West End businesses fear next crash at intersection will be fatal

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The squealing of tires, the crunch of steel and the tinkling of shattered glass skittering across asphalt — these are the sounds Linda Peters has become alarmingly familiar with on the corner of Ellice Avenue and Erin Street.

The intersection, home to Goodies Bake Shop where Peters is part owner and operations manager, is being called a hot spot for collisions. Area residents fear it is a matter of time before somebody is seriously injured or killed.

“There are so many accidents here, it is a huge concern,” Peters said.

“When I hear a smash — which has happened many times — I just go running outside to see if someone needs help.”

That’s exactly what took place Friday morning, when a pickup truck and sedan collided, causing the car to jump the curb and slam into a light standard on the southwest corner of the West End business.

Peters, who directed her staff to call 911, rushed outside to find a woman in her early 20s trapped inside the crumpled sedan with its airbags deployed.

“She was talking. She just said her head hurt,” said Peters, who waited nearby to comfort the woman until emergency crews arrived and freed her.

Peters said the woman was assessed by paramedics at a waiting ambulance, and appeared relatively unharmed.

The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service confirmed it responded to the crash scene around 10 a.m. Nobody was sent to hospital, spokesperson Erin Madden said.

72 collisions in 5 years

While Peters did not see what led to the latest crash, she said motorists are frequently spotted speeding, running red lights and driving distracted in the high-traffic strip outside her business.

Data provided by Manitoba Public Insurance showed the intersection has seen 72 collisions over the past five years.

The Winnipeg intersection with the most collisions during that period was Leila Avenue and McPhillips Street at 659 crashes, MPI said.

The City of Winnipeg reviewed the Erin and Ellice corner in 2021, spokesperson Julie Dooley said by email.

That assessment resulted in several safety improvements, including: lowered traffic signals to improve visibility; reduced lane widths (a design feature shown to reduce vehicle speeds); and increased boulevard space surrounding Goodies to improve pedestrian safety, Dooley said.

The MPI data showed the number of collisions there dropped after the changes, with nine in 2022 and 11 in 2023, down from 19 and 16 in each of the previous two years respectively. The number of collisions rose again to 17 in 2024.

Peters acknowledged the positive changes, but said more needs to be done.

She suggested installing a traffic turning signal and creating crash barriers or bollards near storefronts.

Dooley said such barriers would interfere with snow removal because sidewalk plows cannot navigate around them. If implemented, city staff would have to clear snow from the area by hand.

Peters insisted businesses would be happy to shoulder the responsibility of shovelling, if it meant preventing property damage and improving safety.

‘They are not going to do anything until someone is killed’

Goodies, on average, is damaged in collisions twice per year. It is so commonplace that Peters seldom files insurance claims to prevent her premiums from skyrocketing, she said.

“One time in the past, a vehicle landed right inside Goodies Bake Shop, so it could be deadly,” Peters said.

Peters’ concern is not unfounded; in 2020, a semi-truck slammed into the side of Russell Hendrix, a food-service equipment retailer located across the street.

No staff were injured, but the building was significantly damaged. Two women in another vehicle were hospitalized in stable condition.

The semi-truck came to a rest inside the company’s showroom, which could have been tragic had the crash not occurred in the early morning hours before the business opened, sales director Bob Kolt said.

Kolt, who has worked at the company for 21 years, warns his staff daily to exercise caution near the intersection because of the high number of collisions he has witnessed there, he said.

Another business owner in the area says motorists treat the streets there like a “racetrack.”

“I’ve pulled people out of vehicles, called ambulances, firefighters, all the time,” said Noris Zeid, who runs an HVAC company on Erin Street.

“I feel bad for the city and I understand there are a lot of things that need to be done, but that’s a really big concern. They are not going to do anything until someone is killed.”

Zeid would like to see the speed limit reduced and traffic enforcement strengthened.

“I think if they did some pre-emptive work here, that would go a long way.”

Dooley said the city intends to review the speed limit in the area, as part of a larger ongoing study.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca