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  #41  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2013, 7:12 PM
steveosnyder steveosnyder is offline
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On the same path as Bomberjet -- the City of Winnipeg Major Project site says that the widening of Panet/Molson is needed to increase safety at the Concordia intersection. They also state that a round-about wasn't a good idea because of the heavy pedestrian traffic.

How is making a 2 lane street with heavy pedestrian traffic into 5 lanes (2 thru each way plus 1 turning) safer? I hate traffic engineers -- free flow traffic at designed speeds does not create safety, especially in high pedestrian traffic areas, it's actually been proven that it creates more dangerous situations, especially for the people walking.
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  #42  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2013, 7:38 PM
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Originally Posted by cheswick View Post
Driving that far out of the way coming from where? The only issue would be for people coming from the South via Plessis. Isn't the far larger traffic volume from people coming from downtown via Dugald? Easy enough to route them down Lag to Regent instead.
All the people of Transcona trying to get out. A lot of people use Plessis to get to Fermor, a lot of people.

The underpass will do nothing about the traffic on Dugald, so I'm not sure what you're getting at there. The problem is the traffic coming and going from Transcona, north of the tracks. When Plessis is closed, they don't have anywhere else to go except the locations I discussed.

For example. If you live at Brewster and Victoria. You'll have to go all the way to Ravenhurst or all the way to Lag just to cross the tracks when you might only be going to the Transcona golf course. People will just use Bournais. Traffic will be bad for that poor school.

All I'm saying is the city is discouraging people to use Bournais when they dam well know everybody will be using Bournais.
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  #43  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2013, 7:43 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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Originally Posted by steveosnyder View Post
On the same path as Bomberjet -- the City of Winnipeg Major Project site says that the widening of Panet/Molson is needed to increase safety at the Concordia intersection. They also state that a round-about wasn't a good idea because of the heavy pedestrian traffic.

How is making a 2 lane street with heavy pedestrian traffic into 5 lanes (2 thru each way plus 1 turning) safer? I hate traffic engineers -- free flow traffic at designed speeds does not create safety, especially in high pedestrian traffic areas, it's actually been proven that it creates more dangerous situations, especially for the people walking.
I don't disagree with you about the pedestrian thing. But's it's not very safe right now for vehicles or pedestrians. Creating proper crossing corridors and proper bus stops will go a long way to help pedestrians. Currently you have one lane for traffic to go in three directions, that's not very safe for vehicles

Traffic does not stop at roundabouts (theoretically). Traffic stops at traffic lights (guaranteed). That's where pedestrians are safer.
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  #44  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2013, 7:49 PM
steveosnyder steveosnyder is offline
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Originally Posted by bomberjet View Post
I don't disagree with you about the pedestrian thing. But's it's not very safe right now for vehicles or pedestrians. Creating proper crossing corridors and proper bus stops will go a long way to help pedestrians. Currently you have one lane for traffic to go in three directions, that's not very safe for vehicles

Traffic does not stop at roundabouts (theoretically). Traffic stops at traffic lights (guaranteed). That's where pedestrians are safer.
I wasn't advocating for a roundabout there, I was advocating for an upgrade to 3 lanes -- 1 through each way and 1 turning -- instead of 5. This increases the level of service for left turners without comprimising safety to pedestrians at an intersection that the City itself says has high pedestrian traffic.
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  #45  
Old Posted Jun 11, 2013, 8:35 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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Originally Posted by steveosnyder View Post
I wasn't advocating for a roundabout there, I was advocating for an upgrade to 3 lanes -- 1 through each way and 1 turning -- instead of 5. This increases the level of service for left turners without comprimising safety to pedestrians at an intersection that the City itself says has high pedestrian traffic.
Yeah, 3 lanes would definitely be safer than 5. No question there.
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  #46  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 12:20 AM
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Sent this to Jenny Gerbasi today,

Jenny, why is a woman being threatened for planting a garden? More importantly, why are there such restrictive guidelines surrounding boulevard planting? David Domke is trying to spin this as being a matter of safety, when really it is nothing more than bureaucracy getting in the way of what is essentially a good thing. I really do find it disconcerting that someone would be harassed down the street from me for something that really should be celebrated. I expect that this will be addressed by you possibly bringing forward the idea of new and improved policies surrounding boulevard care and the unreasonable restrictions that are in currently in place. It is really ironic that Winnipeg is currently in two confrontations on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. The city doesn't like it when the people leave the lawns, but they also don't like it when people take the time to make their boulevards more appealing to neighbours.


The city really does disappoint me sometimes.
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  #47  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 1:28 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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Originally Posted by chrisallard5454 View Post
Sent this to Jenny Gerbasi today,

Jenny, why is a woman being threatened for planting a garden? More importantly, why are there such restrictive guidelines surrounding boulevard planting? David Domke is trying to spin this as being a matter of safety, when really it is nothing more than bureaucracy getting in the way of what is essentially a good thing. I really do find it disconcerting that someone would be harassed down the street from me for something that really should be celebrated. I expect that this will be addressed by you possibly bringing forward the idea of new and improved policies surrounding boulevard care and the unreasonable restrictions that are in currently in place. It is really ironic that Winnipeg is currently in two confrontations on completely opposite ends of the spectrum. The city doesn't like it when the people leave the lawns, but they also don't like it when people take the time to make their boulevards more appealing to neighbours.


