Safety concerns have led the City of Winkler to initiate a change at one of the city's busy intersections. At its meeting Tuesday evening, City Council passed a resolution for a 'no U-turn by-law' for the Highway 32 and Stanley Avenue Intersection.
With Highway 32 being a Provincial road, Mayor Henry Siemens says the by-law will now be sent to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI) for approval and implementation.
“It’s a southbound direction, and today if we were to take a U-turn there, it's right at the crosswalk. So we literally have people making U-turns on a highway without a turning lane right at the crosswalk, and we have had a number of very near misses both with pedestrians and vehicles as well.”
Siemens says the streets at that intersection are not aligned, which is the reason Manitoba Highways could not install a turning lane when the highway was four-lane. After reviewing the situation, Siemens says Council ultimately felt the best way forward was to request the no U-turn intersection.
"Highway 32 has an awful lot of traffic, so when we have traffic without a turning lane, turning right at a crosswalk, it's a really dangerous situation. Our staff looked at that and tried to find the best way forward. And there really isn't any. So, in order to improve safety on Highway 32 at that intersection, is for us to put a no U-turn by-law in place.”