Winnipeg | Osborne Village & Fort Rouge | Developments & Discussions

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by zalf

I have been hit twice by cars walking in the inner city (once downtown and once Osborne). Fortunately both were slow enough to only bruise. Lots of other near misses too. In both cases, I had the right of way (walk signal and a four-way stop, respectively) and was stone sober in the middle of the day. Both were cars turning one way and looking the other for traffic. There's a general assumption that the pedestrian was drunk or distracted or otherwise deserved it. I don't know why the onus isn't on the one operating the heavy machinery.

Well, personally I never ventured into the realm of who may or may not have "deserved" what happens to them. I think it's worthwhile to look at all potential factors, though. I'm glad you were not hurt by those careless drivers, of which there are many, but I have also seen pedestrians make some pretty bad decisions; crossing in the middle of streets, not pausing to bother to even look for traffic and wandering around in the middle of the street. Elmer the Safety Elephant would be shocked by what goes on out there.

[zalf]

I know you didn't directly. Still, the public dialogue on vehicle safety always seems to converge toward "yes, but were the victims being responsible near the chainsaw jugglers?"

[ColdRain&Snow]

I walk to work and back every weekday. You have to be really careful out there, especially crossing Osborne. Broadway isn't as bad because there's a median. The main problem is people turning. People left turn across traffic without looking for pedestrians or they turn right-on-red without looking for pedestrians. I've had many close calls over the years but thankfully have never been hit in Winnipeg (been hit in Toronto once while someone was turning right-on-red without looking). Banning right-turns-on-red is a good start, as well as leading pedestrian signals. Osborne at Roslyn is especially dangerous. I think right-on-red needs to be banned there.

[GEli]

I agree that starting a discussion on pedestrian safety with "but what did the pedestrians do wrong?" is the wrong approach. Everyone is a pedestrian. Some people drive vehicles. The vehicles have entertainment and climate systems - they're in the far better position to accept compromises for the sake of other stakeholders. Goodness knows they have plenty of privilege to draw from.

I would love to see some substantial traffic calming measures to make Osborne a less appealing thoroughfare. The city traffic folks have already shown they don't give a 🞵🞵🞵🞵 about pedestrians by refusing to remove the ridiculous slip lane at River and Osborne when given the opportunity on a silver platter. If all this study does is finally get that done, it'd be a bit wasteful but at least we'll have undone the dangerous decision to leave it. In a perfect world we'd take the entire route south of Broadway down to one lane of traffic and use the second lane for bike and bus, or just to grade separated bike and a wider sidewalk. Pembina has plenty of capacity to absorb peak demand, especially with all of the money we just spent on the improved Abinoji Mikanah partial cloverleaf.

Being realistic, I would settle for removing Osborne as a truck route and the city removing their ridiculous restrictions on Osborne development just in case we flip the calendar in the future, find it reading "January 1960", and decide to add another lane to the street.

[pspeid]

Originally Posted by GEli

I agree that starting a discussion on pedestrian safety with "but what did the pedestrians do wrong?" is the wrong approach.

As do I. Drivers carry a huge amount of responsibility to concentrate on their driving, follow the traffic rules and avoid distractions. It is also their responsibility to avoid driving while intoxicated or suffering exhaustion. Roads and signage need to be designed to expedite safe traffic flow with clear signage and reasonable speed limits. Yes to all of that. Yes, yes, yes.

I also believe the conversation deserves at least a passing nod to what pedestrians need to do when approaching a street crossing. Say alert. Stop scrolling long enough to raise your head and take a look before setting foot on the street. Obey the pedestrian crossing signals. Even if it's a distracted driver's fault that they plowed into you, you are still the one facing a long painful hospital stay or an even longer stay underground.

I don't think it's unreasonable to link the two concepts.

[lbnevs]

My wish list:

1) Put those strobe flashers on the pedestrian crossing at Gertrude to reduce the number of people who drive through the Xing.

2) Reduce the pedestrian delay for the the half-signal lights at Wardlaw so that they're less annoying to use (and that people don't give up waiting for them and jaywalk across)

3) Add a leading pedestrian interval at the northwest corner of Osborne and Pembina so that you can start crossing before an impatient turning driver tries to cut you off

None of these are perfect, but it's amazing how even small improvements matter. They put up pedestrian-crossing signs in the slip lane in the southeast corner of Osborne-Pembina/Donald, and it's hugely changed how many drivers wait for pedestrians there vs driving through illegally.

