St. Norbert Farmers’ Market traffic under review

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This article was published 16/02/2016 (3828 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Parking Authority will be paying closer attention to the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market come spring.

At a Feb. 2 meeting of the infrastructure renewal and public works meeting, city officials presented a report on traffic at the site.

The report detailed recurring parking infractions on Pembina Highway on market days and documented increased pedestrian traffic. It also explored the possibility of temporary and permanent curb extensions (bump-outs) and changing parking regulations.

“One thing that we will be doing is enhancing the enforcement of current regulations,” said Lester Deane, City of Winnipeg director of public works. The city will introduce parking regulations on the east side of Pembina similar to those on the west side.

The idea is to promote turnover and hopefully prevent double parking, Deane said.

If enhanced enforcement doesn’t work, Deane said the city will explore the idea of curb extensions or bollards near the pedestrian corridor. A curb extension would cost in the range of $100,000.

“We’re going to do a stepped approach,” he said.

According to the report, curb extensions narrow the roadway by widening the boulevard or sidewalk into an existing lane of traffic. The report states that curb extensions improve pedestrian safety by reducing the distance to cross the roadway.

South Winnipeg-St. Norbert city councillor Janice Lukes said the St. Norbert Farmers’ Market will provide more parking data to the city for future analysis.

“They don’t want to have the city invest in the $100,000 curb (bump) out,” she said. But, she noted they are open to bollards.