Police to direct traffic at deadly Brandon intersection

BRANDON — Police officers will direct traffic during peak hours at the intersection of Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue East, the site of a deadly collision that killed a female worker from the nearby Canada Packers plant.

Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor announced the implementation of four-way stop signs in a news release Tuesday — almost three weeks after the woman was killed after a semi-truck ran a stop sign and smashed into her vehicle.

“Any loss of life on our highways is tragic, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones affected by this collision,” Naylor said in the release.

The four-ways stops — previously there were only two on Highway 110 — are an interim measure until traffic lights that were installed last summer are operational. The province has said it is awaiting the arrival of at least one part and signalling upgrades for a nearby rail line before the lights can be activated.

Brandon Police Service officers will direct traffic in peak hours during the afternoon shift changeover for Canada Packers at 6355 Richmond Ave. East, Mayor Jeff Fawcett said Tuesday.

He estimated police will be at the intersection between around 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

“At that time, there can be potentially hundreds of cars … so the police will work that as a controlled intersection,” Fawcett said.

Fawcett said eastbound and westbound traffic is particularly high at that time.

The city has been in conversations with the province and Canada Packers, the mayor said, noting the company has played a “huge role.”

“Right now, we’re doing this because of a tragedy that happened,” he said. “We all expect people to be able to go to work and come home safe, so it matters a great deal to Canada Packers as well.”

The proposal to have police at the intersection was put on the table “fairly immediately” following the collision that killed the 49-year-old woman employed at Canada Packers.

While the ultimate aim is to have the intersection controlled by traffic lights, Fawcett said the police presence will make people more aware and pay more attention when using the intersection.

The May 27 collision occurred when a northbound semi-truck on Highway 110 failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with an SUV, police said.

Brijpal Panwar, 35, was subsequently charged with dangerous driving causing death. He was granted bail earlier this month and is allowed to live in Ontario while awaiting trial.

The province converted the intersection to an all-way stop to “support safer traffic flow and prepare drivers for the future activation of traffic signals,” the province said in Tuesday’s release.

Other measures the province plans to put in place include reducing approach speeds on all legs of the intersection to 70 km/h, installing more rumble strips and enhancing existing ones, closing parallel turning lanes and activating the traffic signals in flashing red mode in all directions, the release said.

— Brandon Sun