Latest news with #BeckhamSeveright
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
City report proposes protected bike lane, lower speed limit pilot on Wellington Crescent
Winnipeg could pilot additional protections for active transportation users on a section of a city street where a cyclist was killed last year. A report to the city's public works committee calls for a pilot of one-way bike lanes on both sides of Wellington Crescent from Academy Road to Stradbrook Avenue. It also recommends the speed limit to be lowered to 40 kilometres per hour on that stretch of road. The proposed timeline for the project would see the bike lanes — separated by plastic bollards and concrete curbs — installed next spring, after the city gathers feedback from community members and communicates its design plans. The public service would be directed to report back in 270 days on the results of those consultations, the report says. "I think it's really important like we do on any new road projects … to reach out and hear the concerns of the area residents," said Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the public works committee. "Often what I've found is there's little things that percolate up that maybe the public works department's not thought [of]." The proposed pilot comes just over a year after cyclist Rob Jenner, 61, was killed on Wellington Crescent just east of Academy Road as he was cycling to work, when he was hit by a speeding motorist who lost control of his vehicle. The driver, Beckham Keneth Severight, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene. He admitted to driving more than 150 km/h in the 50 zone. Advocates have previously said the area has been the site of many close calls for cyclists. Ian McCausland, a board member with Bike Winnipeg, said he's disappointed cyclists would still have to wait until 2026 for changes on Wellington under the proposed timeline. The report said the pilot would be "atypical" since the infrastructure won't be put into place before the city collects any feedback. It said the proposed infrastructure could be implemented this year, with some modifications, to more closely resemble a typical pilot. "For some reason for Wellington, it's the reverse. They're going to get all the feedback about how much people might not like the idea and then install the pilot," McCausland said. "With a little bit of political courage, they could install the pilot … for this riding season. And, you know, I know a number of cyclists who would continue to use it throughout the winter." Some 'not going to be happy': councillor McCausland said he also takes issue with the 40 km/h speed limit. He and other cycling advocates have previously called a 30 km/h limit for Wellington. "The minute you go above 30 kilometres, accident rates and instances of injury rise significantly," he said. "This being Winnipeg, we know if it's posted 40, people are going to do at least 50." The project would cost $400,000, with the report recommending the funds be transferred from the city's 2024 active transportation studies project. "I know that people are not going to be happy about this," Coun. Lukes said. "But I also know that … if we're going to do this and we're going to put $400K — maybe $500K, we'll see how much it costs — into this, that we want to do it as best as we can possibly do it for that price." The pilot project still needs council approval. The report is set to be presented to the public works committee at its meeting next Thursday.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
City report proposes protected bike lane, lower speed limit pilot on Wellington Crescent
Winnipeg could pilot additional protections for active transportation users on a section of a city street where a cyclist was killed last year. A report to the city's public works committee calls for a pilot of one-way bike lanes on both sides of Wellington Crescent from Academy Road to Stradbrook Avenue. It also recommends the speed limit to be lowered to 40 kilometres per hour on that stretch of road. The proposed timeline for the project would see the bike lanes — separated by plastic bollards and concrete curbs — installed next spring, after the city gathers feedback from community members and communicates its design plans. The public service would be directed to report back in 270 days on the results of those consultations, the report says. "I think it's really important like we do on any new road projects … to reach out and hear the concerns of the area residents," said Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the public works committee. "Often what I've found is there's little things that percolate up that maybe the public works department's not thought [of]." The proposed pilot comes just over a year after cyclist Rob Jenner, 61, was killed on Wellington Crescent just east of Academy Road as he was cycling to work, when he was hit by a speeding motorist who lost control of his vehicle. The driver, Beckham Keneth Severight, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene. He admitted to driving more than 150 km/h in the 50 zone. Advocates have previously said the area has been the site of many close calls for cyclists. Ian McCausland, a board member with Bike Winnipeg, said he's disappointed cyclists would still have to wait until 2026 for changes on Wellington under the proposed timeline. The report said the pilot would be "atypical" since the infrastructure won't be put into place before the city collects any feedback. It said the proposed infrastructure could be implemented this year, with some modifications, to more closely resemble a typical pilot. "For some reason for Wellington, it's the reverse. They're going to get all the feedback about how much people might not like the idea and then install the pilot," McCausland said. "With a little bit of political courage, they could install the pilot … for this riding season. And, you know, I know a number of cyclists who would continue to use it throughout the winter." Some 'not going to be happy': councillor McCausland said he also takes issue with the 40 km/h speed limit. He and other cycling advocates have previously called a 30 km/h limit for Wellington. "The minute you go above 30 kilometres, accident rates and instances of injury rise significantly," he said. "This being Winnipeg, we know if it's posted 40, people are going to do at least 50." The project would cost $400,000, with the report recommending the funds be transferred from the city's 2024 active transportation studies project. "I know that people are not going to be happy about this," Coun. Lukes said. "But I also know that … if we're going to do this and we're going to put $400K — maybe $500K, we'll see how much it costs — into this, that we want to do it as best as we can possibly do it for that price." The pilot project still needs council approval. The report is set to be presented to the public works committee at its meeting next Thursday.
