(Adding to Dave Elmore's earlier message)
*City seeks feedback on speed-limit reductions*
THE City of Winnipeg is seeking feedback from residents in select neighbourhoods where speed limits have been reduced for several months.
The city announced Wednesday it is entering the second phase of its reduced-speed neighbourhood pilot, in which speed limits in the Bourkevale and Tyndall Park neighbourhoods were reduced to 30 km/h, and limits in Worthington and Richmond West were reduced to 40 km/h per hour.
“The pilot will tell us if changing the speed limit changes how fast vehicles actually travel, and if lowering the speed limit within a residential area affects neighbourhood livability,” the city said in a news release.
The city has created separate surveys to assess the effectiveness of the program — one for residents living within the reduced speed limit areas, and another for the rest of Winnipeg residents.
“Survey responses will help us understand both pilot area residents’ experience with the speed limit change and broader perspectives on speed limits in general,” the city said.
In addition to the surveys, the city released the findings of a public engagement survey conducted in the program’s first phase before the limits were reduced. Sixty per cent of respondents felt residential speed limits should not be changed, while 40 per cent agreed with lowering them.
The city is organizing a series of forums to be held early next year in which residents will be able to discuss the program. The first forum will take place at the Bourkevale Community Centre on Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m. Further discussions will continue in each respective neighbourhood between Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.
The survey is available online https://www.winnipeg.ca/news/2023-10-18-winnipeggers-invited-talk-residential-speed-limits on the City of Winnipeg website, along with a list of forum dates and locations.