Tim Fennell
@timfennell.bsky.social
(He/Him) MB Canada. Surviving Stage 4 Bladder Cancer. Politically Progressive. I want safe streets. Too many hobbies. Peace 🍉
If it is truly for the movement of goods, what if during rush hours the new lanes are reserved for freight vehicles and buses? I wonder if the Mayor and his inner circle would support that. If they can't, they should admit the truth, they are building the lanes for commuter traffic.
December 14, 2025 at 8:49 PM
If it is truly for the movement of goods, what if during rush hours the new lanes are reserved for freight vehicles and buses? I wonder if the Mayor and his inner circle would support that. If they can't, they should admit the truth, they are building the lanes for commuter traffic.
No doubt it will during rush hours, which is less than 4 hours in 24. If the logic is that we are doing the added lanes for movement of goods, (4% of vehicles on R90) there are still 20 hours a day that movement of goods are not delayed....
December 14, 2025 at 8:46 PM
No doubt it will during rush hours, which is less than 4 hours in 24. If the logic is that we are doing the added lanes for movement of goods, (4% of vehicles on R90) there are still 20 hours a day that movement of goods are not delayed....
I wish people understood how much of a disaster his "balanced budget" is. A budget that digs us deeper into an infrastructure deficit to avoid a budget deficit is not a balanced budget.
December 14, 2025 at 3:03 PM
I wish people understood how much of a disaster his "balanced budget" is. A budget that digs us deeper into an infrastructure deficit to avoid a budget deficit is not a balanced budget.
I'm talking about overall safety of the system. Sidewalks that just end and no safe path to continue, intersections where there is poor visibility, high speeds in areas with many pedestrians, lack of pathways from bus stops to nearby buildings, slip turn lanes that create dangers for pedestrians.
December 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
I'm talking about overall safety of the system. Sidewalks that just end and no safe path to continue, intersections where there is poor visibility, high speeds in areas with many pedestrians, lack of pathways from bus stops to nearby buildings, slip turn lanes that create dangers for pedestrians.
I don't even own a bike. I'm primarily a pedestrian.
December 12, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I don't even own a bike. I'm primarily a pedestrian.
I'll finish by saying the Accessible Canada Act outlines these issues including safe pedestrian access. I didn't just invent this idea myself, it is literally the law.
December 12, 2025 at 8:28 PM
I'll finish by saying the Accessible Canada Act outlines these issues including safe pedestrian access. I didn't just invent this idea myself, it is literally the law.
Safe pedestrian access without a doubt is an important rights issue. Tested many times by Canadian courts even. I'm not sure what else to tell you. It is unclear why this idea is offensive to you, offending you was not my intention.
December 12, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Safe pedestrian access without a doubt is an important rights issue. Tested many times by Canadian courts even. I'm not sure what else to tell you. It is unclear why this idea is offensive to you, offending you was not my intention.
In Canada in our charter we have accessibility rights to healthcare, education, people with disabilities. Accessibility is 100% a human rights issue in Canada. In the USA? Not so much.
December 12, 2025 at 8:13 PM
In Canada in our charter we have accessibility rights to healthcare, education, people with disabilities. Accessibility is 100% a human rights issue in Canada. In the USA? Not so much.
I believe safe travel within your community on foot, for kids to school, patients to see doctors and for people with disabilities is a human rights issue. Building a city of car dependency has been the Winnipeg MO for too long.
December 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
I believe safe travel within your community on foot, for kids to school, patients to see doctors and for people with disabilities is a human rights issue. Building a city of car dependency has been the Winnipeg MO for too long.
I'm also organising folks to prepare for our next election so we can replace the politicians that have been negligent on this issue. Some have held seats for 20+ years. They are very difficult to unseat.
December 12, 2025 at 7:23 PM
I'm also organising folks to prepare for our next election so we can replace the politicians that have been negligent on this issue. Some have held seats for 20+ years. They are very difficult to unseat.
I raised it online because change only happens when people are aware. I do in fact speak at city hall on this issue regularly.
December 12, 2025 at 7:19 PM
I raised it online because change only happens when people are aware. I do in fact speak at city hall on this issue regularly.
I'm not arguing. These are all important things. Unfortunately they have been overlooked, and are still overlooked by our city. Hence the need to raise the issue.
December 12, 2025 at 7:17 PM
I'm not arguing. These are all important things. Unfortunately they have been overlooked, and are still overlooked by our city. Hence the need to raise the issue.
