal of thought needs to be put into Graham. It has to be a multi-use street and more sidewalk and bike consideration needs to be made. However, it is preferable to reduce speed on the street and make it two way rather than ban cars from large stretches of it. Will anyone listen to the businesses? They worry that a bike lane and foot traffic will not replace the missing people coming to their businesses.

 

Market Lands Development/Civic Parkade and Public Safety Building

Construction started back in January of 2024 but details keep trickling out as more financial aspects are revealed. The land sat empty for some time after the Civic Parkade and the Public Safety Building were bulldozed. The city had let the1965-built 460 car parkade used by police and civic staff to literally fall apart. Pieces of concrete began to fall inside. The Public Safety Building used by police and one was also in having pieces fall off of it. The police have since moved to the even older Post Office building.

Civic officials were likely thinking they could privately sell the land and pocket the money into revenue but also, they found they didn't actually own the land. It was held in trust from the original McDermott family so long as the city used it for public use. The city always seems to be missing pieces of the puzzle.

Unable to sell the land and not wanting to be called out for making it a gravel parking lot for city councillors, they have waited for funders from the province and elsewhere to go ahead with the project. Invariably, these things seem to take 10 years to get going which is far too long if you want to keep any momentum going in an area, build housing or a community. \

The chosen builder of the apartment housing is a proven downtown developer in the University of Winnipeg Community Renewal Corporation 2.0 which has completed several apartments in the art gallery area near the university. The ten storey building will have 95 apartments with about 48 that will be deeply affordable. Those will be as low as $285 a month.

A market area will be in the space immediately in front of apartment between City Hall and Red River Polytech. There will also be a 20,000 square foot creative hub supported by Winnipeg Foundation. Several arts groups will locate in the centre. In the past these same groups from the 1970s and through the decades have found affordable places in the Exchange. Some still do call the area home but the need for more spaces will support artists and creative new businesses in the future.

A common issue with downtown in that is it so spread out that there are large segments that lack connectivity. The Chinatown development has sat kind of by itself for decades without a lot of additional housing or commercial development going in. The 460 car Civic Parkade was mostly used for police and city hall employees although was important for Concert Hall and theatre goers in the evening. The 160 car Bedford Parkade down the street has been partly helpful in ensuring workers and those wishing to rent a space had somewhere else to go. The police in their new building have been using spaces all over but predominantly, the Millennium Library.

No parking lot is planned for the housing going up thus far for Market Lands. One hopes they at least put loading zones in or people will have a hard time moving in or loading and unloading the farmer's market. Not every apartment needs to have 100 spots to park but they do need loading zones for moves, deliveries and for business. It would also be helpful if Peg City Co-Op parking is made available if the aim is to reduce people having to own cars.

People in Winnipeg have shown interest in public markets but one of the biggest markets in St. Norbert offers ample parking for $2 on Saturdays. Even the $2 part rankles some but it gets so busy there, I expect they want to make sure people carpool. How busy will it get at Market Lands? Will it be local people or will it draw a varied and far reaching crowd? And if it does, will they find parking? Or will they bus? Or walk or ride bikes? Will it be year round? All important questions. If it is a seasonal market, it might mean that it could be empty a lot.

Red River Polytech continues to grow and any and all residential and commercial developments around it likely benefit it. More students are likely to look at the college if there are affordable options by it. The market space looks a lot smaller than you might expect and not four season capable but I could be wrong. It also appears that they are creating an extension Market Avenue behind the apartment that would having parking on it.

There appears to be additional space for more housing behind the present 10 floor apartments. No one has said if that space or is there not really any space there? It certainly looks like there is and if there is, why no announcement? Or is this just phase one? It looks like it would fit in the space between the new Market Avenue and James Avenue.

Developments always seem to take years to accomplish. It would be appear that sometime in 2025/2026 this and other projects in the area should reach fruition. However, even with so many apartments and housing being built, most economists says we need far more and faster to meet demand and to help lower costs. The city's ability to approve those projects and the industry's capacity to build them seems strained. A project in Whyte Ridge took 12 years to get going because of initial opposition but is slated to start this year and cost $100 million.

The cost of the Market Lands development thus far is slated at just under $60 million. It joins a list of new and redeveloped buildings along Princess Street for apartments. A good section of Princess Street as a protected bike bath that so far has not been an impediment to businesses and residents along the street. An example of a good bike path. There is real potential for some niche businesses along the street such as convenience stores, pharmacies and restaurants if the residential population reaches a critical mass. One of the things that has hurt the Exchange recently is lack of foot traffic. Having thousands of people live in the area really helps.

