Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba.

City installing traffic-calming curbs in ongoing battle with speeders

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2025/07/21/city-to-install-te...

BLAME speeders for the installation of concrete traffic-calming curbs on several city residential streets.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the civic public works committee, said the first of them will be in place this week on Chancellor Drive north of Lake Island Crescent.

“There are two elementary schools and a community centre, You would think with two 30 km/h zones, people would already slow down,” Lukes said Monday.

“But no they don’t. It’s crazy.” The yellow concrete curbs shaped like thick surf boards are 2.4 metres long and weigh more than 900 kilograms. They will be marked by signage and placed in another 12 locations throughout the city before the end of August.

“These are a lot cheaper than rebuilding the street. We are putting them in locations where we have studied them. This is changing the built environment in the best way,” Lukes said.

“People just need to slow down — but it seems they can’t, so we have to change the darn road structure so they are forced to slow down. This is a pilot project to understand how effective these curbs will be and to observe how they stand up in the winter.

“If it stops even one collision, that’s great.”

If the curbs do what they are intended to do, the city will make them permanent in future street-renewal work, she said.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a statement that “every neighbourhood in our city deserves safer streets.”

“That’s why we created a new road safety unit, to find practical, cost-effective ways to reduce risk and protect all road users. These traffic-calming curbs are a smart solution that will make a difference right away.”

The curbs are already used in other jurisdictions across North America to increase safety.

They “minimize conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles,” a news release from the city said.

A list of the 10 sites where the curbs will be installed, is available on the city’s website. Both Templeton Avenue and Cambridge Street have four locations apiece, while the other eight streets have single placements.

The city is working with Art City to install asphalt art at select locations to increase visibility further and beautify the neighbourhood.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.camailto:kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

[https://us5-bcdn.newsmemory.com/eebrowser/ipad/html5.check.25012021/ajax-req...]

A graphic shows the planned placement of traffic-calming measures on Chancellor Drive.