Winnipeg councillor driving home benefits of the zipper merge
A Winnipeg city councillor is trying to drive home the benefits of zipper merging.
Coun. Matt Allard has pushed for the practice twice before, but is hoping the third time is the charm.
“We can see it’s catching on. Anecdotally I hear it’s catching on. Some people are doing it, but we still have that problem of most people getting into the lane that remains open, and that results in very long lines, and it results in a lot of traffic disruption along the line,” said Allard.
Allard tabled a motion this week, seconded by Coun. Scott Gillingham, to add signage directing people to zipper merge in construction zones in Winnipeg.
“One thing that’s known about zipper merge is that it will reduce the line 40 per cent approximately,” said Allard. “What that does, especially in an urban environment, is it frees up all of those intersections prior that are being slowed down by these long lineups.”
He said if signage can be put up, it would help it to become the norm for Winnipeggers.
“Given the culture in Winnipeg, some people feel like that’s cutting the line, so you can see dirty looks and sometimes when you enter the merge point, it can sometimes be difficult to merge into the available lane at the point of construction.”
Allard said the signage would be a low-cost solution towards better traffic circulation in Winnipeg during construction season. He said the best-case scenario would be council approving the motion next month, which would then give the public service the authority to ask the province for permission to get the new signs authorized.
In the past, Allard proposed a zipper merge pilot, which was approved and did occur. At the time, it used variable messaging and signage directing people to zipper merge. However, the report on the pilot project showed it had limited success. Allard said there was no follow-up afterwards because the public service said it was a provincial responsibility and driver education.
His second attempt at getting the zipper merge to be the norm was when he printed stickers that read, “I zipper merge, and so should you.” He said he handed those out to people, and still has a few left for anyone who wants them.
“This I hope will be the final thing that we need to do to convince Winnipeggers to zipper merge because it’s going to say so right on the signage.”
Allard’s hoping if council approves his motion, the signage can be put up during the 2022 construction season.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
An apartment block collapses in a Russian border city after heavy shelling, injuring over a dozen
An apartment block partially collapsed in the Russian border city of Belgorod on Sunday, leaving at least 19 injured. Officials blamed Ukrainian shelling and said there were also likely deaths.
Millions of Canadians have been exposed to potentially toxic chemicals, and they're not going anywhere
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Swiss fans get ready to welcome Eurovision winner Nemo back home
Swiss Eurovision fans were getting ready Sunday to give a hero's welcome to singer Nemo, who won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest with "The Code," an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity.
Flash floods and cold lava flow hit Indonesia's Sumatra island. At least 37 people were killed
Heavy rains and torrents of cold lava and mud flowing down a volcano's slopes on Indonesia’s Sumatra island triggered flash floods that killed at least 37 people and more than a dozen others were missing, officials said Sunday.
'I felt I wasn't alone': Ottawa's Mental Health Gala gets the conversation going
A personal experience has turned into one of Ottawa's biggest fund raisers to get the conversation going to remove the stigma of mental health in our community.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
'It was violent': Police tear down U of A pro-Palestinian encampment Saturday morning
Multiple people at the protest camp torn down at the University of Alberta campus Saturday say police's actions against protesters were "violent" and "disproportionate."