Pedestrians now have 5-second head start at nearly 100 downtown Winnipeg intersections

Pedestrians now get a head start when crossing the road at nearly 100 intersections in downtown Winnipeg.

The city has implemented what are called "leading pedestrian intervals," which give pedestrians the walk signal five seconds before drivers travelling in the same direction get their green light, at the intersections, the City of Winnipeg said in a news release Monday.

Pedestrians and drivers will continue to see the same signals at intersections — the pedestrian and driver go signals just won't start at the same time.

Public works committee chair Coun. Janice Lukes (Waverley West) says it's part of efforts to protect vulnerable road users.

"It's people's lives, it's medical bills, it's time off work.… If someone's injured, it's a domino effect to many other areas and many other costs to society," Lukes said in an interview.

According to a city report, recent research has indicated use of leading pedestrian intersections can reduce the number of collisions between turning vehicles and pedestrians by 13 per cent.

Winnipeg has installed such systems "at several isolated locations over the past few years," the report says, and found early results suggested on average, "near miss events" between cars and pedestrians dropped by 35 per cent.

"That's significant," Lukes said.

"If you've got a downtown where there's a lot of people, there's a lot of intersections, [and] if we can reduce collisions by 13 per cent by ... allowing pedestrians to get a head start on the intersection, that's very positive."

After an initial roll out at 30 intersections in recent years, the city has now changed the timing of pedestrian signals at 91 intersections across downtown.

The change required no extra money, according to the city report.

One road safety advocate praised the city's decision, but says there's more to be done.

"We view this as just the dangling, low-hanging fruits," said Mel Marginet, a member of the sustainable transportation team at the Green Action Centre, an environmental advocacy non-profit.

"This is kind of the easiest, cheapest thing that you can do to really see an improvement, especially in neighbourhoods like the downtown."

Last month, the public works committee ordered a report on expanding leading pedestrian intervals across the city. That report is due in the fall.

The initiative is part of a city council-approved road safety strategic action plan launched in 2022.

Last August, Lukes said the city will spend $30 million over the next six years to improve road safety in Winnipeg as part of the action plan.

Pedestrians make up 13 to 55 per cent of fatalities in motor vehicle collisions every year, the 2022 action plan report says.

Other city initiatives to improve road safety include a pilot project testing out lower speed limits in four neighbourhoods.

A report on the results of that is due later this spring.