Should taxis and HandiTransit vehicles be allowed to travel in Winnipeg’s diamond lanes whenever they wish?

A new motion requests city staff report on a possible pilot project to test that out. The lanes are currently reserved for transit buses and cyclists during set rush-hour periods.

“Taxis augment the public transportation network, so it makes a lot of sense,” said Michael Diamond, a spokesman for the Winnipeg Taxi Alliance. “It would allow for lower fares to some destinations because of faster response times.”

A local cycling advocate, however, fears the change comes with a safety risk.

Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said transit drivers are trained on how to safely pass cyclists, while cab drivers may not be. And higher traffic volumes could reduce the chances Winnipeggers will feel safe cycling on already busy routes, he added.

“Adding more traffic to the diamond lanes, it’s going to be more intimidating and it could deter more people from cycling,” said Cohoe.

Mayor Brian Bowman wasn’t immediately certain how he’d vote on such a change. But at first glance, he expressed concern that it could threaten both cyclists and transit riders.

“Obviously, introducing taxis in the diamond lanes could, I would think, pose a safety risk for cyclists as well as those using our transit services,” said Bowman.

But Diamond said the practice is already in place in several Canadian cities, where he believes it hasn’t triggered major safety issues.

“We wouldn’t be talking about a tremendous number of vehicles. In Toronto, a busy street can have taxis, cyclists and buses. They co-exist well,” he said.

Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski), who raised the motion, believes proposed conditions to exclude taxi pickups and drop offs from the lanes during peak travel times and to prohibit the added traffic from using the Graham Avenue transit corridor should help keep all riders and drivers safe.

“Right now, all motor vehicles are allowed to pull into the diamond lane to do a right-hand turn. If that hasn’t caused problems for cyclists now, this won’t cause a problem for cyclists,” said Eadie.

Eadie’s motion notes council’s executive policy committee once considered a report on allowing taxis to travel in diamond lanes back in 2010. But he said that motion never produced any lasting change.

The motion will be considered at council’s next public works committee meeting.

jpursaga@postmedia.com

Twitter: @pursagawpgsun