Winnipeg‘s Transit woes: A French Fable
Jesse Hourie and Amanda Murdoch, a married couple with a shared passion for travel and a keen eye for civic comparison, recently embarked on a journey through France. Their experiences, from navigating bustling city streets to traversing the countryside, served as a potent allegory for questioning Winnipeg’s own approach to transportation.
Their exploration of Hauts-de-France and Normandy necessitated a rental car, a stark contrast to Winnipeg’s less developed transit system. This proved essential for reaching sites like Vimy Ridge, located away from urban centers. The authors highlight a significant difference in driving culture: French roundabouts, while initially daunting, are made manageable by the attentiveness of drivers, cyclists, and e-scooters, all operating within 30 km/h zones. This contrasts sharply with winnipeg,were drivers,often distracted,struggle with even familiar roundabouts. The slower French speed limits, coupled with attentive drivers, provide a crucial buffer for unexpected situations, such as navigation apps leading drivers astray.
parking presented it’s own set of challenges and insights. The authors discovered that in France, even with limited street parking in core areas, parking meters are still a common sight. They also recount the surprising experience of accessing hotel parking by driving over a sidewalk and a bike lane, a testament to the different urban planning approaches.
Highway driving in france was described as refreshingly polite. Drivers adhere to speed limits, and slower vehicles are courteously passed in the left lane, a stark contrast to the tailgating frequently enough observed in Winnipeg. Mid-highway roundabouts, despite sudden speed reductions, are navigated with the same driver attentiveness, with no instances of aggressive “R-cuts” observed.
The transition to train travel for Mont Saint-Michel revealed a gap in French public transport,as evening services from the nearest station were unavailable. This led to the observation that hotels in the area cater to car-dependent travelers with ample surface parking.
A particularly impressive display of foresight occured on their return to Paris. When a connecting train was cancelled, the rail service proactively arranged bus coaches to transport all passengers to their onward connections, a level of proactive problem-solving that impressed the authors.
Upon reaching Paris, the couple tested the city’s public transit. While transfers between metro and bus lines are common, and metro cars can become crowded during peak hours due to line closures, the system is generally efficient and easy to navigate.The authors offer a practical tip for bus riders: sit in the front half of the bus to clearly see the screen displaying upcoming stops. Those in the back must rely on possibly unclear French GPS audio,a situation that echoes past issues with Winnipeg Transit’s communication.
Ultimately, the French travel experience prompted the authors to reflect on their own habits and winnipeg’s urban planning. They pose critical questions: “Are we too car-centric? Could we be more forgiving as drivers? Is transferring so bad?” These questions encourage a shift in perspective, urging Winnipeg to move away from the car-centric model exemplified by the St. Boniface Industrial Park‘s paris Street,and towards a more transit-oriented mindset akin to that of Parisian streets.
