MTO adds two additional stop signs following multiple accidents, near misses
CENTRAL MANITOULIN—The new four-way stop in Mindemoya installed this past week completes a promise made to the municipality by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) nearly two years ago, but the installation, currently without the normal “new” signage alerting drivers to the change, has resulted in an online social media furor as reports of unsuspecting drivers plowing through the intersection abound.
The Expositor first reported on the ministry’s decision to install a four-way stop at the intersection of Highway 551 and Highway 542 (King Street) in the Town of Mindemoya in December of 2023. Mayor Richard Stephens noted at the time that the ministry’s decision had come following several years of lobbying by the municipality.
“It has been on council’s agenda for years,” confirmed Central Manitoulin Mayor Richard Stephens. “It has been a long, long time, two or three different terms of council.” The installation has come during the final year of the current council’s mandate.
The mayor suggested at the time that if it had been up to the municipal council to make the decision, the four-way stop would have been in place many years ago. “When a number of government levels are involved, it can sometimes take a long time,” said Mayor Stephens. He noted that changes at the ministry in recent years may have supplied fresh eyes to the issue following several studies by the MTO that had concluded a four-way stop at that location was unwarranted. “But it often helps to have that collaboration. Kind of like the House of Commons and the Senate, it helps to have a sober second thought.”
The Manitoulin Detachment of the OPP has issue an October 29 advisory on social media that the new stop signs have been installed and cautions drivers that the signs are small and challenging for unwary drivers to notice—especially for drivers familiar with the old two-way stop sign setup.
“We urge all motorists to approach with caution, slow down, and be alert as other drivers adjust to this change,” notes the advisory.
Mayor Stephens suggested that the ministry’s change of heart may have been influenced by previous accidents that resulted in life-changing injuries.
In July 2021 a two-vehicle crash at the intersection resulted in a then 51-year-old passenger from Willisville sustaining “life-altering” injuries and being transported to a Sudbury hospital. Several years earlier, an Indigenous artist was killed while driving his motorcycle through the intersection.
The intersection has been dubbed “killer corner” by local residents over the years. It is hoped that the new four-way stop will reduce the likelihood of further fatalities and serious accidents at the corner, which sees numerous school buses passing through during the school season.
A sampling of the online comments include: “The new four way stop sign in Mindemoya really shows who shouldn’t have a licence; With all the posts about the 4 Way Stop in Mindemoya now … why wasn’t flashing stop lights placed at the top of the STOP sign to indicate new sign? This is a normal safety practice elsewhere in the province unless Dougie Ford saved a few bucks to pay for the bridge in Little Current; and in all seriousness we need to be extra cautious when approaching the new 4 way stop in Mindemoya. My wife was nearly t-boned because someone didn’t stop and they blew their horn at her as if she was in the wrong. There have been a lot of jokes and complaints in regard to this but I’m praying during this adjustment period there isn’t a serious accident.”
