Enhanced Summer Bike Route Program

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in April 2020, the City of Winnipeg opened its four annual Sunday/Holiday Active Transportation Routes for daily use between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to accommodate increased outdoor activity while also accommodating social distancing. These routes, which were known as open streets, provided a traffic-calmed environment by restricting vehicle traffic to one block at a time and were used by pedestrians and cyclists. In June 2020, the Public Service expanded the pilot program to include five additional routes and at the same time removed one of the original routes  at the request of its respective area residents. 

In September 2020, Winnipeggers – particularly those who use the open streets and those who live adjacent to them – were asked to provide feedback on the pilot program to help the Public Service better understand their usage, challenges, and future opportunities. 

Based on this feedback and the continued COVID-19 pandemic, City Council approved a second pilot program for 2021 that included 13 additional routes and expanded operating hours for both the new streets and the existing four Sunday/Holiday Bike Routes. These 17 streets were collectively called the Enhanced Summer Bike Route Program. The pilot program ran on these streets from early May through November 5, 2021.