A pilot project to study the benefits of reduced speed limits in some Winnipeg neighbourhoods is moving on to the next phase.
Speeds in the Worthington and Richmond West areas have been reduced from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, while the limit in Bourkevale and Tyndall Park have dropped to 30 km/h.
City of Winnipeg project manager Greg Blatz said data was collected in each neighbourhood before and after the changes, and the project — which is set to run until the fall — will continue to be closely monitored.
So far, he said, the results have been encouraging.
“Before we started the pilot, we did a survey in all four neighbourhoods, and we’ve checked back in with those residents with another survey partway through the project. One of the questions we asked is, ‘what is your willingness to accept a little bit of a slower commute time, for the benefit of having a calmer quieter neighbourhood?”
“From the survey,” he added, “we did before the project until the mid-project (survey), we’ve seen a little bit of a shifting sentiment where people are more willing to accept a longer commute time.
“I think as people get into the project, their perceptions of what a lower speed limit would be have changed.”
Coun. Shawn Dobson (St. James) said he’s heard nothing but positive feedback from his constituents in the Bourkevale neighbourhood since the project — spearheaded by concerned citizens from that community began almost a year ago.
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“What stands out mostly is that people are for it in the Bourkevale area,” Dobson said. “They think it’s a great idea to slow down because of the fact that this is not a thoroughfare — this is a neighbourhood that is anchored on both sides by schools, it has a dog park, and it has a community club. Slowing down in this area makes sense.”
While he’s pleased with the progress of the 30 km/h zone in his ward, Dobson said he isn’t in favour of reducing all limits city-wide, as 30 km/h in commuter areas would be too slow — but in residential neighbourhoods like Bourkevale, where there are few sidewalks and lots of pedestrian activity — it’s the right call.
Bourkevale Community Centre’s Daevid Ramey said the push to have reduced limits in the neighbourhood came, in large part from the residents themselves.
“We are a community of walkers, good neighbours, and good friends, so we tend to chat along the street as we’re out walking our dogs or with our kids,” Ramey told Global Winnipeg.
“There was a concern about the speed of vehicles that were passing us as we stood at the side of the road. It’s not a through neighbourhood, so there was really no need for the kinds of speeds that we were seeing and the unsafe conditions that our community felt.”
Ramey said a community petition — at first virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by volunteers going door-to-door — was a hit, with 80 per cent of residents approached agreeing to sign the petition.
The signs indicating a 30 km/h limit, he said, have served to calm things down in the community and let drivers know to drop their speeds even outside of the standard school zones.
“It’s clear — it’s not just in front of the school, it’s down at the end of the street by the community centre, it’s further down the block at your neighbour’s house. The whole neighbourhood is 30 km/h.”
Next week, officials will share information through public engagement sessions to further gauge Winnipeggers’ feelings about the speed limits.