New penalties for Winnipeg drivers using bike routes

There are some cities in Canada where the act of driving in a bike-only area goes relatively unpunished, and no, we won’t name names. But Winnipeg is definitely not one of those cities—not this summer, at any rate.

Later this month, a bylaw approved by Winnipeg’s city council in summer 2014 comes into effect. Starting on May 17 on Sundays and holidays, motorists will have a good deal less wiggle room on Winnipeg’s streets, legally speaking. From that date until Thanksgiving Monday, the bylaw will ban traffic from travelling more than a single block on four Winnipeg roads: Wellington Crescent, Wolseley Avenue, Lyndale Drive, and Scotia Street. They’re roads that cyclists frequent because of the picturesque views they offer. Motorists, however, will get slapped with a fine of $190.80 if they try drive on those routes on the specified days. It’s all in the interest of trying to encourage more cycling.

Even beyond that, said one Winnipeg city councillor, it’s about creating a sense of community for cyclists in Manitoba’s “Gateway to the West.” “It will provide a nice environment for families to get out on a Sunday,” said Coun. John Orlikow of River Heights—Fort Garry, speaking to the Winnipeg Free Press, “to take their kids on the street to bike or learn to bike. It allows people to connect in the neighbourhood.”

It’s not like the police are going to drop a massive dragnet over every car in the city, though. Drivers, like the rest of the public, can expect a two-week transitional period as city officials educate the city on the new restrictions. “The police are not going to be draconian,” Orkilow added in the same interview. “For one day a week, I believe it’s a good community-building thing.” Speaking for the Winnipeg police, Staff Sgt. Rob Riffel broke down the strategy more succinctly. “Our primary goal is to change driving behaviour,” he told the Winnipeg Free Press. “Officers may use discretion when issuing any offence notice.”

Enforcing protection of bike routes in Manitoba’s largest city is long overdue. Prior to its adoption by Winnipeg city council, the various dedicated thoroughfares for cyclists weren’t enforced—and it occasionally offered rather unfortunate surprises for weekend riders. Barriers would be erected, for example, but residents and local cycling advocates described cars “threading through” the barricades and continuing on as if nothing was there.

Bike Winnipeg, a local advocacy group, said that residents have nothing to worry about with the new restrictions—quite the contrary, in fact. “It’s just more the through traffic that is dropping down,” he said. “It might be kind of nice because you’re not getting the through traffic you might otherwise be getting.”

The closures will remain in effect until Oct. 12, rain or shine.