13 temporary concrete curbs to calm traffic throughout Winnipeg 'will save lives': public works chair
'People still seem to drive fast' despite other traffic calming measures, Coun. Janice Lukes says
The head of Winnipeg's public works committee says temporary concrete curbs to calm traffic are an interim solution to slow persistent speeding drivers in select areas throughout the city.
The traffic calming curbs will be installed at 13 sites throughout Winnipeg, including near schools and dense residential areas that are known for speeding issues, intersections with wide corners and crosswalks with poor visibility, the city said in a Monday news release.
The city says the installations are a quick and cost-effective way of temporarily changing roadway layouts to reduce safety risks until permanent measures can be made, in addition to minimizing conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
The curbs are made of yellow concrete, and are about 2½ metres long and weigh around 2,000 pounds each, which the city noted is similar to a bison.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chair of public works, says putting up markers and sending police to reduce speeds only does so much, and that the most successful way to calm traffic is to change the built environment for drivers.
"This is an interim solution," she told CBC News on Monday. "Put them in, trial them, then when the road comes up for renewal — if the trial proves to be effective — put them in permanently."
The first curbs will be installed on Chancellor Drive this week, a city spokesperson told CBC News.
Lukes says she gets a lot of feedback about that site in southwest Winnipeg, which is in her ward, Waverley West.
"I get constant calls of people speeding up and down Chancellor all the time," she said. "We've studied it, studied it, studied it — one of the tools in the tool kit is going to be the traffic curbs."
Winnipeg is an older city that's increasing in population but "people still seem to drive fast," said Lukes.
"I really wish people would just slow down, and become more observant of what's around them, [because] it will save everyone money and it will save lives."
More of the curbs are expected to be installed in August, with ongoing monitoring, assessments and reviews scheduled between September and next April, according to the city.
The city is also partnering with Art City to install asphalt in some areas to boost visibility and "beautify the neighbourhood," the city said.