The City of Winnipeg will soon be installing pre-made temporary “traffic-calming curbs” on some streets.
“Every neighbourhood in our city deserves safer streets,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said in a news release Monday.
“That’s why we created a new road safety unit, to find practical, cost-effective ways to reduce risk and protect all road users. These traffic-calming curbs are a smart solution that will make a difference right away.”
SUPPLIED
A graphic shows the planned placement of traffic-calming measures on Chancellor Drive.
The curbs — 2.4 metres long and 2,000 pounds — are made of yellow concrete and marked by signage and poly posts. Often called TC curbs, they are used to reduce safety risks until permanent changes are made when a road is up for renewal or reconstruction.
The curbs “minimize conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles,” the release said.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of city council’s standing policy committee on public works, said they are intended to reduce vehicle speeds, improve the visibility of pedestrians and cyclists, and reduce collisions.
Lukes posted on social media that the curbs will be installed on Chancellor Drive, 130 metres north of Lake Island Crescent, this week. The city’s news release said they will be installed next month.
The Chancellor Drive site is near two schools, a child-care facility and a community centre, Lukes wrote.
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“People just need (to) slow down — but it seems they can’t, so we have to change the darn road structure so they are forced to slow down,” she wrote, adding the situation is frustrating.
“This is a pilot project to understand how effective these curbs will be — and to observe how they stand up in the winter.”
A list of the 13 sites where the curbs will be installed is available on the city’s website. Four of them are on Templeton Avenue.
The city is working with Art City to install asphalt art at select locations to increase visibility further and beautify the neighbourhood.
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