West Winnipeg Business Review

10 THE ASSINIBOIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • SPRING 2024 B usinesses in west Winnipeg and throughout the City of Winnipeg will soon have anoth- er way to reach customers and attract employees: Winnipeg's revamped transit system. The system is undergoing a complete overhaul that will make it possible to travel any- where in the city at any time through the Winnipeg Transit Master Plan, or WTMP. While the current system is focused on getting to and from downtown, the improved system is de- signed to make transit an easy, affordable and green option to get to places that might not have been as accessible before. "There's a large group of people who never take transit and who wouldn't even consider taking transit because the system just doesn't work for them," says Björn Rådström, manager of service development at Winnipeg Transit. "The idea with this new network is that not only will it make things better and more convenient for the existing riders, but it will open everything up to this large number of people who don't take transit right now because they simply can't." In consultations with the public, the inability to bus home from work should an unexpected issue arise—like a sick kid who needs to be picked up from school or a family emergency—was identified as a major reason people don't use transit to commute. "With all-day service, especially on the major corridors, there will be something available for you," says Rådström. "You can take a bus and get home to be able to deal with whatever comes up." Another challenge has been the city's rapid growth. Research into the WTMP began shortly before the COVID-19 pan- demic, with Winnipeg Transit looking to find ways to accommodate this growth. New areas didn't have transit service, while other areas didn't have enough. Buses were overloaded and frequently late. Many riders didn't even know how to use the system. "More and more people moving to the city meant more pressure, but also more and more people who needed to learn about the system," says Kevin Sturgeon, project manager for the WTMP at Winnipeg Transit. "And, the system is very complicated. It hasn't changed in a long time." As pressure on the existing system increased, the City of Winnipeg allocat- ed funding to deal with it. Funding for planning was granted in 2018, with the WTMP's early stages rolling out in 2019. Navigating change with Winnipeg's transit revamp By Trina Rehberg Boyko The plan revolves around redesigning the transit route network and recognizing the need to create resiliency. Björn Rådström, manager of service development Winnipeg Transit A S S I N I B O I A C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E Björn Rådström (Submitted)

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