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CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Bike lane proponents decry 'overreach' after committee votes not to hear them until July
Social Sharing Proponents of a protected bike lane along Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent accused city council's public works committee of a "gross overreach of power" after dozens of people slated to speak at city hall on Thursday had their delegations cancelled and put off until a meeting in July. No fewer than 27 people signed up to speak to the committee about a proposal to create a temporary bike lane on Wellington, where cyclist Rob Jenner was killed last year by a speeding motorist who lost control of his vehicle. The item was on the agenda to allow the committee to consider a request by city transportation engineers to have another month to complete a report about the temporary bike lane. Citing the request for the extension, committee chair Janice Lukes (Waverley West) moved to suspend city council rules and hear the delegations at the next public works committee meeting, slated for July 3. Lukes, as well as councillors Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) and Ross Eadie (Mynarski), then voted not to hear the delegations. The fourth member of the committee, council speaker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) left the committee floor and did not take part in the vote. The decision led some people watching in the council gallery to shout at the committee, prompting Chambers to ask security to clear the council gallery of some spectators. This proved to be temporary. Linda van de Laar, who took a day off from her job as a cardiac nurse at St. Boniface Hospital to attend the meeting, said she was upset city councillors effectively silenced people unhappy with the time the city is taking to improve safety along Wellington Crescent. She accused the committee of overreaching its powers and engaging in an unprecedented move by shutting out registered delegates. "The councillors are here to represent the citizens and the residents, so I do not understand it," van de Laar said outside city hall. "A lot of people here took time off from work to be here. I personally cannot make it on July 3. I'll be on a night shift," she said. Ian McCausland, a Bike Winnipeg board member who was able to address the committee because he also registered to speak about another item on the agenda, said he is concerned about the message sent by the committee to people who take the time to engage with city councillors. "It speaks to how much the city might value the input from the average citizen," he said. "I'm hoping that this is a one-time thing and that they actually continue to engage with all stakeholders on the project." Van de Laar said she was especially upset Lukes told CBC Radio on Wednesday she would hear delegates on Thursday. 'I'm disappointed too,' councillor says Lukes, who volunteered as a bike and pedestrian trail activist prior to running for council in 2014, said she knows what it's like being on the outside of council, looking in. "I don't think there's anyone here that understands the level of frustration like I do, because I was an advocate and came down 50 to 60 times, very frustrated," she said during a break in the committee meeting. "Then I actually decided to put my name on a ballot and see if I can make change on this side of the table. Making change is not easy, I've come to learn, on either side of the table." Lukes said she was the councillor who originally pushed to reduce the speed on Wellington Crescent and she too is disappointed. "Everyone's disappointed. I'm disappointed in some of the things that have been said to me and to the committee members. They're disappointed that we don't have a plan in place," she said, referring to the delegates. "I'm disappointed too, but we will have a full report next month." Lukes said the city is moving more quickly on a protected bike lane on Wellington Crescent than it has on other protected lanes. She said a temporary barrier is the only option right now because permanent barriers are built when streets undergo full renewals — and Wellington Crescent is not slated for this work any time soon.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Makeshift bike lane set up on Wellington Crescent on anniversary of Winnipeg cyclist's death
Social Sharing Concrete cinderblocks, two-by-four planks and green paint briefly lined hundreds of metres of Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent last week, set up by bike-lane advocates to mark the anniversary of a cyclist's death in a high-speed crash there one year ago. Organizer Michael told CBC's Marcy Markusa on Information Radio Wednesday morning that community members who live and move along the busy road feel the city is stalling instead of installing safety infrastructure. CBC News has agreed not to use Michael's last name. "It shouldn't be as hard as it is to get the city to take action here. We wanted to demonstrate that this is something that a bunch of people — in an hour and a half — put together. It shouldn't be taking years and years in order to design and study and build this," Michael said. "We've gone through all the official, proper channels and we still have nothing on the ground." The DIY bike lane went up last Friday, exactly one year since 61-year-old cyclist Rob Jenner was killed when a 19-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle while driving 159 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. The driver, Beckham Keneth Severight, was sentenced in March to three years in prison for dangerous driving causing death. Winnipeg cyclist killed in hit and run was a loving family man who took safety precautions, family says Voice shaking, widow of cyclist killed in hit-and-run addresses young driver in court 19-year-old driver who killed cyclist in Wellington Crescent hit and run sentenced to 3 years Michael said hundreds of community members gathered at a block party to celebrate Jenner's life and install the bike lane, stretching for about 400 metres each way from Cockburn Street North to Hugo Street North. The city took it down the same day. 