Investment seems constantly aligned with City Hall's interest in an area. It is often because an area becomes so neglected that it cries for a response. This is true of Portage Place which saw decades of investment elsewhere while problems festered from an underfunded mall. Chinatown saw initial investment and almost nothing decades later. It is unlikely we have seen this type of investment since 2010 when airport work, the Hydro tower, Bomber stadium and and the expanded floodway combined with record sponsorship of immigrants. We already see inflation lowest in Manitoba so these various projects seem to be helping growth. Had it not been for how bad things got on the health service side of things, the province might be in a even better spot.

Over the next two years so many projects seem to set for completion including this one and it we'll see if it creates a connectivity from area to area that so often lacks now. It is hard to see it at this point but a real rise in morale as we saw in 2010 might be on the cusp.

Health Sciences Area

I deleted my Twitter account after 10 years. I apologized for saying the eastern end of Health Sciences Centre was like a war zone. I have worked downtown at different times for years. Like a lot of Manitobans have spent lots of time in places like HSC for myself and for family. And this past January 2020 I was assaulted right out on the street in front of the hospital. It is around the fourth time I've been assaulted, three in downtown, one in North End.

I tried to not let it affect me but in the aftermath, I was having a hard time walking in a grocery aisle without feeling someone was going to strike out at me. It is irrational of course. But it was also irritational to not think something might happen if I was not situationally aware. And it is always better to cross the street than risk a chancy encounter. Trust me...two black eyes later, my head is on a swivel.

The last time though and with Covid shutdown, I had to do something to reclaim my fear. I have always walked but I was determined to walk everywhere and take pictures in part to know that I did it. And I commented to re-learn the city I lived in but was not always seeing from my car. If I saw a boarded up house or burned out place, I didn't shy away. If I saw a new business, a development, I was sure to talk about.

Twitter probably is not the right format me. It lacks context and nuance. I'm trying to be a better person so I will stick to blogging and my personal non public Facebook.

I will assume that if anyone has read this far, they want to read and see pictures. I screen comments to avoid ad mail and have no problem with debate but I've left Twitter behind.

Above is the Tecumseh parkade of Health Sciences Centre. It was built to accompany the similarly sized Emily Street parkade next door which had a waiting list of staff for years. For visitors, it is still possible during the week to not find a space in any local parkade. And for those who do and spend the day, it is sticker shock.

The parkade cost about $40 million plus and the first one around same cost. That is $80 million or cost in infrastructure. People would like free parking but then it is likely there would be no spaces at all. It is such a tough thing for people to have the costs. But there is no way to provide the space without there being some sort of charge due to all day parking by staff, residents and businesses and homeowners in the area.

Surrounding HSC are a lot of surface lots and we are only likely to see more as 8000 staff work in the area and probably a few thousand one in related fields of laboratory, clinics and blood services. Add to the 850 beds of hospital and thousands of out patient services, it is one of the larger hospitals in the country.

On the approach to the Tecumseh parkade is The Manitoba Buddhist Temple. While it seems incongruous, there are a lot of faith places nearby.

A lot of road construction has been on active transportation and bike paths run down Bannatyne and as seen here in the picture, McDermot. While it is possible to ride your park, it is altogether a different things to safely lock up your bike. It is one of the most frequent things stolen and this is with good locks.

It can happen anywhere in the city but for those who might want to ride to work and park outside at HSC, it is a risk that even with a double lock and one wheel taken off, you still might lose your bike. We need security parking areas and garages.

It is one of the reasons I don't like having my bike out of my site.

The McDermot Avenue Baptist Church is just across the street from hospital. It is a lovely well maintained church and cared for houses on the street.

Still amazed at a temple in front of a large parkade.

Along Notre Dame west of the hospital has been an illegal parking lot for near 15 years. How do we know it is illegal? Well, the city planning department itself describes it as such. 

There were buildings here and at some point they were knocked down. It became a gravel lot and charged $65 a month for parking. No landscaping save for a fence and and light. A violation of zoning and it existed year after year because that is what the city does. It lets it happen. 

Well finally, the owner of the land has come up with a plan. It is before zoning now and has a three or four floor mixed use building with commercial on the first floor consisting of two medical clinics and a planned convenience store. Above that will be apartments.

