Over the next couple of weeks, two of Niverville’s busiest intersections will see the addition of new safety measures for pedestrians on Fifth Avenue South.
Workers from JRoss Construction and Landscaping are hard at work prepping sidewalks for the installation of two crosswalks to be located at Hampton North, next to the Niverville Middle School, and Hampton South at the entrance to Hespeler Park.
“To prep for the pedestrian crossings, we need to ensure that there are curb ramps to make the crossings accessible,” says Daniel Wiebe, civil engineer for the town of Niverville. “And we will be aligning the sidewalk to allow for the shortest crossing distance possible.”
Total costs for the sidewalk upgrades, which includes some drainage and maintenance improvements, will come to around $100,000. A grant for $24,000 was received from the Federal Active Transportation Fund to cover some of the costs.
As to the level of signage and lights being installed at each crosswalk, that will be up to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) to decide since Fifth Avenue falls under provincial jurisdiction.
“You may have seen MTI representatives doing traffic counting at these locations to determine the appropriate signage to provide,” Wiebe says. “MTI will determine [this] based on their vehicular and pedestrian traffic counts, whether that is simply a regular crosswalk sign, painting, or crosswalk lights.”
Wiebe adds that even if MTI decides against adding flashing light signals, vehicles will be required to stop for pedestrians at these crosswalks.
In recent years, the intersection at Hampton Drive North has seen increasing pedestrian and bicycle traffic as students from Fifth Avenue Estates make their way to and from the middle and elementary schools.
Last summer, an accident involving a pickup truck and a child on a bicycle occurred at the Hampton Drive South intersection. Fortunately, no severe injuries were sustained.
