Bike paths aren’t new in Winnipeg. In fact, our archives show one of the earliest by-laws to establish a bike path in the city dates back to 1898. From protected bike lanes to neighbourhood greenways, the bike routes around Winnipeg are always evolving.
This year marks a decade since our Pedestrian and Cycling Strategies were adopted by City Council. The strategies are a road map for a network of proposed bike routes. To mark the anniversary, Chris Baker, our Senior Active Transportation Planner, joined Our City, Our Podcast this month.
“Cycling offers so many benefits, not only for the person on the bike, but also the community,” said Baker.
On top of the health benefits, we know cycling can reduce traffic congestion because more people on bikes means less cars on the road.
"It’s also a way for us to reach our greenhouse gas reduction goals and Climate Action Plan.”
Guided by the strategies, we're designing and building kilometers of new bikeways and active transportation infrastructure every year. But not every street makes a good bike route. Baker cites Lagimodiere Boulevard as one example because of the large amount of industrial trucks that use it.
We want to make sure cyclists, pedestrians, and vehicles can comfortably move around our city.
“We do a lot of design work to understand potential impacts before we move ahead on expand the network,” he said.
Accessible loading zones
An example of that was when protected bike lanes were being added along River and Stradbrook Avenues.
“Adding a protected bike lane puts a curb in the road between where cars drive or load and the sidewalk,” said Baker. “This is an obstacle people have to navigate. That can be particularly challenging for people with accessible needs.”
Winnipeg Transit Plus data showed us spots where a lot of pick up and drop offs happen. on the stretch. Accessible loading zones were then made a part of the design.
“We’re trying something new here in terms of best practice bikeway design in in North America,” said Baker. He recently presented on these accessible loading zones at a national conference.
Neighbourhood greenways
Bike lanes aren’t the only way we’re expanding the cycling network. Neighbourhood greenways can be added relatively quickly and inexpensively. They’re essentially bike route on quieter residential roads with lower speed limit. We’ve recently expanded the program after successfully piloting the concept in a few areas.
“Cars and bikes share the road, but when we have that low speed and very low volumes, it creates a very comfortable cycling experience,” said Baker.
You can explore our interactive Cycling Network Map on our website to plan your next ride.
Our City, Our Podcast
Learn more about active transportation in Winnipeg by listening to Chris Baker on Our City, Our Podcast. This episode was released in March, 2025.