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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
City of Winnipeg's long-term transportation strategy calls for $4.3B overhaul in next 25 years
A new plan to overhaul Winnipeg's transportation system calls for $4.3 billion in spending over the next 25 years. On Friday, the City of Winnipeg released its Transportation 2050 strategy, an update to the city's transportation master plan. It outlines a vision for the city as a hub for transporting goods, while encouraging more people to shift away from single-passenger vehicles and toward active transportation and public transit. "Winnipeg is a global multimodal transportation hub," public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) said in an interview. "It's the heartbeat of our economy, right? Moving goods is a huge factor in economic development." The plan recommends a number of pilot projects, including designated truck lanes, secure bike parking, reduced parking on arterial roads and autonomous bus testing. A report, to be discussed at next Thursday's public works meeting, says automated buses "are ready for real-world testing and Winnipeg's Southwest Transitway is an ideal testing location, as a fully separated right-of-way that experiences cold and winter conditions." Lukes says the city won't be able to do everything in the plan immediately and will need to come up with a list of priorities. The report says the city has identified billions of dollars in unfunded, but necessary, infrastructure upgrades, with many bridges nearing the end of their useful life. Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city continues to seek funding from other levels of government for major infrastructure projects, like widening Kenaston Boulevard and extending Chief Peguis Trail. "We cannot deliver services as a city to the residents if we don't have a strong economy, because we need the revenue from a strong economy to fund the services that we provide to Winnipeggers," he said. "And so I believe we really need to look closely at investment in our trade routes. We've talked about Kenaston/Route 90, and the upgrades that need to happen there — Chief Peguis Trail extension as well. Those are economic routes." More changes could also come to downtown's Graham Avenue after Winnipeg Transit's new primary network goes into effect later this month. The new transit network will move all buses off Graham and over to Portage Avenue. "That provides a great opportunity. It's almost like Graham Avenue is a blank slate and can be reimagined for something really different and invigorating," Gillingham said. The report recommends removing the street's designation as a truck route between Vaughan Street and Carlton Street, as well as between Fort Street and Main Street. It also calls for reducing the speed limit between Vaughan and Carlton from 50 km/h to 30. The city's CentrePlan 2050 document, which outlines extensive changes throughout the downtown to increase the number of people living and walking in the neighbourhood, includes a number of projects for Graham Avenue. They include installing benches and other amenities, bike connectivity, and greening the street. Work on those projects is expected to begin this summer after the transit network switches over. After years of study and sometimes contentious public feedback, the city has released its final report on the Marion Street corridor improvements study. A previous plan to widen the street met significant public opposition, leading the city to abandon it in 2016 and come up with a new plan. That plan calls for a total of $133.3 million in new spending, including bike lanes, multi-use paths, intersection upgrades and other improvements along the corridor in St. Boniface. The plan, if fully implemented, would require the full or partial acquisition of 65 properties, at a cost of about $14 million. The report sets a goal of starting construction by 2030.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
City of Winnipeg's long-term transportation strategy calls for $4.3B overhaul in next 25 years
Social Sharing A new plan to overhaul Winnipeg's transportation system calls for $4.3 billion in spending over the next 25 years. On Friday, the City of Winnipeg released its Transportation 2050 strategy, an update to the city's transportation master plan. It outlines a vision for the city as a hub for transporting goods, while encouraging more people to shift away from single-passenger vehicles and toward active transportation and public transit. "Winnipeg is a global multimodal transportation hub," public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) said in an interview. "It's the heartbeat of our economy, right? Moving goods is a huge factor in economic development." The plan recommends a number of pilot projects, including designated truck lanes, secure bike parking, reduced parking on arterial roads and autonomous bus testing. A report, to be discussed at next Thursday's public works meeting, says automated buses "are ready for real-world testing and Winnipeg's Southwest Transitway is an ideal testing location, as a fully separated right-of-way that experiences cold and winter conditions." Lukes says the city won't be able to do everything in the plan immediately and will need to come up with a list of priorities. The report says the city has identified billions of dollars in unfunded, but necessary, infrastructure upgrades, with many bridges nearing the end of their useful life. Mayor Scott Gillingham said the city continues to seek funding from other levels of government for major infrastructure projects, like widening Kenaston Boulevard and extending Chief Peguis Trail. "We cannot deliver services as a city to the residents if we don't have a strong economy, because we need the revenue from a strong economy to fund the services that we provide to Winnipeggers," he said. "And so I believe we really need to look closely at investment in our trade routes. We've talked about Kenaston/Route 90, and the upgrades that need to happen there — Chief Peguis Trail extension as well. Those are economic routes." Graham Avenue 'a blank slate': mayor More changes could also come to downtown's Graham Avenue after Winnipeg Transit's new primary network goes into effect later this month. The new transit network will move all buses off Graham and over to Portage Avenue. "That provides a great opportunity. It's almost like Graham Avenue is a blank slate and can be reimagined for something really different and invigorating," Gillingham said. The report recommends removing the street's designation as a truck route between Vaughan Street and Carlton Street, as well as between Fort Street and Main Street. It also calls for reducing the speed limit between Vaughan and Carlton from 50 km/h to 30. The city's CentrePlan 2050 document, which outlines extensive changes throughout the downtown to increase the number of people living and walking in the neighbourhood, includes a number of projects for Graham Avenue. They include installing benches and other amenities, bike connectivity, and greening the street. Work on those projects is expected to begin this summer after the transit network switches over. Marion Street upgrades After years of study and sometimes contentious public feedback, the city has released its final report on the Marion Street corridor improvements study. A previous plan to widen the street met significant public opposition, leading the city to abandon it in 2016 and come up with a new plan. That plan calls for a total of $133.3 million in new spending, including bike lanes, multi-use paths, intersection upgrades and other improvements along the corridor in St. Boniface. The plan, if fully implemented, would require the full or partial acquisition of 65 properties, at a cost of about $14 million. The report sets a goal of starting construction by 2030.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Moving trucks off Graham Avenue part of proposed revamp
