'Hail Mary to turn left': Wyandotte intersections top city list of most T-bone crashes

Getting T-boned at a signalized intersection in Windsor happens much more often at several areas on Wyandotte Street, according to a new city report.

As the municipality explores the idea of red light cameras, they've released a top 10 list of intersections with traffic lights that see the most "right angle collisions" — also known as T-bone crashes. Seven of the areas on that list are intersections along Wyandotte Street. The data is based on collisions from 2013 to 2017.

"It's almost a Hail Mary to turn left," said Angelina Ebegbuzie about the intersection of Wyandotte Street East and McDougall Street.

She has owned Entice Salon on that corner for nearly nine years and witnesses frequent "major accidents," fender benders and pedestrians getting hit. When it happens nowadays, Ebegbuzie isn't surprised anymore.

"This is just a horrible corner," she said. "Most of the time now, I try not to walk [near that intersection]."'

So what's the problem? Ebegbuzie said it's a busy area, combined with the fact that "people are always in a rush down this street."

Intersection 'slanted'

Ultimately, she said the intersection is "slanted" and doesn't give drivers the proper sight lines when turning left onto Wyandotte Street from McDougall Street.

To help with that, Ebegbuzie wants to see a turning signal.

As a way to reduce "angled collisions," council has asked administration to explore red light cameras and photo radar (automated speed enforcement). City council will debate the topic Monday.

Rear-end crashes also an issue

From 2013 to 2017, there were 7,335 collisions at signalized intersections. About 50 per cent of those were rear-end crashes, and 12 per cent were angle collisions.

Before Windsor can install red light cameras and automated speed enforcement — if council opts to go down that route — the municipality must first request permission from the Ministry of Transportation outlining problematic intersections.

Here is the city's top 10 list of signalized intersections with T-bone collisions:

But administration is recommending against those two options because the implementation would require an amendment to the Highway Traffic Act for red light cameras. And Windsor won't be on a list of designated municipalities to use automated speed enforcement once the legislation passes.