ISABEL STREET TO GET PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS

PEDESTRIAN safety measures are planned for a stretch of Isabel Street where a four-year-old girl died after being struck by a vehicle earlier this year.

The public works department, mirroring proposals suggested by Coun. Vivian Santos (Point Douglas), is recommending the pedestrian corridor at Ross Avenue be replaced with traffic signals and the crossing at Alexander Avenue be upgraded with the addition of mid-level, amber flashing lights. The changes follow the death in March of a four-year-old who was struck by a car while crossing at Alexander with her mother.

A report to the June 25 public works committee meeting states the cost of purchasing and installing traffic signals at Ross is about $250,000; the mid-level flashing amber lights at Alexander is $5,000.

Both items would be funded out of the $2.5 million council set aside for unspecified pedestrian safety enhancements from the bonus $40-million-plus federal gas tax revenue.

CITY TO OVERSEE SPEED LIMITS

CITY hall is putting the regulatory framework in place to oversee speed limits across Winnipeg.

A bylaw is being prepared in the wake of the Pallister government’s decision earlier this year to allow municipalities to set their own speed limits. Previously,changes to speed limits had to be considered and approved by the Highway Traffic Board.

The new law requires municipalities to enact their own bylaws governing speed limits.

The bylaw being proposed by city staff would maintain all current speed limits as they were on March 1.

There is a time factor: if municipalities don’t pass a new bylaw by Sept. 1, speed limits within the city will default to 50 km/h. There are only two more council meetings before the deadline: Thursday, and the July council meeting.

Once the bylaw has been approved by council, the administration will develop a process for speed-limit change requests.

— Aldo Santin