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Summary: Speed & Road Safety In Waverley West – Community Conversation

Aug 29, 2019

Date: August 27, 2019
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: Starbuck’s Save-On-Foods, Bridgwater Town Centre

Councillor Lukes:

Provided key traffic calming & road safety initiatives underway by:

Councillor Lukes

Traffic Calming Pilots in Waverly West:

  • Installation of ‘speed tables’ pilots on nine collector streets
  • Installation of ‘raised crosswalk’ pilot on Dalhousie Dr. in front of Ryerson School

Traffic Studies Underway in Waverley West:

  • Public Works engineers conducting 8+ on various streets seeking to calm traffic and improve road safety. It was noted, that studies must occur by traffic engineers to ensure correct device is installed. Criteria must be met according to the Transportation Association of Canada guidelines.

Providing Current Data & Updates on Website:

  • Regularly posting information on Speed, Road Safety and Traffic Studies on website JaniceLukes.ca


City of Winnipeg


Winnipeg Police Service – Traffic Division

  • Critically important to REPORT speeding issues. WPS can’t enforce if they don’t know where people are speeding. Report ONLINE – click on the ‘Traffic Complaint’ link and report the streets speeding occurs on.
  • Provided  recent MPI Collision Maps
  • Do regular enforcement on streets but must prioritize in light of serious issues in core of City
  • Committed to attending a community meeting on speed and road safety issues in the fall


Manitoba Public Insurance:

  • I invited them to attend conversation and provide update on their initiatives but they replied: Out of respect and compliance for the policy-based restrictions on government and Crown Corporation advertising/announcements/publications implemented on July 12, MPI will not be participating as public consultations are not generally recommended nor allowed during this restriction period.
  • They did provided an Email Update on their role and actions towards road safety.
  • Committed to attending a community meeting on speed and road safety issues in the fall

( https://www.mpi.mb.ca/Pages/road-safety-mission.aspx)

Following the UPDATES residents expressed concerns / discussed a wide variety of issues / considered solutions & presented ideas  – all briefly summarized below.

Speed and Powerful Cars:

  • Extensive discussion on the number of powerful high end cars speeding in neighbourhood and a lack of adherence to road safety.  Much discussion on level of driving experience of many drivers
  • Much discussion on many crashes of high end cars
  • Much discussion on high population of young families / children in neighbourhood
  • Much discussion on traffic using residential streets because major collector are not connecting (ie: Bison – Waverley to Kenaston)
  • Much discussion on using parking lots / long stretches of streets for drag racing

Concern to focus on SHORT TERM actions vs MEDIUM TERM actions (studies, seeking funding etc.)

I will take action on these:

 Short Term Initiatives:

  • Hold Community Meeting with Winnipeg Police Service, Manitoba Public Insurance and Winnipeg Fire Paramedics to discuss issues and seek better clarity on issues.
  • Individuals MUST report speeding issues online – Winnipeg Police Service need to know where to enforce. Report ONLINE – click on the ‘Traffic Complaint’ link and report the streets speeding occurs on.
  • Talk to neighbours and create a neighbourhood awareness of speed issue
  • Many felt ‘signage’ did not make impact (ie: Slow Down lawn signs)
  • Investigate possibility of hiring off duty WPS member to conduct speed enforcement
  • Investigate purchasing / leasing ‘speed reader boards’ and locating at various locations throughout community
  • Investigate purchasing of radar gun to connect to ‘speed reader board’ for community use/engagement
  • Volunteer Waverley West for a pilot to conducted 30km residential street speed limits (Lukes submitted a formal request two months ago)
  • Better clarity on Winnipeg Parking Authority’s role in reporting insured/uninsured vehicles
  • Better clarity required on City/Provincial agreement on permanent radar cameras
  • Better clarity needed from MPI on International Drivers Licensing / International Student letters/licenses
  • Investigate signage indicating ‘Cost of Fine’ if violation occurs  – at specific sites (ie: along the line of ‘Fines Double in Construction Zones’)
  • Investigate if there is a way to use speed gun to identify speeders, and report speeder’s license plates who then in turn will receive a warning letter.
  • Compile a heat map of streets prone to speeding in the Waverly West ward – reach out to residents for input
  • Investigate moving overhead navigational signage on Kenaston (south bound)  closer to Scurfield, allowing vehicles enough time to change lanes to either go into Bridgwater or continue onto Bishop Grandin Blvd
  • Continue requesting traffic studies on various streets potentially requiring stop signs, painting & signage of cross walks. These were requested at meeting:
    • Study 4-way stop sign at Appleford and Eagleview
    • Sablewood & Bluemeadow are cut-throughs – consider speed tables
    • Speed tables and  painted crosswalks by parks (Appleford, Lakebend)
    • Installation of No U-turn signage at Northtown and Hill Grove Point
    • Installation of No U-turn signage out of Save On Foods at median
    • Installation of No U-turn signage on Northtown at north bound Kenaston
    • Invite community to send in locations
  • Manitoba Public Insurance – better clarity is needed on:
    • 90 day period where no written or road test is required for new arrivals to Canada
    • Are the 90 second commercials and other educational materials being property targeted to markets who need to learn
    • Are commercials not as effective as they are only limited to just one media station? – maybe target YouTube, We-Chat, etc.

 Medium Term Initiatives

  • Look at traffic calming best practices in other cities. No need to re-invent the wheel. Some best practices noted: changing the road conditions through installation of speed tables, narrowing pedestrian crossing distances, adding flower pots, lowering residential speed limits.
  • It was noted that the Collision Maps show most collisions do not occur in residential neighbourhoods, but residents thought lower speed limits would make an improvement. There was concern about enforcement.
  • Continue creating awareness of speeding in neighbourhood – it is difficult to change a driving culture
  • Await City’s reports on residential speeds and traffic calming expected late Fall  (noted above in City of Wpg update)

CBC attended the meeting and provided excellent coverage.