Watrous residents looking for answers after parked semi trucks cause safety issues along Highway 2
Watrous is a thriving economic centre based upon agriculture, tourism, mining and industry, but that hustle has brought with it an unwelcome consequence. In recent years, more semi-trucks have been parking along either side of Highway 2 which runs through the edge of town and that’s led to major safety concerns from citizens.
Long-time resident and former mayor of nearby Resort Village of Manitou, Gerald Worobec said the semi drivers park on both shoulders of the highway when they stay at hotels along that roadway, also known as First Avenue in Watrous.
“It’s a visibility issue for both pedestrian and automotive traffic. They have to come way out onto the street to see if there is oncoming traffic,” Worobec said. “In the wintertime, it’s horrendous to try and clear a path with all these trucks on either side of the highway. You could barely pass through there with your vehicle because it’s so narrow.”
On July 4, just before midnight, a 32-year-old woman from Watrous died when the truck she was driving collided with a parked semi. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by local RCMP and the Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist. As such, police were unable to provide any comment on a potential cause or mitigating factor.