Winnipeg cyclists decry delay of Wellington Crescent safety report

Cameron MacLean · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 10:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Some Winnipeg cycling advocates questioned the priorities of metropolis officials, arsenic they gathered extracurricular metropolis hallway to protestation the hold of a study connected information improvements to a agelong of roadworthy wherever a operator deed and killed a cyclist past year.

Council ordered metropolis unit to travel up with a program to amended cycling information connected Wellington Crescent past year. On June 6, 2024, a operator going 159 km/h deed and killed Rob Jenner connected Wellington, adjacent the intersection of Cockburn Street. 

Last month, the nationalist works committee approved a 60-day hold of that report, meaning immoderate changes apt won't beryllium acceptable successful clip for the summertime cycling season.

"The metropolis has ignored the telephone from the assemblage to bash thing astir the racetrack-like speeds, the racetrack-like infrastructure and plan of Wellington Crescent," said Arielle Villarin, who lives adjacent Wellington.

Ahead of a regularly scheduled nationalist works committee gathering Tuesday, Villarin and much than a twelve others rallied extracurricular metropolis hall. Beside the speakers stood a achromatic motorcycle decorated with flowers — a "ghost bike" in tribute to Jenner. 

"It's astir summertime and everyone's retired connected their bikes, but thing has been done to alteration however our roads and our streets relation for radical who are much susceptible connected the road," said Villarin.

After the rally, the protesters packed the nationalist assemblage wrong the committee gathering room.

The Wellington study wasn't connected the agenda. Instead, the committee was discussing a study looking astatine velocity limits connected progressive proscription paths.

In January, assembly ordered metropolis unit to constitute the report, aft a question from St. James Coun. Shawn Dobson, who said helium had received complaints from residents acrophobic astir information risks posed by electrical bicycles and scooters. 

That study concluded the Highway Traffic Act prevents the metropolis from mounting abstracted velocity limits connected paths moving adjacent to roadways, and it would beryllium hard to enforce connected paths successful different areas.

After the meeting, the protesters installed the shade motorcycle adjacent the spot connected Wellington wherever Jenner was killed.

Rachel Alguire wishes the metropolis spent much clip improving Wellington rather than studying active proscription velocity limits.

"The metropolis continues to hold things to nary end. And I look astatine this achromatic shade motorcycle and I think, who volition beryllium the adjacent idiosyncratic that volition beryllium killed by a motorist connected this street?" she said.

Public works seat Janice Lukes says councillors person galore competing priorities, and metropolis unit privation to marque definite that the changes they marque to Wellington Crescent are the close ones.

"Sure, a idiosyncratic could slap successful something, but if it isn't proper, that's not good," the Waverley West councillor said. "So they are taking their clip to marque definite what they enactment successful is adequate."

The nationalist works committee volition instrumentality up the substance again connected June 12, more than 1 twelvemonth after Jenner's death.