How much is a human life worth?
Just a couple of weeks ago I was on Bike Talk, a provocative podcast out of L.A. talking about one of our more contentious intersections in Winnipeg: Assiniboine and Main. One of the things that I said was “What if someone dies here?”
This past week, on June 6, 2024, a 19-year-old driver killed a 61-year-old man who was cycling to work in the morning. The driver was speeding down a contentious stretch of road, a known gap in our cycling network. Read the full release from The City of Winnipeg here.
Though this was not the intersection I referred to on the podcast, it just highlights that we have more than one or twenty dangerous stretches in our city.
One of the questions that Danton Unger of CTV News asked me was “Was there a feeling of shock and horror when you heard the news?” My reply was that I was horrified, but not shocked.
We have a lovely cycling community here in Winnipeg. Some of us don our lycra and race on the weekends, others bike to work, and some ride at the park with their kids on the weekend. Then there are those of us who do all three, and more and more are choosing to bike everywhere, all the time, and live a car-lite life as much as possible. Yes, even in winter.
No matter what “kind” of cycling we do, we can all tell you stories about near-misses, a collision, or times drivers have told us to get off the road and intimidated us with their vehicles. We all have our least favourite routes and painted bike lanes.
The same was probably the case for Rob Jenner, the beloved family man who loved his ride to work. “He knew cycling in this city could be dangerous but he loved it – he always left early, and he was very safety conscious. He always cycled in his bright yellow safety gear, wore a helmet that had flashing lights and followed all the proper safety measures while on the road.” Read more of his family’s statement.
When we heard of the crash, the protest came together fast and furious. All types of cyclists united to show drivers and city councillors that we had enough and that our safety could no longer be simply an optional line in the city’s budget.
You can read more about the protest in the links below.
The real question that’s on everyone’s mind is “What happens now?” Every media outlet had one question they repeated over and over: “Do you think the city is listening?”
Photo by Daniel Perry
I sure hope so but that’s where you come in. In order to effect change, we need to prove to our councillors that there are enough of us who want change and we want it now. Please make your voice heard by submitting a letter to your councillor. Follow this link to download a sample letter and change it up if you want. The instructions are all on there on how to mail or email your councillor and the Mayor.
If you have any problems with it at all, please email me using the contact form below and I’ll give you some guidance. If you want to get involved in advocacy in Winnipeg, please indicate that in the contact form and I’ll hook you up.
Thank you.
Patty Wiens, Bike Mayor of Winnipeg
