Although new numbers suggest most Winnipeggers are against lowering speed limits on residential side streets, it’s not necessarily because they feel safe on the roads.
A survey conducted by Probe Research in collaboration with CTV Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Free Press asked 653 Winnipeg adults whether they feel safer on the roads now than they did 10 years, regardless of if they are a pedestrian, cyclist or driver.
The results of the survey show that 40 per cent of people feel less safe, 44 per cent of people feel about the same and 16 per cent feel it’s safer now.
Mary Agnes Welch, senior researcher with Probe Research, said she believes there is a combination of factors that contribute to people feeling less safe on Winnipeg streets.
“I think we are talking more about bike lanes and cycling and how drivers and cyclists work together. I think we’re also talking about the safety of kids on the street and lower speed limits in school zones,” she said.
The poll also found that it’s women and Winnipeggers over the age of 55 who are mostly likely to perceive the roads as being risky.
Agnes points out that even though many people feel unsafe, a separate poll indicated that nearly two-thirds of residents are against instituting a 30 km/h speed limit on residential side streets.
“Even though we feel less safe, we don’t actually want to do anything that inconveniences our ability to move around this city in a speedy way,” she said.
“This gets back to, okay, we want somebody else to fix the problem, but in some ways we’re not all that willing to slow down as we drive.”
The Probe Research poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points, 95 per cent of the time. The margin of error is higher within each population subgroup.
Respondents were recruited to complete an online survey through wireless and landline phone numbers.