'It's just not safe,' councillor says Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the city's public works committee, told CBC's Faith Fundal on Up to Speed Wednesday afternoon that the DIY bike lane was a hazard for all road users and had to be dismantled. "We had to take it down, because you could barely see it … and at night, you would never see it and then a car would run into it or a cyclist would run into it, and there would be another disaster," Lukes said. "It's just not safe because it's just not designed to be safe." The city is developing a report on making cycling safer along Wellington Crescent. The committee voted to delay that report, prompting protests outside city hall last month. Lukes said traffic engineers are still studying how the city would install "semi-permanent" barricades that would serve as a temporary barricade until Wellington undergoes road renewal. She said that renewal isn't planned for Wellington yet, but temporary bike lanes were installed on River Avenue before they were replaced with permanent infrastructure. "It can't be done overnight. It just takes time to properly engineer it," she said, adding that the city would also have to run public consultations with residents and other stakeholders. "I understand it's not fast enough for some," Lukes said. Lukes's public works committee had backed a push to reduce speeds along Wellington Crescent from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. But that motion was voted down by the city's executive policy committee in December. Michael said he and other bike-lane advocates are frustrated that the speed-limit reduction motion stalled, while the safety report faces further delays. Yet the city moved very quickly to tear down the DIY bike lane, he said, removing it within hours of it going up. "I'm just so mad. They'll delay for two years in building the dang thing and that same night they find the time to come and tear it down," Michael said. "If they actually cared about keeping people safe, they'd be building something instead."
CBC
07-05-2025
- CBC
Winnipeg cyclists decry delay of Wellington Crescent safety report
Some Winnipeg cycling advocates questioned the priorities of city officials, as they gathered outside city hall to protest the delay of a report on safety improvements to a stretch of road where a driver hit and killed a cyclist last year. Council ordered city staff to come up with a plan to improve cycling safety on Wellington Crescent last year. On June 6, 2024, a driver going 159 km/h hit and killed Rob Jenner on Wellington, near the intersection of Cockburn Street. Last month, the public works committee approved a 60-day delay of that report, meaning any changes likely won't be ready in time for the summer cycling season. "The city has ignored the call from the community to do something about the racetrack-like speeds, the racetrack-like infrastructure and design of Wellington Crescent," said Arielle Villarin, who lives near Wellington. Ahead of a regularly scheduled public works committee meeting Tuesday, Villarin and more than a dozen others rallied outside city hall. Beside the speakers stood a white bike decorated with flowers — a "ghost bike" in tribute to Jenner. "It's almost summer and everyone's out on their bikes, but nothing has been done to change how our roads and our streets function for people who are more vulnerable on the road," said Villarin. After the rally, the protesters packed the public gallery inside the committee meeting room. The Wellington report wasn't on the agenda. Instead, the committee was discussing a report looking at speed limits on active transportation paths. In January, council ordered city staff to write the report, after a motion from St. James Coun. Shawn Dobson, who said he had received complaints from residents concerned about safety risks posed by electric bicycles and scooters. That report concluded the Highway Traffic Act prevents the city from setting separate speed limits on paths running next to roadways, and it would be difficult to enforce on paths in other areas. After the meeting, the protesters installed the ghost bike near the spot on Wellington where Jenner was killed. Rachel Alguire wishes the city spent more time improving Wellington rather than studying active transportation speed limits. "The city continues to delay things to no end. And I look at this white ghost bike and I think, who will be the next person that will be killed by a motorist on this street?" she said. Public works chair Janice Lukes says councillors have many competing priorities, and city staff want to make sure that the changes they make to Wellington Crescent are the right ones. "Sure, a person could slap in something, but if it isn't proper, that's not good," the Waverley West councillor said. "So they are taking their time to make sure what they put in is adequate." The public works committee will take up the matter again on June 12, more than one year after Jenner's death. Winnipeg cyclists rally at city hall to demand safer streets 3 hours ago Duration 1:59 It's been almost a year since a driver hit and killed a cyclist on Wellington Crescent. On Tuesday, bike advocates gathered at city hall to urge officials to act faster to make streets safer.