A new proposal would slow down traffic on parts of Graham Avenue and redirect trucks to other streets. A report calls for city council to reduce the speed limit on Graham to 30 km/h from 50 km/h between Vaughan and Carlton streets and remove the full-time truck route designation. 'Graham Avenue is going to become a very focal point for downtown. It's going to become an area that will be activated … It's going to become a much more people-oriented, populated, activity-oriented street and that's been part of the downtown plan,' said Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works. MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES 'Graham Avenue is going to become a very focal point for downtown,' said Coun. Janice Lukes. She noted Winnipeg Transit's new primary network will move most transit service off Graham later this month, clearing the way for change. She expects a speed limit reduction would take a couple of months to implement. Lukes said the traditional reliance on the avenue as a key bus corridor, with some sections not even open to cars, means the changes shouldn't create much commuter delay. The new rules should support a growing number of downtown residents, she said. 'Downtown has to have neighbourhoods. It's not just, go there, leave there. We're putting a lot of housing in (that area),' said Lukes. Mayor Scott Gillingham said changes to Winnipeg Transit create an opportunity to transform the avenue. 'It's almost like Graham Avenue is a blank slate and it can be reimagined (to become) something really different and invigorating,' said Gillingham. The city's key downtown vision, CentrePlan 2050, calls for an overhaul of Graham, suggesting it could become a cycling connection and open space. Gillingham said he'd like to see a pedestrian mall on the avenue and believes any driver delay from the changes would be limited. 'When it's such a short street, when you drive 30 km/h as opposed to 50, the difference on three or four blocks is seconds,' he said. Shifting buses elsewhere and reducing the speed limit could make the area easier to access, said one business owner. 'Having cars added to Graham, I do think that's probably a good idea and helpful for the local businesses. I think it was fairly chaotic having just buses ripping up and down Graham Avenue… As a general rule, I support speed reduction … I think having a calmer Graham Avenue is a good thing,' said Graham Bargen, co-owner of the Thom Bargen coffee shop at Kennedy Street and Graham Avenue. However, Bargen said he is concerned limiting truck traffic would create an obstacle for deliveries. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. 'That will be an added challenge. We're a coffee roaster and we receive pallets of coffee… we do need to be able to get product in and out,' he said. In a written statement, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ expressed support for the changes. 'We believe these changes on Graham support the overall plan to improve safety, connectivity and vibrancy downtown. We're looking forward to the transformation of this street into a pedestrian-friendly hub, where people can gather and connect,' wrote Kate Fenske, chief executive officer of the BIZ. X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne PursagaReporter 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. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
4 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Winnipeg Transit considering shield extensions or full enclosures to better protect drivers
Social Sharing Winnipeg Transit is exploring options for new shields to provide increased safety to drivers. Currently, all buses in the fleet have partial shields, which the city installed in response to rising concerns about violence, including the stabbing death of driver Jubal Fraser in 2017. The union representing drivers says safety remains a problem for both operators and passengers, after it recorded 37 safety incidents on Winnipeg Transit buses in April — the highest monthly total since it began tracking in 2020, it said. Now, the city has put out an expression of interest as it considers whether to install extensions to the existing shields, or move to a fully enclosed safety barrier. Chris Scott, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1505, says he strongly supports the latter option. "We want the city to spend the taxpayers' money wisely," and shield extensions wouldn't do that, he said. "To spend money on an extension at the risk of the assaults or security incidents escalating only means that in the future, they'll have to invest in full compartment enclosures anyway." The partial barriers were installed to prevent people running up and "sucker-punching" drivers, but people have now figured out ways to get around them, Scott said. "If we go with just the extension, that will be effective in the short term. But in the long term … [attackers] will adapt to further escalate their levels of violence." The City of Winnipeg budgeted $2.7 million for the new shields in 2024. Public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes doesn't believe that will be enough on its own to outfit every bus in the fleet, but she hopes other funding, like the Canada public transit fund announced by the federal government earlier this year, could be used to cover the full cost. Scott says he has heard conflicting reports about the relative costs of shield extensions versus full enclosures. Extensions can cost between $10,000 and $12,000. Some reports have indicated full enclosures would run about the same price, but others have listed prices for full enclosures as high as $25,000. Although she hasn't made up her mind regarding which option she prefers, Lukes says she's open to purchasing the full shields if the drivers want them. "I want what works best to keep the staff safe," the Waverley West councillor said. "If the staff feel a full shield will do the job, if we can get a full shield at a reasonable price, why wouldn't we do that?"