The city really does disappoint me sometimes.
I think there should be some type of process that allows for this type of stuff. I've driven through Wolseley and seen some of the "gardens" on the boulevard. Nothing more than a pile of weeds. But if someone maintains it and makes the neighbourhood a more inviting place to live, than go for it!

Not sure where the by-law comes from, but it might have something to do with clearing snow originally. In all the newer developments, the city has to be really careful what the approve. In some of the smaller towns with newer developments, there is no where to pile snow because the driveways take up the entire frontage. Especially on curves.

So if the city says they need 1m from the curb and 0.5m from the sidewalk, I believe that on the context of snow clearing. Everybody knows how high the snow banks get. So if people start putting a garden, then they'll put some edging, then it turns into a small fence, then it turns... you see where I'm going. Then the city gets complaints that the snow piles have flattened all the gardens.

Then it turns into the guy in St. Vital that won't cut the grass. Where does he think the money will come from to pay for the city to cut the grass on everyone's boulevard? You choose to live in a sprawling new subdivision, you should be prepared to pay for it.

It's a fine line. In terms of safety along the boulevards, I'm not sure about that.
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  #48  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 1:58 PM
cllew cllew is offline
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One concern I have with boulevard planting is what happens when there is a watermain / sewer line / other utility repair needed, and what the expectation of the homeowner is of the restoration will be.

Will they be expecting repayment of the cost of replacement plants, seeds etc?
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  #49  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 2:21 PM
steveosnyder steveosnyder is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet View Post
I think there should be some type of process that allows for this type of stuff. I've driven through Wolseley and seen some of the "gardens" on the boulevard. Nothing more than a pile of weeds. But if someone maintains it and makes the neighbourhood a more inviting place to live, than go for it!

Not sure where the by-law comes from, but it might have something to do with clearing snow originally. In all the newer developments, the city has to be really careful what the approve. In some of the smaller towns with newer developments, there is no where to pile snow because the driveways take up the entire frontage. Especially on curves.

So if the city says they need 1m from the curb and 0.5m from the sidewalk, I believe that on the context of snow clearing. Everybody knows how high the snow banks get. So if people start putting a garden, then they'll put some edging, then it turns into a small fence, then it turns... you see where I'm going. Then the city gets complaints that the snow piles have flattened all the gardens.

Then it turns into the guy in St. Vital that won't cut the grass. Where does he think the money will come from to pay for the city to cut the grass on everyone's boulevard? You choose to live in a sprawling new subdivision, you should be prepared to pay for it.

It's a fine line. In terms of safety along the boulevards, I'm not sure about that.
The minimum standard for clear zones for local streets -- design speed of 50km/h -- is 6 feet when it has a 90 degree curb. Without the curb the recommendation is 7-14 feet, but they allow for 6 feet still (though not recommended).

This garden was within the clear zone, therefore the traffic engineers deemed it unsafe.

Personally, I think this is a crock. First I don't think that local streets should have a design speed of 50 km/h. Second, making a street green is one of the best ways to invite people to walk. Local streets should be for people, not cars.

Examples:
Local street for the car:


Local street for people:


Images courtesy of Andrew Price's Blog
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  #50  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 4:52 PM
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cheswick cheswick is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bomberjet View Post
I think there should be some type of process that allows for this type of stuff. I've driven through Wolseley and seen some of the "gardens" on the boulevard. Nothing more than a pile of weeds. But if someone maintains it and makes the neighbourhood a more inviting place to live, than go for it!

Not sure where the by-law comes from, but it might have something to do with clearing snow originally. In all the newer developments, the city has to be really careful what the approve. In some of the smaller towns with newer developments, there is no where to pile snow because the driveways take up the entire frontage. Especially on curves.

So if the city says they need 1m from the curb and 0.5m from the sidewalk, I believe that on the context of snow clearing. Everybody knows how high the snow banks get. So if people start putting a garden, then they'll put some edging, then it turns into a small fence, then it turns... you see where I'm going. Then the city gets complaints that the snow piles have flattened all the gardens.

Then it turns into the guy in St. Vital that won't cut the grass. Where does he think the money will come from to pay for the city to cut the grass on everyone's boulevard? You choose to live in a sprawling new subdivision, you should be prepared to pay for it.

It's a fine line. In terms of safety along the boulevards, I'm not sure about that.
The city by-law requires turf to be planted one metre from the curb and half a metre from a public sidewalk. Not all gardens on boulevards are in violation of the city's bylaws, this one happens to be.