I should add that Winnipeg has a particularly high pedestrian death rate. More than double Toronto or Vancouver, and about 4 times London or Paris. This isn't just a "look both ways and you'll be safe" issue. This is to the point of negligence by the city to design safe systems.
December 12, 2025 at 7:16 PM
I should add that Winnipeg has a particularly high pedestrian death rate. More than double Toronto or Vancouver, and about 4 times London or Paris. This isn't just a "look both ways and you'll be safe" issue. This is to the point of negligence by the city to design safe systems.
Unfortunately not every city (Winnipeg) has sidewalks everywhere. Drivers don't yield to pedestrians at crossings. All roads are default 50km/h (30mph) but many drive faster. Kids exist, people with disabilities exist, elderly people exist and it is reasonable to ask for safety.
December 12, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Unfortunately not every city (Winnipeg) has sidewalks everywhere. Drivers don't yield to pedestrians at crossings. All roads are default 50km/h (30mph) but many drive faster. Kids exist, people with disabilities exist, elderly people exist and it is reasonable to ask for safety.
Unfortunately simply looking both ways doesn't eliminate the risk. There is certainly more that can be done to protect humans from vehicles. Lowering speeds, adding Ballards where pedestrians wait to cross. Providing more separation between vehicles and people. Not allowing right turns on reds....
December 12, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Unfortunately simply looking both ways doesn't eliminate the risk. There is certainly more that can be done to protect humans from vehicles. Lowering speeds, adding Ballards where pedestrians wait to cross. Providing more separation between vehicles and people. Not allowing right turns on reds....
I think you are overlooking the realities of living in a city. Even when you drive a car, the moment you step out of a car you become a pedestrian.
December 12, 2025 at 6:59 PM
I think you are overlooking the realities of living in a city. Even when you drive a car, the moment you step out of a car you become a pedestrian.
I think most cyclists and pedestrians would prefer to avoid travelling on or across roadways. Unfortunately sometimes you have to navigate the world in something other than a car.
December 12, 2025 at 6:55 PM
I think most cyclists and pedestrians would prefer to avoid travelling on or across roadways. Unfortunately sometimes you have to navigate the world in something other than a car.
Drivers assume that since they have never hit and killed a cyclist or pedestrian, that they are a good driver and if everyone else was a good driver the problem would go away.
December 12, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Drivers assume that since they have never hit and killed a cyclist or pedestrian, that they are a good driver and if everyone else was a good driver the problem would go away.
Drivers tend to view anything that slows their movement as an infringement on their rights as a taxpayer to drive their vehicle everywhere without restrictions.
December 12, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Drivers tend to view anything that slows their movement as an infringement on their rights as a taxpayer to drive their vehicle everywhere without restrictions.
They should be first in my view. They aren't put first for many reasons. Traffic engineers are trained to build for cars. Businesses don't tend to view, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users as their customers because some people wrongly assume people using those modes are poor.
December 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM
They should be first in my view. They aren't put first for many reasons. Traffic engineers are trained to build for cars. Businesses don't tend to view, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users as their customers because some people wrongly assume people using those modes are poor.
Drivers don't view the rapid bus route as "taking up a lane" they just don't think of it as taken away from drivers. But if that rapid bus route was a lane within the road, they would view that bus lane as taking away from cars.
December 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Drivers don't view the rapid bus route as "taking up a lane" they just don't think of it as taken away from drivers. But if that rapid bus route was a lane within the road, they would view that bus lane as taking away from cars.
But if you close a roadway to vehicles one block over where drivers can't see the route, they don't get as angry.
There is a stretch of road that often has backups and nearby but not directly on the same road there is a parallel rapid bus route that doesn't allow cars....
There is a stretch of road that often has backups and nearby but not directly on the same road there is a parallel rapid bus route that doesn't allow cars....
December 12, 2025 at 3:25 PM
But if you close a roadway to vehicles one block over where drivers can't see the route, they don't get as angry.
There is a stretch of road that often has backups and nearby but not directly on the same road there is a parallel rapid bus route that doesn't allow cars....
There is a stretch of road that often has backups and nearby but not directly on the same road there is a parallel rapid bus route that doesn't allow cars....
What I find interesting with respect to bike lanes Vs roadways closed to cars is that there is human response of "out of sight out of mind". If a driver is stuck in traffic and they look to their right and see a bike lane that seems empty, they feel like it is a waste of space....
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 PM
What I find interesting with respect to bike lanes Vs roadways closed to cars is that there is human response of "out of sight out of mind". If a driver is stuck in traffic and they look to their right and see a bike lane that seems empty, they feel like it is a waste of space....