FINALIST - Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, 2026
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 brings her inspiring story to the page with as much life and zest as she does in person. It's impossible to read her improbable journey of finding her passion for cycling and her voice for change without getting drawn into her vortex of positive energy and hope. After reading this book you may wind up thinking, "Hey, maybe I can do this too." -- Tom Babin, author of Frostbike and founder of the YouTube channel, Shifter
About the Author :
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.
Michel lives in the Winnipeg neighbourhood of Elmwood with his wife and three children, and he writes about infrastructure and municipal finance at DearWinnipeg.com. His writing has been featured extensively online and in print, including Strong Towns, Streetsblog USA, CBC, The Winnipeg Free Press and La Liberté.
Review :
Patty Wiens brings her inspiring story to the page with as much life and zest as she does in person. It's impossible to read her improbable journey of finding her passion for cycling and her voice for change without getting drawn into her vortex of positive energy and hope. After reading this book you may wind up thinking, "Hey, maybe I can do this too." -- Tom Babin, author of Frostbike and founder of the YouTube channel, Shifter
"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
"Clear and actionable information born out of first-hand experience cycling through life and creating change." -- Tom Flood, Principal, Rovelo Creative
"For Wiens, this infrastructure is tantamount to supporting social equity. She cites lower costs associated with biking, improved mental health, and access to different parts of the city that may be out of reach for those who do not own vehicles. In holding conversations with people from different communities in researching her new book and for her podcast That's Her Problem!, Wiens also observes that having a robust active transportation network also increases social access for women." -- 'That'll Never Work Here' pedals into bookstores peddling winter cycling tips, Classic 107 FM