[bussche]

Originally Posted by Jeff

the atrociously green quickie mart on river ave. got torched and likely fully destroyed this time. hopefully this doesn't mark a resurgence of the extortion racket again.. we still got piles of rubble left from that initial round.

Most of the actual arsons were not related to that. They were the work of Jesse Wheatland.

[bussche]

There should not be a slip lane (River and Osborne) in a dense, urban area with large amounts of pedestrians.

[ColdRain&Snow]

Originally Posted by lbnevs

My wish list:

1) Put those strobe flashers on the pedestrian crossing at Gertrude to reduce the number of people who drive through the Xing.

2) Reduce the pedestrian delay for the the half-signal lights at Wardlaw so that they're less annoying to use (and that people don't give up waiting for them and jaywalk across)

3) Add a leading pedestrian interval at the northwest corner of Osborne and Pembina so that you can start crossing before an impatient turning driver tries to cut you off

None of these are perfect, but it's amazing how even small improvements matter. They put up pedestrian-crossing signs in the slip lane in the southeast corner of Osborne-Pembina/Donald, and it's hugely changed how many drivers wait for pedestrians there vs driving through illegally.

I think the half-signal lights at Osborne & Wardlaw should be replaced by a flashing pedestrian crossing. Personally I find waiting for that light really annoying as a pedestrian. Better to just push the button for the flashing lights and then cross right away. Plus drivers can start driving then as soon as you've crossed instead of waiting for the light to turn green.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by bussche

There should not be a slip lane (River and Osborne) in a dense, urban area with large amounts of pedestrians.

The area councillor pushed for this and it was unfortunately shot down by Public Works, Traffic Calming on Osborne Street and River Avenue – April 9, 2024. The main issue is Winnipeg Transit, a compromising solution would need to be found that satisfies Transit before city officials will get on board with eliminating the slip lane.

What the report recommended:

• No scramble. Staff said it would add vehicle and pedestrian delay (about 20 extra seconds of red time; peak evening delay on the order of half a minute) and could back up nearby intersections. They also called it cost-prohibitive.
• Do not remove the slip lane (channelized right turn). That island holds a Winnipeg Transit stop and a transit priority / queue-jump setup. Closing the slip would put right-turning cars in the same lane as the bus stop, weaken the transit signal, and likely force the stop to move—with no good nearby alternative, according to the report.
• Speed concerns at the slip were to be handled through the River / Stradbrook road renewal and protected bike lanes project (smarter channel geometry, etc.), not by deleting the lane.

Elimination of the Channelized Right Turn at River Avenue and Osborne Street

Southbound traffic on Osborne Street that is turning right makes use of a channelized right turn which separates the right turning traffic from through traffic with an island. The island is quite large and accommodates a bus stop, bus shelter, traffic signals cabinet and other infrastructure.
In general, channelized right turns in any location have advantages and disadvantages. When designed correctly, they can reduce pedestrian crossing distance, separate vehicle conflicts from the intersection and reduce the potential for rear end collisions between through vehicles and right turn vehicles. If they are designed incorrectly or located inappropriately they can promote higher speeds for vehicles leaving pedestrians feeling unsafe and expand the overall pavement area and right-of-way required.

The elimination of channelized right turns was considered during the design process for the River Avenue and Stradbrook Avenue Protected Bike Lane project and the removal was included in the project at three other locations. At the intersection of River Avenue and Osborne Street, the removal was ultimately not recommended due to negative impacts to Winnipeg Transit service and bus stop amenities at the intersection.

The elimination of the channelized right turn at River Avenue and Osborne Street would require motorists turning right to use the same lane as the Transit bus stop and Transit priority queue jump lane. Mixing the right turning traffic with buses would impede Transit’s ability to service the current stop location and significantly reduce the benefit of the Transit Priority queue jump, resulting in longer travel times for buses in Osborne Village. This could be somewhat mitigated by moving the Transit stop south of River Avenue, but the sidewalk width wouldn’t be able to accommodate the high volume of passengers waiting to board or any Transit stop amenities such as benches or shelters. The current bus stop on the right turn island has a Transit shelter, two benches, newspaper box and garbage/recycling bins. Through discussions with Winnipeg Transit, relocating the bus stop is an undesirable change to Transit operations and passenger comfort.

Channelized right turns can be constructed with different design philosophies. The Osborne Street And River Avenue right turn is designed using “smart channel” geometry that forces drivers to slow down to navigate the corner. The approach angle gives drivers a clear view of the roadway in front of them which increases the visibility of pedestrians crossing the roadway.

