From: Kim the Traffic Reporter
I was contacted by a resident on the west end of Wellington Cres. which is by the Academy/Kenaston entrance. This resident (who for obvious reasons does not wish to be identified) revealed what the real story is behind the barricades being "vandalized". I shall refer to this person as "MS" (my source).
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MS has lived on Wellington Cres. off and on for many, many years, including prior to the bike path being installed.
The story begins at the time of the inception of the bike path on Wellington Cres., this was done sometime in the 1970's, MS does not recall the exact year.
The City approached the residents asking to put in this path, which would include the closure of the street to vehicles on Sundays and holidays, the residents agreed but with conditions.
The conditions were simple, all the residents wanted was to have access for themselves and their visitors, a gap the width of a vehicle was to be left for the residents to enter their neighbourhood.
The City agreed to the conditions and put in the bike path. According to this resident, that is when the problems began.
MS informed me that since the establishment of the bike path the "residents have had verbal set to's with cyclists".
I was told the cyclists began yelling at the residents who would be driving to and from their homes, this escalated to some of the cyclists slapping the cars.
According to MS this has been very intimidating for the seniors who live in this area and this type of behaviour continues to this day.
MS has even been followed home by cyclists and was harassed in the driveway by them for daring to drive a vehicle along the bike route.
After the altercations and confrontations began, MS told me one resident Dr. Noel Hurley (now deceased) who was the Provincial Epidemiologist at the time rallied the residents and forced the City to put up signs reminding cyclists that residents and their visitors had a right to use the roadway.
I was told that the signs "tend to disappear". Someone has been removing these signs. The residents themselves have been putting up signs on their properties and on the barricades, nicely and politely asking cyclists to share the roadway.
On Sundays the City comes along, puts up the barricades MS and other area residents have watched the City placing them, MS told me they always leave a gap wide enough for a vehicle to pass through. However, somehow the barricades get moved to cover the entire roadway, which is not even legal as according to MS (who has experience in these matters) "no street in the City can be barricaded from curb to curb unless there is an emergency". There are exceptions when permits are issued by the City for street closures.
This resident, along with other area residents have watched the cyclists move the barricades to close down the entire street. And this is where the vandalism comes in. Not long after the bike path was established, barricades put up, the cyclists began to move those barricades to completely close the street to vehicular traffic.
MS's father had a severe respiratory ailment which meant that he was unable to perform even light physical tasks. MS's father in order to get home would have to move those barricades out of the way causing this man to wheeze, trying to breathe after moving those barricades.
Since that time MS told me that whenever they came across the street completely barricaded "a couple of times a year", MS would take the barricade (which is located right at the curb at the corner of Academy and Wellington), walk it straight to the river, and drop it over the side of the bank.
In order for anyone to retrieve the barricade, they would have to hike down the riverbank, the area has very long grass and the barricades can't be seen from the path. I was also assured that the barricades never actually went into the river.
MS reasoned that if there weren't enough barricades, the cyclists wouldn't be able to completely block access to the street and their (the residents) homes. MS did say only one section was removed, though this person did admit there must a good collection of them by now.
I was told that the residents are very angry and at their wits end about the situation, that the original agreement is constantly being broken and that cyclists seem to feel they have all the rights on the street when the residents at the time didn't have to agree to allow this bike path through at all.
There are now few left who originally lived in the area at the time and many have passed on, however MS is attempting to locate a copy of the agreement, though somewhere the City should have copies.
The residents of Wellington Cres. agreed to share their neighbourhood with the cyclists, the residents don't want confrontations with the cyclists and are willing to co-exist with them, all they ask is the cyclists respect the fact that they will be sharing the roadway with vehicles and that residents along with their visitors be allowed access to their homes. MS doesn't believe they are asking to much. This is why the barricades have been vanishing all these years.
The people of this community allowed strangers to pass through, they didn't ask for the world, just to be let into their homes. Yet their neighbourhood was taken over, the people intimidated by those who felt they had a right to dictate to the residents who allowed them entry in the first place. It would appear Wellington Cres. set the stage for current events happening all over this City, streets and communities such as Berry, Sherbrook, Assiniboine and others.
It does seem as though a wealthy neighbourhood hasn't been spared the greed, selfishness and dictates of the bike groups.
So to the City of Winnipeg Public Works, now you know where to go find your missing barricades. Though you might want to bring some rope.
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Kim's thoughts: Perhaps a solution would be to put fewer barricades out so that the street can't be completely blocked altogether. Or is it going to have to come down to the residents fighting to remove this bike lane because of the abuses suffered by the cyclists? What will happen if the residents decide to fight back? There certainly is enough influence on those streets to maybe..maybe get it done.
This has been the story of a resident who is fed up with the behaviour of a group of people who want, want, want and even when given what they want don't appreciate it. Certainly not all of the cyclists are to blame. Many are respectful and greatly enjoy the area. But a few bad apples always spoil the barrel.
This resident decided long ago to take action to have free access to their home.
So a couple of times a year the City loses a few barricades, but at least the residents are able to get home.
