Mayor’s cabinet puts brakes on reduced speed on Wellington Crescent

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This article was published 05/12/2024 (302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The mayor’s cabinet has rejected the call to slash the speed limit on Wellington Crescent.

The executive policy committee cast a three-two vote against reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h from 50 km/h on Wellington, from River Avenue to the western end of Academy Road. A final council vote is still required.

While more than 50 delegates spoke to support the change, EPC members were told it drew ample backlash in at least one ward.

“When they called my office, I got mostly people in opposition,” said Coun. John Orlikow (River Heights-Fort Garry).

Orlikow said some residents fear reducing the speed limit could divert more drivers onto Kingsway, increasing traffic around some schools. He said elected officials shouldn’t impose the change without having city traffic experts study it first.

“Arbitrarily deciding (to reduce the speed) without a report, that’s breaking the trust I have with the neighbourhood. I told them I wouldn’t do that… We have to think not just of Wellington Crescent (and) not just of cyclists,” said Orlikow.

An expedited speed limit reduction could have unintended consequences and fuel opposition to reduced speed limits in general, he said.

“It’s going to be very hard to educate people if we decide… we don’t care what you want and think,” said Orlikow.

Derek Rolstone, the only unelected delegate who spoke against the change at the EPC meeting, said reducing Wellington’s speed would divert traffic to several nearby residential streets. Rolstone urged councillors to study the change in much more depth.

“This is a ridiculous, knee-jerk reaction to a terrible crime,” he said.

Several delegates linked their support for the speed reduction to the death of cyclist Rob Jenner, who was killed June 6 when he was hit by a vehicle on Wellington Crescent that was driving 159 km/h. Beckham Severeight, 19, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death.

Rolstone said a lower speed limit couldn’t have prevented that tragedy or others like it.

After a lengthy discussion, EPC split the motion into parts and narrowly rejected the speed limit reduction, with Mayor Scott Gillingham joining councillors Vivian Santos and Evan Duncan to oppose the change and councillors Sherri Rollins and Janice Lukes voting to support it. Coun. Jeff Browaty was away on city business and absent from the vote.

The mayor said he was not prepared to support the speed reduction without further study over concerns that could have a domino effect on other routes.

“If we drop the speed to 30 (km/h), we don’t know the impact of that on (other) residential streets in the neighbourhood. Would it push traffic off of Wellington into residential streets? What impact would it have on our transit system? …It’s time to analyse that and (have) our road safety team take a look at the impact,” said Gillingham, in an interview Thursday.

The mayor said he’s heard mixed reaction to the idea and personally believes a separated bike lane would be the most effective option to make the route safer.

Santos said she supports reduced speed limits on residential streets but believes council should wait for the outcome of current pilot projects that are testing the change before taking further action.

“To do one-offs, it irks me a little because it kinds of starts to (favour) one area,” she said.

On Thursday, Lukes stressed the vote included steps to make Wellington Crescent safer. EPC unanimously voted to direct staff to report on an interim solution to improve cyclist safety on the route that can be implemented in 2025. A report on that work is expected back in about four months.

Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said the decision did offer some hope.

“I think there was strong sentiment (among) the delegates to move towards 30 km/h, so obviously there’s disappointment there. At the same time, (the) other motions that were in there have important ramifications… I think (city council members) are sincere in their desire to see something (change) in 2025,” said Cohoe.

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He said a reduced speed drew ample support among cyclists because it could help multiple modes of traffic better share the road.

“If you’re on your bike and you’re in with the mixed traffic… The 30 (km/h) means that speeds in and around you are going to be closer to what you’re doing on your bike. It means there’s more time for error, there’s more time to react,” he said.

City council is expected to cast the final vote on the matter on Dec. 12.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.