Maclean Pilot Project

The Maclean Pilot Project will take a ‘tactical urbanism’ approach to traffic calming, where temporary materials are used (concrete barriers, planters, picnic tables, signage, etc.) to test traffic flow changes on Maclean Crescent to reduce traffic volumes along Dafoe Road and within the campus core. This flexible pilot project allows for the testing of traffic calming measures before they are made permanent to better understand the impacts and benefits of these changes. 

The project is being implemented through a partnership between the Facilities units, Parking & Transportation Services, and faculty partners, and signifies a new approach to transportation planning on campus.

What is Changing?

The pilot project will restrict traffic from heading north into the campus core from Maclean Crescent while delineating formalized pick-up and drop-off zones, seating nodes, and on-street accessible parking.

Roadway alterations will be in place to enhance pedestrian safety and reduce traffic in the campus core.
  • Northbound traffic will not continue through to Dafoe Road from Maclean Crescent, and must turn left (west) onto Service Road 2S before exiting campus on Service Road 1S
  • A row of on-street parking stalls will be located on the east side of Maclean Crescent  in front of the Tache Arts Complex (accessed by southbound Maclean traffic coming from Dafoe).
  • A pick up and drop off zone will be established on the east side of Maclean in front of Pembina Hall and Mary Speechly.
  • An existing crosswalk will be relocated to the north side of Service Road 2S to better connect Arthur Mauro Residence with Pembina Hall, Tache Arts Complex, and the new Desautels Concert Hall. 

A Different Approach to Transportation Planning

  • Users will be able to sit adjacent to the crosswalk along Maclean Crescent.

    Tactical Urbanism

    By implementing roadway changes in a temporary manner, it becomes possible to determine whether or not these changes will be beneficial to the campus before permanent roadway alterations are proposed. Tactical urbanism relies on community engagement and participation to gather feedback from a wide group of users to help understand the impacts and benefits of the pilot.

  • Key intersections will be monitored to observe traffic and pedestrian patterns.

    On-site observations

    Facilities staff and volunteers will be positioned at key intersections during the pilot project to monitor traffic and pedestrian patterns. This data will be compared to observations taken prior to implementing the pilot, which will help determine the success of the project.

Creating a Sense of Place: Artist Mural

As part of the pilot project, a mural was commissioned to bring vibrancy to the project and create a sense of place along Maclean Crescent.

Kiran Siran, Alex Stanton, Saba Ammari, Howl Phan, and Sequoia Robertson, from the School of Art and Faculty of Architecture, came together to design and paint a mural on the concrete barriers.

Maclean Artist Group

The artwork was designed to highlight the beauty of our prairie province and the land where the university is located. The river wraps around the campus, the sun spans across the bold skies, and native plants are found all around us.

The river flows throughout the artwork similar to how it circulates our campus with its beautiful curves & bends.  The sun (with orange and yellow tones) is painted keeping the direction of sunlight as it moves across campus, beginning with the sunrise and moving along the barriers as the day progresses. The south barriers illustrate the sun's rays across a prairie landscape, representative of when the sun is at its brightest and warmest. Silhouettes of native plants were included to acknowledge the location of our campus on Indigenous land.

            Artist Statement by Kiran Siran 

For more information or to get involved contact:
Kevin Handkamer - Kevin.Handkamer@umanitoba.ca 
Vanessa Vermeulen - Vanessa.Vermeulen@umanitoba.ca

Tell us what you think
Send your feedback/questions to campus.planning@umanitoba.ca to have your say in the future of Maclean Crescent.