The new way Winnipeg will keep an eye on sidewalk conditions

New technology will be rolling down a sidewalk near you in the next few months, as the City of Winnipeg works to improve walking surfaces.

The city has acquired two sidewalk surface testers to gather data on the nearly 3,200 kilometres worth of sidewalks in Winnipeg

The souped-up quads – which include GPS, cameras, lasers and solar panels – will collect information on the condition of pathways in Winnipeg, giving the city a better picture of what needs to be repaired.

"This new technology will make a real difference in how we keep sidewalks in good shape," said Mayor Scott Gillingham in a news release.

The lasers on the bottom of the sidewalk surface tester. Aug. 23, 2024. (Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)

The quads will gather information on sidewalk length and width, the sidewalk material, cracks and hazards, steepness, and any variables that would impact the walkway's usable width.

While the city has previously gathered data on streets and back lanes, it has never done sidewalks before.

"It was mainly area inspectors identifying areas…so this will provide us more accurate data, more consistent data and quicker," said Brad Neirinck, the manager of engineering with the city.

Coun. Janice Lukes said when the city made the budget, $80 million was designated for improvements and upgrades, as well as new transportation infrastructure.

The main screen gathering data on the sidewalk surface tester. Aug. 23, 2024. (Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)

"So this will help dramatically, help identify where the needs are," said Lukes. "We rely heavily on feedback from the public, but to have this and then be able to compare the inventory from year to year, to compare changes, I think it's going to be way better."

The quads are from International Cybernetics Canada, which the city has signed a contract with.

Lukes noted this could also help with removing snow from sidewalks in the winter months.

One of the two cameras on the sidewalk surface tester that is being used to gather data. Aug. 23, 2024. (Scott Andersson/CTV News Winnipeg)

"One of the challenges with the winter slush and ice removal is the very uneven sidewalks that can occur…so if we can level out our sidewalks and identify more areas that need this levelling process, then that would be better."

The quads will be hitting sidewalks from now until October. The next round of data will be collected in 2027 and then every three years after that.