https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/2023/05/01/seeking-calm-amid-the-traffic-chaos

WINNIPEGGER Tim Fennell counted more than 4,200 vehicles driving past his Cambridge Street home in just 24 hours last month.

While calling for traffic calming measures, he said an average of 175 vehicles per hour on a “narrow” residential street is far beyond what should be considered safe.

“I believe that the City of Winnipeg has engineered a dangerous situation by continuing to direct more and more traffic on a street that they know was never designed to handle the volume,” he told the Free Press on Monday.

Fennell, a founding member of a residents group called Calm Cambridge, has raised concerns with city hall and council members about a spike in vehicles using the street between Corydon and Academy avenues in River Heights.

He said drivers treat it as a shortcut during construction projects on Harrow and Stafford streets.

“We’d like to see some action taken to calm the traffic, at least slow the traffic down,” said Fennell.

City spokesman Ken Allen said staff are aware of “renewed interest” in calming measures due, in part, to construction leading to more traffic on Cambridge.

“We are currently investigating the situation to determine potential options to address traffic concerns,” he wrote in an email.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the public works committee, said traffic volumes are a concern on several streets near the River Heights/ Crescentwood boundary.

She hopes staff, who receive many requests, will be able to conduct a community traffic calming study.

Lukes said a community plan would be more effective than individual changes. “When you change something on one street, it’s a domino effect on other streets,” said the councillor for Waverley West. “Traffic is like water. It’s just going to go somewhere else.”

Lukes acknowledged there has been an “incredible” amount of traffic on Cambridge due to road work.

She said traffic calming measures are a priority for city staff.

Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry) said he is working with city employees to address the issues raised by residents.

Fennell has been conducting his own traffic counts on Cambridge, north of Corydon. He uses a motion sensor and digital camera.

He counted 4,214 vehicles when he went through all the images taken April 26. Much of the traffic was recorded during the morning and afternoon commutes. Fennell said the section of Cambridge between Corydon and Academy shouldn’t be handling so many vehicles in a single day because it is narrower than the stretch south of Corydon.