Traffic Study – Bridge Lake Drive between Water Bend Road and Water Bend Road

The unique design of the two parks on either side of Bridge Lake Drive is presenting pedestrian safety concerns. People are crossing the roads at all locations to either access the fountain or the sports fields. The design of Bridge Lake Drive, between two parks, seems to encourage / draw speeding vehicles. On September 28, 2018, I moved a motion to have the Winnipeg Public Service conduct a traffic and speed study on Bridge Lake Drive between Water Bend Road and Water Bend Road, to see if the installation of speed tables were warranted (met criteria).

On March 19, 2020, the engineering report was presented (see Full report)  The report identified that existing vehicle speed results are sufficient for consideration of traffic calming.

The Public Service considered Transportation Association of Canada measures suitable for addressing traffic speed concerns through traffic calming. This resulted in development of three conceptual traffic calming options.

The City will be conducting a one year pilot on Bridge Lake Drive. Bridge Lake Drive will receive temporary curb installations (see example below) to trial traffic calming measures for a period of one year. The temporary curbs are a PVC type curb bolted to the pavement in configurations as shown in Option 2 – Raised Median Islands.  Tweaks to positioning are possible once curbs are installed if necessary, and an after study of the effects on speed will be conducted.  At the end of the trial, if the temporary medians are proven effected, we will  proceed with constructing permanent medians as outlined in this report.  If the trial proves ineffective, a different traffic calming measure can be pursued.

Option 2: Raised Median Islands on Bridge Lake Drive

Option 2 would see raised median islands located before and after both Water Bend Road intersections and the fountain crossing to reduce vehicle speed by narrowing the width of the roadway (Figure 3, below). Islands would be 2.5 to 3.0 metres wide and parking would not be permitted adjacent to the islands.

Advantages

•  TAC indicates a reduction in vehicle speed of between 3 and 8 km/h.
•  Can function as a pedestrian refuge resulting in reduced pedestrian-vehicle conflicts.
•  Does not affect roadway drainage.
•  Would not negatively affect Transit or Emergency Services.

Disadvantages

•  Narrows the roadway for cyclists on Bridge Lake Drive.
•  Removes some parking – though parking demand is generally low.
•  Feature is untested in Winnipeg.