Bike lane proponents decry 'overreach' after committee votes not to hear them until July

Bartley Kives · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 12, 2025 5:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Proponents of a protected motorcycle lane on Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent accused metropolis council's nationalist works committee of a "gross overreach of power" aft dozens of radical slated to talk astatine metropolis hallway connected Thursday had their delegations cancelled and enactment disconnected until a gathering successful July.

No less than 27 radical signed up to talk to the committee astir a connection to make a impermanent motorcycle lane connected Wellington, wherever cyclist Rob Jenner was killed last year by a speeding motorist who mislaid power of his vehicle.

The point was connected the docket to let the committee to see a petition by metropolis proscription engineers to person different period to implicit a study astir the impermanent motorcycle lane.

Citing the petition for the extension, committee seat Janice Lukes (Waverley West) moved to suspend metropolis assembly rules and perceive the delegations astatine the adjacent nationalist works committee meeting, slated for July 3.

Lukes, arsenic good arsenic councillors Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) and Ross Eadie (Mynarski), past voted not to perceive the delegations. The 4th subordinate of the committee, assembly talker Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) near the committee level and did not instrumentality portion successful the vote.

The determination led immoderate radical watching successful the assembly assemblage to outcry astatine the committee, prompting Chambers to inquire information to wide the assembly assemblage of immoderate spectators. This proved to beryllium temporary.

Linda van de Laar, who took a time disconnected from her occupation arsenic a cardiac caregiver astatine St. Boniface Hospital to be the meeting, said she was upset metropolis councillors efficaciously silenced radical unhappy with the clip the metropolis is taking to amended information on Wellington Crescent.

She accused the committee of overreaching its powers and engaging successful an unprecedented determination by shutting retired registered delegates.

"The councillors are present to correspond the citizens and the residents, truthful I bash not recognize it," van de Laar said extracurricular metropolis hall.

"A batch of radical present took clip disconnected from enactment to beryllium here. I personally cannot marque it connected July 3. I'll beryllium connected a nighttime shift," she said. 

Ian McCausland, a Bike Winnipeg committee subordinate who was capable to code the committee due to the fact that helium besides registered to talk astir different point connected the agenda, said helium is acrophobic astir the connection sent by the committee to radical who instrumentality the clip to prosecute with metropolis councillors.

"It speaks to however overmuch the metropolis mightiness worth the input from the mean citizen," helium said. "I'm hoping that this is simply a one-time happening and that they really proceed to prosecute with each stakeholders connected the project."

Van de Laar said she was particularly upset Lukes told CBC Radio connected Wednesday she would perceive delegates connected Thursday.

'I'm disappointed too,' councillor says

Lukes, who volunteered arsenic a motorcycle and pedestrian way activistic anterior to moving for assembly successful 2014, said she knows what it's similar being connected the extracurricular of council, looking in.

"I don't deliberation there's anyone present that understands the level of vexation similar I do, because I was an advocator and came down 50 to 60 times, precise frustrated," she said during a interruption successful the committee meeting.

"Then I really decided to enactment my sanction connected a ballot and spot if I tin marque alteration connected this broadside of the table. Making alteration is not easy, I've travel to learn, connected either broadside of the table."

Lukes said she was the councillor who primitively pushed to trim the velocity connected Wellington Crescent and she excessively is disappointed.

"Everyone's disappointed. I'm disappointed successful immoderate of the things that person been said to maine and to the committee members. They're disappointed that we don't person a program successful place," she said, referring to the delegates.

"I'm disappointed too, but we volition person a afloat study adjacent month."

Lukes said the metropolis is moving much rapidly connected a protected motorcycle lane connected Wellington Crescent than it has connected different protected lanes. She said a impermanent obstruction is the lone enactment close present because permanent barriers are built erstwhile streets acquisition afloat renewals — and Wellington Crescent is not slated for this enactment immoderate clip soon.

Lukes said assembly committees person voted not to perceive registered delegates before, but could not mention an illustration erstwhile this took place.