CYCLING activists pedalled away from city hall with smiles on their sunburned faces after city councillors approved $1.7 million worth of trail construction projects and agreed to dedicate a city staffer to create even more trails.

But one of the new projects has infuriated the city's top trail-builder, who accused Charleswood Coun. Bill Clement of abusing his power as chairman of council's public works subcommittee by funnelling trail-creation funds into his own ward.

On Tuesday, the four-member committee approved the flow of funds for three new bike and pedestrian paths: the first phase of the Marconi Line in northeast Winnipeg, an extension of the Bishop Grandin Freeway and a new separated sidewalk along McGillivray Boulevard in Whyte Ridge.

In a related move, the committee also agreed to implement several key recommendations from the Active Transportation Study, a trail-building blueprint adopted by city council as policy 15 months ago.

The recommendations include hiring a full-time trail co-ordinator to plan new trails and assemble a committee of experts to serve as trail advisers.

After years of relative city inaction, the sudden movement at city hall -- facilitated in part by boosting the city's annual trail creation budget from about $200,000 to $1.7 million -- left long-time cycling activists such as Kevin Miller praising both politicians and city staff, "Things are happening. They weren't happening before. Five years ago, we were dismissed as a small minority," said Miller, who visited city hall on Tuesday to observe pro-bike trail presentations made by cycling organizations, the Manitoba Medical Association and the Winnipeg Trails Association.

Trails Association director Janice Lukes was also happy with the new trail measures, except for the plan to spend $380,000 on new separated sidewalk along McGillivray Boulevard in Whyte Ridge.

She said the $380,000 would be better spent on a trail in a higher-population corridor on the east side of the Red River -- and accused committee chairman Bill Clement of directing the project into his own ward, which encompasses Whyte Ridge.

"I wish everyone lived in Charleswood. I wish Charleswood encompassed the whole city," said Lukes, noting Clement has successfully encircled his ward with five trails costing a total of at least $1.6 million over the past four years.

"I know this (McGillivray Boulevard sidewalk) is being slipped in now, because when a bike-trail co-ordinator comes in, they wouldn't go for it."

Clement shot back that there would be no new trail-creation money if he didn't insist the funding increase from $200,000 to $1.7 million during the capital budget process.

"I'm really sorry we're not living up to (Janice Lukes') expectations, but nobody made her queen of the trails. And I'm not going to apologize to anybody for building bicycle trails and linking my entire community," he said.

Happy trails

Bike path/walking-trail construction projects approved by council's public works subcommittee on Tuesday:

Marconi Line (East and North Kildonan): $1.2 million to begin construction of the first leg of what will be the city's longest bike path and walking trail, Phase One will involve paving a 3.5-metre-wide asphalt trail along the former CPR Marconi Line, from Talbot Avenue to Springfield Road.

Bishop Grandin Greenway (St. Vital): $100,000 to extend an asphalt pedestrian/bike path on the south side of Bishop Grandin, from the Seine River to Shorehill Drive.

McGillivray Boulevard (Whyte Ridge): $380,000 to create separated bike and walking lanes on a new sidewalk alongside McGillivray Boulevard, from Columbia Drive to Brady Road.