Pickin’ up bad vibrations

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This article was published 01/04/2022 (1389 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The vibrations caused by vehicles travelling over potholes and across heaving segments of Leila Avenue are strong enough to rattle Michael Desrosiers’s home — tremors he can feel while taking a bath or working in his basement office.

“I don’t know how much longer I can carry on like this,” the 49-year-old said.

Desrosiers, whose family has lived in the bungalow on the 700 block of Leila Avenue since the 1970s, said the road began to cause problems about two years ago.

Desrosiers said the rumbling caused by the trucks travelling on deteriorating pavement, paired with added traffic from new developments in the city’s northwest corner and the speed limit of 60 km/hr, is causing him mental distress.

“That’s what wakes me up every morning at 5 a.m., and it runs, generally, until midnight every night,” said Desrosiers, who works in accounts payable for a trucking company. “I don’t want roses on my boulevard; I just want to be able to sleep at night.”

The City of Winnipeg is aware of residents’ concerns regarding Leila Avenue’s potholes and vibrations, particularly between McPhillips Street and Main Street, a spokesperson for the city said in a statement Friday.

The statement went on to say that Leila Avenue, from McPhillips Street to McGregor Street, is a part of a five-year regional street renewal program paid for by the provincial and federal governments. However, the city spokesperson said in an email there is no available information that hints at when work will begin.

No major work is scheduled for Leila Avenue west of McPhillips Street or between McGregor Street and Main Street, the spokesperson said.

Desrosiers said the city’s past attempts to remedy Leila Avenue have been piecemeal.

“It’s always been nothing but a lick and a promise for a fix — a little bit of asphalt and carry on,” he said, adding that if more isn’t done soon, he may consider moving.

Desrosiers recently created an online petition to gather support and testimonials. So far, it has 257 signatures.

Desrosiers has filed numerous complaints with the city and the office of Coun. Devi Sharma (Old Kildonan) throughout the past 18 months. Desrosiers has a meeting scheduled with Sharma on April 19, where he plans to emphasize how many people are affected.

Sharma told the Free Press Friday she’s heard residents’ concerns about Leila Avenue. She said she may introduce a motion to council calling on the public service to conduct a traffic survey, with the possibility of lowering the speed limit if experts deem it appropriate.

Desrosiers’s next-door neighbour Paul Vevios, 42, is also stressed out. The vibrations from traffic are so bad he can sometimes see his belongings rattle around on their shelves.

“You can really feel a big shake along the house,” Vevios said.

This stretch of Leila Avenue has been a truck route dating back four decades, but Desrosiers said the volume of heavy vehicles has never been higher.

Desrosiers wants all of Leila Avenue to be designated as a non-truck route, though he realizes that’s unlikely. Instead, he hopes the city will undertake a more comprehensive overhaul of Leila Avenue.

City crews began patching potholes in early March, using a temporary “early spring” material, which will be in place until the mercury consistently remains above freezing. Crews will return to apply permanent patches later, the statement said.

Each year, CAA assembles a list of Manitoba’s Worst Roads, as voted upon by members of the public. A spokesperson from CAA confirmed that as of Friday, Leila Avenue is not currently in the top 10 most voted for roadways.

April 6 is the last day to vote for Manitoba’s worst road.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca