Transport in Winnipeg
[1] Transportation structures within the city are the responsibility of the Winnipeg government's Public Works Department.
The common method of transportation on these waterways during this time were often birch bark canoes generally used by the Indigenous peoples, while European traders would tend to use York boats.
[citation needed] Overland transport in the 19th century was often by ox-drawn Red River cart, which could be built and maintained using only locally obtained material.
[3] First constructing bridges in order to cross the Red and the Assiniboine rivers, the early growth of Winnipeg saw the need for additional structures to be built; either to either go over (overpasses) or go under (underpasses) railroad tracks and/or roadways.
[3] The Department's Bridge Operations Branch is responsible for the "inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of all bridges; overpasses; underpasses, major culverts; overhead traffic sign support structures, roadside safety installations, and related structures" in Winnipeg.
[6] One noted feature of Winnipeg's urban road network is Confusion Corner, a complex intersection where four arterial roads and a special Winnipeg Transit bus lane are funnelled into a rhomboid-shaped loop of one-way streets at a junction with Osborne Street.
On a separate note, photo traffic enforcement in the city may be used in any school zone within Winnipeg, regardless of whether there is a speed reduction.
[3] Today, the Bridge Operations Branch of the Department of Public Works is responsible for the "inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of all bridges; overpasses; underpasses, major culverts; overhead traffic sign support structures, roadside safety installations, and related structures" in Winnipeg.
Beginning in 1958, the primarily suburban Metropolitan council proposed a system of freeways, including one that would have bisected the downtown area.
It was not implemented as a concerted undertaking, but construction of major traffic corridors follows the study to this day, including expressways such as Route 165/Abinojii Mikanah, although most are in the form of urban arterial roads, and no freeways are likely to be constructed within the urban area anytime soon.
These include: On 14 April 2009, Prime Minister Stephen Harper with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer announced at James Richardson that both the federal and provincial governments would contribute CA$212.5 million towards a divided four-lane expressway called CentrePort Canada Way.
Created as a hub for national and international trading corridors, as well as to attract new transportation logistics development to the city area,[15] CentrePort Canada Way has since been completed and links Inkster Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway.
[19] Winnipeg Transit operates a fleet of approximately 585, all of which are low-floor easy-access buses, covering 89 routes throughout the city.
For decades, the city has explored the idea of a rapid transit link, either bus or rail, from downtown to the University of Manitoba's suburban campus.
[26] Every year, the Winnipeg government dedicates funds to improve, upgrade, and expand upon the city's pedestrian and cycling networks.
Moreover, the Public Works Department of the City of Winnipeg recommends an annual list of projects in the Pedestrian and Cycling Action Plan.
[28] The city also has a number of multi-use paths, which are paved or unpaved routes shared by both pedestrians and cyclists and are physically separated from motor vehicles.
These lanes can be protected or painted, but are always separated with a yellow line to signify the opposing direction of travel.
[31] The City of Winnipeg publishes an annual cycling map, typically available in public libraries, bike retailers, hotels, and other tourist hotspots, as well as online.
From 1937 to 1949, the airport was the headquarters and site of the national maintenance base of Air Canada, which has since moved to Montreal-Dorval.
The freight terminal of the Winnipeg International is part of the CentrePort Canada dry port, offering 24/7 worldwide air cargo operations.
As of February 2021[update], CentrePort Canada is in the middle of developing its "Rail Park" on 665 acres (2.69 km2) of land, providing colocation services for rail-oriented companies.
[20] Splash Dash is a water taxi shuttle service, created in the summer of 1992 after the Forks opened, that runs between various downtown areas.
[45] Splash Dash has struggled to operate since opening, due to the problem of high water on both the Red and Assiniboine Rivers during most years.
After the ice melt in spring, it may take several weeks, sometimes until late June or early July, for the waters of the two rivers to recede enough to allow the installation of the fixed and floating portions of the docks in use.
Expansion plans had earlier called for the Splash Dash to run as far west as the Sherbrook-Maryland Bridge by 2007.
[46] The Peg City Car Co-op is a carsharing (cooperative) service that includes 130 vehicles and over 3600 members.
[2] In 2023, the co-op announced they will be adding 35 additional vehicles and launch free-floating car sharing in Winnipeg.
[50] Ride-sharing services in the city include My Cab App by Greencity, ReRyde, Uride, WinRyde and Uber.
Founded in 2003 and incorporated as a non-profit in 2017, the WTA says that its biggest priority for the past 5 years has been to "accelerate trail development" into downtown Winnipeg; to incorporate "sustainable transportation in long term planning, including inevitable connections along major commercial corridors;" and to fix the considerable "lack of recreational and transportation options in Winnipeg’s Northwest quadrant.
