Requests for speed humps almost always denied

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This article was published 18/06/2019 (1971 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most requests for speed humps on public streets in Winnipeg don’t result in the traffic-calming measures being implemented, said a report that will be presented to a city committee next week.

“This finding does not mean that the current technical standard is ineffective,” wrote the report’s author, transportation division manager David Patman. “But it does substantiate the need to evaluate the standard to ensure it is appropriately structured for the City of Winnipeg context and reflective of national best practices.”

The report, which will be reviewed Tuesday by the public works committee, found only about one-fifth of requesters met the initial requirement to garner 70 per cent neighbourhood support for their request in a petition.

Of the 156 calls to 311 requesting speed humps on public streets between 2015 and 2018, only 32 people reached that threshold. None of these requests resulted in speed humps being installed because they didn’t pass a speed test conducted by the city.

The report said a street must meet one of three requirements to pass the test: the street’s average speed must exceed the speed limit, at least 15 per cent of vehicles must exceed the speed limit by 5 km/h or at least 10 per cent of vehicles must exceed the limit by 10 km/h.

Of 14 calls made to 311 that requested the traffic-calming measures on public lanes during the same three-year period, four people satisfied the petition requirement. Of these, two requests satisfied the rest of the requirements and the speed humps were installed.

Steve Rosdobutko, who has lived on Grove Street in North Point Douglas for 15 years, said he and a group of his neighbours tried to get speed humps installed on their street about five years ago.

“It’s been like a race track up here for a long time,” Rosdobutko said. “It shouldn’t have to wait for somebody to be hurt (or) killed… When is enough enough?”

Rosdobutko estimated the group collected about 50 to 60 signatures from people living on their street who were worried about the roads being unsafe for kids playing in the area — but they didn’t meet the minimum petition threshold, so nothing happened.

“Nobody seemed to care,” Rosdobutko said.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface), who was on the Riel community committee that recommended the public works committee review its speed hump approval process last year, said he wants to see if there’s a way to change the process so it’s more aligned with what people expect.

“There (were) many streets where there was a desire for traffic control devices, but once the evaluation was done it wasn’t warranted by the (public works) department,” Allard said.

The City of Winnipeg declined a request for an interview Wednesday, and instead provided a written statement outlining a pilot program for speed tables that will be completed later this year. Speed tables are flat-topped speed humps that are typically long enough for the entire wheelbase of a passenger car to rest on top. Their length, as well as ramps that are more gently sloped than speed humps, may be more appropriate for streets with higher speeds.

caitlyn.gowriluk@freepress.mb.ca