‘It’s just increasing’: Winnipeg ‘bike mayor’ raises alarm about dangerous roads

Winnipeg motorcycle advocates are calling for contiguous solutions to thief support cyclists safe aft different incident connected metropolis streets.

A teenage cyclist was struck by a conveyance astatine nan intersection of Academy Road and Wellington Crescent connected Monday evening, and nan adjacent day, astir 200 group unopen down nan area successful an effort to raise consciousness astir nan city’s deficiency of cycling infrastructure.

Patty Wiens, Winnipeg’s first-ever ‘bike mayor,’ said cyclists are being deed successful nan metropolis measurement excessively often — moreover much than nan wide nationalist realizes.

“We perceive astir it a lot, and there’s a batch we don’t moreover perceive astir — nan 13-year-old was deed by a driver (Monday), but past astatine nan aforesaid clip location were 2 others happening nan aforesaid evening,” Wiens told 680 CJOB’s The Start.

“There are decidedly a batch much these days, because location are a batch much group riding their bikes, truthful it’s conscionable expanding nan number of incidents.”

The title of motorcycle politician is mostly astir raising awareness, and erstwhile Wiens was appointed, Winnipeg joined cities successful much than 30 countries advocating for safer cycling.

In early June, cyclist Bob Jenner was killed connected Wellington Crescent adjacent Cockburn Street while riding to work connected his regular commute.

Wiens says location are misconceptions astir really cycling infrastructure would thief forestall collisions.

“People deliberation that it will trim nan number of car lanes, it will make postulation worse — and there’s ever this cognition of ‘No one’s utilizing this motorcycle lane, right?’

“It’s really difficult to explicate to group that nan logic nan motorcycle lanes look quiet is because they’re businesslike … and a batch of our motorcycle lanes are still lanes to nowhere.”

Wiens said she wants to spot nan completion of nan city’s motorcycle network, arsenic good arsenic much motorcycle lines, successful hopes it will promote much group to thrust their bikes — and beryllium safe doing so.

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Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham — himself a predominant commuter to metropolis hallway by motorcycle — says he understands nan concerns.

“I rhythm to activity successful nan summertime arsenic often arsenic I can,” Gillingham told The Start.

“I usage respective different routes to get to metropolis hall. Sometimes it’s a dedicated lane wherever I’m separated … and sometimes I person to stock nan road, and centrifugal vehicles person to stock nan roadworthy pinch me.

“I’m for illustration a batch of different cyclists and I tin admit nan moments where, arsenic a cyclist, you consciousness unsafe.”

Gillingham said nan rule remains that each Winnipeggers — motorists, cyclists and pedestrians — request to stock nan roadways and make judge they’re each alert of others.

“Motorists person sewage to beryllium alert whether there’s a dedicated motorcycle path, a shared way aliases nary motorcycle paths connected nan road, motorists really request to beryllium alert of their surroundings and make judge we’re watching retired for 1 another.”

The politician said nan metropolis has invested tens of millions of dollars into cycling and stepping infrastructure successful caller years, thing he’s proud of, while astatine nan aforesaid clip putting grounds fund dollars toward metropolis roads.