Crosswalk at Victoria General Hospital Approved – Awaiting Budget Approval

I’ve been working to have a crosswalk installed on Pembina Highway in order to provide access to Victoria General Hospital for southbound residents. A combination of 6+ lanes of highway, a T-intersection with Dartmouth Drive, and a U-Turn area present unsafe conditions for pedestrians to cross and access the Hospital.

My thanks to Global News for providing a good explanation of the issue in their news report.

I requested that the City’s Public Works Department complete a study, and while the final report did not recommend a crossing, I presented a logical case for pedestrian safety and access to the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works. See my comparison of other hospital pedestrian crossings locations  in relation to front entrances.

As a result, the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works directed the Winnipeg Public Service to add the pedestrian crossing control device at the intersection of Pembina Highway and Dartmouth Drive to their Pedestrian Crossing Control Priority List, to be completed in the future when the budget is available. This is great news!

The crosswalk is estimated to cost approx. $125,000. The challenge is that Winnipeg’s Pedestrian Crossing Control Priority list is extremely long, and the budget for pedestrian crossings is nowhere near adequate.  In my opinion, providing safe access to a hospital should have a higher ranking based on the important service it provides. I will continue working on this important initiative and investigate funding options.

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