It sounds like a good project but it is another example of the city allowing land hoarding and parking for decades with no site improvements while owners plead that they do have a plan. This has been an illegal parking lot for years. It is depressing.

The only way for neighbourhoods to be reclaimed is to stop illegal use of property. It hurts everyone when rules are broken. I can only imagine property owner here has been seeing less revenue as the pandemic hit and now they act.

The city should ensure that zoning approval here makes this property full utilized.

Notre Dame as a street has some residential, commercial and some industrial uses all side by side. It has a number of ethnic groups who have clubs and cultural centers on it. And it has had some restaurant firsts on it.

Little Nana's Italian restaurant is in the historic Beverley Block. It is interesting to see how the street will evolve. One and two floor buildings predominate but as with the parking lot mentioned above turning into mixed use, one wonders what change could be coming in next ten years.

The squat building in front of the parkade is an administrative building alongside a surface parking lot. A surface parking lot across the street exists to serve Health Sciences Centre as well. And so it goes. Buildings come down and lots go up and street life suffers and the lots run illegally or with minimal standards.

Off in the distance the new Manitoba Clinic takes over the old Shell gas station. There are some amazing views from the windows. The clinic investment is an indication how important the doctors thought keeping their position near the Health Sciences Centre was.

Old bank buildings converted to union offices. A nurse's local is further down. With a population bigger than a small town, the needs of the hospital and the university campus that is part of it are great. And after all these years, they are still figuring things out.

I was posting pictures and comments about the city while blogging years before I did so on Twitter. Most blogs have discontinued because long form writing is tough and not always permissible with jobs or life. Most migrated to Twitter and some on closed limited sites on Facebook. I think Twitter's immediacy is it's strength but it lacks context as no one gets the background from two paragraphs. Effort has to be made before understanding can happen. 

Worse, it is so easy to be manipulated or to manipulate with misinformation. I probably kept on with it during the pandemic longer because I was suffering. And to that end, some good people were met. But it is probably not the best format for me going forward.

To those that I didn't thank or say good bye too, you have my gratitude and my compliments. Hope you all do well and have the best life.

As for my blog, it is my thoughts and not the final word on anything. But it is a conversation not a place for abuse. I won't engage in that.

Whither Rapid Transit?

Osborne Transit Station

The debate over rapid transit in Winnipeg has gone on for decades. In the end all that has been built of Phase 1 is 3.7 kilometers at a cost of $138 million or $38 million per kilometer. It starts at Main Street and ends Osborne Village and speeds can reach 80 kilometers an hour.

The ride is over before it even begins with phase 1.

Many Winnipeggers probably believe they will never use transit never mind rapid transit. The only poll taken of the temperature of the citizens this past week show most want a referendum on the subject. After that, opinion is divided about whether to proceed although leans towards cancelling the project.

Winnipeg has voted on big decisions in the past. The Winnipeg Aqueduct had a vote and even though the cost was $13 million, Winnipeggers saw the wisdom in that decision.

The prospect of a referendum for rapid transit weeks before approvals appeared to some as either a delaying tactic or an outright attempt to kill rapid transit. The impending election in the fall and the annus horribilus at city hall likely spooked people about how popular any spending measures are. There is a lot anger out there.

With so much money on the table from the province and the federal government, the fear was that the offer was gone if rapid transit was delayed or cancelled. City councillors voted 13 to 3 by to set in motion phase 2.

At the zero hour, the prospect of losing promised money from other governments was just too much to bear. This game of chicken being played in the hope that the the province and feds would just hand a check over for the city to decide how to spend was not going to happen. Attempts to leverage more money failed as well.

An attempt to break the logjam of traffic on Pembina Highway by widening or creating overpasses so that there are no traffic lights and a car can travel 80 kilometers an hour would be a lot more than the public transit tab.

To top it off, there are highway proposals, widening projects and bridge reconstuctions that in theory could cost billions.

The city already has crumbling infrastructure and not just roads and sidewalks. The water mains, sewers, parks and recreation all need upgrades and regular maintenance.

Some people may indeed want to drive at 80 kilometers and hour on smooth roads with no traffic lights and multiple lanes to a quiet cul de sac with large yard and low taxes but realistically we are seeing it is difficult if not impossible to achieve this. The stretching out of infrastructure and police, fire and school services eventually reaches a point that is uneconomical.

These are the costs of sprawl and they are enormous.

To be fair though, there are costs associated with density in cities as well. Yes, I did say density causes higher costs.

