Winnipeg Roads & Infrastructure

[esquire]

^ The demand for infill would be more readily met if councillors weren't so keen on jumping in bed with NIMBYs who try to shoot down every proposal and promoting policies designed to throttle back infill development.

There are definitely buyers interested in infill, but it is not an easy thing to build in this city.

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by Winnipegger

Just because Winnipeg has a high child poverty rate, doesn't mean the rest of the city is poor. When you look at core metrics like non-elderly median or average after-tax family income, Winnipeg ranks similar to most other major Canadian cities. Yes, our incomes aren't near that of Calgary or Edmonton, but we are most certainly comparable to other major cities like Quebec City, Montreal, or even Toronto in some cases. (see Statistics Canada Table: 11-10-0190-01).

This notion that Winnipeg is a "poor city" is misguided, mostly due to envy for our western oil-boom neighbors. The truth is that we are not that far off, so income disparities alone are not enough to explain our infrastructure deficit and other issues we are facing. To blame it all on income is shortsighted and non-factual.

I agree, statistics can be influenced by some extreme numbers, like the indigenous people under poverty mentioned earlier. Just because you don’t see rich people in your daily life, doesn’t mean Winnipeg is poor

[EspionNoir]

Originally Posted by esquire

There has to be a bit of wealth here if we can support a frigging NHL hockey team on our population. We're the only major league city in North America with a market of under a million people.

This^

[buzzg]

Winnipeg has a lot of money. But in typical Friendly Manitoba fashion, people don't really go out and flaunt it and wave it in peoples' faces. Also, they tend to travel to spend their money on things like shopping and experiences that you can't get here.

Some of the richest and most influential families/businesses in the city are also remarkably quiet and tight lipped about their wealth, business, and lives in general. Look at the Richardsons and the Chipmans for example, they donate money and develop things, but they're not out flashing it around all the time. Like my god, Richardson is like fort Knox, you never hear a peep about the inner workings of that company, yet it's one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Can add the Weinbergs, Buhlers, and others to that list as well. Very different from a lot of the wealth in bigger cities.

[esquire]

^ The Richardsons are one of a kind, and Chipman/Buhler-level wealth is rare too. But there are a good number of people who are, shall we say, entry-level wealthy who earn $500K plus, some over seven figures a year and have virtually zero public profile. Successful small business owners, professionals who invest in successful businesses, particularly high-earning professionals, etc.

In Winnipeg, a lot of people like that drive Camrys and don't really stand out in that look-at-me way you often see in bigger cities, where it's more common to flaunt it. But they're there.

[buzzg]

Exactly. People just keep quiet and do their thing here. In Toronto, walk into any given restaurant and people are yelling about their new Rolex, lol.

[Ando]

Originally Posted by buzzg

Winnipeg has a lot of money. But in typical Friendly Manitoba fashion, people don't really go out and flaunt it and wave it in peoples' faces. Also, they tend to travel to spend their money on things like shopping and experiences that you can't get here.

Some of the richest and most influential families/businesses in the city are also remarkably quiet and tight lipped about their wealth, business, and lives in general. Look at the Richardsons and the Chipmans for example, they donate money and develop things, but they're not out flashing it around all the time. Like my god, Richardson is like fort Knox, you never hear a peep about the inner workings of that company, yet it's one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Can add the Weinbergs, Buhlers, and others to that list as well. Very different from a lot of the wealth in bigger cities.

Richardson’s is a privately-held company. That’s one of the points of being a privately-held company, you aren’t subject to the same public disclosure requirements that a publicly traded company is.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ The demand for infill would be more readily met if councillors weren't so keen on jumping in bed with NIMBYs who try to shoot down every proposal and promoting policies designed to throttle back infill development.

There are definitely buyers interested in infill, but it is not an easy thing to build in this city.

Think it's more like the other way around, buddy was at city hall for an appeal hearing and told me appeals against lot splitting went 0 for 12, most infill on lot splitting variances do pass. Trouble with infill and lot splitting in this city is that it doesn't happen where it's needed most, mature neighbourhoods with derelict housing!

[esquire]

^ Old inner city neighbourhoods with a good number homes that are in bad shape tend to have narrow lots like 25-30 foot widths to begin with... you can't really split those. Although people do build homes with basement rental suites, etc. to bump up the density factor.

It's the older inner-ring suburbs that tend to be the most fertile ground for this sort of thing since there are also older homes but more importantly, they sit on wider lots that can be easily split into two.

[rrskylar]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ Old inner city neighbourhoods with a good number homes that are in bad shape tend to have narrow lots like 25-30 foot widths to begin with... you can't really split those. Although people do build homes with basement rental suites, etc. to bump up the density factor.

