Recently I returned to Winnipeg from a three-week holiday on the outside. Upon my return, however, I was distressed to discover that — whereas there was evidence to be had that much of the rest of the world was moving forward, transportation-wise, Winnipeg had ground to a halt.
On closer inspection, make that: gone backwards!
I refer to the official release on January 27th of TransPlan 2010. In 1993, the Provincial government directed the City of Winnipeg to produce this glossy volume by the end of 1994. It was finally presented slightly in excess of three years past the date on which it was originally due. Conceived as a companion piece to the City's master land-use guidebook — Plan Winnipeg: Toward 2010 — its main purpose is to set priorities as to what types of transport facilities should be built during the first decade of the coming millenium, as well as decreeing where they should be situated.
From the outset, the structure of the entity that was established to deliver TransPlan caused many in the community to doubt the validity or usefulness of the entire exercise:
- the steering committee was handpicked by the Mayor's office and the Minister of Urban Affairs,
- membership on the advisory committee was by invitation only and read like a Who's Who of representatives of all of the transport carriers, regulatory agencies, vehicle dealerships, construction contractors, engineering consultant firms, and land developers (described as "stakeholders") that collectively may be held responsible for inflicting the transportation system on Winnipeggers that we all have come to know so well (and, have suffered for so long).
- the technical support team consisted exclusively of traffic engineers from Winnipeg's notoriously troglodytic Streets & Transportation Department (abetted by a number of private consultants who are regularly commissioned to perform work on behalf of the latter Department): no officials who are involved with transit, cycling, or pedestrian interests were summoned to serve.
Sensing that the "fix" might be in, few of the token (and hugely outnumbered) sampling of invitees from environmental and community groups agreed to participate.
Even given all that, nothing within the experience of the most case-hardened of us would have conditioned us to expect a report and set of recommendations as abysmal as those handed down several weeks ago. The cause of balanced, environmentally-responsive and sustainable transportation in Winnipeg can be said to have been set back 50 years; indeed, the report should be more accurately titled, TransPlan 1955!
Regarding its actual contents: there isn't sufficient space in a year's worth of newsletters to adequately begin to respond to them (point by mind-numbing point). However, quoting a few representative passages that leap from the page to assault the sensibilities of any readers with the slightest shred of environmental awareness or intellectual fair-mindedness should suffice to provoke anxiety and outrage.
Traffic flow and operating constraints on major streets and highways (e.g. restrictive speed limits, on-street parking and loading, turning restrictions)... would be subject to changes in the adjacent development, particularly to opportunities to limit or reduce the conflict through redesign or relocation of the affected land use." - (page 85)
Projected rates of growth and development are such that the great majority of home/work travel will continue to involve existing low-density residential neighbourhoods and relatively dispersed employment areas — a land-use pattern that — short of a significant increase in transit fares or subsidies and a reduction in the convenience enjoyed by automobile users, cannot be served effectively by public transit. - (page 88)
[T]here should be a balance between funding of transit-oriented and automobile-oriented infrastructure improvements. The funding balance should consider the preference for automobiles implicit in the present split between bus ridership and automobile use. - (page 88)
The cost of development of the Southwest Transit Corridor is estimated to be $80 million. The benefits to southwest Winnipeg would include a reduction in on-the-bus travel time and a modest improvement in traffic capacity on Pembina Highway. These benefits translate into faster service for transit riders and the offer of a more competitive transit alternative for automobile users... However, the potential for a significant reduction in automobile dependence for any trip is uncertain. Automobile use continues to offer greater flexibility... - (page 90)
Given the substantial cost and uncertain benefit of the transit corridor program, and that forecast traffic levels can be adequately managed through strategic investment in the major road and highway system..., investments in transit infrastructure during the timeframe of TransPlan 2010 should be confined... to improvement of existing bus-transit service... This service would rely principally on buses utilizing the existing major radial street system that serves downtown Winnipeg. - (pages 90, 91)
With its steady decline over the past 15 or 20 years, Portage Avenue has moved from its earlier status as a "grand boulevard" to that of a thoroughfare. For many, instead of a destination, it is an area that must be crossed as quickly as possible on the way to another location. The concrete barriers at Portage and Main ensure that traffic is not impeded by pedestrians... The prohibition of parking on Portage Ave. from Memorial Blvd. to Main St. has certainly improved manoeuvrability for buses but has further reduced the "people presence. - (page 115)
The flood of 1997 and the resultant need to close the Provencher Bridge for repairs illustrated the importance of this crossing for centre-ville businesses, particularly those situated on or near Boulevard Provencher. It also further reinforced the decision by Winnipeg City Council to commence the initial steps of replacing the present bridge... with a new structure and recommended connection to downtown via York/St. Mary that is more compatible with the revitalization of Centre-ville de Saint Boniface. - (page 119, 120)
In the next issue of Eco-Journal, I'll probe the psyche of the perpetrators of these would-be human and environmental affronts — in an attempt to illuminate why they would feel confident and justified in so brazenly disregarding the views of Winnipeggers (even as those are portrayed in the text of TransPlan itself)...Stay tuned!
Editor's note: a copy of the TransPlan 2010 document is available in our Resource Centre. Also, a new group has formed in Winnipeg to respond to TransPlan, contact Jeff Lowe, via the Eco-Network office 947-6511 for more information.