THUNDER BAY — Some residents of the Highway 102 corridor are providing feedback on safety concerns through a survey being undertaken by the Ministry of Transportation.
The MTO has commissioned a consulting firm to gather feedback from motorists and residents about safety issues on the route used daily by hundreds of transport truck drivers.
According to the ministry, it's part of an operational performance review of Highway 102 led by the MTO.
No one was available for an interview, but in a statement the ministry said the intent is to collect information from users for use "in the preliminary analysis to identify potential issues or improvements along the corridor."
Resident Martin Doyle said he's grateful officials are reaching out for feedback and suggestions by conducting a survey.
He also plans to submit a detailed written response that elaborates on his concerns.
"This highway was built to serve the approximately 35 side roads and thousands of residents that are obliged to use it, and not as an alternate for the Trans-Canada Highway," he said in an interview Tuesday.
Doyle said there have been so many collisions resulting in serious injuries or fatalities that many residents are actually afraid of driving on Highway 102, but have no choice.
"While improvements on this highway over the years are generally appreciated, these have caused hundreds of truckers to use it daily as a shortcut, bypassing Kakabeka Falls, which saves them about 10 minutes' driving time at the speed limit."
Doyle suggested that a short bypass be built on Highway 11/17 to re-route transport trucks around Kakabeka, and that in the meantime keeping the MTO truck inspection station on Dawson Road/Highway 102 open during the day would minimize the collision rate.
Jena Curtis, owner of Wildewood Variety on Highway 102, said she worries for the safety of her family, friends and other community members.
"I was the first on the scene and major eyewitness of a fatality that happened in the winter of 2021, and it's an ongoing concern. It's not just the trucks, it's everything. It's how the highway was built -- it's the blind spots, it's the curves and the hills, and the maintenance of the highway."
Curtis said school buses are constantly stopping on the road and that she's been "pushed off the highway" a number of times by transport trucks going around plow trucks.
"It's not just the trucks, but it has a lot to do with the training of the drivers. They don't slow down," she said, adding that when residents activate their turn signals to take a side road, they hear truck drivers honking their horns or see them flashing their lights in response.
"If nothing else, the speed on this highway needs to be reduced so that people can safely exit the highway, or turn onto the highway for that matter."
Curtis said she's already responded to the safety survey.
"Kudos to the MTO for putting out the survey. Now, let's see what they do with it and what happens. Because if they just put it out to appease us, that's not going to appease us."
The online survey remains open until April 14.