Winnipeg Free Press
06-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Winnipeg biking community pushes for 30 km/h limit for vehicles on residential streets
The city will not set speed limits for bikes on active transportation paths, a decision cyclists say took valuable time away from real issues needed to make roads safer. More than a dozen cyclists gathered at city hall prior to a public works committee meeting Tuesday, displaying the white 'ghost bike' that honours Rob Jenner. Jenner, a cyclist, was killed in a crash with a speeding vehicle on Wellington Crescent near Cockburn Street on June 6, 2024. During the meeting, members of the group urged the committee to urgently enact changes to make bike travel safer on Wellington. They argued key city staff should have been able to focus on that topic instead of researching options for an active transportation speed limit that officials ultimately deemed too difficult to enforce. SUPPLIED Rob Jenner died in hospital after a crash with a speeding vehicle on Wellington Crescent near Cockburn Street on June 6, 2024.. 'We would like to be here to talk about 30 km/h (speed limits) in residential areas … I do not want to be the next one killed on my way to work,' said Linda van de Laar. In December, city council ruled out calls to immediately reduce the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h on Wellington Crescent, from River Avenue to the western end of Academy Road. At the time, some councillors cautioned against elected officials imposing the change without having city traffic experts study it first. Council did direct staff to report on solutions to improve cyclist safety on the route that can be implemented this year. That report was originally due in April but was delayed until June. 'It's (now) one month before the anniversary of Rob Jenner's death and there's no sense (that) the urgency to fix a hole in our infrastructure as significant and deadly as Wellington Crescent is shared by our city leaders … We won't see action until past the time of year when Rob needed it,' said Andrew Kohan. Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Sign up for The Warm-Up Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said future changes must be thoroughly studied before the city proposes a plan to alter Wellington. 'It is a very, very high volume regional road, so the public service wants to make sure it's safe and they're going to take their time … They're taking their time to do a proper, comprehensive outreach and review,' said Lukes. The Waverley West councillor said she expects city staff may recommend converting a lane of Wellington Crescent into a bike path and lowering the speed limit. Lukes said the city has spent millions of dollars on safer active transportation routes in recent years. 'It is a very, very high volume regional road, so the public service wants to make sure it's safe and they're going to take their time … They're taking their time to do a proper, comprehensive outreach and review.' –Coun. Janice Lukes 'Is it balanced right now from vehicular use to active transportation? I'd say absolutely not. But we're evolving. We can't do it overnight,' she said. The cycling advocates did support a city staff recommendation to rule out setting a speed limit along active transportation paths for electronic bikes, scooters, and other similar devices. Public works cast a final vote to follow that advice on Tuesday afternoon. According to a city report, the municipal government lacks the authority to set separate speed limits on paths that form part of a road, highway or street under the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act, meaning speed limits could only be added on completely separated paths. The report suggests any such speed limits would be difficult to implement. '(That) would require significant new signage, be difficult to enforce, and likely have low compliance among higher speed users,' it notes. Councillors ordered the report after some residents complained a growing number of motorized bikes were rushing past pedestrians at unsafe speeds, creating a growing safety hazard, said Lukes. She agreed a bike speed limit isn't a promising option to address that concern. 'I think we can use our police service for better things that are more urgent,' said Lukes. NIC ADAM / FREE PRESS FILES The memorial honouring the life of cyclist Rob Jenner who was killed in a crash with a speeding vehicle on Wellington Crescent in 2024. Winnipeg cycling activists are unhappy that calls to reduce the speed limit on the route from 50 km/h to 30 km/h have not been implemented by the city nearly one year after the tragedy. The report notes most bikes aren't even equipped with speedometers and don't require registration, making tickets difficult to issue. Instead, city staff plan to create an educational program to teach all users how to safely share active transportation paths, with a focus on bicycles and electronic devices yielding to pedestrians. The city's pedestrian and cycling strategy may also be updated to require new paths to have separate spaces for electronic devices/bicycles and pedestrians, 'when possible and feasible.' If the above measures don't work, the report suggests the city could start making paths wider to better accommodate multiple modes of travel. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne Pursaga Reporter Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne. Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press 's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press 's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