Quote:
"It’s really about public safety," said David Domke, Winnipeg’s manager of parks and open spaces. "We want people to plant boulevards, but she did not follow the guidelines."
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...211101891.html
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  #51  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 5:18 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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Originally Posted by cheswick View Post
The city by-law requires turf to be planted one metre from the curb and half a metre from a public sidewalk. Not all gardens on boulevards are in violation of the city's bylaws, this one happens to be.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...211101891.html
Without doing any research myself, does this by-law state what type of plants, structures, etc. can be placed on the boulevard? And where is the 1m and 0.5m from. Back of curb, face of curb, edge of sidewalk? People don't know this kind of stuff. Just asking because I don't really know and am pro boulevard planting.
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  #52  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 5:21 PM
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Originally Posted by bomberjet View Post
Without doing any research myself, does this by-law state what type of plants, structures, etc. can be placed on the boulevard? And where is the 1m and 0.5m from. Back of curb, face of curb, edge of sidewalk? People don't know this kind of stuff. Just asking because I don't really know and am pro boulevard planting.
http://winnipeg.ca/publicworks/Boule...nerResponsible
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  #53  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 5:29 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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Great, thanks for that. So for the lady on Lenore there's really no issue. Just follow the guidelines and you'll be okay.
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  #54  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 5:35 PM
steveosnyder steveosnyder is offline
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I guess City of Winnipeg standards don't go by the green book... But they do restrict height to under 1 metre.

PS. I still think it's a crock.
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  #55  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 5:51 PM
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The news here is that the Province is ponying up some dough.


Province, city partner on $40-M improvements to infrastructure near Polo Park

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 12:21 PM

Greg Selinger announced a major provincial investment in road renewal today, which is intended to improved driving conditions within the Polo Park area.

"These investments in infrastructure will make a difference here," said the premier.

Both the province and the city will be contributing $20 million each to the $40-million project.

In June 2012 the City of Winnipeg announced the sale of the Canad Inns Stadium site. The city planned to invest a minimum of $30 million dollars to improve the congested streets in the Polo Park area. The city stated that $20 million dollars of the total sale price would be fixed towards infrastructure.

According to a release from the province, the scope of work includes:

extension of St. Matthews Avenue from St. James to Madison streets;
improvements to St. Matthews Avenue between Empress Street and St. James Street; and
improvements to the St. James Street/St. Matthews Avenue and St. James Street/Ellice Avenue intersections.
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  #56  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 7:12 PM
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It seems that every couple of years some grandiose promises are made regarding traffic improvements around Polo Park, but apart from the Silver Avenue extension a decade ago and a couple of much-needed left turn arrows here and there, nothing much ever seems to change. This announcement is a decent start, though.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Biff View Post
According to a release from the province, the scope of work includes:

extension of St. Matthews Avenue from St. James to Madison streets;
improvements to St. Matthews Avenue between Empress Street and St. James Street; and
improvements to the St. James Street/St. Matthews Avenue and St. James Street/Ellice Avenue intersections.
[/I]
The St. Matthews extension is a good idea, and should help relieve some of the congestion in the area.

The intersection improvements are also badly needed - those are some of the most bombed out looking intersections in the entire city. I feel badly for anyone driving a car with a rigid suspension over those nasty craters.
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  #57  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 7:39 PM
cllew cllew is offline
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We are lucky that all the rail served companies have moved from that area.

Could you imagine the congestion if there were any remaining ones that CN / CP /BN still had to switch and spot boxcars to in that area?
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  #58  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 8:32 PM
bomberjet bomberjet is offline
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We are lucky that all the rail served companies have moved from that area.

Could you imagine the congestion if there were any remaining ones that CN / CP /BN still had to switch and spot boxcars to in that area?
Talk about a nightmare. I think there's still a couple like Russell Metals. But yeah, thank goodness!
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  #59  
Old Posted Jun 12, 2013, 9:23 PM
cllew cllew is offline
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I found online a scan of an old CN Car control manual and there were 7 crossings on St. James St all north of St. Matthews .

Never mind the CN Oak Point Subdivison that ran north crossing every main street starting at Taylor Ave. For some reason CN tended to want to cross Portage Ave during rush hour if I recall properly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3397768...8632/lightbox/

Last edited by cllew; Jun 12, 2013 at 9:25 PM. Reason: replaced they with CN
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  #60  
Old Posted Jun 13, 2013, 7:24 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by esquire View Post
It seems that every couple of years some grandiose promises are made regarding traffic improvements around Polo Park, but apart from the Silver Avenue extension a decade ago and a couple of much-needed left turn arrows here and there, nothing much ever seems to change. This announcement is a decent start, though.



The St. Matthews extension is a good idea, and should help relieve some of the congestion in the area.

The intersection improvements are also badly needed - those are some of the most bombed out looking intersections in the entire city. I feel badly for anyone driving a car with a rigid suspension over those nasty craters.
Now if they could actually extend St. Matthews a little bit... extend it (or Silver) to Sharpe or Moray, and there, St James and Charleswood issues would be solved.

Agreed, the street looks like shit. I live just south of it and used to ride my bike on it all the time

Have you seen the section between Ferry and Route 90?
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