After a series of delays, traffic lights have finally been activated at a key intersection in Brandon, where a tragic accident claimed the life of Xiaoyun Zhang, 49, in May. The fatal incident occurred when a semi truck collided with the SUV she was driving at the junction of Highway 110 and Richmond Avenue East, close to her workplace.
The truck driver reportedly disregarded a stop sign at the time, as the intersection previously only had a two-way stop. Manitoba’s transportation minister, Lisa Naylor, revealed that plans were already in motion to install a four-way traffic light system at the location before the crash took place.
Although the lights were initially scheduled to be operational by summer, various factors caused delays beyond the government’s control. Issues included a delay in shipping a crucial component and a month-long strike by around 300 unionized rail signal workers from Canadian Pacific Kansas City, whose signals needed to be synchronized with the new lights due to their proximity to a railway crossing near the intersection.
Following the resolution of the railway workers’ strike in August, the province swiftly upgraded the intersection to a four-way stop with flashing lights in all directions, refreshed rumble strips, and reduced the speed limit to 70 km/h in response to the tragic incident. Brijpal Panwar, 35, faces charges of dangerous driving causing death in connection to the crash, with a bail set at $5,000 and a requirement to stay at his residence in Etobicoke, Ontario.
Panwar, an employee of Conquer Transportation in Alberta (formerly Conquer Transport in Manitoba), had the company’s safety permit revoked in Manitoba in 2021 due to ongoing operational deficiencies and non-compliance issues. Naylor expressed her strong sentiments regarding the incident, emphasizing the need for a federal database to track such occurrences. She commended the shutdown of the company by Alberta authorities following advocacy efforts, stating that she played a prominent role in pushing for action on the matter.