Figure 3, below, shows the difference between a smart channel design and a typical large radius design. In general, channelized right turns are not constructed in dense urban areas because they tend to promote higher speeds and require a larger footprint. In this case, the Transit stop and queue jump requirements make maintaining the smart channel right turn the recommended option to balance the needs of the intersection.



To further mitigate the concerns around vehicle speeds and channelized right turns, the River Avenue / Stradbrook Avenue protected bike lane project will modify the line painting through the channelized right turn to narrow the roadway and relocate or remove some street furniture on the island to improve sightlines.

No changes are being recommended to the River Avenue / Stradbrook Avenue Road Renewal and Protected Bike Lane project at this time. Future removal of the right turn channel would require a new Transit stop location along this segment of River Avenue that has sufficient space for Transit users waiting to board the bus and amenities such as benches or shelters. Additional Transit modelling work would need to be completed as well to determine the impact to Transit operations and scheduling as the removal of the dedicated approach lane and Transit queue jump could have substantial impacts.

[trueviking]

I noticed the Circle K, former Mac's on Osborne has closed. Been there forever. The blast zone caused by the food bank ever expanding.

Fun Fact. CBC reporter Nahlah Ayed's family owned it for many years.

[EdwardTH]

Surely Boomer Brent can find some way to blame this on millennials.

[trueviking]

Hmmmm....let me think about it.

I can blame them for the massive pot store next door maybe?.....drink booze and buy your weed from 'your guy' like we Gen Xers did.

[borkborkbork]

Originally Posted by trueviking

I noticed the Circle K, former Mac's on Osborne has closed. Been there forever. The blast zone caused by the food bank ever expanding.

Fun Fact. CBC reporter Nahlah Ayed's family owned it for many years.

It's too bad the A&W and Circle K didn't close at the same time. That 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 plaza type building with parking lot out front is such a lousy gateway to the area, it would have been great to see it redeveloped

[Wpg_Guy]

128 River Avenue




Quik-Therm Insulation

[Wpg_Guy]

784 Corydon Ave












Parkwest Projects Ltd.

[jim_bred]

^ used to be a good sushi place there. What's being built?

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by jim_bred

^ used to be a good sushi place there. What's being built?

784 Corydon Ave
Location: 784-786 Corydon Avenue
Neighbourhood: Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry Ward (City Centre Community Committee)
Developer:
Architect: Project23 Architecture Inc.
Status: In development
Documents: Variance – July 7, 2026
Media:
Renderings
Description: A new one-storey commercial building is planned for 784-786 Corydon Avenue. The 2,853 square foot retail space will replace an existing building that had structurally failed. The modest 15-foot-tall structure will feature modern metal paneling and Hardie Panel siding, with large windows facing both Corydon Avenue and Arbuthnot Street to create an open, welcoming storefront. Inside, the building can be divided into two separate commercial units. The site includes 16 parking stalls accessed from the rear lane (one reserved for a car-share vehicle), plus three additional stalls at the back. A wood fence will screen the parking area from Arbuthnot Street, and shrubs will be planted along the west property line. The development will also provide secure indoor storage for 20 bicycles.
Permits:
25-206676 PE-2025-09-19, Demolish a one-storey, 4800 ft² restaurant building.
26-131833 PE-2026-07-29, Construct New. Construct a one-storey, 265 sq. m shell building. Note: The building is a shell only and has two units- A & B.

[trueviking]

I'm a big fan of that development.

[Wpg_Guy]

Originally Posted by Wpg_Guy

Page 1 of Winnipeg Construction XI is regularly updated with most developments.

850 McMillan Avenue
Location: 850 McMillan Avenue
Developer: 10212488 Manitoba Ltd. (Mackenzie Jefferson)
Architect: Articulated Design Union
Status: In development
Documents: VARIANCE: 25-116548/C | Appeal Committee May 21, 2025
Media:-
Description: 3-storey building with 9 residential units
Permits: 25-266714 DP-2025-12-10, Permit. This child permit is created for the purpose of concurrent review of Variance application of the parent Development permit for the development of 3 storey, 9 unit multi-family dwelling

235 Wentworth Street
Location: 235 Wentworth Street
Neighbourhood: McMillan - Fort Rouge - East Fort Garry Ward (City Centre Community Committee)
Developer: Emslie Co.
Architect: Articulated Design Union
Status: Completed Fall 2026
Documents: VARIANCE: 25-116548/C | Appeal Committee May 21, 2025
Media:-
Description: 3-storey infill building with 9 residential units
Permits: 25-266714 DP-2025-12-10, Construct New. Construct a 3 storey, 8298sqft, multi-family dwelling building, with 9 units.