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This article was published 2/10/2014 (2180 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis vowed to boost the city's annual spending on bike lanes and walkways each year of her term.

Wasylycia-Leis said city hall budgeted $1 million on new commuter bike lanes this year and she would add another $4 million each year of her term.

"Active transportation must be part of any new construction project," Wasylycia-Leis said during a Thursday morning news conference on a bike path at the intersection of Sterling Lyon Parkway and Shaftesbury Boulevard.

The front-runner in the Winnipeg mayoral race said Winnipeg has been creating more bike lanes and walkways (also known as active transportation) but said the city has to be more aggressive getting them built.

"When people walk and cycle to their destination they make themselves healthier and reduce wear and tear on our infrastructure."

Wasylycia-Leis said the $4 million for bike lanes and paths will come from the $60 million she has promised to add to the city's annual infrastructure budget.

Wasylycia-Leis's active transportation (AT) plan includes:

Incorporating AT components in new construction.

Connecting the city's various bike path networks and linking new ones to existing paths.

Make sidewalk snow clearing a priority.

Alter the length of traffic signals to allow pedestrians and wheelchair users more time to cross intersections.

Require developers to focus on walkways in all new suburban developments.

A comprehensive education plan to help motorists, cyclists and pedestrians accommodate each other as bike lanes and walkways are expanded.

Wasylycia-Leis was also only partly correct on the amount of funding city hall now allocates to active transportation. In addition to the $1 million for dedicated commuter bike lanes this year, the city also budgeted $500,000 for wider, recreational walkways that can accommodate bikes; and $250,000 for regional sidewalk construction.

Aside from the financial commitments, much of Wasylycia-Leis's active transportation plan is part of city hall's existing strategy: bike paths are required to be part of all new roads and roadways upgrades; and, there is an active transportation coordinator with an active transportation advisory committee.

One of the last moves of the current council was to change the snow clearing strategy, including early clearing of busy residential sidewalks, which used to be cleared last.

Wasylycia-Leis said the Sherbrook Street makeover is the model for how she would like to see existing roadways altered to accommodate bike lanes.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca