A petition has surfaced calling for safety improvements along Manitoba Highway 6.
The petition, posted on change.org and officially titled “Improvements needed to stop deaths on Highway 6”, was started Jan. 18 and is addressed to both Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson and provincial infrastructure minister Reg Helwer.
The petition calls for more investment and a series of safety changes for Manitoba’s main route into the north, including construction and renovations for some parts of the highway.
As of Jan. 24, the petition has 3,434 signatures and a goal of 5,000.
“Northern Manitobans want better solutions that keep people safe. Therefore, the people in this petition strongly request the province of Manitoba to immediately initiate a three year plan to achieve these goals from Winnipeg to Thompson and budget accordingly,” reads the petition.
“The work should start in the summer of 2022 by simply prioritizing a greater percentage of funds to be dedicated to the north.”
Some specific changes are requested as part of the petition - namely, passing lanes installed every 50 kilometres along the highway, wider shoulders, rumble strips in highway stripes and on road lines, more rest areas along the road and a plan for faster emergency response times along the road.
Calls for increased safety measures along the highway have increased following the death of Thompson MLA Danielle Adams in a highway accident on the road. Adams was killed last month in an accident on Highway 6 between Ponton and Grand Rapids. The vehicle Adams was driving collided head-on with a semi during a period of poor visibility and road conditions - eyewitness reports from the scene say that Adams was injured in the initial accident, but died of her injuries before help was able to arrive. Following her death, several northern leaders - including the three remaining northern Manitoba MLAs, all members of the provincial NDP - have called on the province to invest in safety changes for the road.
As part of the petition, organizers have added a list of fatal or severe accidents along the road. While the list is not exhaustive, it shows that four people - including Adams - died in accidents along the road in 2021, with one death already reported this month.
“Highway 6 should have been widened and improved when double-length trailers were approved years ago. The cost of human life cannot be equated with lower freight cost savings,” reads the petition.
“What is the cumulative cost of the many severe accidents to Manitoba Public Insurance as well as to police and health services, let alone the pain and suffering to family members?”
Petition organizers can be contacted at [email protected].
