Edgewater Rd is used by lots of pedestrians to access the sidewalk in the middle that connects Vermillion Rd and other Sidewalks that connect others parts of Southdale. Edgewater connects Lakewood Blvd and Beaverhill Blvd together which both have school & park locations. Edgewater is about one kilometre in length and only has 22 Meters of sidewalk and needs to extend the full length. Students are always walk this route to school with cars going by and backing out driveways, which isn’t a good mix. It might help to add a crosswalk at Beaverhill Blvd side of Edgewater for better access. 
Month: June 2014
Vermillion Rd Needs Attention
Vermillion is a collector road located in Southdale (also a bus route ) and only has sidewalks on the south side for the most part. The problem is the north side of Vermillion does not have a sidewalk and has been that way for over 30 years. Vermillion Rd connects Lakewood Blvd to Beaverhill Blvd. On the south side: a school, park, 5 bus stops, and residential streets; On the north side: daycare centre, 2 to 3 grocery stores, several more stores, and 5 bus stops; with the increase of retail/amenities opening up in recent years, the traffic is getting busier. It’s getting harder to cross the street to the stores.
You can now see how the north side of Vermillion needs a sidewalk so people don’t have to cross at random spots. People would be able to cross at designated crossings instead of crossing at unsafe locations. Vermillion is starting to become a fairly busy pedestrian corridor and needs improvements to keep up with pedestrian demand and safety concerns!
Related Topic: “Good use for sidewalks”
“I have been following the saga of how to make cycling in this city safer for bicycles, cars, and pedestrians, and to me, the solution could be simple. Hundreds of miles of sidewalks in Winnipeg are grossly underused, particularly in residential areas, and which we all pay for with our tax dollars, even if we don’t use them. I do use them when I ride my bike.”
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/good-use-for-sidewalks-263591311.html
What do you think, should pedestrians share sidewalks with bicycles? I’ll let you decide that well I give you an insight of my opinion of pedestrians and cyclists sharing the sidewalk. I like to think of myself as a cyclists and pedestrian at the same, not just because we all feel safer when separated from cars but because I face similar challenges of both party’s. I have to lookout for bikes and yield to pedestrians when driving my wheelchair and don’t mind if people ride on the sidewalk. As long as we are watching out for each other and not going to fast when passing by others. I know it’s illegal to ride bikes on the sidewalk, but why is that? I would think it would be ok as long as your not riding badly and besides if more people are using the sidewalks more often the more people notice the conditions of sidewalks & crosswalks!
Winnipeg 311 Services App
“On August 13, 2013 the City of Winnipeg launched a mobile app that allows people to connect with City. The 311 app provides users with the ability to do any of the following with their iPhone, iPad or Android device:
Report a service request to 311 Send photographs relating to the service request Check on the status of the service request submitted Connect with other City services such as licensing your dog or planning your Transit route.
This app offers citizens another way to connect with Winnipeg 311.
The information and photos will help the City prioritize and efficiently respond to citizen requests. The service requests that will be available are:
Potholes
Sidewalk repairs
Graffiti on public property
Dead animal removal
Transit – Lost property
Transit – Shelter issues
Snow removal
Sanding… “
Click the link below for more information about the 311 Service App:
http://www.winnipeg.ca/Interhom/contact/app.stm
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What does this mean for sidewalk & crosswalks you may ask? Well the fact that you can report sidewalks in need of repairs is just the beginning. With this app you can report heaved, crumbling, cracked, and slippery sidewalks. Once you pick what problem the sidewalk has you will have to add details. These details are the location of the sidewalk, photos of the sidewalk need of repair (6 photos max), description of request, and type of sidewalk problem (as mentioned earlier), also have to provide information of you the reporter.
The issues that I come across to be troublesome for me are the fact that there aren’t enough types of sidewalk problems listed within the app. My way of working around is picking one of the options by just adding details of what the actual problem is within description of request section. When it comes to crosswalks with high curbs, it’s sometimes a bit tricky to explain to 311 what exactly you’re wanting done. This is why there should be a curb/crosswalk section and would like to see improvements to 311 in the future. In conclusion the 311 app is a great tool to use if you don’t want the hassle of being on hold on the phone all the time. Report on the run, anywhere, anytime! So get out and start reporting because we need as much people reporting on sidewalks as possible. Together we can make change to our sidewalk infrastructure by picking up you’re phone for 311.
Introduction to Winnipeg’s Sidewalk & Crosswalks Blog
I have created this blog to get the message across that the City of Winnipeg needs improved conditions to our sidewalk infrastructure. The sidewalks everywhere need fixing all the time. Heaved, crumbling, bumpy, you name it!
This blog will mainly be about:
Sections of sidewalks needing repaired,
Dangerous crosswalks needing improvements,
Areas that more sidewalk infrastructure is needed,
Related Topics;
I’m quite sure many people walking have fallen form a bump on the sidewalk. The worst part is that some of the crosswalks still have curbs to high for people in wheelchairs to cross the street!
Winnipeg’s Sidewalk & Crosswalks Blog is for me to express my point of views, thoughts, and ideas for this city that would make active transportation safer, easier, and less stressful. This blog means a lot to me because I’m someone who is in an electric wheelchair who loves to drive around the city. The problem is I come across lots of sidewalk situations where I have to figure out how to get around. Sometimes I’m forced drive on the road or have to back travel a few blocks!
I hope in the end we will make a difference for sidewalks throughout Winnipeg! if you have any input or questions please leave comments or contact me anytime about any of my blog post or for whatever by twitter/email: @TyAtkinson1994 / wpgsidewalkcrosswalks@outlook.com
Winnipeg's Sidewalks & Crosswalks 