Residents of St. Boniface have safety concerns about the Norwood Bridge, as some say it has several "ambush points" that leave passersby vulnerable to being attacked.

"There's a lot of dark spots, a lot of hiding places," said Kristy Miyanishi, 42, who cycles over the bridge regularly. "It's pretty scary."

The bridge, which connects St. Boniface to downtown Winnipeg, has trails underneath it filled with bush that Miyanishi and others say people hide or pass out in while intoxicated.

Miyanishi said she's often concerned she's going to be assaulted and has been scared by people who've popped out of the bush before.

"There's a lot of men who act somewhat aggressively in their behaviour," she said. "I just try to stay as far to the edge as I can. I try to make myself as visible as I can. I try not to make eye contact with anybody."

Condoms, glass shards

CBC News visited the bridge last Friday and saw condom wrappers, broken glass and alcohol bottles scattered under, around and on the bridge. A man was also seen urinating on a shed in between the bridge and trails underneath it.

A Winnipeg man says safety concerns surrounding the Norwood Bridge are likely keeping pedestrians and cyclists from using trails and walkways in the area. 0:47

Miyanishi's partner Trevor Sims, 53, said he's called 911 seven times since May about incidents around the bridge, including a sexual assault he says he saw earlier this year.

"The man appeared to be kind of grabbing the woman in an inappropriate way, and she seemed unable to respond when I was asking her whether she was OK," Sims said.

Remove 'ambush points,' improve safety

Sims is calling on the City of Winnipeg to remove shrubbery along trails underneath the bridge to cut down on "ambush points" he says are leaving cyclists and pedestrians vulnerable.

"There's a real perception of a lack of safety," he said.

St. Boniface Coun. Matt Allard has visited the bridge and said he has had some, but not all of the shrubbery removed from its trails.

"We're going to keep working on this with residents and our administration to find ways to better maintain the area," Allard said.

Allard said he has known about issues around the bridge for years. He said he remembers concerns being raised when he worked for former Winnipeg city councillor Dan Vandal in 2006 and again when he campaigned two years ago.

"I do recall the same type of issues being around, so this certainly has been something that's been around for a while, and something we're going to keep dealing with," Allard said.

Winnipeg police said they were unable to comment about the concerns raised before looking into the frequency of calls in the area.