My presentation to public works this morning, would presentation with more time this morning

I was elected with a solid mandate by St. Boniface residents to work on 3 key priorities including safety. This text will focus on the presentation I made this morning, & the presentation that I would have made if the committee process allowed for more time in delegation.

I registered to speak at the public works committee of Council this morning, on reports 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 33, 34. The public works agenda is here: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=22221&SectionId=&InitUrl= 2/x

The rules allowed me to briefly speak to reports 26, 27, 28, 31, 33, 34 despite an extension granted by my colleague. I will express my views here to communicate some of the issues I raised and did not have time to raise, in particular, how dangerous Winnipeg roads are.

On report 26 pertaining to requests from members of the public for traffic calming in our communities https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666537#page=1 the public service report indicates “Since approval, hundreds of requests have been received and evaluated through the program.

Traffic calming measures have been implemented on an average of two priority locations per year.” Clearly, city Council is not funding traffic calming to the level of service expected by residents.

On report 27, https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666539#page=1 this committee of Council had requested the amount of kms and $ not spent on active transportation that was required to be spent since a Council policy requires this since 2008 and was confirmed in the latest city budget update. The confirmation of this direction is spelled out in the report: “the estimated average annual length and associated cost of the improvements which were not undertaken.” I was disappointed that Council requested this information and that it is not included in this report. This leaves no dollar value for councilors that would want to go and get the dollars that were not spent on these facilities back into the next budget update.

Hargrave in particular is a devastating loss given its central connectivity to the active transportation network and that almost the entire street was completely rebuilt without new active transportation facilities.

On report 28, https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewDoc.asp?DocId=22678&SectionId=&InitUrl= I had moved to increase the number of protected bike lanes using curbs where bike lanes already exist, since this is a cost effective solution to ensure vehicles are not parking in bike lanes and making people who ride bikes safer by physically separating the road from the bike lane. I was disappointed that the public service did not recommend any new curb protected bike lanes as part of this report.

On report 31, I asked the committee to not support the report of the public service: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666544#page=1 It recommends not installing warning flashers on a high speed road. I am not convinced that a large truck fully loaded has the ability to stop in time, given the reaction time required by the truck driver, and I'm worried that a truck will run through a high speed intersection one day despite optimal road conditions because of the absence of a warning flasher. I've yet to be convinced that not installing this warning flasher is safe.

On report 33, https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666549#page=1 I asked the committee to direct the public service to expand the use of beet juice on city streets, I fear that the use of solid salt instead of beet juice which is a liquid application of beet juice and salt that we are being penny wise and pound foolish, with too much salt killing our trees, the grass on our boulevards, corroding our roads, corroding our pipes, and generally reducing the life cycle of our infrastructure because of the corroding effects of the use of solid sodium chloride or salt.

On report 34, https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666550#page=1 I made the case that the city of Winnipeg may now implement plowing to pavement on sidewalks as it is done with roads, given that the department has indicated that at the time of road renewal and renovation, sidewalks are inspected to ensure that they are in good condition, which means that they are in a condition where a sidewalk plow may plow to pavement without too much risk to the machinery. I hope the committee agrees with my proposal to enhance sidewalk plowing conditions to plow to pavement with a list of streets that is determined by those streets that were recently renewed or renovated.

On the reports that I did not have time to speak to, the message that I would have liked to send is the following Monthly Verbal Report on Traffic Collisions and Fatalities: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666518#page=1 I had moved following a report from an independent researcher that showed using city of Winnipeg and Manitoba Public insurance numbers that the number of pedestrian and cyclist injuries were on the rise, that we receive monthly updates from Manitoba Public Insurance as well as the Winnipeg Police Service so that the public service could quickly respond to locations that would be deemed problematic based on information provided on a monthly basis.

Instead of waiting for annual reports where a whole year of risk might be mitigated by the use of more current information. I was disappointed that report 21, Semi-Annual Reporting on Traffic Collisions and Fatalities https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666526#page=1 indicated that MPI states there would be no change to the existing annual data transfer arrangement. This means 2022 data is not available until Fall 2023. I find this completely unacceptable given the # of injuries and deaths on Winnipeg roads that might be prevented if the information were to be provided in a more timely manner. I would also have pointed out that the public service has recommended over $7-million in traffic engineering improvements in order to make our streets better and safer.

Link to the full report here: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=656326#page=1, the list of the funded projects here: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=656327#page=1 and the list of unfunded projects here: https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=656328#page=1 and that Council is still waiting to find out what over $5-million is doing in the Traffic Engineering Improvement Program Account. Link to the public accounts is here: https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/finance/CapitalExpenditures/2022/202204CapitalExpendituresMonthlyReport.pdf I have yet to be informed of what the list of projects are that are within this over $5-million in the https://legacy.winnipeg.ca/finance/CapitalExpenditures/2022/202204CapitalExpendituresMonthlyReport.pdfresMonthlyReport.pdf

I was heartbroken when I lost a vote at Council to install low mounted lights at lighted pedestrian crossings with an 8-8 vote https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/DMIS/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=659356#page=1 despite these crossing being recommended for installation by the public service and being a low cost and effective way to better safety at lighted pedestrian crossings according to a city document that was made public through access to information requests. It is clear to me that there is much to be done to improve road safety, the public service has recommended over $7-million dollars in needed upgrades and to date Council has chosen to not fund them. It is clear to me that more investments are needed.

Regarding 14. Quarterly Report - Review of Motor Vehicle Noise Policies https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666519#page=1 I would have requested to committee members that we once again request of the Province of Manitoba for the legislative authority to put into practice a photo enforcement program for those vehicles violating the noise by-law. This is a source of many complaints in Winnipeg, most recently raised by a resident during the Island Lakes’ resident’s group meeting. The province has previously clearly stated that they would not be granting that authority, given the change in leadership at the Province I believe it is time to ask the New Premier for permission again so that we may better the quality of life of our residents who are being subject to vehicular noise much in excess of the noise by-law which is to be enforced by the Winnipeg Police Service who generally place matters of life and death over quality of life issues like these.

Regarding report 19. Quarterly Report - Active Transportation Advisory Committee https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666524#page=1 I had made the request that the minutes of the Active Transportation Advisory Committee be made public given the apparent discrepancies between the active transportation strategies and the missing construction that we had seen like the missing upgrades on Hargrave Street, Day Street and Roblyn Boulevard. There was no report for this item, I would have asked my colleagues to press the public service so that the public and Council would have continued to know what the active transportation advisory committee was doing.

On report number 20. Verbal Update on Grass Alternatives Pilot Project https://clkapps.winnipeg.ca/dmis/ViewPdf.asp?SectionId=666525#page=1 I would have asked my colleagues to increase the scope of the installation of native grasses and sod alternatives, given that I know that they are a low cost alternative to the installation of and maintenance to sod allowing mowing cycles to increase where they are required such as in soccer fields.

It is clear to me that there is much to be done to improve road safety, the public service has made over $7-million dollars in needed upgrades and to date Council has chosen to not fund them. I was given a clear mandate by the residents of St. Boniface to improve safety and I will continue to do so. It is clear that investments are needed. I hope that we may get together as a Council and get these much needed upgrades installed.