While school may be out for summer – taking with it September-to-June reduced-speed school zones – Winnipeg drivers shouldn’t close the books on special speed limits.
In fact, reduced speed limits are in place throughout the city as part of three special programs and projects: neighbourhood greenways, seasonal bike routes, and the reduced-speed neighbourhood pilot.
Neighbourhood greenways
Neighbourhood greenways are on-street routes designed to comfortably and safely move both cyclists and motor vehicles. Greenways typically include a range of treatments from low-impact things like signage, bike signals, and pavement markings to more permanent traffic calming measures like speed humps and a reduced speed limit.
The speed limit is reduced to 30 km/h, 24/7 and year-round on 13 of our 19 neighbourhood greenway routes:
- Eugenie Street (St. Mary’s Road to Youville Street)
- Warsaw Avenue (Thurso Street to Pembina Highway)
- Machray Avenue (Fife Street to Main Street)
- Powers Street (Dufferin Avenue to Partridge Avenue)
- Alexander Avenue (Arlington Street to Princess Street)
- Egerton Road (Bank Avenue to Morier Avenue)
- Harbison Avenue West (Henderson Highway to eastern terminus)
- Kildonan Drive (Helmsdale Avenue to Irving Place)
- Linwood Street (Portage Avenue to Silver Avenue)
- Rover Avenue (Hallet Street to Stephens Street)
- Scotia Street and St. Cross Street (between Armstrong Avenue and Anderson Avenue, including one-block segments on Leila Avenue, Marymound Way, Forrest Avenue and Cathedral Avenue)
- Youville Street (Eugenie Street to Haig Avenue)
- Ruby Street / Banning Street (Palmerston Avenue to Notre Dame Avenue)
Seasonal bike routes
Speed limit reductions are also in place on each of five seasonal bike routes:
- Churchill Drive (Hay Street to Jubilee Avenue) – 30 km/h
- Kilkenny Drive / Kings Drive (Burgess Avenue to Kings Drive / Kilkenny Drive to Patricia Avenue) – 40 km/h
- Lyndale Drive (Cromwell Steret to Gauvin Street) – 30 km/h
- Wellington Crescent (Academy Road to Guelph Street) – 30 km/h
- Wolseley Avenue (Raglan Road to Maryland Street) – 30 km/h
Speeds are reduced on these routes around the clock, 24/7 from May through Thanksgiving. Additional measures specific to each street are in place on weekends in May, June, September, and October, and daily through July and August.
Reduced-speed neighbourhood pilot
The reduced-speed neighbourhood pilot is in place in four neighbourhoods for one year. We changed the speed limit on residential streets in these neighbourhoods from 50 km/h to either 30 or 40 km/h, with signs outlining the speed limits.
The speed limit is now 30 km/h in:
- Bourkevale
- Tyndall Park South
The speed limit is now 40 km/h in:
- Worthington
- Richmond West
These speed limit changes will help us figure out if changing the speed limit changes how fast vehicles actually travel. We also want to know if lowering the speed limit within a residential area affects neighbourhood livability.
While this is a lot to absorb, don’t worry – there won’t be a pop quiz.
Just remember to be on the lookout for speed limit signage whenever you hit the road and you’ll always get a passing grade.