Winnipeg councillors refuse to get on board with transit

In the weeks ahead, the Downtown Winnipeg BIZ is unveiling and promoting a recurring campaign called #BusIsBetter, which in their own words "promotes the convenience and reliability of transit." The campaign primarily seeks to support businesses in Winnipeg's downtown, which benefit from a plethora of bus routes crossing through our downtown, which also serves as the starting point for our only rapid transit line. In theory, by increasing awareness and use of public transit, the BIZ will increase pedestrian traffic downtown by pointing out the ease of leaving one's car at home, avoiding costly parking fees and reducing vehicular traffic.

These campaigns are nothing new; a similar motif can be found with campaigns like Bike to Work day, which encourages commuters to consider cycling to work. Public officials often partake in the fanfare of these public campaigns in order to raise the profile of the promotion and their own brand.

However, in a puzzling and extremely disappointing turn of events, only four members of city council have committed to participating in this commuter challenge.

In my time working with city council on the U-Pass program, a mandatory universal bus pass system for Winnipeg university students that comes into effect in September, or advocating for the construction of rapid transit, a frequent stumbling block in the larger discourse was the fact that most members of city council simply didn't regularly take the bus. The reasons varied; for some, transit didn't serve their area past a certain hour; for others, the inevitable hectic lifestyle of a politician, moving from meeting to event across the city throughout the day, didn't lend itself to taking the bus. Primarily though, the complaint from our civic leaders was that the bus simply didn't get you where you needed to go in a reasonable time frame. 

• Winnipeg university students give U-Pass the go-ahead

Why is this problematic? While many city council members may not willingly take the bus during this commuter challenge, the reality is that thousands of Winnipeggers don't have the luxury of choice in their daily transportation. Winnipeggers without the financial means to own a car and those with disabilities don't have the same options. For them, a daily commute means leaving the house earlier to make connections, taking valuable time away from their homes and family. These Winnipeggers have to face a transit system that pales in comparison to other cities, with fewer buses than other municipalities of similar size and poor service to the suburbs, alongside a Sunday schedule that unnecessarily lengthens trips with infrequent service and often a less-than-timely transfer. 

Public transit benefits all

It's no secret that the offerings of Winnipeg Transit leave much to be desired. Improvements are on the horizon, with progress on our rapid transit system alongside new protections for Winnipeg Transit drivers and riders and discussions about providing Wi-Fi and USB charging ports for commuters. By improving public transit options, Winnipeg can work with its citizens to address climate change by reducing greenhouse gases through cutting the number of single user vehicles on our roads, which will also cut our costs by reducing the wear and tear on Winnipeg's road system. Simply put, improving public transit stands to benefit all Winnipegers.

Members of city council are standing at a political crossroads. We can simply ignore this and continue to turn a blind eye to the longstanding issues our city has. Or city council could use this as a learning opportunity and personally experience a system that thousands of Winnipeggers rely on daily. The commuter challenge stands as a tremendous opportunity for council members to stand in solidarity and show an interest in the daily lives of our citizens. Councillors should show leadership by learning from their own experiences and making evidenced-based improvements to benefit all Winnipeggers. 

Zach Fleisher is a former chair of the Canadian Federation of Students in Manitoba. He was the NDP candidate in Tuxedo in the April 2016 provincial election.