A new system to collect traffic counts and collision data is on the way to Winnipeg in an effort to improve road safety.
Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the addition is great news.
“If we have better data and better ability to sift, sort and analyze the data, then it becomes clear to us where we need to make changes and investments to improve the system. At a punch of a few buttons, we can see sooner where the collisions are, we can analyze when they happen,” said Lukes (Waverley West).
A request for proposals seeks a company to implement the new system for Winnipeg’s traffic monitoring program.
“The City of Winnipeg has greatly expanded their traffic-monitoring program in the last five years and needs a solution that will support the acquisition, validation, analysis and dissemination of all its data sources,” the document notes.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS File
City Councillor and chairwoman of public works, Janice Lukes, says new system to collect traffic counts and collision data that is on the way to Winnipeg is great news.
It states the city’s current tracking program has “major limitations,” since it lacks a central database and information is difficult for the public to access.
“Short-duration studies are currently managed through a series of disconnected excel files that result in poor scheduling, duplication of efforts, and data entry error,” the RFP notes.
The new system is expected to let the city make better use of Manitoba Public Insurance collision data that municipal officials already receive.
“(With this system) if we see a particular intersection is always either getting bogged down or there are collisions on a regular basis and then we can analyze it in a more rapid manner, then we can fix it sooner,” said Lukes.
A request to speak with a city traffic official was not granted on Thursday.
In an email, a city spokeswoman said the system will make better use of vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian counts, which are gathered through radar, intersection video cameras, pneumatic road tubes (tubes laid across the road to gather data) and other devices.
“More than 40 permanent count stations have been installed across Winnipeg in the past five years and hundreds of other traffic studies have been collected with portable equipment as part of the traffic-monitoring program. The (new system) will help the city consume all of the data from these devices and present it in an easy-to-digest format that will help… derive more meaningful insights,” wrote spokeswoman Pam McKenzie.
Lukes said ensuring all of the data can be quickly assessed to support safety decisions will help the city more efficiently select the changes most likely to reduce collisions. She hopes Winnipeggers will eventually see fewer collisions as a result.
“If we can have a better technology to capture and monitor and analyze this data, it really helps us make better decisions,” she said.
The RFP notes council approved a road safety strategic action plan in 2022, which this system would support.
“Several of the 67 actions identified in the (plan) relate to the need to improve and better integrate safety data into divisional practices,” the document notes.
For example, city officials expect the new system will help track performance toward a municipal goal to reduce fatal and serious injury collisions by 20 per cent between 2022 and 2026 and conduct road safety reviews with detailed collision analyses.
In an email, Mayor Scott Gillingham’s communications director said the system is part of a renewed focus on road safety.
“It started with council adopting the road safety strategic action plan in 2022, then we created a new unit to oversee the plan last year, and now we’re looking to improve our systems to make better use of traffic count and collision data,” wrote Colin Fast.
The winning bidder is expected to implement the data system for four years, with a possible three-year extension.
The city expects to spend $200,000 on the contract.
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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter
Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.
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