FAQ

We know speed is top-of-mind for many Winnipeggers and that many have been advocating for lower speed limits throughout the city. We also know – based on other cities’ experiences and technical guidance – that reducing the posted speed limit in residential neighbourhoods can affect both safety and livability (or how the neighbourhood environment impacts residents’ quality of life). 

This pilot is the first step in determining what lowering residential speed limits could mean for Winnipeg and Winnipeggers. By testing reduced speed limits in four specific neighbourhoods, we will be able to extrapolate what a widespread change could do to residential neighbourhoods across Winnipeg. 

While traffic data will tell us whether the lower posted speed limit leads to vehicles actually travelling more slowly, we also need to know about how the change makes people feel. 

In this pre-pilot engagement, we want residents who live on streets where the speed limit will change to tell us their feelings and opinions on livability, or how their neighbourhood’s physical environment impacts their quality of life. We’ll check in with these residents again later this year to see if their feelings changed with the speed limit. 

Residents on affected streets should receive a letter in the mail by February 7, 2023 with an invitation to participate in the pre-pilot survey. 

In early 2024, we’ll invite all Winnipeggers to share their thoughts on residential speed limits and how a widespread change may affect their lives. 

We’ll use traffic data and what we hear from both area residents and Winnipeggers at large to form recommendations on the future of speed limits in residential areas across Winnipeg. The results of the pilot and our recommendations will be presented in a report to Council in 2024.

Residents who live in a pilot neighbourhood but on a street where the speed is not changing will be invited to share their perspectives on speed limits as part of the larger citywide engagement in Phase 2 of the project.

Posted speed limits will be reduced from 50 km/h in four neighbourhoods: 

• Bourkevale (see map)
• Richmond West (see map)
• Tyndall Park (South) (see map)
• Worthington (see map)

When planning the pilot, we knew the project had to include a mix of both newer and more mature neighbourhoods. This mix represents Winnipeg’s larger make-up, which meant we could use the pilot areas to hypothesize what the reduction could mean for all neighbourhoods throughout the city. Beyond this, we wanted to ensure our pilot areas all had a mix of community amenities (like schools, community centres, parks, and other gathering places), were enclosed by a natural boundary and/or defined border, and included a good mix of both residential and collector streets.

We will post signs on each street where the speed limit is changing and also install information signage at the most common entry points to each neighbourhood. A news release will be distributed prior to the speed limits changing.

For this project, we are only changing the posted speed limit on collector and local / residential roads. 

• Collector roads are the higher-traffic streets that lead into and out of communities. They are often the “hub” of the community where shops and other community destinations are located, usually serve as bus routes, and are also the roads big trucks would use when travelling into a neighbourhood to make deliveries. 
• Local roads are shorter, narrower streets used primarily for accessing homes properties (as opposed to being used as a thoroughfare). In Winnipeg, we also call these residential streets.

The entire project will take about two years from start to finish, including prep work and analysis. The speed limit reduction itself will start in March 2023 and be in place for one year.

Based on what we learned from other cities and what we know about time spent on residential roads, it’s unlikely you’ll even notice the difference on your daily commute. Use the travel time estimator tool to test your trip. 

Livability looks at how a neighbourhood's physical environment contributes to quality of life. Physical environment includes things like geographic layout, road conditions, speeds, and available amenities. Some of the livability factors speed has been shown to change include residents’ perception of safety, comfort, walking and cycling rates, and overall enjoyment of their community.

In this project, we’re looking at livability in terms of: 

• How each area’s residents feel about things like safety and comfort
• How each area’s residents move around the neighbourhood and why they choose the mode they do
• Whether and how residents enjoy life in each neighbourhood
• And, finally, whether traffic plays a role in all these things

Source: Based on research by Wramborg (2005)

The speed limit in existing reduced-speed school zones will remain 30 km/h and be in effect from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday from September to June.

We are testing two speed scenarios: reducing collector and residential roads within a neighbourhood from 50 km/h to 40 km/h and reducing collector and residential roads within a neighbourhood to 30 km/h. Other cities in Canada have done trialed a number of scenarios. The most common reduction found through our review was a reduction to 40 km/h in all residential areas.  

The Winnipeg Police Service can enforce the posted speed limit on any road as resources and priorities allow.