Ultimate fields raise traffic issues

Amid the excitement of news that Maple Grove Park will gain an additional nine ultimate disc fields as well as 200 more parking spots, St. Vital residents are questioning how safe it will be.

“My main concern is in regards to the intersection itself,” said Andy Arnot, a St. Vital resident who frequents Maple Grove Park daily to use the dog walk park.

“There was an event at the park the other weekend and there must have been 200 cars as well as the people using the boat launch and the off-leash dog park. There’s a lot of traffic.”

Arnot is concerned the additional traffic could mean additional collisions both at the park entrance and at the St. Mary’s and Highway 101 intersection, which is mere meters away.

Traffic gains entrance to Maple Grove Park by taking St. Mary’s Road to Frobisher Road.

Southbound traffic turns right off of St. Mary’s onto the two-lane, gravel road, mere metres before the intersection of St. Mary’s and the Perimeter.

Northbound traffic, which has only one lane after the lights at the perimeter, has to cross the southbound traffic on St. Mary’s to make a left onto Frobisher Road.

Coming out of the park, if traffic wants to turn left onto St. Mary’s, to head back into the city, vehicles will have to cross the two southbound lanes to do so.

“I’ve seen some bad (collisions) at St. Mary’s and the perimeter,” said Arnot, concerned the incidents will increase both at and before the intersection.

“There’s no real access off St. Mary’s. The access they do have is a joke. If you have cars waiting to turn at St. Mary’s (at the lights), it’s congested. It’s a real mess.”

St. Vital councillor Gord Steeves focused on the positive announcement that the Province and City gave $105,000 through various grants that enabled the project to go ahead.

The first phase of construction, which got underway at the beginning of October, will see five of the nine fields and 79 of the 200 parking spots constructed, and some young trees planted to create a wind barrier.

Steeves wasn’t aware of any plans to focus on the park entrance.

“We’ve been having trouble with the gravel road because of dust so we want to put down a harder surface but I don’t know of any plans to address the entrance,” said Steeves.

Arnot says he’s not questioning the need for or the positive impacts of the park project. He’s just concerned about safety.

“The facility is good. But it doesn’t look like they’re prepared for it. It looks like they went ‘oh there’s a big field, it’ll be perfect’ but what about traffic...From Burland to the perimeter St. Mary’s is only a two-lane road,” said Arnot, of the major north-south artery.

Terry Aseltine, spokesperson at the City of Winnipeg, says the parks department has indicated some safety concerns and if the public expresses concerns, they’d be prepared to review the situation.

“If citizens are raising concerns they should contact us,” said Aseltine.

Ken Allen, spokesperson at the City, confirmed no traffic study had been conducted on St. Mary’s and Frobisher roads.

Allen said the City would investigate any concerns once they’re made aware of them.

St. Mary’s and the Perimeter doesn’t rank in MPI’s top 50 worst intersections in the city for bodily harm or number of collisions.

Brian Smiley at MPI said he’s familiar with the intersection because of the number of collisions that occur at the intersection and was a little surprised it wasn’t on the Top 50 list.

Concerned citizens should contact the city at 986-ROAD (7623).