Over 1,800 traffic signals damaged in Winnipeg since 2021
Posted March 12, 2026 9:07 pm.
Last Updated March 12, 2026 9:11 pm.
Traffic signal damages in Winnipeg fluctuate every year, but scenes like signals on St. Mary’s Road which leave pieces of debris scattered are not uncommon.
In fact, more than 1,800 traffic signals have been damaged in the city since 2021.
Winnipeggers say the City should repair the damages much sooner for the safety of both pedestrians and drivers.
Richard Frechette, who lives the near where the collision happened in the early hours on Thursday morning, claims the man driving the car told him he fell asleep at the wheel when he went out to check on him, saying he was shaken up.
Signs of the crash could be seen all over the sidewalk Thursday afternoon.
Frechette says he thought the crosswalk would have been repaired after lying broken all night, as the area is high traffic with a school, church and several businesses nearby.
However, he says it’s drivers who need to take more care, especially as there are no traffic lights between Fermor Avenue and St. Vital Road.
“You can see it all the time. They’re not going sixty, they’re going 70, 75 down here,” Frechette said.
The City of Winnipeg data shows there have been 1,881 traffic signals damaged since 2021.
With 339 in 2025, 382 in 2024, 356 in 2023, 474 in 2022 and 330 in 2021, for a five-year average of 376.
The accident happened in front of Gloria Dodd’s home.
Dodd said the damaged signal and the debris in the crosswalk should have been fixed earlier.
“I waited almost 10 minutes before I got across the crosswalk because not a car would stop,” Dodd said, adding that the damages made going to an appointment complicated.
She says the crossing is important to keeping area commuters safe, “They should have had it fixed for early this morning, because there’s kids going to school.”
The City didn’t respond to CityNews’ request for information about how it handles repairs and the timeline.
However, after CityNews inquired about the damaged crosswalk, city crews were on scene within hours to deal with the downed signal, marking the damaged equipment and saying they expect it to be repaired later today.
