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The city is cracking down on drivers who park in designated bike lanes.
While tickets were typically doled out for the offence in the past, the Winnipeg Parking Authority has ramped up monitoring and is now towing offending vehicles due to “an increase in non-compliance,” the city confirms.
The heightened enforcement was welcomed by a local cyclist, who says parked vehicles pose a near daily nuisance and safety hazard on an already-limited bike lane network.
“On the weekend, a number of times I’ve encountered parked vehicles on Garry (Street) or the Assiniboine (Avenue) bike lanes and… then I’m kind of negotiating the road with the kids and that’s not really desirable. I want to have that separated space for the kids and I to ride safely,” said Ian Walker, who relies on cycling as his main form of transportation and often attaches a cart to his bike.
“You’re mixing vehicles in with traffic in areas where they aren’t meant to mix… There might be cars driving on the street, then you have to negotiate your way out to the street (to avoid a parked car).”
“On the weekend, a number of times I’ve encountered parked vehicles on Garry (Street) or the Assiniboine (Avenue) bike lanes and… then I’m kind of negotiating the road with the kids and that’s not really desirable.”–Local cyclist
Walker, who serves as advocacy chair for Bike Winnipeg and manages its social media accounts, said online reports of such problems are nearly constant. He said parked cars are a particularly dangerous obstacle for folks using mobility devices in bike lanes and on streets with one-way motorized vehicle traffic, which adds confusion when bikes are forced to depart from designated lanes.
Walker said stricter enforcement is necessary to address the problem.
“I don’t think it’s a new rule not to park in a travel lane…. Parking in a bike lane is no different from parking on an arterial route where people are trying to drive their cars…. If you’re going to drive a vehicle, you’re responsible for knowing where you can leave it,” he said.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of council’s public works committee, said the changes are needed to protect cyclists as more vulnerable road users and encourage more Winnipeggers to use active transportation.
“Vehicles parked in bike lanes… (have) been a problem all along and it’s growing because more and more people are out biking (and) we’re putting more bike lanes in,” said Lukes, noting she sees frequent social media complaints about the parked cars.
“I just really feel ticketing and towing needs to be ramped up to get more (results).”
MIKE THIESSEN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Cyclists on the Assiniboine Avenue bike lane. The city is cracking down on drivers who park their vehicles in bike lanes, moving from leaving tickets to towing them away.
The city distributed 57 tickets for the offence in 2022. That number has already reached 73 in 2023, with several months left in the year. The penalty is $70, which drops to $52.50 for early payment.
“Parking in a manner that obstructs bike lanes can pose safety issues, as these lanes are intended to provide cyclists with a defined space and notify motorists that cyclists have a right to the road. If vehicles are parked in a way that obstructs a bike lane, cyclists are required to merge with traffic, which can increase collision risks,” city spokesman David Driedger said in an emailed statement.
Lukes said additional patrols are now monitoring bike lanes to check for parked vehicles. Driedger said no additional staff have been hired or transferred for that purpose but existing employees have increased monitoring.
“Although the offence has been in effect and enforced since 2016, the Winnipeg Parking Authority has noted an increase in non-compliance and, as such, has made a more proactive effort to monitor bike lanes for parking compliance and to ensure cyclist safety,” wrote Driedger.
Lukes hopes the change extends beyond the busy summer active-transportation season to make bike routes as easy to use as possible.
“These visual elements denote that spaces are specifically for bike travel and not for vehicles, either in motion or parked.”–David Driedger
“(Cycling) is better for the environment, it’s better for the roads (than driving)… if we can provide safe, open accessible infrastructure, we have to strive for that,” she said.
The councillor said she hopes ticketing and towing can help speed up a change in driver behaviour and awareness of the issue, since most Winnipeg bike lanes have been added within the last decade, making them relatively new infrastructure.
Under a city bylaw, specific “no parking” signs are not required to prohibit drivers from parking vehicles in bike lanes, though visible signs, road markings and/or curbs indicate where cycling lanes are located.
“These visual elements denote that spaces are specifically for bike travel and not for vehicles, either in motion or parked,” wrote Driedger.
He noted drivers are also expected to know other parking rules whether signs are present or not, including rules that prevent parking within a set distance of fire hydrants, stop signs or crosswalks.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga
Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved. Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020.
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