Increasing density increases the property values. Rationing the land, making a city more compact and limiting where you can build causes real estate to rise. In short, it makes housing and industry more expensive. We are seeing debate in the Free Press about what to do with certain tracts of land with some advocating high density housing for Lanark Street in River Heights and Parcel Four at The Forks. The counter arguments have been a dog park and a forest respectively.

We should keep in mind that urban writer Jane Jacobs warned about the dangers of willy nilly high density. She felt it would "begin to repress diversity instead of stimulate it." By this she meant thought should be given to every development in a neighbourhood in terms of its livability and livelihood.

To put this in context: any savings we might get from density can be lost if property is more expensive. Moreover, if industrial jobs are driven out, we increasingly see reverse commuting where people head farther out in the suburbs for work.

Now in terms of Lanark and Parcel 4, Jacobs would have probably have advocated some sort of accommodation of each neighbourhood's needs. What that is, who can say? It is why consultations take place and a decision is made to best achieve the results even if some controversy takes place.

A great example of that is the expansion of the Osborne Village Safeway. The first plan presented was blasted. Some saw no need for the expansion at all. Others wanted it but with more sympathy for surrounding area. Back to the drawing board and a new plan was made. It had more support but not a consensus. The result: A Safeway that sustains the area, enhances the area and while not perfect makes Osborne Village a desirable and viable neighbourhood.

This battle of sprawl and density is happening all over the word. In the States it is even worse where people commute from one suburb where they live to another suburb where they work.

It is a bit disconcerting as it seems we can't win. Density is needed to keep costs from sprawl down but density increases land value making housing and industry more expensive. This is turn drives people to the suburbs as it is difficult to afford housing costs and jobs go to where it is cheaper.

So what is the right solution?

Well, the trick is to continue to balance the needs of the city with the costs.The primary need of the city is to establish a place to live, work and play. The part that a lot of people forget is the work part...and sometimes even the play part with neighbourhoods that are all house and no yard. Some of these suburbs often take a dim view of people playing in the parks they do have.

But let's not get to far off the track. If the objective is to try and limit sprawl but not go crazy with density for the sake of density, how do we achieve it? The first thing many experts say is not to drive away employers such as industry. There often seems to be an attitude that industrial areas are a blight that needs to be driven out. Well with that goes your jobs.

One of Winnipeg's major employers is the airport but planners seem intent on building housing on flight paths. Another industrial area in the north part of the city is begging city hall not to build housing too close to them and then try and push them out as undesirable.

If Winnipeg wishes to control sprawl it has to ensure it keeps the jobs close and to embrace industry within its borders.

Keeping this in mind, it is accurate to say that the 35,000 people at the University of Manitoba represent service and industry through the school and the Smart Park. Toss in indoor soccer field and Investor's Group Field for good measure. These numbers rival Manitoba's second largest city of Brandon.

And yet we don't have any means of connection from downtown to university except for roads which we know to be bottlenecked. There are a lot of buses going back and forth but as the Manitoban newspaper has reported, those buses can be packed and pass by students at various times of the day. And now with the Investor's Group Field, citizens of the city are encouraged even more to use transit and face even greater problems. One sports fan has already died for his beloved Bombers trying to cycle through the tight streets leading to the university.

If ever there was a crying need for remedy, it would seem to be now.

A plan has been presented but city hall has done a poor job to sell it. Moreover, the feeling is that the route appears to be set up for developers. Given the cronyism of the past years confidence is low that this will benefit the people of Winnipeg. Hence, the call for a referendum or plebiscite. As mentioned though, the cancellation of the transit scheme didn't simply mean money would be used for roads instead.

Provincial and federal money always comes with strings. That was so aptly demonstrated by the location of the Investor's Group field. Federal money was only available at that site.

Left to their own ends, many on council would probably opt for highways in the city but this option only exacerbates the problems of city growth. The city can ill afford to keep extending itself. The idea of transit corridors should have been adopted long ago when purchasing old rail lines might have been cheaper. Can you imagine what it might have been like if bike paths or a LRT line had resulted from the Oak Bank line through River Heights and Polo Park?

Phase 2 of Bus Rapid Trant has been approved but the city and province need to be gathering the parts for east-west corrdidors and a north corridor now. It is slow and steady work and some people won't be happy. But if we're lucky maybe the south corridor when complete will make people adopt that transit system to make their way north or south from downtown to the University of Manitoba.

