Series of collisions at Winnipeg intersection raises safety concerns for some area residents, businesses

Some residents and business owners in Winnipeg's St. James neighbourhood say the city should consider safety upgrades to a local intersection after several vehicle collisions in just over two weeks.

Vehicle debris still litters the snow at the intersection of Ness Avenue and Ferry Road, where a trio of accidents took out traffic signals and signage between late December and earlier this week.

Kevin Ramberran, one of the owners of St. James Burger and Chip Co., witnessed the collisions through his restaurant's security footage.

He said the first crash on the morning of Dec. 23 was "one of the worst crashes I've ever seen."

Video footage posted to Reddit appears to show a vehicle in the westbound lane of Ness attempting to turn left onto Ferry. When the light changes from green to yellow, a vehicle heading eastbound on Ness continues through the intersection, colliding with the turning vehicle and sending it spinning into a traffic light post.

"Maybe we just need to tighten up how this intersection operates," Ramberran said, adding he's concerned for the safety of his staff and area residents.

The city confirmed the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to a 911 call just after 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 23. One patient was transported to hospital in stable condition, the city said, while another was taken in stable condition.

Winnipeg police said one of the people taken to hospital was a youth.

The incident "doesn’t appear to be criminal in nature," police said.

Two weeks later, there was another crash at the same intersection, the city confirmed to CBC News.

The city said a WFPS supervisor was driving by the intersection on Tuesday afternoon when they noticed a motor vehicle collision and called for additional crews to respond. Paramedics assessed one patient at the scene, the city said, but they didn't need to be hospitalized.

Tuesday's collision was also recorded on video and posted to Reddit, showing a similar scenario to the Dec. 23 crash. According to the footage, a vehicle driving eastbound on Ness appears to go through a yellow light as it turns red, colliding with a left-turning vehicle.

A couple of days later, another video posted on Thursday appears to show an eastbound vehicle on Ness driving up on the centre median and knocking over a traffic signal.

However, CBC News was unable to verify the footage with officials, as the city said it did not receive a 911 call on Thursday morning meeting that description.

Katrina Robertson, who lives near the intersection, said she was out shovelling snow when the first collision happened on Dec. 23.

She said turn signals at Ness and Ferry  are "not very good" and she would like to see the traffic light system changed so that turn signals are applied to vehicles turning in all directions at the intersection.

But drivers should also be cautious, she said, especially when icy winter weather makes roadways slick and slippery.

"People need to slow down, especially when it's wintertime," she said.

"It's not worth being on time if you're not being safe."

Jim Phillips, who drives through the intersection regularly and saw the collision videos posted online, said the intersection is "prone to accidents" and he would like to see the city fix it.

The city said it continually reviews intersections for safety risks under its road safety strategic action plan, looking for high-priority locations where accidents happen most often.

Ness and Ferry is "not one of the highest-rated locations for collisions," the city said, and it is "not currently studying a redesign" for the intersection.