Proposed overhaul of Winnipeg Transit network met with pushback from Wolseley residents

Posted on June 18, 2024 by Peggy

A group of Wolseley residents wants the city to pump the brakes on its plan to revamp Winnipeg’s transit network.

A report in front of the city’s executive policy committee (EPC) Tuesday calls on the group to approve the city’s $20.4 million transit network service implementation plan.

The blueprint is based on the city’s transit master plan, which aims to give Winnipeggers more frequent and reliable public transportation across the city.

If the new transit network plan is approved, nearly every bus route in the city will be changed.

The philosophy of the plan is to run primary lines, meaning routes that are simpler, straighter and have fewer bus stops than many current routes. The change is aimed at allowing transit service to run faster and more frequently, so people wait less and reach their destinations faster.

A number of Wolseley residents made submissions to EPC ahead of the vote, criticizing a particular new route that would travel through their neighbourhood.

Residents say No. 28 would roll past an existing greenway on Wolseley Avenue, create traffic congestion and stymie active transportation in the neighbourhood.

“Having a major bus route through the area will make it much more unsafe mainly for bicyclists, but also for pedestrians,” long-time Wolseley resident Ann McConkey wrote in her submission.

“The premise of high frequency and accessibility in design of a bus plan without considering the actual needs and impacts on community does not translate into efficiency or innovation. It does not serve, nor is it accountable to, the people it is designed for,” Arlington residents Dhiwya Attawar and Greg Tonn wrote in their submission.

A map of the proposed No. 28 route is shown in an image from a June 18, 2024 city report in front of the executive policy committee. (City of Winnipeg)

The EPC vote comes after members of a citizen group called Wolseley for Fair Transit presented at a standing policy committee on public works meeting earlier this month. They brought forward a petition signed by over 450 Wolseley residents, calling on the city to pause the implementation of the Wolseley leg of the plan and host meaningful consultations with residents.

That committee voted to send the plan to EPC, recommending consultations and a full review of the new routes during peak user times.

Now, EPC is set to vote on the plan Tuesday. It would also need the green light from city council before it can be implemented, with a targeted start date of June of 2025.

This is a developing story. More details to come.

View original article here Source