Bike Winnipeg and Safe Speeds Winnipeg presents

Bike for the Future! 

The City of Winnipeg is starting consultations with the public on priorities for the next 4-year budget.  Come ride with us and let city hall know that investing in sustainable mobility is your priority! 

When: June 24, 10am

Where: The Manitoba Legislature.  Near the fountain on the south side of the property.  

Link to our Facebook event: Coming Soon.

Why? Because our climate is warming, and we need our municipal government to make walking and rolling safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities! 

What is Bike for the Future? 

Bike for the Future was first held in August of 2021 in response to cuts to active transportation funding and the need to create safe speeds for active transportation users in our neighborhoods. 

We are a group of concerned citizens advocating for safe spaces for our friends and families to actively commute. Walking and cycling are the two most environmentally friendly modes of transportation and need to play a key role in our greenhouse gas reductions. Transportation makes up 50% of Winnipeg’s emissions (https://winnipeg.ca/sustainability/ClimateChange.stm).     

We are in the midst of a climate emergency. Extreme weather events are happening more frequently. Locally weather extremes are having a negative impact on agriculture. Every day when we turn on our radios and TV’s we see and hear how our global neighbors are suffering from a host of extreme weather events being amplified by anthropogenic climate change. We have had enough foot dragging by all levels of government. They have a responsibility to make walking and riding a bike the easiest way to get around within and between our communities.    

Winnipeggers need a transportation system that allows them to safely, comfortably, and conveniently travel from point a to point b, and they need access to safe bike storage.  Currently 60% of Winnipeggers feel walking and cycling is unsafe. To make it safe and comfortable, motorized vehicles need to drive slowly on our residential roads (no more than 30 km/h). We need separated and protected spaces on routes with higher vehicle speeds and we need plenty of places to safely cross busy streets and rail lines in a reasonable amount of time.    

1) We demand that the city start making investments on par with need and non-budget public policy in our cycling and walking strategy. The United Nations has recommended that cities spend 20 percent of their transportation budget on active travel. – https://cyclingindustry.news/united-nations-call-for-at-least-20-of-transport-budgets-for-cycling-and-walking/  

2) The city and province need to work out how to lower the default speed limit to 30 km/h immediately.  City engineers can set higher speeds on collector and arterial routes where appropriate. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/speed-limit-reduce-winnipeg-30-km-1.5386329  

3) The city and province need to get a handle on bicycle theft by addressing the root causes of theft. There is an epidemic of bike thefts which discourage people from actively commuting. Providing better mental health supports, living wages and a universal basic income as well as installing more secure solutions for people on bikes could go a long way to reducing bike theft and encourage more people to actively commute. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/bike-winnipeg-theft-survey-1.6408326