Walking a fine line on Raleigh

Lisa Carlson says she is fed up with pulling her two boys to safety as they walk along Raleigh Street on their way to rent a movie or catch a bus.

The single mother, who lives in the Manitoba Housing complex at 1380 Raleigh, said she has had to yank her sons from the shoulder of the street numerous times to avoid being hit by vehicles.

“I have been followed closely and honked at to get out of the way,” Carlson said. “Meanwhile, there is a solid white line, that cars are not to pass, right there for people who are driving to clearly see.”

Raleigh has only one lane running in each direction, so many south-bound vehicles use the shoulder as another lane to pass vehicles waiting at the lights to turn east onto Springfield Road.

This stretch of shoulder, however, also happens to be a major route for some residents of the complex, who use it to get to a bus stop or to the strip mall at the corner of Raleigh and Springfield.

Teresa Henderson, a mother of two boys who’s been living in the complex for nearly seven years, said she won’t let her youngest son walk to the store alone because she is concerned about his safety.

“When I walk to the store with my eight-year-old son, I have to force him to walk in the ditch and I’ll walk on the sand, and even that’s not safe,” Henderson said.

After dodging vehicles almost every day for three years, Carlson said she finally called North Kildonan city councillor Jeff Browaty’s office to find out about getting a sidewalk installed.

“I don’t feel this is a lot to ask for in getting a 15- to 20-foot sidewalk put in,” Carlson said.

Construction of a sidewalk in the area is a possibility, according to Browaty.

“An area developer is checking records to see if there’s any obligation by (Manitoba) Hydro to put in a sidewalk,” said Browaty, referring to the crown corporation’s substation at the corner of Raleigh and Springfield.

The developer could not be reached for comment.

Browaty agreed with Carlson that vehicles use the shoulder as another lane at that intersection.

“People use that paved area because it becomes a bottleneck.”

Browaty said that will change when the city completes the Chief Peguis Trail project.

The city is planning to expand Chief Peguis Trail from Henderson Highway to Lagimodiere Boulevard due to problems in the street network between the two roads, resulting in high traffic volumes on residential streets in North Kildonan.

According to preliminary drawings for the project, sections of Raleigh will be closed when the trail opens.

Raleigh between Donwood Drive and Gilmore Avenue will be closed, which Browaty said will reduce traffic flow on the street.

The project is expected to cost approximately $64 million. Work is slated to begin next year and be completed in 2010.

Concerned parents like Carlson aren’t sure if they can afford to wait that long.

“I’m thinking about starting a petition. If I have to, I will,” she said.

A sidewalk would not only help keep pedestrians safer from traffic, it would also provide a better pathway, she said.

Carlson said when vehicles drive on the shoulder, she is forced to walk in the sandy area beside it, which is usually muddy and covered with potholes during the warmer months.

“I just don’t want this swept under the rug, because something needs to be done,” she said.