TRUWinnipeg.org

Another supporter of underground rapid transit for Winnipeg. This blog post from Marck came during the 2006 Civic Election:

Progressive Retrospective – 1959 Winnipeg Subway Proposal – Can We Do It NOW?

With the upcoming City of Winnipeg elections only a few weeks away, there is a certain excitement in the air. One does not have to look too far to realize the hard work many of the candidates and their supporters have put into their respective campaigns. The colourful lawn signs of all political stripes are everywhere. The candidates are appearing on various forms of media. All are vying to get our attention and ultimately our votes to put them into office. When I step into the polling booth on October 25, I hope that I would have done everything to know about the individuals who are potentially going to make decisions in my behalf in their respective political positions. Thus, in order to make an informed choice, it would be ideal if I prioritize the issues which are not only significant at personal level. Issues that affect all Winnipeg residents must take precedence.

System One issue that is really close to my heart, as well as many Winnipeggers, is public transportation. I currently own a 3-year old small-sized car but for most of my life, I’ve been taking the Winnipeg Transit. For a long time it was a matter of economics, however, I am now convinced that there are many other reasons (environmental and convenience) which make commuting quite advantageous. As a matter of fact, I would still rather take the bus than drive if the time of my appointment and distance of destination permit.

There is a remarkable website, truwinnipeg.org, in which I found the 1959 recommendations of Mr. Norman D. Wilson (an engineer who designed the Toronto subway system) in improving the structure of our city’s public transportation. According to Mr. Wilson, “The main problem in Winnipeg as elsewhere is that of street congestion, brought about by increasing population and business development and by an increasing use of private automobiles; as also by the physical characteristics of the metropolitan area which funnel all traffic into and through the business downtown. As these conditions increase in intensity, it will be impossible for the transit system to provide satisfactory or even worthwhile service through the central area.” (Future Development of the Greater Winnipeg Transit System, Norman D. Wilson, www.uwto.org/documents/transit_1959normanwilson.html). Finalmap

From the article, “Big Box Culture Due to Fail,” by Dallas Hansen in the April 22, 2006 issue of the Winnipeg Free Press, “Had we followed Wilson’s plan, the subway would have been completed by 1980. If we don’t get to work digging now, when oil is still reasonably priced, a subway decades in the future will be an economic impossibility. Those who say Winnipeg first needs more people fail to recognize the obvious fact that, without a properly functioning urban environment, which only true (grade-separated rail) rapid transit can induce, Winnipeg will continue to stagnate… Those who dismiss the exorbitant costs of subway construction need to ask themselves: What are the costs of failing to build?”

Thus, a question I would like to respectfully pose in this column is whether our potential leaders at City Hall grasp the social, environmental, and economic implications of public transportation to many of Winnipeg’s present and future citizens? When elected, do they have the political vision and will to push for major changes (with provincial and federal help) which will definitely have tremendous consequences on the development of our beloved city?

October 18, 2006

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