It's the older inner-ring suburbs that tend to be the most fertile ground for this sort of thing since there are also older homes but more importantly, they sit on wider lots that can be easily split into two.

Correct, the older inner-ring suburbs are where a substantial profit can be made from this lot splitting even though I don’t think that was the original intention to allow lot splitting in the first place. Sure it promotes densification but the original intent should have been to replace substandard housing in mature neighbourhoods be they on 25 or 30 foot lots, this whole infill thing is a bit of a conundrum when areas that really need new housing are overlooked, no?

[Reignman]

Anybody know when Dugald Rd inside of the perimeter will finally receive attention from the city?

Seemingly narrow lanes with rough and uneven surfaces, full gravel shoulders with a steep grade down toward deep ditches. Yet heading outside the city the highway has/will have smooth surface and fully paved shoulders up to Anola.

I know twinning this section is apparently a dead concept, but is upgrading the current 2-lane configuration even on the city's radar?

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by Reignman

Anybody know when Dugald Rd inside of the perimeter will finally receive attention from the city?

Seemingly narrow lanes with rough and uneven surfaces, full gravel shoulders with a steep grade down toward deep ditches. Yet heading outside the city the highway has/will have smooth surface and fully paved shoulders up to Anola.

I know twinning this section is apparently a dead concept, but is upgrading the current 2-lane configuration even on the city's radar?

Why is it a dead concept?

[The Jabroni]

Originally Posted by Reignman

Anybody know when Dugald Rd inside of the perimeter will finally receive attention from the city?

Seemingly narrow lanes with rough and uneven surfaces, full gravel shoulders with a steep grade down toward deep ditches. Yet heading outside the city the highway has/will have smooth surface and fully paved shoulders up to Anola.

I know twinning this section is apparently a dead concept, but is upgrading the current 2-lane configuration even on the city's radar?

Yeah, it could use a bit of a renewal. Similar to McGillvray Blvd a few years ago.

[cllew]

Has anybody else heard anything about the City of Winnipeg TMC working with the people behind Trainfo (a Winnipeg developed system) to add real time train crossing blockages to Waze and possibly Google Maps.

I have seen small boxes with Trainfo stickers showing up on hydro poles next to some major railway crossings in East Winnipeg but Waze has not yet been detouring me around those crossings or having them show up as delay info if no detour is available.

[CoryB]

I tried to use Waze a few times here and its routing algorithm is horrible locally. Not sure why as I have used it in other cities and compared it v other services and they are pretty much identical.

[cllew]

Actually heard back from the Winnipeg TMC today (311 actually works in forwarding requests).

Apparently the TMC has been working with the Trainfo people and Waze for about 18 months to interface the Trainfo data to Waze but have been having issues with Waze seeing the trains entering and clearing the monitored crossings in a timely fashion.

It looks like the problem is with Waze and not Trainfo.

[bomberjet]

That's great you heard back.

I submitted a request to 311 recently regarding the light cycles along gateway/Raleigh. The TMC changed them a year or two ago, and they not as good. And 311 actually got back to me! They never do when I complain about snow clearing or other things. I try not to be too crotchety.

I find they'll respond to you on Twitter. But only during working hours, cause they make sure to tweet when they're leaving for the day haha

[cllew]

Originally Posted by bomberjet

That's great you heard back.

I submitted a request to 311 recently regarding the light cycles along gateway/Raleigh. The TMC changed them a year or two ago, and they not as good. And 311 actually got back to me! They never do when I complain about snow clearing or other things. I try not to be too crotchety.

I find they'll respond to you on Twitter. But only during working hours, cause they make sure to tweet when they're leaving for the day haha

Are you taking the signals on Munroe? I saw somebody this morning go thru the red at Raleigh as they saw the green with left arrow on the other side of the walking trail on Gateway.

It use to be the left turn arrows would come on at the end of the cycle and not the beginning.

[bomberjet]

This is exactly what I'm talking about. They switched it around recently, and it's worse. Vehicles also get backed up in the middle as they can't clear the intersection when it changes to red for Munroe. Then vehicles turning from Gateway/Raleigh can't get in there and the whole thing is a mess.

[cllew]

311 is in our building and I am surprised the number of staff they have in the evening. They probably reduce the number after midnight.

We don't really see them unless we have a fire alarm in City Place but last time we evacuated @ 9pm there were a good 10 or so 311 staff at their muster point by the library.

I wonder if a lot of their evening calls are still for transit information as a lot of people don't use the bustxt system or Navigo?