Six men at Metro control Winnipeggers' future driving habits with a stroke of the pen.
These are the men working on WATS — the Winnipeg Area Transportation Study.
They are in the midst of drafting out an overall plan for Metro's future traffic needs and patterns so that taxpayers wont be driven to the poorhouse by the high cost of new roads.
Formed in January, 1964 WATS is now moving into its second stage. The first stage means canvassing every home in the Metro area to find out where, when and how residents went when they left their houses. This was the origin-destination study.
Data from this is in the first stages of processing. Now that traffic planners know existing conditions, they will fit it into a mathematical model, put it on a computer and be able to predict Metro's future traffic needs.
This second stage is being done by a firm of traffic consultants.
Ron Triffo, Metro's assistant transportation planner says: "Our job is to find out where and how people are going to work now. With the computer using data from existing conditions, we can project our needs in the future."
"The whole purpose of WATS is to come up with a sound economical transportation plan which will meet the requirements of the movements of the Metro population up to 1986," he continued.
WATS studies all modes of transportation, not just autos. Express buses, rail lines, and subways are just as important in Metro's transportation future.
The transportation needs will be arranged according to priority, in a schedule broken down into five-year periods. The study will continue, keeping a close check on Metro's changing traffic patterns.
What has WATS got on the boards?
First of all, a sound land acquisition policy, to cut down the cost of future roadways. Land will be obtained ... (unreadable) ... allowance will be made for future expansion. Space will be left in the new St. Vital bridge for two more roadways down the centre of the bridge.
Mr. Triffo said the days of just wanting to cross one of Metro's rivers were gone. This was all that was thought of when the Elm Park bridge was put in, and now "look at the traffic congestion there."
Future plans call for a balanced transportation system with emphasis placed — not on any particular mode of travel — but on the most efficient and economical.
This includes expressways to and from high-density areas where traffic congestion is a danger.
"Eventually, Winnipeg's downtown core will be ringed by expressways, with five radial expressways feeding into this interior circle route.
Parking will be provided under the interchanges built near the downtown core, and express buses will take drivers to their jobs on Portage and Main, with a minimum of wasted time and expense.
This won't mean cars will be banned from the central downtown core. "If we work out an adequate system we won't have to ban cars," said Mr. Triffo.
"WATS will indicate how many people will be going downtown and how, ether by private cars or transit. We will have to provide parking spaces for cars going downtown.
"If we find we can't provide them, then we are going to have to increase the transit service," he said.
However, it's unlikely Metro Winnipeg will have a subway by 1986.
"This won't be a very large city then — about 900,000 people. I can't get excited about subways because that's going to the extreme, though we will provide for them in our present designs for the distant future."
Mr. Triffo said more express buses will be put on Metro streets. If this doesn't solve the problem, then buses will probably be moved to the centre medians of expressways, which will be closed to private vehicles.
Then, rapid rail transit will be installed on the medians, "depending on the concentrations of people." This rapid rail transit will stay above ground except, if needed, in the downtown area.
"But a study will have to be done to find out what form of transit is the most economical for the area's needs at that time," said Mr. Triffo.