‘It’s loud and it’s dangerous’
Less on Ness group advocates for lower speeds
Advertisement
In the light of a setting sun, the intersection connecting Ness Avenue and Ferry Road is almost void of pedestrian traffic, safe for Tyler Crichton — head of St. James Community Coffee, the Sturgeon Creek Association, and, most recently, the Less on Ness neighbourhood group.
Crichton is mid-commute and keeping his “head on a swivel” as he surveys oncoming traffic and discarded car debris left after one of three recent car accidents at the same set of traffic lights.
The first occurred on Dec. 23, 2025, which originally garnered attention after it was caught by the security camera at St. James Burger and Chips Co. It was soon followed by two separate incidents in early January. As someone who was raised in St. James and passes through the area on his way to and from his place of work, Crichton has strong feelings about the intersection, and others like it in the city. In early February, the Charleswood resident organized the first of several planned community forums regarding Ness Avenue and some changes that could be made to increase pedestrian safety.
“You’re seeing a pattern in a lot of intersections designed in the same way,” he said. “Everyone I’ve talked to so far, in that community meeting (has brought up) speed. How fast the cars are going. How the road is designed allows people to feel like they can go faster than they should be able to.”
Crichton said he has spoken to several business owners in the area, as well, and has heard of accidents and near misses on an almost weekly basis.
“There’s no protection for pedestrians,” Crichton said, using the area’s ‘clear zone’ — the designated space on the side of a road for drivers to veer onto if they lose control or experience a medical emergency — as an example. The clear zone along Ness and Ferry is home to a bus bench and a sidewalk, and further along Ness Avenue, clear zones end inside fenced properties. “It’s weird, there’s more priority given to speeding vehicles than neighbourhoods.”
A self-admitted ‘nerd’ about clear zones, Crichton added that he believes many car accidents which result in a vehicle crashing into someone’s fence or lawn cause such damage because the road design didn’t give the driver enough space to veer off before it eventually hit a property.
As the name suggests, the Less on Ness group’s first priority would be to lower the speed limit on Ness Avenue from 60 km/h to 50 km/h.
However, Crichton said that simply reducing speed limits doesn’t guarantee reduced speeding. Other ideas include adding visual cues such as crosswalks to help remind drivers to check their speeds and slow down, as well as making footing easier for older residents while sidewalks are icy during the winter.
“Ness isn’t an inviting place to sit and talk,” Crichton continued. “It doesn’t create an inviting space. There’s parks on Ness and you never see anyone at them — I wonder why? It’s loud and it’s dangerous.”
On Feb. 4, the City of Winnipeg’s standing policy committee on public works approved a traffic study to determine if a new left-turn signal directing westbound traffic at the intersection of Ness and Ferry is necessary. There’s already one in place for those headed eastbound.
Crichton said he isn’t trying to blame drivers in the area, but rather the road’s design: “Going 80 or 90 is obviously irresponsible … I understand responsibility is important, but at the same time I understand why this keeps happening.” Although the Less on Ness group is in its early stages, plans include more community forums to gather a larger audience in the St. James community and beyond.
“The more people can get behind this, the easier it is to advocate to make a change,” Crichton said. For more information, reach out to lessonnessave@gmail.com or visit @lessonness on Instagram.