July 29 2024- Teenager Leads The Charge Against City Imposed St. B Bike Path

The Great Canadian Talk Show

Episode 11 features an interview with Sophie Hildebrandt about her petition to "Open Up Lyndale Drive".

The 19 year old is leading the fight in her neighborhood against City Hall- and as we reported in the Winnipeg Sun, the city's own data backs up their position.

Only TGCTS has investigated the pushback against bike lane plans for the Route 19 truck route corridor ("Moving on Marion") and for Provencher Blvd.

Now, a third front has emerged in St. Boniface after too many residents were harassed and abused by cyclists and the City ignored the result of their own poorly executed and designed public consultation.

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Norwood Flats is bordered by St. Mary's Road on the east and ringed by Lyndale Drive which runs alongside the Red River, where there's a park and newly built AT path.

Continuing a pandemic-era policy, the City has imposed summer restrictions on traffic that divert vehicles through narrow residential streets with schools, buses, parked cars, and kids. Sounds safe, eh?

Because the Flats isn't laid out in a grid, some people can't get to their houses any other way, yet get threatened with tickets by police. Meanwhile, homeowners get harassed by cyclists who mistakenly think the Drive is reserved for their personal use.

6.05 - "I want the barricades gone," says Sophie Hildebrandt, and she's not alone. With 186 people already signed, the St. Boniface Facebook groups are chattering.

Marty Gold asks her about the reasons she started a petition, the effect of traffic detoured past schools, and the confusion for delivery vehicles and even Post Office drivers to find addresses so complicated even Google Maps aren't accurate.

14.00 - Hear how a police officer declined to write up a $200 ticket on Sophie and on another neighbour "because he could tell I had no other way to get to my house." That's what led her to start the petition.

"Even the cops who the city are employing to patrol the neighborhood and pull over only the locals who use this road, think it's redundant. They don't understand why they're there."

17.45 Part 2- Sophie was urged by her parents to take action.

"Right after I got pulled over, I said yes. So I called my city councilor, sent him an email, and started a petition."

"I've been complaining about this since the second it was put into place... it's still actively making our lives harder."

Even though she took the City survey, she was never notified of the results.

You'll hear her reaction to the actual percentages- and on ActionLine.ca you can see the survey results, after bureaucrats suspiciously failed to surpass 10% participation among the 3200 residents in Norwood Flats.

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24.20 - A clear majority of neighborhood residents wanted Lyndale Drive re-opened and a study done before a closure was considered.

As we explain, bureaucrats included the overwhelming support of 70 cyclists- mathematically tipped the scales against the will of the community.

That's how Norwood Flats got rooked.

32.00- Sophie tells of the intimidation of families using their cars from the other road users- and describes how Coun. Allard did not reply to her multiple calls and emails.

36.00 - She urges anyone interested to email her at [e-mail]. (The petition is now at 246 supporters.)

Sophie can augment the petition with the City survey results- that Matt Allard himself didn't understand - proving that the neighborhood wanted the street barriers removed and a new study done.

City Council voted to do one but won't pony up the cash to pay for it.

"I've been trying to get in contact with the Mayor's office... Here is proof there are hundreds of people who feel the same way I do."