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KEN GIGLIOTTI \/ FREE PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
A new report recommends city council add 30-kilometre per hour school zones to the route that winds around St. Vital Park and connects St. Vital Road, Abinojii Mikanah and St. Mary\u2019s Road.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a trade-off, but I think it\u2019s a worthwhile trade off,\u201d Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital) said.<\/p>\n
Mayes said he\u2019s received \u201ca lot of calls\u201d in recent years about the volume and speed of traffic on River Road \u2014 most recently, after a child was taken to the hospital following a weekday collision near St. Mary\u2019s Road in the fall.<\/p>\n
The Winnipeg Police Service reported a motorist struck a young pedestrian on River Road shortly before 5 p.m. on November 28. The child, who was in stable condition after the incident, was transported for treatment as a precaution, police said.<\/p>\n
City records show roughly 5,000 vehicles travel the two-lane, 50 km\/h roadway on a daily basis.<\/p>\n
Transportation division manager David Patman made the case for switching its designation \u2014 from a regional street to a collector street \u2014 in a report prepared for the public works committee.<\/p>\n
The current label, which makes it a top priority for plowing after winter storms, is meant for busy thoroughfares designed to move traffic.<\/p>\n
River Road doesn\u2019t fit that description, given it\u2019s used for both moving traffic and accessing nearby residences, schools and parks, Patman said.<\/p>\n
His written proposal indicates the changes could ensure 30 km\/h zones are installed ahead of the first day of class in September at a cost of $1,000. \u201cThis would help improve safety for students and families,\u201d the city engineer wrote.<\/p>\n
The public works committee will discuss the recommendation on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m all for it,\u201d said Lisa Smith, site manager of Village Child Care\u2019s location in Minnetonka School.<\/p>\n
Smith cited the fact children are unpredictable and drivers are known to take River Road to get around construction and congestion.<\/p>\n
Area school trustee Sandy Nemeth echoed her endorsement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great move. The community will appreciate it and it will just provide safer passage, and that\u2019s always a good thing,\u201d said Nemeth, who chairs the Louis Riel School Division\u2019s governing board.<\/p>\n
City hall\u2019s school board liaison recently asked trustees across Winnipeg for their input on 24\/7 reduced speed school zones. There were mixed views expressed both within and across boards.<\/p>\n
Nemeth said her board came to the conclusion the city should prioritize infrastructure upgrades to slow traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can slow things down all year-round, but you\u2019re always going to have people who miss the sign,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Following a news conference about recreational trail upgrades on Friday, Environment Minister Mike Moyes said he had \u201cno problem\u201d with lowering default speed limits on city streets.<\/p>\n
Moyes, a former teacher, would not say whether he\u2019s in favour of updating provincial legislation \u2014 which the city has requested \u2014 to make it far cheaper and simpler to drop Winnipeg\u2019s default limit to 40 km\/h from 50 km\/h.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re even close to a school\u2026 I don\u2019t care if the speed limit says that you can go 50 km\/h, you should make sure that you\u2019re going to keep kids safe,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When it comes to River Road, St. Amant president Ben Adaman said he isn\u2019t convinced lowering the limit on a route that\u2019s \u201cvery, very congested\u201d will better protect kids who access facilities at 440 River Rd.<\/p>\n
The kindergarten-to-Grade 12 school for children with developmental disabilities is set back from the road by about 700 metres and the posted speed limit in the front parking lot is 20 km\/h.<\/p>\n
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Students are either dropped off by their caregivers or the bus, Adaman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t really see an upside,\u201d he said, adding he suspects there will be backlash because reduced speed school zones can be \u201ca bit of a pressure point.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBroad stakeholder engagement is always a good idea,\u201d Adaman said, \u201cand it\u2019s never too late to have a conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mayes, who isn\u2019t on the public works committee, said he plans to advocate for a one-month delay to allow for community consultation on the proposed change.<\/p>\n
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Maggie Macintosh Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Education reporter
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