Safe commuting by bicycle has increasingly been recognized as a major issue for Winnipeg cyclists, including U of M students. With the 2006 civic election coming up, political leaders are proposing ways to improve this method of transportation.

BIKE AT YOUR OWN RISK

On average, 175 cyclists are injured and two die each year, according to David Patten of Manitoba Public Insurance. The most common injuries are broken bones and head-related injuries. Moreover, 190 bicycles are damaged in motor vehicle collisions and the average cost of a bicycle claim is about $6,047.

The route from downtown to the U of M can be especially difficult. Mike McKee of the Manitoba Cycling Association described bikecommuting routes to the U of M as ìnon-existent.î

ìRight now the route that is designated to go up to the University of Manitoba from downtown is Pembina Highway,î said McKee. ìAnd you know as well as I do that anytime during rush hour it is absolutely ridiculous and itís not safe at all.î

Molly McCracken, co-ordinator of Bike to the Future, a recently formed community activist group, events and the Manitoba research associate for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, agrees: ìSome people were concerned that people were actually going to get killed off that route.î

In the efforts to encourage government officials to do something about Winnipegís current cycling infrastructure, Jeremy Hull of Prologica Research drafted the Winnipeg Cycle Commuter Survey to illustrate the attitudes Winnipeggers have on the existing bicycling infrastructure.

ìI think most people are afraid to get out on the streets and get on traffic and the condition of the road doesnít help,î said Hull.

According to the survey, which was published on Oct. 4, 2006, cyclists have expressed a number of city cycling concerns.

ìCar drivers, if they donít cycle much they donít have [an] appreciation of what the cyclists are dealing with so they kind of do things that are not so good for the cyclist,î explained Hull. ìSome of them are rude, but thatís a very small minority. Some of them are actually annoyed that the cyclist is on the street to begin with. So there are all kinds of attitudes out there.î

The report found that a majority of cyclists (67.4 per cent) believe there is a need for a network of cycling routes throughout the city including bike lanes on major streets, separate bike paths and routes on quieter streets. Such routes need to be wellconnected and provide safe and reasonably direct ways of traveling between destinations.

ìThereís no doubt that cyclists need to be well-educated as far as the rules of the road is concerned to obviously abide by the rules of the road, which would make it a lot easier for them to deal with drivers. I think drivers too should understand obviously that a bike doesnít have a chance against a car. You have to be cautious from both ends,î said McKee.

CYCLING ACROSS CANADA

Winnipeg is not the only city with cycling issues. It seems every major city in Canada has a need for improving bike safety and infrastructure.

Steve Merker, executive director of CAN-BIKE in Toronto, described Torontoís cycling infrastructure as ìbrutal.î

Merker also mentioned that Ottawa appears to be ìmuch more conducive to cycling.î

ìIn fact, the government there closes down the major roads of the city every Sunday morning for bicycle riding,î noted Merker. ìThat would never ever happen in Toronto.î

An average of 1.2 per cent of work trips in Canada were made by bicycle in 2001, according to ìCycling Trends and Policies in Canadian Cities,î written by John Pucher and Ralph Beuhler of Rutgers University and published in 2005, with data from Statistics Canada. This number varies depending on region. The report noted that over 25 per cent of trips in Canada are less than two miles long ó and therefore a need to encourage cyclists was advocated.

The report by Pucher and Beuhler also noted that Quebec is deeply involved in a range of programs to promote cycling: increasing its safety, co-ordinating local efforts, and fund infrastructure improvements. In Ontario, there is virtually no funding, planning, or program co-ordination for cycling. Lastly, in B.C. there is modest capital funding program for cycling infrastructure and a provincial cycling advisory committee to help coordinate local efforts.

ìWinnipeg is kind of average across the country in the percentage of people that use bikes to go to work,î commented Hull. ìItís partly a weather thing but itís partly how the city is able to accommodate cyclists. Saskatoon is as cold as Winnipeg but theyíve got higher levels of use. From being in Saskatoon I know they have nice pathways along the river.î

WINNIPEGíS CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET

Currently, the City of Winnipeg budget for cycling is $200,000, according to the Bike to the Future report. Last year, the budget for cycling and pedestrians was $300,000, but in 2003, no funding was spent on cycling infrastructure.

