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Proposal to reduce default 50 km/h speed limit advances

If council approves, province will be asked to change law

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/03/04/proposal-to-reduce...

A PROPOSAL in which Winnipeg drivers would be forced to slow down on residential streets is rolling forward.

On Wednesday, council’s public works committee voted to ask the provincial government to change the Highway Traffic Act, pending a final council vote. The change would give the city the power to alter the 50 km/h default speed limit for Winnipeg that applies to all areas, except where signs post a different speed limit.

Following that, city staff recommend that council reduce the default speed limit to 40 km/h for residential streets and “minor collector” streets.

Coun. Janice Lukes said she’d support the reduced speed limit in residential areas, which she expects would only create a minor delay for drivers.

“It takes… seconds more to go 40 versus 50. This is only in residential neighbourhoods, not the (major) collectors,” said Lukes (Waverley West).

While many road safety activists have called for a 30 km/h speed limit on residential roads for years, Lukes said she doesn’t think that move would have enough council support to get approved.

While city data shows most severe collisions take place on major corridors, a lower speed limit would improve quality of life in neighbourhoods, she said.

“I have calls literally… every other day on speed issues… People want vehicles to slow down,” said Lukes.

Several supporters championed a reduced speed limit Wednesday as a way to make streets feel safer and more welcoming to pedestrians.

“People are unhappy with the speed that people are driving through our neighbourhoods. So, the first step to solving that problem is to slow the speed limit down,” said Ian Walker, chairman of Safe Speeds Winnipeg.

The group has long lobbied for a 30 km/h speed limit on residential streets. Walker said that speed of travel would greatly reduce the risk of serious injuries and death in crashes. He said lower speed limits would also make it easier for people to walk or cycle.

“It’s an essential part of getting us to a point where we have choices for people… One of the big reasons that people drive in cars is because we haven’t accommodated other road users,” said Walker.

However, opponents of the lower speed limit argued it would lengthen commutes without improving safety.

“Blanket (speed) reductions create resentment without results… Shaving 10 kilometres an hour off every local trip has (impacts). That added travel time doesn’t save lives. It just wastes time and raises blood pressure,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan).

Browaty said most severe vehicle collisions take place on high-volume arterial roads, so few could be avoided by this speed reduction.

“Our quiet residential neighbourhoods… and minor collector streets simply do not produce the same level of tragedy. Lowering limits on these streets is like putting a Band-Aid on a paper cut while ignoring a broken leg,” he said.

Lukes noted city council likely won’t vote on an actual speed limit reduction for another year or more, since there’s no set deadline for the province to respond to such a request.

“That’s a debate that won’t happen until we hear from the province. And I encourage anyone who’s advocating for any speed limit change to speak to their MLAs,” she said.

The city has the power to reduce speed limits through posted signs. However, lowering the default speed would allow city-wide changes without spending millions of dollars on signs, a city report notes.

Implementing a default speed limit change is expected to cost $525,000, including new signs and advertising.

Meanwhile, the committee approved a new round of changes meant to enhance Winnipeg Transit routes, after many complaints followed the introduction of a new primary transit network in June 2025.

This June, Transit will extend the D19-Corydon line so buses will end the route on Vaughan Street between Graham and St. Mary avenues, instead of further north across Portage Avenue at Webb Place. The D16 Academy-Notre Dame will be split into two routes, a revised D16 and new D18, which would reach downtown from Polo Park and RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame campus, respectively.

The new network, which changed virtually every bus route in the city, triggered a few common complaints from riders, including that many passengers now require more transfers and much more time to reach their destinations.

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