Feedback sought on Wellington Crescent bike lanes

The City of Winnipeg is seeking feedback on a proposed temporary bike lane design for Wellington Crescent.

The lanes, between Academy Road and Stradbrook Avenue, would be built this spring, if council approves the project.

Council previously directed staff members to work with residents to find a way to make the road safer and more comfortable for cyclists and pedestrians until funding for permanent changes are available.

In July, the public works committee approved a plan to test bike lanes in the 1.2-kilometre area.

“This section of Wellington Crescent is one of Winnipeg’s most popular routes for cyclists, but it’s also a busy commuter street,” public works chairwoman Coun. Janice Lukes said in a news release Thursday.

“We want to find a design that balances safety with neighbourhood and traffic needs, and that’s why we’re asking for feedback before anything is built.”

Traffic measurements done last winter found up to 20 per cent of vehicles driving along Wellington Crescent on weekdays were going at least 5 km/h above the 50 km/h limit. About eight per cent of drivers were going 60 km/h or faster.

Many cyclists have lobbied the city for changes on Wellington since cyclist Rob Jenner was killed by a speeding driver on the street on June 6, 2024. There were at least 10 other incidents where pedestrians or cyclists were hit by vehicles on that road between 2012 to 2022.

The speed limit on Wellington Crescent between Academy and River Avenue will be lowered from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Wellington Crescent currently has two travel lanes west of Grosvenor Avenue and four lanes between Grosvenor and Stradbrook avenues. The section east of Grosvenor will be reduced from four lanes to two to make room for the bike lanes.

The temporary design will include turn restrictions to improve safety. Westbound left turns from Wellington Crescent onto Dorchester Avenue, northbound left turns from Dorchester onto Wellington Crescent and westbound left turns from Gertrude Avenue onto Wellington Crescent would not be allowed under the temporary plan.

Roughly 30 parking spots currently available outside of weekday rush hours and on weekends will be removed. They are on the south side of Wellington Crescent between Cockburn Street and Wardlaw Avenue.

The intersection of Wellington and Academy is expected to see the biggest traffic changes, the city says on its website.

During rush hour, drivers going north or west are expected to experience a delay of about 30 seconds. Eastbound drivers turning left onto the Maryland Bridge will have to wait for a controlled left-turn signal. This change will lengthen the wait time for traffic turning by up to one minute longer during afternoon rush hour and by about 20 seconds during morning rush hour.

“These times are very dependent on how many eastbound drivers take a different route,” the city’s website states.

The westbound lanes will change from separate lanes to one shared lane for traffic continuing west or turning right.

“This will make the line of cars longer during busy times for drivers going straight or turning onto the Maryland Bridge,” the city’s website states.

The city predicts about 15 to 20 per cent of drivers who currently use Wellington Crescent would choose other routes because of the temporary measures.

People can learn more about the draft design online and can complete a survey before Dec. 12.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca