Wellington Crescent, traditionally a residential street, has increasingly become more like an inner city highway with a high traffic load. Local residents have noticed a rise in both civilian and commercial vehicle traffic during both regular and peak/rush hour times.

With traffic increasing overall within our city, Wellington Crescent has become a frequently used short cut to avoid the busy and interrupted flow of Academy Road. Most motorists on Wellington are not local residents of Crescentwood or River Heights. Rather, residents from Tuxedo, Charleswood and Headingly use it as their regular route to and from the city centre and beyond. As there are no traffic lights, stop signs or speed bumps, nor are there any pedestrian crossings west of the Maryland Bridge, the Crescent is seen as a convenient way to save a few minutes on the way to work, etc.

The wide lanes and lack of stop points or traffic calming measures make the crescent seem like a designated thoroughfare, which incentivizes motorists to take advantage of what is otherwise a purely residential route. Vehicles are often traveling highly over the speed limit, and can be seen passing other vehicles on the right even when pedestrians and cyclists are using the right side of the street.

In the last couple of years, there have been multiple collisions and close calls involving vehicles that were speeding or trying to overtake another car. The street is also winding, so it is difficult for drivers to see the many pedestrians and cyclists who use these more active means of transportation, or are simply out on the crescent for pleasure.

Traffic on Wellington is so high that the city has even introduced a parking ban on some of the crescent during rush hour times, which shows that the city is aware of the problem.

During peak times, traffic is so dense and fast that it becomes almost impossible to cross the street as a pedestrian or even leave our driveways by car. Even more concerning is the fact that children use the street during these same hours to get to and from schools and bus stops, and yet no safe pedestrian crossings are found.

In addition to clear safety risks, there is a growing problem with noise interference. High levels of motor vehicle traffic make the experience of being on the crescent less pleasant for the residents who live here, as well as the people who come to walk or jog on the boulevard.

We, the residents along Wellington Crescent, therefore ask for regular speed control checks, stop signs, and secure pedestrian crossings to protect not only us as residents, but also the pedestrians and cyclists who use this street everyday, and should be able to co-exist with motorists in a safe and secure way.

We want to see Wellington Crescent made into a single lane street in each direction, so that right-sided overtaking (a huge danger for cyclists and pedestrians!) is not possible. The second lane could be transferred into a bike lane.

Many families with young children have recently moved into the area, and the fast moving traffic poses a very real danger. We do not want to wait until someone is seriously injured or even killed.

We have great concerns over the safety issues.

Our demands for the safety on Wellington Crescent:

-  Single lane street in each direction

-  Regular speed monitoring 

-  Stop sign/traffic lights from Maryland Street/Bridge into Wellington Crescent

-  Pedestrian crossing at the end of the boulevard on Harrow Street (east side)

-  Regular pedestrian crossings along Wellington Crescent to allow people crossing the street to reach the boulevard and residences

-  Pedestrian crossing at the end of the boulevard (west side) into Sir John Franklin Park

-  Sunday drivers´ limitation year round (new road signs with less text and more pictogram)