| Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. |
Traffic-calming Wolseley Avenue
City says dropping speed limit would increase neighbourhood livability
WOLSELEY Avenue, a hotbed of activity with bicycles and pedestrians dodging drivers trying to escape the hustle of Portage Avenue, could become the city’s latest greenway, with vehicle speeds limited to 30 km/h under a new proposal.
A city report recommends the scenic street along the Assiniboine River become the next year-round speed-reduced route, which would see its speed drop to 30 km/h from 50 km/h between Maryland Street and Raglan Road, if approved by council.
Coun. Janice Lukes, head of the public works committee, supports the change.
“It increases the neighbourhood livability… As our city densifies, we’re going to be doing more and more of this. We don’t need cars racing through neighbourhoods… They can drive (at a higher) speed on collectors and on the major arterials,” said Lukes (Waverley West).
The trend to add more speed-reduced neighbourhood greenways is well underway. The City of Winnipeg defines the greenways as on-street routes meant to safely move pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles, which typically include traffic-calming treatments and a 30 km/h speed limit.
The avenue would join 19 other such routes that council previously approved.
Wolseley Avenue stands out because it tends to have more traffic than the standard neighbourhood greenway, with about 1,000 to 3,200 vehicles per day, while target traffic volumes for a greenway should fall below 1,000 to 1,500, said city spokeswoman Julie Horbal Dooley, in an emailed statement.
“What we need to explore further is whether the speed limit and some minor traffic-calming measures do enough to create ‘all ages and abilities’ (active transportation) conditions on Wolseley,” she wrote.
She noted speed tables, curb bumpouts and raised crosswalks are slated to be added this summer. After staff assess how that works, further proposed changes could be brought forward for community consultation, Horbal Dooley said.
Lukes said the higher traffic volume doesn’t dampen her support for the proposed change.
“Wolseley is one of the most commuter… bicycling-oriented neighbourhoods in the city… It’s got a very high percentage of people who bike and walk. I know the majority, a lot of Wolseley residents, want this,” she said.
A frequent bike commuter and advocate for reduced residential street speed limits applauded the proposal.
“I wouldn’t want to ride on Portage Avenue with my kids. So having Wolseley to the south of Portage is a great way to be able to head out to the Polo Park area… It’s a missing link,” said Ian Walker, chairman of Safe Speeds Winnipeg.
Walker said the lower speed is much safer for roads shared by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, since pedestrians and cyclists are much more likely to survive a collision when the vehicle is travelling at 30 km/h or less, as per the World Health Organization.
“We’d like to see all residential streets be 30 km/h. In the meantime, we’re happy to see that the city is creating routes that people can use to commute,” he said.
By contrast, others fear the change would slow down drivers.
“These are routes that people need to drive on. I’m not against having areas for (cyclists) but it needs to be done with some thought… I’m concerned that it’s going to be a cash grab for the city and they’re going to set up their mobile (photo radar police units to ticket people) as a way to increase their revenues,” said Winnipeg resident Derek Rolstone.
Rolstone said he expects the change would result in traffic congestion, perhaps inconveniencing more Winnipeggers than it supports.
“When you put a 30 km/h zone in place, there’s people who are going to go 20 (km/h) and that’s not good,” he said.
“We have a lot of bike routes for a winter city. I don’t think we need more.”
Lukes said she expects some drivers to oppose the change but believes the benefits outweigh the concerns about driver delay. She said photo radar can offer an “incredibly effective tool for traffic calming and for improving neighbourhood livability.”
In recent years, Wolseley has been an enhanced summer bike route, which means it is already slated for a seasonal speed-limit reduction that begins in May. Those bike routes were meant to slow down vehicle traffic and create more room for cyclists.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca X: @joyanne_pursaga