Last spring, I attended the Mayor's Symposium on a Sustainable Winnipeg that launched the year-long Speak Up Winnipeg consultation. Mayor Sam Katz reiterated the theme of connectedness as essential to developing Winnipeg sustainably. Unfortunately, much of our biking infrastructure visibly lacks that quality of connectedness. We have some great resources, but small intermittent gaps prevent many cyclists from utilizing them to their full potential. We hope that the new 20 million dollars federal matched funds for active transportation announced this week will do much to rectify these holes.

Two weeks ago, I had the chance to try out the recently developed Pioneer Greenway up Raleigh in the North East quadrant of the city. The path itself is a marvel of sustainability, well separated from road traffic, with good crossings at major intersections. It is well used by local residents. Nearby, the Seine River Greenway and TransCanada trail connect to St Boniface, the Forks and beyond. I was disappointed to discover that a small gap along Archibald left me the choice of riding up a narrow highway or diverting a several blocks through an industrial park.

So long as such gaps persist, commuters will be unlikely utilize trails to their full potential. Paths will be used as recreational trails rather than daily routes and their ability to take a load off traffic infrastructure and reduce greenhouse gases will be limited. We have an opportunity now that 20 million dollars has been ponied up to fill in those gaps. Now the onus is on the City to make use of those funds as quickly and efficiently as possible.