Ultimately, we need to limit sprawl and to have density rise in a measured way that takes into account the live, work and play philosophy. Rapid transit can help Winnipeg achieve this goal.

Canadian Mennonite University Expansion

As mentioned back in July on this blog, Canadian Mennonite University is building a library and overpass to connect the north and south campus. The plans this week went before a city committee for approval.

I originally opined that if an overpass was built that hopefully the public would have some general access to it.

Library and parking and overpass

The 20,000 square foot library connected over Grant Avenue met approval of those who like the idea of a public overpass and wishing better trail connections to Assiniboine Forest.

The only naysayer is the Winnipeg Police Service who as a "johnny come lately" caution about sight lines for their new regional office.

Baseball players look to lose their fields in this development by the looks of the plans but the fields surrounding the campus have been woefully underused for years.

Not included in these plans are lighter shaded future development that look to truly link north and south campus locations of CMU.

It is without a doubt excellent news about this development. I fully expect CMU to continue to attract students in greater numbers and having a top notch library furthers that growth.

This is perhaps one of the better moments where a development gets top marks for enhancing the value of the the neighbourhood and providing solutions to long sought goals such as public access.

Charleswood Traffic Part 1

The Corner of Grant and Shaftesbury

The corner of Laxdal and Grant

The Corner of Cathcart and Grant

On December 4 at the community committee for Assiniboia, the consultancy firm MMM submitted their report to the city in regards to traffic in Charleswood. This work is in preparation for the extension of the William R. Clement Parkway and development of housing in the area in the next several years.

As anyone on Grant Avenue will tell you, the street is becoming the main thoroughfare for the area and beyond. The sleeper communities of Headingley and other places that hug the Perimeter Highway use Grant/Roblin Boulevard as a speedway to get out of town.

The problem of course is that many schools, seniors homes, apartments and housing line the street which means 80 kms is out of the question. That doesn't mean people will not attempt to try.  Subsequently, there are above average accidents happening all along the street.

The IKEA Seasons of Tuxedo have had an immediate fallout for traffic along Shaftesbury Blvd. Despite changes to the intersection and a widening of the road on all sides to meet the now twinned Sterling Lyon Parkway, it doesn't address that Shaftesbury itself is only two lanes all the way to Assiniboine Park.

Holy crazy traffic and potential accidents! Shaftesbury and Grant Avenue is home to two schools, one university and one church and community hall. There are buses parked out on both sides of Grant and parents dropping kids off, people turning into the schools.

The recommendation from MMM is the build a $7 million twinning of Shaftesbury from Wilkes to Grant Avenue and monitor the intersection at the schools corner for further changes. One of the other recommendations is to twin Shaftesbury all the way to Assiniboine Park at Roblin Blvd.

As with all road improvements, the question has to be asked: If these changes are to be made, does it just increase traffic even more. The answer is probably yes.

The Canadian Mennonite University is already planning their response to the traffic along Grant. It is in the form of an overpass for a future building on the north side of the street.

Schools all over Winnipeg are running into the drop off and pick up issue with parents double and triple parking. Two to four buses can be parked on Grant Avenue waiting for students at the various schools on that corner.

Bower Street between Shaftesbury and St. Paul's High Schools

Seems to me the solution for the high schools is a bus loop, parent drop off and pick section on Bower. It is already used for that purpose. Get it done.

As for the university, ask them if they would like a bus loop along Shaftesbury on the north and south sides. Parents dropping off kids is less of a concern for that campus. However, good bus connections are always welcome.

And whether CMU knows it or not, they are going to lose their boulevard and maybe a small part of their lots when Shaftesbury is twinned.

Shaftesbury between CMU and Shaftesbury High School

As anyone can see, there is no room to widen to the east of Shaftesbury. This means it must happen west. Could the city sweeten the pot with bus loops for the campus students?

I am no traffic engineer but it seems that it is important to have good lines of sight all along an intersection with as many students as we see as well as bike and foot traffic headed to the park.

The solution is NOT high speed roads at that intersection in all directions. The solution will be to remove parked buses, parents dropping off kids and other road blocking impediments that cause people to change lanes erratically and blindly.

Continued in Part 2

More Changes to River Heights Traffic Circles

River Heights Traffic Circles

They never consulted anyone when they went in, ignored research that indicated they were not more safe for cyclists or pedestrians and then they didn't build them to specifications other jurisdictions have said was needed to actually achieve traffic calming.

