Proposed Interim Actions

City of Winnipeg Public Works (Transportation Manager David Patman) and our City Councillor, John Orlikow, have recognized long-standing traffic volume and speed issues on Cambridge Street. Both agree that a long-term solution is needed, with Councillor Orlikow agreeing to advocate for and pursue more immediate interim solutions while a long-term solution is sought. While we agree that a long-term solution for traffic concerns on Cambridge Street can be pursued through a Community Study, similar to the Lord Roberts Study, we also recognize that a Community Study is a pursuit that takes many years to complete and implement. Thus, as recognised by Councillor Orlikow, interim relief for Cambridge residents is required. Providing interim relief is made even more pressing given that the City of Winnipeg only undertakes but one Community Study at a given time.

Concerning interim relief, then, we propose a collection of 5 low-cost calming improvements that we believe should be implemented on Cambridge Street. The impact of these interim measures could also help inform the Community Study and the eventual long-term solution as hard data can be gathered while interim measures are in place demonstrating what works and what doesn’t. We note that implementing proactive, calming measures, is supported by the City Council approved (with unanimous support 16 - 0) Winnipeg Road Safety Strategic Action Plan. We believe that all 5 of the suggested measures move River Heights closer to reaching Winnipeg's aspirational goal of the Vision Zero and the Safe System approach as outlined in Section 1.1 of the plan. We look forward to working with the City of Winnipeg Public Works department and our Councillor as these measures are considered and a Community Study is undertaken. As cut-through traffic in River Heights escalates, and traffic volume on Cambridge Street has reached ridiculous levels, significantly impacting our community, it is not unreasonable to expect those affected to demand that action be taken to alleviate a problem all concerned agree exists. We take neighbourhood liveability seriously, and so deeply value the opportunity to have input into both interim and permanent solutions.

Review the signal timing at Cambridge and Corydon with consideration for traffic calming and reduction north of Corydon. Reduce the north-south green light maximum interval and extend the red light interval similar to previous timing before the reconstruction of the intersection in 2021. As this is a high traffic area for pedestrians with transit stops at three corners of the intersection, pedestrians should have an advanced walk signal when the button is pressed. Section 4.3 Action P03 of the Road Safety Strategic Plan supports this measure: “Leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) provide a head start for pedestrians to begin crossing the intersection before the signal turns green for vehicles.” If we provide this head start for pedestrians, it allows for a small reduction in the pedestrian green light interval. The total pedestrian walk interval should also be reviewed; at 37 seconds from when the light turns green to when it returns to red it seems excessively long to cross Corydon.

Add temporary speed bumps at regular intervals between Corydon and Academy like those temporarily installed on Beresford Ave during the Lord Roberts Community Study. Installation of these speed bumps, especially between Corydon and McMillan, would send a clear signal to northbound traffic, with a physical cue, to reduce speed as they enter the 7.5m wide portion of Cambridge Street.

Temporarily reduce the posted speed on Cambridge Street from Corydon and Academy to 30km/h in anticipation of an eventual city wide change for residential streets. If not the entire section from Corydon to Academy, at least the portion lacking sidewalks from Grosvenor to Kingsway. Reduced speed will allow for better pedestrian access to nearby transit stops, especially where sidewalks are unavailable. Section 4.3 Action P09 of the Road Safety Strategic Plan supports this measure: “Review connectivity and accessibility of transit and pedestrian facilities”, “ensure that pedestrians can easily navigate the transit network within the existing pedestrian network.”. Section 4.5 Action S02 and S04 supports this measure: “The science on speed is clear: lower vehicle speeds result in reduced collision frequency and severity.”

Review the left turn restrictions from Grant and Corydon to Northbound Cambridge Street and consider if those left turn restrictions should be extended beyond the 9am morning rush hour to also include the afternoon rush hour. Morning rush hour restrictions seek to reduce traffic volume on Cambridge and for the same reason similar restrictions should be in place for afternoon rush hour traffic. Traffic volume increases significantly during these peak times, which coincide with children walking to and from school and home. The two combine to create risky and potentially dangerous situations.

Numerous traffic counts document the increase in traffic volume during morning and afternoon rush hours. For example, traffic counts measuring northbound traffic on Cambridge Street at Lorette Ave and Carter Ave in 2019 show that the afternoon rush hours have similar or greater northbound volume compared to the morning rush hours and that a large portion of northbound traffic on Cambridge Street enters the street at the Grant intersection.

Additionally, we ask that Councillor Orlikow's office work directly with the Winnipeg Police Service to target those intersections for enforcement of left turn restrictions as we have observed over the last year that too many drivers violate these restrictions.

Block the currently existing slip lanes at Grosvenor Avenue and Cambridge Street and use the intersection as a normal 4-way stop. Section 4.2 Action I05 of the Road Safety Strategic Plan supports this measure: “Review locations that encourage high-speed right turn movements and implement improvements at select locations” and “Assess the need for right-turn channels versus simple right turns whenever possible”. We believe that these slip lanes further encourage the use of Cambridge Street as a de facto collector and have made navigating the intersection less safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

Additionally, as Cambridge Street is only 7.5m wide at this intersection, traffic using the Grosvenor to northbound Cambridge slip lane often directly encounter oncoming southbound traffic head-on as southbound vehicles manoeuvre around vehicles parked along west-side Cambridge Street.