CBC
12-06-2025
- CBC
Makeshift bike lane set up on Wellington Crescent on anniversary of Winnipeg cyclist's death
Social Sharing Concrete cinderblocks, two-by-four planks and green paint briefly lined hundreds of metres of Winnipeg's Wellington Crescent last week, set up by bike-lane advocates to mark the anniversary of a cyclist's death in a high-speed crash there one year ago. Organizer Michael told CBC's Marcy Markusa on Information Radio Wednesday morning that community members who live and move along the busy road feel the city is stalling instead of installing safety infrastructure. CBC News has agreed not to use Michael's last name. "It shouldn't be as hard as it is to get the city to take action here. We wanted to demonstrate that this is something that a bunch of people — in an hour and a half — put together. It shouldn't be taking years and years in order to design and study and build this," Michael said. "We've gone through all the official, proper channels and we still have nothing on the ground." The DIY bike lane went up last Friday, exactly one year since 61-year-old cyclist Rob Jenner was killed when a 19-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle while driving 159 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. The driver, Beckham Keneth Severight, was sentenced in March to three years in prison for dangerous driving causing death. Winnipeg cyclist killed in hit and run was a loving family man who took safety precautions, family says Voice shaking, widow of cyclist killed in hit-and-run addresses young driver in court 19-year-old driver who killed cyclist in Wellington Crescent hit and run sentenced to 3 years Michael said hundreds of community members gathered at a block party to celebrate Jenner's life and install the bike lane, stretching for about 400 metres each way from Cockburn Street North to Hugo Street North. The city took it down the same day. 'It's just not safe,' councillor says Waverley West Coun. Janice Lukes, who chairs the city's public works committee, told CBC's Faith Fundal on Up to Speed Wednesday afternoon that the DIY bike lane was a hazard for all road users and had to be dismantled. "We had to take it down, because you could barely see it … and at night, you would never see it and then a car would run into it or a cyclist would run into it, and there would be another disaster," Lukes said. "It's just not safe because it's just not designed to be safe." The city is developing a report on making cycling safer along Wellington Crescent. The committee voted to delay that report, prompting protests outside city hall last month. Lukes said traffic engineers are still studying how the city would install "semi-permanent" barricades that would serve as a temporary barricade until Wellington undergoes road renewal. She said that renewal isn't planned for Wellington yet, but temporary bike lanes were installed on River Avenue before they were replaced with permanent infrastructure. "It can't be done overnight. It just takes time to properly engineer it," she said, adding that the city would also have to run public consultations with residents and other stakeholders. "I understand it's not fast enough for some," Lukes said. Lukes's public works committee had backed a push to reduce speeds along Wellington Crescent from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. But that motion was voted down by the city's executive policy committee in December. Michael said he and other bike-lane advocates are frustrated that the speed-limit reduction motion stalled, while the safety report faces further delays. Yet the city moved very quickly to tear down the DIY bike lane, he said, removing it within hours of it going up. "I'm just so mad. They'll delay for two years in building the dang thing and that same night they find the time to come and tear it down," Michael said. "If they actually cared about keeping people safe, they'd be building something instead."
