That'll Never Work Here: Challenging the myths around biking in a winter city; The City Project, Book 2

After 32 years of living in the sprawling winter city of Winnipeg and, like most Winnipeggers, relying on her personal vehicle to get around, Brazillian-Canadian Patty Wiens took a fateful bike ride one winter day. After that experience, Patty embraced cycling year-round, uncovering a wealth of unexpected benefits. Inspired by these experiences, she becomes a passionate advocate for safer streets and more transportation options for everyone. And before she knew it, she was named her city's first Bicycle Mayor.

Patty dreams of using active transportation as a tool to make Winnipeg a more equitable and safer city for all. With her global experience and open mind, she challenges the idea that what works elsewhere in the world could never work here. So jump on the bicyclewagon– she could use your help!

That'll Never Work Here is part of The City Project, a series edited by Emma and Michel Durand-Wood.

Patty Wiens is Winnipeg's First Bicycle Mayor, and a board director and newsletter editor for Bike Winnipeg. Patty is a passionate advocate for safe streets and she spends much of her time promoting year-round cycling on her YouTube channel, Instagram, and her website pattybikes.com. She has been featured on YouTube channels and podcasts including The War on Cars, Active Towns, Radio-Free Urbanism, and Tom Babin's Shifter . She was also named one of Ace Burpee's Top 100 Most Fascinating Manitobans of 2024.
She works at the University of Winnipeg and lives with her partner in the suburbs.

ISBN: 9781773371399
Format: Paperback
Pages: 104
Publisher: Great Plains Publications
Published: October 28, 2025

"NIMBY arguments against bike infrastructure boil down to some form of 'that can't happen here,' or safe streets are inconvenient. Patty's writing and her life as a Winnipeg bike commuter answer loud and clear: 'if I can do it, so can you.'" — Nick Richert, Bike Talk Original Host