The organizers of an online petition to improve Highway 6 that was launched in the wake of the December death of Thompson MLA Danielle Adams say safety improvements need to begin this construction season.
Over 3,000 people have signed the #SaferHighway6 petition as of Jan. 21. The organizers are calling on Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson’s government to develop a three-year plan for safety improvements including passing lanes every 50 kilometres, wider shoulders and faster emergency response times for major highway accidents, as well as rumble strips and rest areas at the side of the road for drivers who need a break.
One of the petition organizers, Volker Beckmann, who penned a letter to the editor following Adams’s death, which resulted from a head-on collision with a semi-trailer between Ponton and Grand Rapids at a time when road conditions were poor, says he knows more than 25 people who have been in accidents on Highway 6, some of whom walked way and some of whom were seriously injured, paralyzed or killed.
“The person, social, health and economic costs are unacceptable,” he said. “The death of this young MLA has now brought the issue top of mind.”
Another potion organizer, Brenda Redman, said that Highway 6 is one of Manitoba’s most dangerous, especially during winter.
Petition organizers point out that a sign at the southern end of the highway, where it meets the Perimeter Highway around Winnipeg, warns of long loads, as the highway is used by many trucks, some hauling double-length trailers, and advises motorists to use passing lanes, but there are none after Warren, about 25 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
Beckmann says it would be even better if the provincial government committed to making the highway three lanes and alternating the direction of the centre lane every once in while so that drivers would know that a safe place to pass would come up before too long.
“The province can show their support for Northern Manitoba and address the problems by developing wide, safe shoulders, rest stops, better snow clearing and faster accident response times and 2+1 passing lanes,” Beckmann said. “Improvements must start this year.”
To view or sign the online petition, go to https://www.change.org/p/improvements-needed-to-stop-deaths-on-highway-6.