Winnipeg Free Press
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Winnipeg Free Press
Generating goodwill at the parking meter
Opinion Recent reports from the City of Winnipeg about plans to remove all the downtown parking meters left our household upset. We're among the 20 per cent who use the meters. We dig out change or use a credit card. On nice days, we can walk downtown, but when transporting kids or in bad weather, we rely on the meters. Based on anecdotal evidence, the meters sometimes failed. Apparently, so did the phone app that replaces it. The city's efforts to boost downtown visitor numbers should target that 20 per cent — the occasional visitors who haven't downloaded an app but rely on meters instead. This news story made me remember a better parking experience. BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS There are better ways for the City of Winnipeg to handle getting rid of its parking pay stations, which will be removed between July 2 and Aug. 31. A pay station is pictured along Broadway Avenue on May 21. Our family was on summer vacation in Western New York. We took a highway exit to Jamestown. Parking on a hilltop, in the middle of downtown, we put our coins in the old-fashioned crank parking meter and walked, admiring the landscape, to a nice restaurant for lunch. The food was good. When we decided to have dessert, my husband sorted out more change for the meter. We had extra time to stroll downtown, see lake views, window shop and see a comedy centre, inspired by Lucille Ball, who was from Jamestown. We remembered this positive break from the road fondly. In comparison, we encountered numerous 'E-Z-Pass' incidents which left us frazzled. Many highways require tolls but no longer have a payment system without a physical device in the car. We tried to get around Chicago while I scrambled to figure out how to pay for our tolls online. I still don't know if we covered those tolls, though we honestly tried. If Winnipeg wants people to feel comfortable coming downtown, the city should provide alternatives to a reliance on a phone app. Ernie Nuytten suggests in a letter to the editor on May 24 that these parking booklets should be available wherever Winnipeg Transit tickets are sold. Ursula Delfing writes that parking near the downtown 'Parking Store' be free, to avoid getting tickets while trying to obtain a parking booklet. Like our troubles taking toll roads on vacation when we lacked the local 'passes,' Edwin Buettner suggests how difficult these systems would be for those who live outside the city but must come in on occasion for appointments downtown. City employees calculated the savings of removing the meters, but what are the costs of failing to provide access to downtown parking for those without cellphones, tourists, and out-of-town Manitobans who need medical care? The city must calculate costs to provide parking booklet sales elsewhere in the city, especially at hotels and convenience stores. When we discussed these parking issues, other solutions came up. Our household lives in a city neighbourhood. We must have parking permits for street parking. Yearly, we take photos of our driver's licences, car registration, and submit a form. Eventually someone calls us back and takes payment over the phone. What if, after the first registration, we received a 'renewal' email that said, 'According to city records, you live at the same address and have the same two cars as last year. Care to renew your permit? If so, click here. Pay online.' This would reduce costs and save time for the city and those who need street parking. A bigger revenue generator could follow. When tradespeople visit a city neighbourhood like ours with permit parking, they risk tickets if they park for too long. High school students parking on streets near private schools also risk tickets daily. Those who go downtown but fail to make the app or the meter work also hazard parking tickets. Imagine a 'super pass.' The city could set a flat fee, payable once a year, so that electricians, plumbers, realtors, students and theatre-goers could park legally in metered or permit areas without using an app or risking a ticket. The super pass would be available online, or at convenience stores and other locations where people might get parking booklets. Winnipeggers and tourists could choose options: download the app, buy single tickets for one trip to a downtown doctor's office or buy a whole year's pass and stop worrying about parking. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Of course, the yearly fee concept must be worked out, but $500 or more might result in more visitor traffic downtown and many fewer parking tickets. Reducing system inefficiencies, like creating an easy online renewal system that links up with our addresses and car registrations, would also reduce costs. This might boost interest in coming downtown to the Exchange, to theatre venues or festivals. Offering multiple options for parking payment might boost the city's coffers. Better yet, it could reduce citizens' anger over the difficulties in downtown parking and the parking tickets that follow. Jamestown, N.Y. is a long way away. Even so, I'd go right back to crank my change in the old-fashioned meters, check out the scenery, eat a good lunch, and wander its historic downtown. City officials should think about how coming downtown can generate goodwill as well as income. Ripping out the current parking meters may be necessary, but it's what follows that matters. Obstacles to parking will build or destroy Winnipeggers' interest in visiting downtown. Offering multiple approaches to future downtown parking creates a better, more inclusive outcome for all of us. Joanne Seiff, a Winnipeg author, has been contributing opinions and analysis to the Free Press since 2009.