And now, before winter, the city has indicated they will once again tinker with the design.

East to west approaches will be narrowed even further to stop cars from speeding through at top speed just by hugging the curb over the bike path. What seems lost on the city is that bikes will have to navigate this bump out as well and that puts them into traffic. The north south routes are to be left alone.

The bike lanes are only as good as the road condition and in a lot of cases, it isn't good. Today, the lanes are full of puddles and leaves and not easy to see. They certainly are near invisible at night.

Lines are being painted for pedestrians as well. Good luck to anyone walking through one of these things. Traffic that used to stop at four way stop signs now coast through on all four sides. Most people wait till all the cars have gone through before risking crossing the street.

And let's not forget about buses, fire trucks or other large vehicles. Wouldn't be just like the city to do this work and find that the buses can't make it around the the circles?

Who does the city consult about these things? A traffic circle should only be put in by neighbourhood request and then the city should conduct a traffic study to see if the site warrants it and can handle the physical changes to the corner.

Why does it seem that disaster is looming once again? After two years, the circles have not achieved their aims. And bike traffic on the street remains minimal.

Lastly, how much is this going to cost?

It is hard not to think that the four way stop signs and the occasional traffic cop ticketing speeders might have been cheaper and more effective.

1580 Taylor Avenue - New Spa

The piece of land on Taylor Avenue in question.

The City Centre Community Committee discusses this week the plan for a new spa on one of the last pieces of land along Taylor for development.

Nothing against the spa or developer that is making plans for the site. However, if the idea of ever putting a north-south corridor for active transportation along the Burlington Northern line is to be a success, it will have to have an exit in south River Heights.

The old CN Oakpoint line already has condos going up on it so that can't be used but there is enough land alongside BNSF's line to run from Wellington Crescent all the way to Taylor Avenue where it could connect with a bike path all the way to Fort Rouge.







The top photo shows the Burlington Northern office and rail line that runs north into River Heights.

The middle photo shows the land up for development.

The bottom map shows the area of south River Heights being developed.

There are so many times we hear about conflicts between drivers and bikes. Is it possible to ensure that there is a right of way path along the rail line for bikes or footpath in the future?

The development can proceed but think of the future for once, please.

Active Transporation - Bike Paths Incomplete

Where is the bike path?

Snow is inevitable in Winnipeg but on some construction sites it looked like they had all the time in the world to complete them. Look at Kenaston Route 90 and you can't help wondering if the flimsy construction signs and pylons don't just disappear each time it snows. I certainly see them knocked down routinely.

In any event, we are at the start of winter and many construction sites are likely done for 2010 and we have several areas that are incomplete.

It was reported that 6 of the 36 bike paths have not been started. There are 12 that still have work to be done. The final tally of 18 bike paths are complete.

The federal government has said there will be no extension of federal money into 2011. This means that some of these active transportation projects could be looking to the city for complete funding.

I have already reported that Assiniboine Avenue work has been partly reversed and that two-way traffic has been restored.

It remains to be seen whether some of the other projects could be reversed.

Back on November 12, a cyclist found out how safe the Grosvenor Avenue and Waverley Street.



The picture from the story that Global News broke.

Fortunately, for this cyclist, the injuries were minor. Given how dangerous the circles are for pedestrians and cyclists, I expect we might see further problems.

If the city has to pay for the remainder of the active transportation system, it is possible they'll put a halt to completing the last of it. Sadly, this lack of money may mean that work that was done elsewhere in the city might stay despite whatever dissatisfaction and danger there is.

Update: Westworth Church has been able to push back against the complete plan for Grosvenor's bike path. No parking signs have long been removed from Lanark Street to the CN line.

Assiniboine Avenue two-way traffic

Sam Katz aka H.R. Pufnstuf



Jenny Gerbasi as Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo

It was a fantastical world that was created on Living Island aka known as Winnipeg. H.R. Pufnstuf aka Mayor Sam Katz was hypnotized by Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo into thinking that turning the magical Assiniboine Avenue into a topsy turvy world for little Jimmy (residents and taxpayers) and Freddy the Flute (alternative media) to have fun getting home.

Thankfully, Freddy the Flute shrilly blew his whistle until the black magic ended and order was partly restored to Assiniboine Avenue.

However, Freddy has to keep blowing because Witchiepoo continues to use magic around Living Island. "We must be ever vigilant and reverse the bad magic wherever we see it", says Freddy.