The total capital budget for 2005 is $307,583,000, which represents 0.6 per cent of the cityís budget.

ìThe funding is like a tenth of the level of use of cycling,î noted Hull. ìSo there is a big mismatch between the funding and the . . . number of people that do use a [bicycle].î

ìItís interesting how you donít need a permit to do cruising on Portage Avenue but people who were doing Critical Mass were completely harassed by the police,î said McCracken. Critical Mass is a bike ride that is usually held on the last Friday of every month. Cyclists participate for a variety of reasons including reclaiming what they argue is rightful space on the road.

POLITICAL PROPOSAL

Kaj Hasselriis and current mayor Sam Katz are two of the four candidates competing in the October 2006 election for mayor. Both candidates see the importance of improving Winnipegís cycling infrastructure.

ìThe mayor recognizes that developing extensive bike path infrastructure is a critical component to achieving his goal of being Canadaís Green City,î said David MacKay, campaign spokesperson for Katz. ìIn fact, bike path development is an integral component of his sixpoint environmental action plan that was recently released during the campaign.î

Hasselriis expressed his disappointment with the cityís current commuting routes.

ìWinnipeg is a car culture. Thereís no doubt about it,î said Hasselriis. ìIím a motorist. I own a car so Iím a driver. Certainly we need to be building new roads and bridges for cars. We need to be repairing those roads but not at the almost complete exclusion of new roadways for bikes and buses, which is the way itís done now.î

Hasselriis mentioned he became involved in civic issues two years ago when the mayor cancelled plans for bus rapid transit.

ìWe have a decent system of bike paths in Winnipeg. The problem is that they are not really connected, none of them are named and they are not very well-publicized,î said Hasselriis. ì[By paving old railroads] the bike doesnít have to be on the same roads at all as cars. They donít have to stop for red lights and they donít have to stop for stop signs. They can just burn straight from downtown to the U of M and back.î

Hasselriis proposes to increase the amount of bike racks and spaces for bike parking and make incentives for businesses to have showers inside. But his main priority is to construct bike corridors along old rail lines.

ìRight now we are building too many roads and bridges without a corresponding bike lane and sidewalks for that matter,î said Hasselriis.

Just recently, Katz announced the Cityís plan to spend $1.7 million to transform the old railway along the Marconi Line, from Glenway Avenue in North Kildonan to Nairn Avenune in Elmwood.

ìBy leveraging the assistance of community leaders like John Buhler, the City has secured a 6.7 km former CP rail line that will be converted into a bike and walking path in 2007,î said MacKay.

However, Hasselriis questions Katzís priorities regarding cycling.

ìWe have a mayor who promised to make new cycling paths two and a half years ago when he was elected. No new cycling paths,î said Hasselriis. ìWhy should we trust him after hearing his comments about activities like Critical Mass? He was derisive towards cyclists.î

MacKay noted that Katz is ìactively engaging other corporate stakeholders to explore new options to develop future bike path infrastructure and is committed to constructing segregated pathways in new housing developments.î

ìPromises made, promises kept. The mayor is not just talking about developing bike infrastructure he has already delivered,î maintained MacKay.

WHAT BIKING MEANS TO A UNIVERSITY STUDENT

Most students will agree that the roads to the U of M are often backed up in the mornings, especially this past September due to construction on Bison Drive. Moreover, many students cannot afford the time or the gym pass to work out. The price of gas, insurance and car maintenance, not to mention a U of M parking permit, are rising year after year.

ìFrom a social point of view [cycling is] actually saving everybody money,î said Hull. ìBicycles donít take as much room, you donít have to build as much space for them to drive on and it doesnít cost as much to repair as opposed to car and truck traffic going down the highways.î

With all this in mind, it is only appropriate for government officials to take this issue seriously. As reports have demonstrated, there are quite a few Winnipeg cyclists relative to other cities in Canada. Mayoral candidates should be making significant efforts to improve this method of commuting.

ìIíve been pretty lucky, only having the experiences of being cut off or pushed off the road by other vehicular traffic. People I know have experienced far worse,î commented Marcel Lennon, a university student who frequently rides to school. ìAs for positive experiences on my bike . . . thereís nothing like beating the bus from confusion corner to the university.î