A Winnipeg cyclist says he is angry after being ticketed for riding his bicycle on the sidewalk of the Osborne Street bridge.

Daniel Vermeulen says the $111 ticket he got this week for cycling on the sidewalk over the Osborne Street bridge seems 'absurdly high.' (CBC)

"It's quite high — absurdly high, if you ask me," Daniel Vermeulen said of the $111 ticket he received from police cadets on Tuesday, during his commute home from work, for cycling on the sidewalk.

Vermeulen said he crosses the bridge several times a day on his bike, but he feels riding on the roadway during busy traffic periods is too dangerous.

"The bridge is very narrow, and there's lots of construction," he told CBC News Wednesday.

"During rush hour, the traffic's insane. Everyone's rushing to get home."

The Osborne Street bridge has been a construction site over the past year, as both sides of the span undergo rehabilitation work.

Police issued warning

Winnipeg police issued an advisory last week, warning cyclists that riding on the sidewalk poses a safety risk to pedestrians, so they must dismount their bicycles and walk them around "problem areas" such as narrow roadways.

"Police will be conducting enforcement to ensure that all vehicles and cyclists comply with the Highway Traffic Act and related regulations," states the advisory from July 31.

But motorist Myron Knodel says he thinks cyclists should stay on the sidewalks because they pose a hazard to drivers when they're on the road.

"They [cyclists] should yield to pedestrians, though, and make sure that they alert them when they pass," Knodel said.

"But as far as giving tickets for just being on the sidewalk, I think that's going a little far."

As for Vermeulen, he said he will pay the ticket but he still won't ride on the road over the Osborne Street bridge, opting instead to walk his bicycle on the sidewalk.