WINNIPEG -- The Manitoba government has launched an online public engagement for safety improvements to an intersection near Oakbank.
The province is looking for feedback to help improve safety at the intersection of Provincial Road 206 and Provincial Road 213 (Garven Road).
“Road safety is a priority of the Manitoba government, and we are listening to concerns expressed by drivers and community members about the intersection of PR 206 and Garven Road,” said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler in a statement. “In response to serious collisions at the intersection, Manitoba Infrastructure added interim safety measures last year, with the intention of creating permanent solutions. We are now gathering public input on the proposed plan.”
The province is specifically looking for feedback on whether to add a roundabout or traffic control signals to the intersection.
Last year, safety improvements included the installation of rumble strips on Garven Road east and west of the intersection, flags on the stop-ahead signs and a flashing red light on the stop signs.
Dan Wischnewski was injured in a serious crash at the intersection in May 2019. He suffered a broken knee, a broken femur, broken ribs, a broken hip, a punctured lung, a brain bleed, and a severed spleen after a driver drove through the stop sign.
Since the collision, Wischnewski has advocated for safety changes to the intersection.
“I also understand people have concerns about ‘is this going to add to their time for their commute,’ and I can also understand that, but I would rather stop for two or three minutes and go home to my family, instead of what happened to me, not go home at all, for months and months and months,” he said.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the engagement sessions will take place online at the following link starting Monday. The engagement runs until June 5.
-with files from CTV’s Kayla Rosen.
